Wednesday With White

[parsley]

Dear Ian White,

The recent court ruling precipitates some interesting musings, and some of them that Eastern Canada will not be amused by. For example:

....The CWB is legislatively charged with national licensing duties for wheat and barley.

....The CWB claim they will maximize returns for farmers.


...The CWB claim the Directors are in charge, and not the CWB Minister.


Therefore, please inform Chairman Larry Hill, that in order to maximize returns to DA farmers, that the Board of Directors should vote to DENY all licenses to Quebec export applicants and Ontario Wheat Marketing Board export applicants, so that the CWB can sell into the export markets these provinces have already established.


Parsley

The fact that the Directors CAN deny licceses should cause an Eastern pause.

[Hopperbin]

I suggest you speak nice about our Prime Minister, he represents the majority of farmers views. Unlike the CWB directors who are one sided who claim they represent farmers views. Perhaps you guys have a hidden agenda (Joke) for those who didn't get it. I still want the option to sell to the highest bidder. Farmers who do not want to sign up to the A should be allowed to find their own buyer. Besides what is with signing up to A B or C when a farmer already has a fixed price contract?
Oh ya one last thing the CWSWS wheat I fixed priced can you help me find someone to take the crap. Most of the contract was delivered into malt for 10 per ton over contracted price. Now the same identical stuff is priced number 3 some 50 dollars per ton under because there is 2.5 percent severely germinated seeds. Mr white does 2.5 percent severely germinated seeds actually have any bearing on the quality of that grain that it should down grade it to 3? Can you rattle some heads?

[farmers_son]

Regarding the Alberta Livestock and Meat Strategy…

May 2003 North American had its first positive domestic case of BSE after a downer cow tested positive in an Alberta provincially inspected plant. At that time, and afterwards as more BSE positives turned up in Alberta, there were calls that the country should be divided in some fashion into zones with Alberta the BSE positive zone and the rest of the country would still be BSE free. Suggestions included segregating the country at the Manitoba Ontario border but also there were suggestions that the lines should be drawn at Alberta’s borders. The rest of country would trade internationally while enjoying a BSE free status.

Those calls were quickly rejected as the country stood together and said this is our problem, we stand with Alberta for better or worse. Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes shouldered the burden of BSE with the rest of the country. As a country we worked together to see normalized trade resume with the United States as well as internationally into Japan, Mexico and a host of other countries.

Last June 6 our Alberta Ag Minister announced the new Alberta Livestock and Meat Strategy. Now that trade is reopening Alberta is seeking to create a competitive advantage. I would ask a competitive advantage over who? Saskatchewan and BC? Manitoba and Ontario? These are the provinces that stood by us when we were in our darkest hour. Rich Alberta is going to go it alone. Well, we never had to go it alone in May 2003.

No matter what you may think about more or less government involvement in the cattle industry or what should be left to the marketplace or what should be regulated by government, I think most would agree that the Alberta announcement of a provincial strategy without cooperation or consultation with the other provinces or the Canadian government or any consideration of the impacts of the Alberta announcement on our Canadian partners who stood by us at great cost to their own respective jurisdictions is simply not fair.

[furrowtickler]

The sad thing is that 97.5% of your grain is #1, I hate the current grading system. Whatever you sell for a number 3 will be shipped as a #1, and the profit from that sale will be shared by all poolies.

[charliep]

farmers_son

Thanks for providing feedback on the Alberta livestock initiative.

Perhaps the tie in with this thread is the differences between Alberta and our eastern neighbors. The CWB survey highlights this on the single desk issue.

If Alberta is different, do we want to lead or do we want to push for change/be involved in concensus? From there, it is how Alberta government works with industry partners?

[parsley]

This thread is addressed specifically to the CEO of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Parsley

[Burbert]

Alberta is different in that we are so BACKWARD, greedy, lead by leaders who think the tarsands are good for the environment. The almight buck drives Alberta, nothing else factors into the equation. Fools being fooled by other fools, the bottom line is all that counts get yours now or forget it.......

[bucket]

Mr. White

I noticed you were in Regina at the farm progress show.

Maybe you noticed the innovations in Western Canada's farming.

Maybe you could take that to mean farmers are still looking for innovative ways to do things.

Maybe you could tell your staff to try some of that innovation in their pricing programs instead of repackaging or renaming them.

Flexpro is just a fpc with no penalty. There should be no penalty in the first place.

Committing tonnes for only a month for flexpro. Where is the innovation in that? I grow peas, commit some tonnes with a guaranteed price and the rest is priced once I know what is in the bin anytime during the year.

The cwb has alot of catching up to do in regards to pricing because grain will not be coming until the price is more inline with the world wheat price and competetive with other commodities.

[stubblejumper]

Mr White just a reminder that 14% of western farmers want the CWB to give up marketing. A majority of the contributors to this website belong to that 14%. They may be vocal but they do not represent the majority of producers

[furrowtickler]

Or the the majority of old age pensioners that still have a vote and never paid a nickle to put in this years crop!!