Wednesday With White

[parsley]

Had an email from Ian White and he sid three positive things:

1."I have read the comments"

So Agrivillers, the CEO of the CWB is reading what you post.

2." ...take some of the suggestions on board"

That's positive! Make your comments filled full of advice on how to make changes.

3. ".. will try to get some comments / answers back to you as soon as I can"

He could have left it at saying he read them, but instead he is willing to make some comments.

Farmers have a CEO who actually reads your suggestions.

I'm pleased.

Make your comments and I'll send them in agian this week.

Parsley

[bucket]

Mr. White

With the current upturn in prices during a harvest period in the states(which is uncommon) why are westen canadian pros $1.50 behind the american prices. And that's not counting the premium we are to receive.

This thing about Iraq surfaced again today although Larry weber pointed it out months ago. How do you tell western farmers the cwb sold grain to Iraq for future delivery at a price $2.00 per bushel lower than the american price when they could not even tender because they were out of wheat?????

[cchurch]

Mr. White,

You should not get involved with politics, leave that to dictators Harper/Ritz.

Also you should be selling farmers' grain, so get to it, and stop reading this forum.

That is all.

[TOM4CWB]

Dear President White,

How can the CWB Board of directors, spend my money... protecting and promoting a 'single desk' that is obviously against the grain and will of the majority of "designated area" grain growers? Your own survey proves this point on BOTH wheat and barley!

When will the CWB allow true market signals to determine the value of Hard White Spring Wheat... it is all too obvious that the 1,000,000 acres of production... being reduced to under 100,000 acres... does not a all reflect; use, consumption, or value of this produce over the same time period!

How can the CWB JUSTIFY such a royal screw up... and the massive cost to 'designated area' grain growers who believed the CWB and those who required the increased production of this Hard White CLASS? HOW in the future are we supposed to believe anything the CWB presents?

The Bait and Switch that was done to us was evil, mean spirited, and unfair.

The CWB has the best Hard White on the Planet... and managed to totally screw up a market that should have put 'designated area' growers on the top of the supply chain list!

ON Basis Fixed Price Contracts:

When will the CWB separate the west coast deliveries from Atlantic... and choose to reward those with natural advantages and location cost benefits... and quit pooling the basis?

I am tired of paying the freight on some one else's grain!

When will the CWB muster the moral fibre to admit that their: seed... manufactured feed... and organic grain export license policies are immoral, stupid, and destroying the little good will the CWB has left?

Why doesn't the CWB confirm receipt of e-mail letters I send you?

On the supposed 'overpayment' on Fixed Price Contracts... for growers who partook in these fantasies of freedom... when will there be an admission that most of the money being clawed back... is simply stolen basis the CWB would never be entitled to in a Commercial Market Place! I should be able to price my basis... WHEN I DELIVER my grain... ESPECIALLY when you make me wait so long! What is this stupid policy of pricing contracts having volumes determined by the end of July... and basis by the end of Oct!

How is this either 'Commercial" or fair... for a group of folks that claim they are there to 'maximise' my revenues?

How about righting these wrongs... and fixing these problems... BEFORE July/Oct 31... and before your CWB corp looses the last of the honest good will it has left!?

[TOM4CWB]

cchurch,

Are you telling us that the CWB is NOT farmer controlled, NOT responsible to those who MUST use the services it claims a monopoly over... and can last forever by sticking it's head in the sand and watching yesterworld go by in it's favorite ant hill?

WHO do you work for... the millers who love the CWB so dearly...


The Grainco's who merely use our money and bank on fear to keep us captive...

If we are too stupid to do anything about the CWB... why would we stop abusive basis on anything else?

If we don't care about basis... why should they? If a farmer 'co-operative' steals the most on the basis... why should any other grainco else care?

Or the Liberals who want cheap food and stupid grain farmers... who could care less what is done with their produce?

[wilagro]

Mr White: Please disregard most of the suggestions posted on this forum.

Posters for the most part are ANTI-CWB and wish that it would be dis-mantled.

[AdamSmith]

And ya know willy and cchurch,

the deal is,

should Mr.White do as you wish, and ignores the real issues and concerns of real farmers who are FORCED to deal with the board (like all previous CEO's), that is the surest way to having the cwb crumble.

So Mr. White if you are indeed reading and considering what you read. The reality is the cwb IS one Consevative Majority away from being stripped of it's monopoly and if I were the CEO of an organization in such a position, my first priority would be to position my company so that when that eventuality does come to pass, my company would be positioned to survive that change.

Today, the cwb IS NOT well positioned to survive. Not because of the lack of physical assets, but because of the lack of vision and more importantly because the cwb has alienated the farmers who produce 80% to 90% of the grain.

This situation can't last forever, and when the monopoly goes, the cwb will need all the goodwill from farmers it can get because I personly doubt either cchurch or wilagro together could fill a rail car with the grain they grow, but I can almost gaunentee you those of us on this site that are free market supporters, all put together could fill a ship or two.

Previous CEO's and the single desk directors have not once considered this. A wise man would.

Best of luck

AdamSmith (not my real name)

[Hopperbin]

This new flex pro I am not happy with.
We have to sign up tons before we harvest them and then take only what the CWB offers us.
How about allowing the majority of farmers that want to hold back grain from the CWB, no bullshit A B or C or D contracts, seek out markets on their own. Then the farmer can let the CWB have first chance to match the highest bid. If the CWB cannot give the farmer the best price then the farmer should be able to sell to the highest bidder. Having more sellers in this way can improve everyones return as it will seek out new markets that the CWB or its export liscenced sellers do not cater to. We work hard and are proud of the grain we grow and want the right to market high quality grain to the world.

[TOM4CWB]

Dear President White,

Your Chairman... Larry Hill... just published this:

Chairman Larry Hill said: "It has been proven time and time again that the CWB does not distort trade, that it acts in a commercial fashion, that it does not dump grain and that it does not benefit from unfair subsidies."

Hmmmm... I ask a very simple question Ian, Larry, Rod, Kyle, Ken, Allan, William, and Bill:

WHERE IS MY NO COST EXPORT LICENSE?

Where was my no-cost export license... when I came to Winnipeg on Feb 24th... and begged you for a reasonable option... to pay the same price as an Organic grower...

Chairman Larry...

You wrote this?

"Trade deal shouldn't sacrifice made-in-Canada solutions
Larry Hill, For The Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
They help keep farmers in the business of growing crops and have served to help them avoid some of the massive re-structuring that has occurred, for example, in the livestock industry.

The bottom line, in economic terms, is that there is real benefit to having orderly marketing structures for all sorts of agricultural products. They can improve producers' returns. They can help manage risk.

They can enhance food security by helping to ensure that agriculture remains viable. As far as the CWB is concerned, there is little "cost" to Canada's economy or to our position in ongoing trade talks.


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Font:****It has been proven time and time again that the CWB does not distort trade, that it acts in a commercial fashion, that it does not dump grain and that it does not benefit from unfair subsidies.

While the pursuit of a comprehensive agreement on trade is a worthwhile objective, it cannot be undertaken at the expense of the legitimate marketing tools we have developed for ourselves here in Canada and that, in my opinion, continue to serve us well.

The decision to modify these tools should rest with the producers who use them -- not with competitors in foreign nations who clearly have a vested interest in seeing them disappear.

Larry Hill is chair of the Canadian Wheat Board. He farms 4,600 acres near Swift Current, Sask."

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c5c3cfee-fd8a-497f-9a89-02665e0ce2d3&p=2

This BREAKS every once of Integrity and good will... the CWB ever had... by doing the EXACT opposite... of what Chairman Hill just wrote.

President WHITE:

WHERE is my Export License; Where is my familie's & neighbour's fair and reasonable basis contract, where is my familie's and neighbour's daily cash price... Where is our right to sell to the market... while it operates during exchange trading hours any day of the year it is trading?

All Commercial questions... all prove Chairman Larry is guilty of false statements... that DO NOT answer our questions...

How can This man claim he is sane!?... AND he leads the CWB?

President WHITE:

Your Chairman just broke the CWB CODE of COnduct... multiple times...

WHAT ARE YOU GOING to DO ABOUT THIS?

[silverback]

Well said Tom.

How can anyone say that the CWB is anything but a National Embarrassment?

Farmers in one area of Canada being constrained by political grandstanding in another area, all to the benefit of farmers in the rest of the country.

Shameful.

[parsley]

Ian White,

I have been led to understand that the CWB marketed organic wheat, sold it to a buyer who then declared bankruptcy, and the Board ended up taking a dollar-kicking.

Did the loss come out of conventional pools, or out of the contingency fund?

Parsley

[parsley]

Ian White,

The CWB is in the habit of changing it's buyback figure as often as a a dirty diaper needs changing.

The CWB published a set buyback price on it's website, for all to read. Yet now, the CWB is collecting cash farmers cannot understand.


A phonecall from an organic grower the other night indicated they had just recieved a bill for over 20 thousand, a dirty little surprise in the CWB diaper.

Another gentleman supposedly recieved a bill for around fifty thousand.

Is this how the CWB thinks they are improving?

Would you pass along the message that first of all, the CWB shouldn't even be marketing organic, and secondly, the CWB shopuld fire all their organic staff for incompetence, and thirdly tell the CWB that the CWB itself is giving organics a bad name.

Thanks.

Parsley

[just_wondering]

Mr. White
I know you have met with many sides on the CWB single desk debate as an outsider coming in could you please explain too me and others who are not in favour of the monopoly the other sides position and if you could explain to the monopolists what your synthases is of our side.
I'm amazed by the pro monopolies support of the all or nothing attitude, because it's becoming clear that if they stay . it will be nothing!

[parsley]

Could this week's court decision result in allowing the CWB's Board of Directors withdrawing money from the pooling accounts to promote only organic agriculture, and only organic marketing, and only organic value-added?

Parsley

[stubblejumper]

Mr. White I heard your interview on a local radio station this week. Keep up the good work.