makin' it work 2

[tower]

charliep, I tried suggesting that agriville use a paging system for the various threads, so that a certain number of posting or a certain number of bytes would go into each page. That allows participants who are familiar with a thread to go to the last page which allows faster downloading time. There is a drawback in that if you get a few pages going and someone who hasn't been reading the thread wants to do so they would have to go through the pages to find out all that has been said.

Anyway, I started makin' it work at this thread ... https://www.agriville.com/cgi-bin/forums/viewThread.cgi?1189288803

with the idea that we should take responsibility for the cwb as farmers. I think it would also be be an appropriate cost item have a pr department that assisted in efforts to educate the public/consumers about the value of farm income in grain products on store shelves. In the process it would help to educate concerning the value to processing, handling, wholesaling, and retailing companies in grain products on store shelves.

With the continued conglomeration of agribusiness we should all be aware of what a grainfarmers choices will be if we lose the board, very little.

Chaffmeister suggested the option of making the board voluntary, aside from the fact that I don't see how that would work, chaffmeisters reasons appear to me to be resolvable within a farmer controlled cwb.

[parsley]

Separate the dual function of the CWB.

1. The CWB itself continue to market designated area grain.

2. Trade and Commerce take over the national licensing function, issuing licenses for all wht/barley in Canada, and treating all applicants equally, just as the act requires

[silverback]

Do you really, and I mean really, think that the average person buying some crackers or some muffins really cares how much of that product gets back to the farm gate? Of what value is it to have the gas companies put the amount of taxes the gov't gets from a litre on the pump?

A better idea would be to show how much of a tax per bushel the farmers on the prairies are paying in order to keep the office in Winnipeg operating.

If you cannot even admit that a farmers wheat should belong to the farmer, or that we are being hammered by the poor cwb marketing performance, or that we are subsidizing the rest of this countries farmers you are willfully blinded by your allegiance to the board.

Step away from the paycheck for a brief minute and think about the other farmers out here in the real world.

[chaffmeister]

If you want to promote Canadian wheat, take a look around. The US does a bang-up job of promoting US wheat – without a marketing board.

http://www.uswheat.org/overview

So if you want the CWB to do it, that’s fine. But take marketing away from the CWB. Perhaps change the name to the Canadian Wheat Commission (CWC) – it could adopt a slogan similar to US Wheat Associates, perhaps like:

“CWC does not buy, sell, or process Canadian wheat. We make it easier for everyone else to.”

[chaffmeister]

Tower – you think without the CWB farmers would have fewer choices. Here’s the math that works for me:

Start with the current total number of grain buyers....
take away the CWB (one)...
add Canadian millers...
add Canadian maltsters...
add small shippers that aren’t AE’s...
add US elevator companies (many)...
add US millers (a few)...
add US maltsters (at least a couple)...
add offshore buyers...

EQUALS many, many more choices.

Also – farmers would have the opportunity to do stuff to their wheat instead of just sell it – like Prairie Pasta Producers wanted. Take a look at what you could be doing with your wheat-freedom or barley-freedom:

http://www.wheatmontana.com/about.php

But more importantly, you’d have a new choice – what to do with the extra income.

[chaffmeister]

Concerning a voluntary CWB – it would work. On this you’ll just have to trust me. (Sorry, I just don’t have time to explain it once again.) What’s more important though is that the “market” would work – much, much better. For everyone.

And no, my reasons for a voluntary CWB (high costs, poor marketing and low non-CWB prices) would not be resolvable within a farmer controlled CWB – unless it was voluntary.

Those that opted to market without the CWB would see lower costs and better marketing performance.

Everyone would see better non-CWB prices.

[northfarmer]

so.....i do not have the board to help me market my canola, oats, peas and you think we will have no choice when it comes to wheat and barley......we have had great off combine movement on all non barod crops, both cash and deffered delivery contracts....but my premium winter wheat and #2 CWRS are sitting in a bin, likley to be moved next summer and at a discount to the real world record wheat prices....

give up on your corporate and capitalist conspiracy theories and give my little corporation the chance to behave like most business in the free world, the individual choice and freedom to market my own production....and if you board huggers want to market you grain collectively you are more than free to do so on a voluntary basis...plain and simple a clear majority of production wants choice, never mind a simple majority of producers that want change.....

I suspect that this winter, when the crop is in the bin, and farmers can direct their attention to marketing and moving this crop you will start to see significant and vocal support for market freedom.....real producers, those with most of their future in farming ahead of them then behind them, and those also with the wisdom and succes of building succesfull farms that are looking at passing the business to the next genration will show there strong and unwavering support for change and freedom.....those that were hoping and demanding changes in barley coming out of last winter will not rest with the harsh dissapointment of the judges ruling in Calgary.....they will not only demand barley be freed but also wheat.....

I would propose that Agri-trade in Red Deer in November would be a good place for a rally of support for this government to bring about changes, get our pro choice BOD directors there, get Rits and Harper there, show the media nd the public the real faces and families of farmers that want chage to happen!!!...then repeat for Crop Production Show in Sakatoon and Ag-Days in Brandon...enough of this bull%^$#..it is time for freedom!!!!

okay that rant is over, now bring me some sun and wind so I can get the rest of this crops off.

[agstar77]

Chaff , one small fly in the ointment of more buyers. The railways are bent on allocating railcars on the basis of 100 car spots. Unless you can truck your product out you will have to go through a third party namely Viagra or one of the other large players, oops can you say middleman.

[parsley]

GOVERNMENT WORKING HARD ON INITIAL PAYMENTS



OTTAWA, Ontario September 21, 2007 – The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today issued the following statement regarding the Canadian Wheat Board’s (CWB) request to increase initial payments for wheat and barley.



“Farmers are benefiting from the highest commodity prices in years. Canada's New Government is committed to getting as much of that money into the pockets of hard working farmers as quickly as possible.



“By the time the Canadian Wheat Board released its initial prices on August 2, it was already clear that commodity prices were rising and the CWB acknowledged the need to raise the initial prices. On August 15, the Canadian Wheat Board officially asked the government for the initial price increases. It's unfortunate that it took the CWB nearly two weeks to make the request to begin the process to adjust the initial price.



“Canada's New Government is committed to accountability and that means taking the time to do the job right. My departmental officials and I are working hard to do the due diligence to review the request and deliver the best possible decision as quickly as possible.”

For more information, media may contact:



Media Relations

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa, Ontario

613-759-7972

1-866-345-7972



Todd MacKay

Minister Ritz’ Office

613-759-1059

[agstar77]

Even if true , that's over 30 days to adjust something they knew needed adjusting!!