Things to Watch this Week

[charliep]

What will you be watching this week and what marketing strategies are you considering?

I have been told a couple times in here to never stand in front of a changing bull and am slowly learning. What signals will you be following to indicate this market is peaking? How are you separating old crop strategies from new crop ones?

Note that next Monday is the PRO day. Will be an interesting day when they announce FPC basis levels. Several threads have asked questions/provided forecasts. Will highlight the CWB posted futures only FPC in the historical charts area.

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/farmers/producer/historical/pdf/2008-09/0809bpccharts.pdf

The most recent annual report highlights the risk of the current producer pricing options. Will be interesting to see what changes are made in 2008/09. I would encourage everyone to attend their local CWB district meetings.

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/newsroom/events/farmforum/popups/meetings.jsp

[charliep]

My quess on 1CWRS 13.5 is $10 to $20 under and $20 to $35 under for CPS/CWRW. Won't guess on SWS (unless someone pushes). One thing I am watching is the new crop spreads between MGE and KCBT - will have an impact on basis as the CWB trys to manage the payment relationship between CWRS/CWWW/CWES and the mid quality wheats.

[cottonpicken]

My marketing strategie this weak is to sacrifice a chicken to the "god of oats".I dont see how this can hurt,and i am sitting on a pile.

p.s-does anybody have an alter for sale

[parsley]

Check with Rod Flaman, first.

He's probably practicing spells, blending potions, (ah......just occurred to me....for blabby staff and Directors), and conjuring up altars at 423 Main.


Liberal MP's have been known to describe crosses burning in the West, and then miserably recant the description, but I presume only Liberals can see them, and struggle to protect their magic apparition secrets.


Do you suppose they have a pooling account of hexes, and they call it Slight of Hand?

Parsley

[parsley]

And if you don't believe me about magic,...read the following excerpt from an article written by Rod Flaman on 25 Feb 2001 07:59:32 -0600, cirulating throughout the farm community.


This is bloody priceless. LOL

QUOTE
".The CWB MOnopoly is a Hoax

For 53 years Western Farmers have been tricked by the Federal government
into giving up their !'lheat to the so called "Monopoly" while their eastern farmers reap the benefits.

Eastern Canada elects the1fede.ral government and Western canadians pay the bill whether they be farmers, loggers, miners, fishermen or oilmen.


Western Canada has been "colonized" by the Bureaucrats in Ontario and Quebec.

r.magine a magician in front of a large audience. He is doing some fancy slight of hand. He has a fine white handkerchief and a beautiful crystal ball. The handkerchief floats in the air and the crystal ball disappears. You ask how did he do that? Was the ball real? Did he slip the handkerchief out of his sleeve?

He may in fact be the most cunning magician in the world, but the fact remains that you have been tricked.


This is like the Canadian Wheat Board and their Monopoly Hoax.

You can ask all the typical questions. Do they get me the best returns? Are they operating for the least cost? If I use the buy back does it represent the boards export pricing? Did they back off the Vancouver freight?


You can go on and on.

But you are not asking the right questions.

The Monopoly is a Hoax!. You have been tricked by the masters!
UNQUOTE


The thing is, he figured it out, and he was right! The monopoly exists only because the CWB denies licenses!!

But smewhere, Flaman fell apart at the seams.

Hmmmm.
We need a sewing machine.

Parsley

[parsley]

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Feb.19, 2008


Grain firms seek arbitration Want to resolve differences over barley sales program

Larry Kusch

CANADA'S largest grain companies want Ottawa to compel the Canadian Wheat Board to submit to arbitration to resolve differences over a controversial new malt barley sales program.

The board, however, says an independent arbitrator isn't needed because the two sides are still talking things out.

Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz should intervene to break up a stalemate over the wheat board's CashPlus initiative.

"We've asked the government for a dispute-resolution process," Sobkowich said last week.

He said there are simple dispute-resolution processes, such as those employed by ICE Futures Canada, formerly the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange, that are quick and cost-effective.

"It's really the only way we can see our way through this because we don't think the wheat board is going to voluntarily agree to the terms that we need and we're not going to voluntarily agree to what they need.

So we're at a stalemate in the interim, and unless we have a vehicle or a mechanism to take the dispute to, we're not going to resolve it."


The wheat board unveiled the CashPlus program earlier this year to address industry and farm concerns with its traditional pool system. The board said the new program will ensure farmers get paid more money up front for their barley.

However, Ritz, the elevator association and the Malting Industry Association of Canada, which represents four large domestic maltsters, have all panned the program, saying it fails to allow for price transparency.

The two industry groups have supported Ritz's goal of ending the wheat board's barley marketing monopoly by Aug. 1 -- although it's far from clear whether the government will be able to do that.

A spokesman for Ritz said Friday the government is "actively looking" at the elevator association's request for arbitration, but he refused to speculate when the minister would make a decision.

A spokesman for the malt industry association was unavailable for comment.


Gord Flaten, vice-president of marketing with the wheat board, said grain companies and maltsters are not compelled to buy barley through the CashPlus program.

He said they can still make purchases through the traditional wheat board pool.

"So if they wish to stick with doing business the way it's been done in previous years, then they have that option now," Flaten said.

He also said the board continues to discuss the CashPlus program with the industry.

Anheuser-Busch, which is not part of the malt association, has reportedly purchased 40,000 tonnes of malt barley through CashPlus contracts with growers and the wheat board.

Flaten said the board has also bought barley through the program for later sale.

"There are two ways that we can do CashPlus business," Flaten said Friday.

"We can back all of our CashPlus purchases with farmers with a sale or we can just purchase some directly and make sales later and that's something we're prepared to do in a limited way."

Another industry concern, Sobkowich said, is that the wheat board has changed contract language regarding barley purchases from the CWB pool, placing "all of the risk on the buyer."


But Flaten said while there has been a "clarification" in wording, the board hasn't changed the "legal impact" of the contracts. He said the board is continuing to discuss the issue with the industry.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca



Good for the maltsters for stickunbg to their guns.

Flaten: Won't admit that cash-plus is smae-old same-old ....SELLING TO THE CWB.

Flaten needs a kick.
After all, the feed mills do what the maltsters want to do.

The feed mills completely bypass Board marketing and Board pooling. Maltsters want the same!

So why is it Flaten does it for the Mills and won't do it for the maltsters?

Parsley

PS: Farmers, when we gain marketing freedom, remember the name "Anheuser-Busch". They caved.

The other maltsters are standing up and being counted.

Support them with your grain when choice finally happens. They deserve it.

Parsley