CWB has $600,000 of my MONEY? How are they working for you?

[chaffmeister]

Stubblejumper:

The issue isn't the CWB - it's the single desk.

A mere 62% wanted to do away with the single desk. (I think even more would vote that way now.)

That means only 38% want to keep the single desk.

Oh what the hell - let's get another argument going:

If there is ever another plebiscite, I think the question should be:

Do you want to keep the Single Desk:
Yes ________
or
No ________

Pretty simple.

[AdamSmith]

Stubblejumper, I see you like to argue percentages,

here's some interesting stats from the 2006 Farm Census

http://www.statcan.ca/english/agcensus2006/articles/finpic.htm

Among the farms reporting $250,000 and over in receipts, a group that has been growing for a number of censuses, the story is also positive. This group (which includes the million-dollar farms) accounts for only 17.0% of all farms but 74.9% of total receipts.

Table 3
Proportion of farms by receipts class by farm type, Canada, 2006 Farm type Number of farms Less than $25,000 $25,000 to $99,999 $100,000 to $249,999 $250,000 to $999,999 $1 million and over Total

Field crops 91,277 35.3% 28.9% 19.8% 14.5% 1.5% 100%

Notice the correlation between the % of farmers who want the cwb gone altogether and the % of farmers with sales of $250,000 or more.

14% vs 16%. These guys make up 75% of all crop sales.

Now add in the over $100,000 sales guys (thats a farm size of maybe 600 acres only) this brings the total to 36%.

By the way the MB gov't (NDP) had a provincial plebicite last fall with only the lefts preffered 2 choices and it's no coincidence that 36% of MB farmers wanted the cwwb gone altogether. And MB has the highest level of cwb support among farmers between the three prairie provinces.

Interesting huh!

[SASKFARMER3]

Grain Betty you must be Burp farts son, because you make no sense at all.
I am just trying to show you guys who think the CWB is so good that they are taking over 1.50 or more out of your farms bottom line every single year. And simpletons like you and burp-fart and win win think its OK.
GOD HELP US!
Grade 10 dropouts are coming back to haunt us.

[SASKFARMER3]

Also what will it be in may you wounder. If the CWB was gone we would be able to contract some of our production at over $8.00 a Bushel just like ND Montana and Oh maybe Ontario.
And yes it has gone up since last month but if a farmer had another option besides the CWB they could plan all their sales. I like peas off Combine then Barley and Oats Finally Canola and Then CWB crops to round out my Crop year.

[just_wondering]

Adam smith what number would you propose be the cutoff IF we are forced into another plebiscite?
We have to be reasonable, knowing that they(conservative Govt) will not disenfranchise to many landlords and retired farmers.
Would 160 tonnes over 3 years be enough to clean up the voters list, or do we need it to be 500 tn, 1000?
I would say that the whole plebiscite process is BS but since it's in the act and since the Cons don't have a majority this is the route they will prod us along .
I'll go with a yes or no question when they give only real farmers the vote.
Imagine at the bottom of all the CWB propaganda.

Controlled by REAL western Canadian farmers, WHO CHOOSE TO BELONG the CWB is the largest GRAIN CO-OP in the world. One of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to ALL countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs to THOSE SAME FARMERS WHO WE ARE IN PARTNERS WITH

[AdamSmith]

just wondering,

don't look at the plebiscite in the context of who can we prevent from trying to jump over the low bar, but in the context of how high do we place the bar in order for the whole exercise to be meaningful.

Instead of telling a whole bunch of old farts and non-commercial farmers they can't enter the high jump,

tell everyone that they are welcome to enter the high jump, but if you want to move on to the next level you have to clear at minimum of 6 feet.

This is how the real world operates. You establish a criteria based on what you are intending on achieving.

What is it we are intending on achieving?

We are trying to determine what is needed for this industry to move forward and move forward with the support and enthusiasm of those who are actually participating and contributing. i.e. a result that means something.


The census shows us what we have already known for some time, that 16% of the farmers produce 75% of the grain.

This has to be considered.

They way it stands today, 75% of the production is being forced into what we consider a useless and pointless debate. That being a Dual Market, we just want the damn thing gone.

We've been in the process of destroying an industry for going on twenty years now by worrying and focusing on 25% of the production.

Is it any wonder the entire grain industry is dysfunctional?


So place the bar high enough to mean something, and my suggestion would be in order for the cwb to continue to keep its monopoly it must have 85% approval for the single desk. And close it down entirely if it can't achieve 50% approval or more.

The other thing is don't ask the question in general terms as Chaffmeister suggested.

Ask the question in the personal.

For example How do YOU want to market YOUR Wheat

A - Through the CWB or,

B - on the Open Market

and ask the same question for Barley.

Don't ask farmers to consider all the potential implications of the different policies just ask them what they would like for their own farm.

Only those two choices because you can't sell a bushel of wheat twice and because the cwb et. al will make anything other than those two choices being asked a nightmare.

Ask every seller of wheat and barley that question.

Then count the ballots.

Also make sure everyone knows the criteria before voting, this is really important, because you don't want to give the opposition anything to latch onto to discredit the process.

But the key her are the rules which establish threshold of support for various policies and systems.

My suggestion would be

85% and over for the CWB, keep the single desk.
50% to 84% for the CWB, dual market.
0% to 49% for the CWB, shut the place down.

THAT'S HOW YOU RUN A PLEBISCITE THAT MEANS SOMETHING.

Anything else is just the same old argument and dysfunction.

[just_wondering]

while I would agree with you on your Stat Can numbers that 16% of producers, produce 75% of the crop.
I have a big problem saying that all farmers are equal and that everybody gets the same rights.
Just as $10,000.00 is to small of a gross income to be declared a farmer 40 tonnes doesnt do it either.
I am willing to compramise and have a little slippage with my 160 tonnes while not really believing they are farmers either, but it's a compramise.
I don't feel that your idea of 85% support for the CWB or shut it down has any chance of traction. It may be the best idea yet but politically, and this is political it won't fly with the "NEW" conservative government.