CWB MONOPOLY...Barley prices in Chaos

[parsley]

henbent,

Please address these issues:

1. Do you condone and support that the CWB requires Western farmers to do buybacks even though the CWB Act does not say that you have to do a buyback to get a license?

2. If Board POLICY took a real bent turn and decided that in order to get a license, each Prairie farmer applicant would have to pay to the CWB ...30 fat steers, would that also be alright with you?

3. Do you think that forced partnerships, through threat of jail,is morally acceptable?

Don't avoid the issues. We all had wise Dads, I'm sure, but this discussion is about principles.

I'm sure you will want to define yours on Agri-ville's table.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent;

I do not see this issue as a one of being "rich" or "poor" for that matter.

In terms of 90% of the world's population today, all us farmers in Canada are rich, and very rich by 3rd world standards.

The real issue is self improvement, improvement of our communities and country.

If we have the knowledge to do things better, why not do things more efficiently?

[henbent]

parsley, 1. An orderly marketing system must exist to serve us all. The buyback system exists, as I see it to protect us from violations of international trade ageements, like NFTA. In accordance, I support the export licence. Why Ontario is treated differently bothers me though. I wonder, how much they actually export annually? 2. I could not support selling 30 fat steers to buy an export licence. The cost of such a licence today, is considerably less than what you suggest. (Check with the CWB). 3. There are many Canadian laws which are flawed, but change comes during an election and from work within the system. I speak for the majority when I say that the CWB has done a heck of a lot of good for farmers and payments received on many occasions are a welcome event on farms across Canada. Losing the Crow didn't help us much did it? Freight costs are way up. TOM4CWB Good comments!! All that I can add is that it appears the CWB is responding, and change has occurred and is still occurring within the existing system, keep up the pressure, we are all trying to do the right thing.

[parsley]

Henbent,
1. Every time a Prairie farmer applies for an export license, the CWB points to 14(b) in the regulations and they say, "Look at what the Act requires. Right there it says you have to do a buyback if you want a CWB license."

This is simply not true.

For one thing, the regulation that they point to applies equally to Ontario as well as Alberta. If a buyback is required in Manitoba, it is required in Quebec as well because the regulation applies equally to every province.

The part of the Act that the CWB says is a buyback is actually a national tariff requiring every exporter in every province to pay an identical tariff. Right now that tariff equals $0.00 because of the Free Trade Agreements..

Ontario pays the tariff, so does everyone, except the Western farmer. When Westerners try to pay the $0.00 tariff to get a licnese, the CWB just plain say we can't have a license and we have to sell our grain to them.

Prairie farmers being forced to sell their grain to the Board instead of just plain paying the tariff is not what Parliament wrote.

You say you don't want to pay the price of 30 fat steers to get a license, and I'm not surprised, after all the Act doesn't say that you have to, in order to get the license! But, I don't support being denied a license either. And I don't support having to do a buyback to get the damn license either.

The point I am trying to make to you is this....what does the legislation require and allow? Don't think about what the CWB keeps preaching to us, but think about what Parliament states and ALLOWS.

*****The legislation states that you must pay the difference between the price of wheat inside and outside of Canada. A straight tariff, henbent.*******Read this again.

This is obviously NOT the buyback that the CWB demands. If they asked you to belly up 39 dead goats for your export license, you would see how ridiculous their requirement is.

The CWB are not working within their legislated confine. An orderly marketing system must remain within the law, would you not agree?.

The CWB Act itself is just fine and it is not flawed if it is followed. I'm willing to pay the tariff. Unfortunately, the CWB has strayed when they issue licenses in the West and are telling us "No buyback...no license".

Realize, henbent, that the cost of the license,right across Canada, according to the CWB Act, is legally..... $0.00

Parsley

[henbent]

parsley, In relation to the buyback system, it is obvious you know more about it than I do. However it appears that the Court takes a different view and has upheld the CWB position to date.
TOM4CWB Although you managed to create a lively discussion, I feel it is ridiculous to make a statement like "Shouldn't the CWB go to jail?" The last time I checked this was a democratic country and the majority rules we still support the CWB. If only 23% of us think the same way, what happened didn't the rest bother to vote, or couldn't they figure out how to cast their ballot!! Bye for now guys I've got other stuff to do.

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent;

My main point was that the CWB policy, to tell everyone that PPO contracts are "Market Choice"... is a deception, false advertising... and certainly appears to border on the criminal side of the ledger...

One of my objectives is to educate, as the court of public opinion is the most effective way to change the CWB... as the Justice system has no desire to stand for Justice... too bad, as we are all the loosers as our society breaks down...

I believe for the CWB to survive long term, it must listen to the practical issues we commercial farmers face... and CWB PPO contract don't come close to being acceptable risk management tools, and fail to offer competitive basis buy-out options.

Finally, when the CWB offers a contract that pays me less than 40% of the value of my wheat, is this not criminal?

How can $100/t profit for the CWB be reasonable?

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent: you know what started all this descent toward the CWB was the CWB itself refusing to market wheat that was offered to it by farmers. Mainly because it wasn't up to speck but the farmers themselves found a market for it. In the process they also found a better market for their good wheat and malt barley. and thats when the s--- it the fan and export license hasle started. There is penlty of evidence that CWB undercuts prices in the USA and other places in the world.

Your grain co. is not going to leave if the CWB disappears. It will get stronger if its management is worthy. Farmers will see better freight rates and lower handling fees as companies try to get your business like they do to purchase your canola and your other off board comodoties that you are growing now. Under the system we have now for CWB grains the freight rate and elevation fees are non negotible. The CWB policy is also very much export orindated and are very much a deterent to domestic value added. Flour mills and malt plants will deni this in public but will tell you a whole different story about how the CWB is nearly impossible to deal with. If they discuss this in public the CWB has ways of punishing them as you can quit well imagine. The atmosphere between the CWB and Value added processors is fairly poisoned.

Most of are directors on the CWB are politically motivated. They state democracy rains, majority rules with no moral conscience for the minority.

The only reason marketing choice is not allow is because the board could not compete with the open market with their pooling accounts. Lets face it technogoly has come along way since the horse and wagon days of the 2nd world war. Technogoly cost and a producer needs to have a better risk management tool then the poorer than average price that the CWB discovers.

Talking about directors capabilities one started his career as a lawyer, then went teaching school, then went home to the farm, do you see where his mangement of career moves was headed. Then he run for director on a platform against single desk selling, but once we got his nose in the trough he turn coat on the farmers who elected him. I'am not liking him as a business partner. Give me some choice.

I know truck drivers with a cell phone that can do a better job at marketing than the CWB does.

[TOM4CWB]

Kernel

Yesterday, I deposited a cheque... that included interest from August of 1996... from Canada customs... a full refund of the money I paid to get my truck out of government seizure for hauling wheat to the US of A... and appealed to the Cdn. Minister of Customs for wrongfull seizure.

SO, now that Customs is refunding everyone's money that appealed the seizures... what exactly did the farmers go to jail for?

Instead of the CCRA Minister saying the seizures were proper and legal, and allowing us to challenge the seizures in Court, they refused us our day in Court... what a deal...

Henbent;

If we broke the CWB Act, why doesn't the CWB charge us directly for a breach of the CWB Act?

Kernel is right, this did start in 1993 after Nettie Weebe and Art Macklin complained to the Cdn. Gov.... what was the direct result?

Instead of "designated area" fusarium devistated wheat growers getting Fair Market Value... Multi National grain Companies were placed, by the CWB monopoly, in a place of extractive power, and made millions buying Manitoba grain that had fusarium...

Further...preferential buy-backs were given to CDN. elevator companies as well, proven by M-Jay Farms in court.

This CWB problem has an extensive and twisted history... when will justice be allowed to resolve this CWB situation?

Henbent, the only Court judgement of significance,... so far.... to clearly make the decision that the CWB monopoly,

...has NO DUTY OF CARE TO "designated area" grain growers...

no obligation to maximize our returns going into the pooling accounts...only to be responsible to the minister responible for the CWB and parliament....

Now Henbent, shouldn't all "designated area" grain producers,

...including yourself... have real concern about what is going on ... down at the CWB?

[henbent]

HELLO FELLOW CWB SUPPORTERS,
I am getting picked on here. Am I the 23% majority that supports the board? Is there anyone else out there, or are we all such wimps, that we are terrified to respond to some of these wild arguments and allegations? You know if these fellows say them long enough and loud enough, people will soon start believing this stuff!!! They love the current grain companies and railroad services.

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent;

It would be really simple... if you were in fact right, about the facts...

It is painful for you, as it was very painful and hurtfull for me, to learn and uncover just how gulable and easily I was decieved by the CWB...

I am to love my neighbour... and that means exposing what my neighbour is doing... when justice is being laid waste underfoot...

Henbent... who exactly invested billions in western Canada... to create one of the most efficient grain handling systems on this planet?

Was it the CWB?

Last I checked it was commercial farmers, grain companies, and the transportation sector that rose to the challenge... and created what we have today...

On top, every grain handling company I have dealt with in the past 7 years... since my "Road to Damascus conversion" has proven to be honourable and honest with me... except the CWB ...

What more can I say... the issues you seek to protect farmers from, are being done to farmers, by the CWB itself... the CWB is by far the worst culpret.

Isn't the CWB paying me $70/t for my feed wheat, while it itself is able to get $170/t for this same wheat... proof enough that something is drastically wrong?