NH3 Gouging by Canadian Company's

[SASKFARMER3]

Again are we Canadian farmers just plain simply stupid. For months I have been showing that their is a huge price discrepancy between Canada and USA on NH3 and I get one or two posts from concerened farmers the rest of the smart guys on this website think its OK because they bought in fall for much cheaper prices. Hell you think I didn't get some put on in fall.
What I am trying to get across is why are we getting gouged in Canada on NH3 and our American cousins are getting it at same or just a little higher than last year.
Finally the Manitoba Keystone group is looking into it because its pure highway robbery.
Their is no logical way to explain how NH3 could have doubled in Canada because of the Americans growing more corn because their price hasn't gone up so that ones shot down.
Supply is tight yea that's a good one since the amount of NH3 going on this spring is no different than last three years and the amount going to the USA is not changing. So shoot that BS in foot.
Finally maybe the simplest comment the Fertilizer industry could make is YES we are Screwing the Canadian farmers to a tune of Double the real cost of Product.

[SASKFARMER3]

Galesburg, ND

CURRENT FERTILIZER PRICES: NH3 $550./TN UREA $440/TN 28-0-0 $300/TN MAP $440/TN 10-34-0 $360/TN 0-0-60 $250/TN 21-0-0-24 $240/TN CASH PAY PRICE

2007 Spring Fertilizer Prices 04/30/2007 8:25:39 AM

UFMC
2007 SPRING FERTILIZER PRICES

PRODUCT PRICE/LB PRICE/TON


UREA 46-0-0 $0.483 $444.00


NH3 82-0-0 $0.302 $495.00


MAP 11-52-0 $0.460 $478.00


POTASH 0-0-60 $0.221 $265.00


UAN 32-0-0 $0.540 $345.60


UAN 28-0-0 $0.440 $302.40

[cropduster]

I have phoned my MP and also Strahl`s office.

[Ron]

phoned both offices, they will get back to me.
Makes more sense to bitch to them than everybody at the coffee shop.

[SASKFARMER3]

Excellent I too have phoned my MP Not Useless Ralph Goodale but a Conservitive MP and my MLA not a useless NDP but a Saskparty MLA.

I hope everyone else does the same. This is just plain wrong. Wrong Wrong.

[TOM4CWB]

Saskfarmer3,

We simply do not have competition or laws that have any teeth... the US has much stronger legal and precedent that disciplines business and property rights there.

Liberal/NDP theology of tax and grab... plus the colonial treatment of the "outer reaches" of Canada... all add up to the "special treatment" growers... especially grain growers are treated to in the "designated area".

We don't help by sending Left Wing Communists to the CFA that the centralists can use at their beaconed whim to keep us in our place! If the words "Property Rights" are mentioned... their eyes glaze over

It realy is all about the colonial "Command and Control" economy... gov'ts take all they can... and only give back what they feel they must... determined by the ballot box.

What % of the population are grain farmers... and how important are they?

Just think about the negative kickback the Conservatives are hammered with; by reinsituting property rights over the CWB Monopoly in the "Designated Area".

SM5 is taking them to the cleaners... for just being Conservatives and talking about "Property Rights"!

We all should know... monopolies create more monopolies; the base CDN legal system that will allow the CWB/SM5, allows the same concentration in other areas of our AG society.

Consitutionally... Federal Income tax on the individual person never was voted on by the people of Canada and properly enacted, it is technically a federal breach as is the GST...

Simply: a JUdge said the Canadian Gov. "Couldn't" survive without these taxes... and placed them under "Peace, order, and good government" Consitutional Clause as acceptable.

Obviously the majority of Canadians agree... as do the majority of MP's in Ottawa.

Why do you think we don't enforce the "Canadian Bill of Rights"?

My Rant for the day!

[wd9]

Sure, now you guys all of a sudden don't want an open and free market. What is your MP supposed to do? Regulate the inputs market?

[SASKFARMER3]

WD are you just plain stupid.
In a open free market their wouldn't be a difference between one side of the border and the other.
Their is something with the Canadian system that's wrong on this one.
In a open system I could redirect the truck leaving belleplain to head east instead of south and then just send the check to the guy south instead of local.

[AdamSmith]

Saskfarmer, thanks for keeping this issue alive.

WD9, Saskfarmer is right in a properly functioning open market prices are allowed to arbitrage. Yet by talking to my dealer earlier, he told me he tried to book all he would need for this spring last fall, his best deal by a long shot was sourcing from a US dealer, who was sourcing from Brandon.But the fert had to be shipped from Brandon to the US then back, but because of some kind of screwy transportation law he couldn't do it.

That's his story, whether it's right or not? who knows?

Irregardless we are being gouged. And WD9 without competitive disciplines the open market looses it's appeal.

As staunch of an advocate for the open market as I am, this NH3 market is giving the open market a black eye.

I know open markets, and the Canadian Fertilizer Industry ain't functioning like one at all.

No, I don't want to regulate the market, but they sure are inviting that outcome by overcharging with no good reason. Wouldn't you agree?

[Burbert]

wd9, You have made a GOOD point with your comment. It is exactly the problem. These guy, agri-business people are all connected, in lots of cases they are major grain companies selling inputs fertilizer etc, and gouging us. These guys are our FRIENDS!
What I find that is totally out of wack, is the fact that a farmer organization the cwb, directed and operated by farmers, is in fact being torn apart and dismantled by farmers. All in the name of positive progress, lets turn it all over to the private sector they'll fix things for us, the open market, grain companies, railroads, brokers, machine companies, banks, fuel suppliers, government ag departments, and their research buddies. Just like the breaking up of Co-ops across the country, and deregulation, once the business is up and running, assets are in place, the private sector moves in and scoops up the good stuff, telling us how well they can run the business so much better. Guess what? Service levels drop and prices go up and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it, once its gone, its gone, then let the whinning and sniveling begin. Where is the gov't they should do something about these high prices. You know what they'll do, study the hell out of the problem, for a long, long, long, time, then maybe it will go away or people will lose interest!!! Gouging plain and simple is the order of the day, in this case.

[sawfly]

tomcwb

dont you think it is a bit of a stretch to blame the ndp for price fixing of big bussiness.
of course their big business freindly attitude is to blame.

the conservitives and liberals have been in power in ottawa since canada began. Any blame for weak competition laws rests with them.

I would commend the stance of con. MPs on the OUI debate . But remember it was Mulroney that gave away the farm to the chemical companys in the first place.


free trade was designed so that big business could move money jobs products and factories around and out muscle local competition.
once that is done , they can do whatever they damn well please.

[wd9]

SF3, ouch. Some would say as much as the day is long but I digress.

When you say 'something', what is that something? What exactly is wrong with the system that MP's and MLA's can do?

I can't tell my MP to do something and hope to have something fixed and expect a positive result.

[SASKFARMER3]

Whats ticking me off WD is that farmers are just laying down and dying and not standing up and doing something about it.
This is plain highway robbery.

[sewen]

The MP's are too busy debating whether or not Shane Doan should be wearing the captains C for team Canada to be bothered with something like the price of fertlizer.

[wd9]

What is the something you suggest?