Wednesday With White

[parsley]

Ian White,

Over the years, western farmers have paid a lot of money for polling. Multi-millions.

In the recent farmer survey poll, the results were initially released to everyone except the Western farmer paying for it. The Government recieved them. The media recieved them. Tom Dick and Harry got them.

Even the pollster, David Herle, was doing media interviews about results the farmers hadn't yet seen.

It is obvious that the CWB Board of Directors wanted the results released before the farmers received them so that various groups could "spin" the results.

This could mean several things.

Perhaps it means that the CWB wants to try to slant the results through organizations or through people, favoring only the single desk.

Perhaps it means that the CWB doesn't think farmers have the ability to understand the results.


Perhaps it means that the CWB doesn't think farmers have the ability to draw their own conclusions from the data.

Perhaps it means that the CWB itself has incompetent staff and personnel and directors who do not understand how good corporations should be run.

But the most upsetting is this... The CWB holding back the results from the people who pay for them indicates a profound lack of respect for Western farmers.

It means the Board of Directors do not have faith in farmers, and if they don't,farmers need to revisit what we do to make sure we have people sitting at the table who do have faith in farmers.

I would like you, Ian White, to request the CWB Board of Directors to change their policy, and ask one of them to make this motion:

" I move that all polling results, in their unadulterated form, be first provided to the farners that pay for them, through being posted on the CWB's web page, and through press releases, and through media clips".

Request a seconder.

Request a recorded vote.

Record the results on the CWB's webpage.


The CWB has a new Board member.
The CWB has a new Chairman.
The CWB has a new CEO.

Surely the CWB can come up with at least one motion that will benefit farmers.

Parsley

[food4u]

One of my most annoying peeves with the CWB is the total lack of respect for the grain farmer who is paying their bills.

[TOM4CWB]

Dear President & CEO Ian White,

Sir,

The CWB Basis on Fixed Price Contract Pricing options has been made into a tax over the past year.

Instead of indicating a transparent reality of market conditions... it is being used to pad the CWB pool accounts and frustrate commercial "designated area" growers the CWB claims to represent.

The very survival of the CWB Corporation depends upon a swift and fair change in management.

HONEST AND FAIR pricing programs MUST be provided by your team.

Communication I wrote you has not been receipted...

CWHWS wheat is being discriminated against... again fair and honest management of this program has been exchanged for political mind games to prop up the 'single desk' and pool pricing system.

Please resolve this injustice... and fairly compensate those growers who have been deceived and abused by these policies.

I would appreciate an early resolution to these problems, and adjustments to the Fixed Price Contract program for 07-08 with proper basis calculations before overpayment settlements of outstanding... program accounts, by the CWB are demanded.

Sincerely,
Tom Jackson
Tom4cwb@hotmail.com

[bucket]

Mr. White

With current prices of nonboard grains at high enough levels to pay the bills for the year - how will the cwb attract grain into their dismal pricing sytem?? (The grain that,as I have been told, is the highest quality and the envy of the world)

If farmers want change and the cwb will not address them - do you not think they will hold uncontracted grain back??

If they hold grain back because of the dismal prices - how will the cwb meet sales targets??

[bucket]

Mr. White

Grainline.com in North Dakota have new crop HRS at 8.96 to 9.06US dropped in the pit prices.

The current FPC is 9.68cdn minus at least 1.70 equals 8.00cdn.

The current pro is lower.

Where exactly is the premium????

By the way Parsley where is this guy's responses. Surely, he can't sleep that much without addressing some of these concerns that have been put forward.

It really makes you and him look stupid if White never responds.

[parsley]

bucket,

He e-mailed me on the 16 April, 2008.

He said he would not..... "have the time for quite awhile to be involved in a regular spot"......

He naturally wanted to observe the website from time to time and see what issues are being raised and discussed before he would agree to being involved.


The CEO of any corporation wants to make sure the website/thread he is associated with, works within some sense of decorum and respect.

Would AV pass your test if you were the CEO?

I believe he reads this thread.


Parsley

[bucket]

I am not being rude. And not intending to be. But he is not a ceo of a corporation in the traditional sense.
And by the way last time I checked I think I know who is paying some of his salary.

I have been an employee and a contractor of corporations and at times been asked to talk to higher up including ceo's. Questions have always been answered forthright when I have asked them. Well, mostly because they directly impacted the job I was doing and the decision had to made. And yes sometimes I had to prod them. Scaring them about the implications of their decisions I have always found to be very effective to get the outcome I wanted to make my job easier. I always recommend that tactic.

But back to the cwb and this is a question that needs to addressed - if farmers make enough off the other crops they grow - where does the cwb get the grain to fill the sales.

I know the answer but does the sales team and Mr. white know the answer.

And just so we are clear on this - CWB officials and the pee ons at the 800# are not my employer - its the other way around. If I wanted to be treated like an employee I would go back to work full time.

Mr. White is to be working on my behalf, not protecting Ward W's job or the other 500 employees that are losing us money. He maybe should start looking at some of the results of the past two years and slicing some of the deadweight. If you want a quick analysis of Ward's performance, I would be happy to put it on my next reply.

[bucket]

Parsley

If I read the numerous questions as ceo that I have presented on previous replies - you bet I would wake up and start talking to my employer as to how to fix it.

I would make it a priority. Sure some comments can be filtered but all have a role in a good open discussion. It sets the tone although this forum loses its zeal because black & white loses emotion that dictates humor or insult as its intended.

But really if farmers make money and pay their bills from other sources which with a good rotation could happen - don't you think there is a looming problem coming. I am not settling for these dismal prices anymore. I grew lentils 4 years ago and they were worth 8cents a pound, I put them in the bin and said "if they can't pay more than that, they can rot there". Contracted them for 34 cents a couple months ago. No bank can give me a return like that. The cwb might have farmers saying the same thing this year. Mr. White might want to address the issue now. Ward sort of thought he was addressing it in January 07 and ended up with the lowest seeded acreage in 30 years.

Mr. White's got a huge problem looming - everything else is secondary at this point. And that is not a scare tactic. The facts are there.

[parsley]

bucket,

Your points are well taken.

One of the reasons I contacted White was because it was an opportunity to begin dialogue out in the open.

Farmers need the Directors and Management to can Board bullshit and put the jars in the CWB cellar.

The CWB have been masters of spin, and disguise, and in my humble OPINION, of downright lying at times.

The CWB cannot survive without the co-operation and willingness of farmers, as you pointed out.

CANNOT survive.

Every salaried worker and per-diemed interest at the CWB depends upon a farmer at the end of the pay period.

A lot of farmers:

1. Don't trust them.
2. Don't like them
3. Don't need them.

That is a huge huge problem for the CWB

It's ultimatley the CWB's PROBLEM, because they face bushel extinction.

And this is one way they can be proactive and do something about it.

They can talk to farmers.

Not suck up to the media. Not fight with the Government. Not pat each other on the back at Grain World. Not consider farmers as corvee.

This CWB Board of Directors are beyond comprehension. I opened this thread because I hoped it may cause them, in particular, to take pause.

And what better than a new CEO to put it on his list to discuss with them?

Parsley

[silverback]

Bucket,

I am very happy for you that you live somewhere that can grow a crop like lentils. Envious may be a better word.

Unfortunately for some of us out here, we are just a teency bit more restricted in our crop choices. Our climate dictates our abilities and we haven't exactly seen huge numbers of new and exciting varieties to change things up.

For us, wheat is what we base all other rotations around.

Unfortunately, the people who work at the cwb know that even better.

What better job security is there knowing that as long as a certain number of acres are going to wheat every year and those little peasants must pass go through the cwb, your job is golden.

Seeing a bunch of idiots from eastern Canada setting the rules for our farm in Alberta makes my blood boil and I see nobody in Winnipeg that is all that interested in changing the way things are going either.

If Mr. White does read this I wish him well with his new job. I hope it is an enjoyable experience in Canada.

All I would ask for is a little respect for the people that pay the bills.

[Ron]

Parsley, this isnt dialog out in the open. This is farmers typing away, hoping that somebody will say yes you are right, the CWB has been fornicating you over for 50 years and I will change things.
White probably doesnt even know this site exists, at least Vader logs in and pisses us off. Lets us know we matter enough to lie to our faces.

This is kind of like going to church and hoping somebody is listening and maybe someday will respond.

SCREW THE CWB

[parsley]

I tried my best.

I emailed White and he did reply.

That was a better sign than if there was no reply.

Would you advise discontinuing the thread next week?

Maybe it is futility. I'd prefer a border run.

Parsley

[bucket]

I am not trying to piss in anyone's cornflakes here but Winnipeg has to wake up. You can't have the current wreck in North American production, wheat prices going up and a difference of over 1.50 a bushel.Border runs are going to happen - no doubt about it.

Western Canada's crop is average at best - we all know that already. The problem is the bins are empty and the cwb keeps giving us dismal prices.

The flamans are telling us how the cwb got us more money than the americans for our durum, yet he fails to tell us that americans were signing new crop durum at 13 -14 last february for sept 08 delivery. The pros are going down in Canada and the americans are getting record prices.

A marketing/sales team indicated 2 months ago to grow durum and now start lowering the pros due to a bumper crop. That's what I call fraud. They are covering their asses already for their lower sales values. Here's another one - remember how they said to get the grain signed up because they didn't want to lower the return by calling the c series. Interestingly enough they did both.

Parsley - if I offended Mr.White by saying he was asleep - well for the lost opportunity on my durum and wheat for my 07 crop I want to make it perfectly clear - I DON"T want it to happen again.

[bucket]

Parsley

I am pretty sure if White responds it will be a generic response written by someone else and researched by a committee.

Look - the man has to have an opinion as to what he thinks would be good for western canadian farmers based on his experience in the grain and other industries. If not how can he navigate the ship?

This is what Saskatchewan has been lacking for nearly 20 years - someone with vision. The man has to have a vision of where the farming industry wil go. If not - what is his 500k salary for.

Time to talk to farmers Mr. White as I find myself losing faith by your silence.

And NO don't discontinue the dialogue even though its still a monologue from farmers.