I need these questions answered.

[Fransisco]

Hows about it Cotton? Should be an easy one for someone who never screws up when it comes to 'money and value'.

[Fransisco]

What to hung over to answer?

Or is it that your standard answer for everything "inflation" just doesn't apply here?

[charliep]

I will suggest that everyone come back to the original question. A gentle reminder that most here are not politians, policy gurus or wild eyed speculators but rather a business manager with an objective of being consistently profitable.

Will note everyone here is in a position where the CWB is offering a new contracting product (FlexPro) and there is limited information for decision making. When the suggestion was made to provide the background in terms of pricing, the comeback was this information would play into the hands of buyers/competition. The discussion from there suggested that traded prices are relatively well known with western Canadian farmer really the only ones who are kept in the dark. Besides, I don't think anyone needs to know individual sale prices but rather the base prices used in the CWB producer pricing options.

To be more clear, I think the CWB should be more clear about how prices are determined for both FPC and the new FlexPro. At least with the DPC, you knew the prices were based across the border and could observe their levels. In the FlexPro, the CWB has to indicate by customer/region the weighting given various markets in the determination of the FlexPro and some idea of the base prices used.

In the case of pricing, ignorance is not bliss but rather a pretty good indication you are leaving money on the table.

To the question that started this thread, what information do farmers need from the CWB to feel confident that the programs accurately reflect prices and money is not being funneled elsewhere?

[cottonpicken]

I dont get drunk enough to be hung over.I've been vacing out bins since 7 this morning.

What have you been doing fran?
Sleeping in and playing video games on the computer all day.

Have i been defending the board?

Your just trying to goad me into saying something stupid.

[bucket]

Charliep

The cwb publishes its asking prices on a daily report but will not publish those prices on its website. I find that odd. What would be wrong with publishing the daily asking prices, the US prices at differnt locations and the PNW prices.

Then tell the farmer exactly how the premium and the basis for their programs are developed. The formula for determining basis should not be a secret. Well neither should the prices since the cargills and viterras know them as accreditted exporters.

The question is simple - given that the market is rallying and the cwb are marketing experts - why are prices so low? I could accept some of it last fall when things picked up so quickly but there is no reason for not being at par or above for the coming crop year.

[Fransisco]

Funny you've never needed goading before.

[parsley]

Pricing! What the Board tells farmers is far different from what third-party writers construct..

According to Don Mitchell in a book named "The Politics of Food":

"The price of farm commodities advanced only over 17% from 1949 to 1970, with the price of wheat virtually frozen from 1945 to 1972."


We're talking PRICES. 17% was poor price gain compared to other indutry sectors.

So if all commodity prices rose by 17%, with the sole exception of wheat, and it didn't change at all, the question is what the hell was the so-called self-proclaiemed "best marketing wheat agency" in the world actually doing?

Crocheting?

Why didn't wheat exceed 17% rise in price? Surely, the CWB could have strained their marketing hemmorhoids a little, and gotten at least 5% gain in price in comparison to other commodities.

But no. Zippo.

And you want more of this wilagro?

Good grief.

Parsley

[charliep]

Parsley

wilagro isn't in this thread. Its about marketing and not politics so he doesn't have anything to contribute. Like most single desk supporters, they want the CWB to be responsible for pricing but not accountable.

[TOM4CWB]

Charlie,

"wilagro isn't in this thread. Its about marketing and not politics..."

Charlie,

You should know better!

'Wilagro' is a mythical farmer... that exists at ever coffee shop... machinery dealership... elevator by the coffee pot!

Sorry BUT;

Marketing... IS Politics...

Marketing is the interaction between people... that makes or breaks a deal... that is more often than not driven by outside forces that neither person knows what is driving the other to 'make the deal'.

Now that is about as political as most of us can handle...

Including why the CWB does what it 'offers' to me as alternatives!

That is why wheat is 12%px and 88% politics!

GRIN {:

Couldn't resist Charlie!

[Fransisco]

Bucket ask a good question again and makes a good observation. I have wondered this myself many times, if the board sells grain in an "orderly" fashion why does it have such a tough time getting even a simple average price let alone an above average one?

Forget about picking tops and bottoms, but what about just the simple average that anyone can get by pricing at regular intervals throughout the year?

[wilagro]

You are right charliep, I have nothing to contribute to this particular thread. I have always regarded the PRO as being totally unreliable and the figures presented as figures picked out of the air by some junior clerk in the backroom of the accounting department.

The PRO usually presented an extremely negative outlook and never encouraged producers or showed that their crop choices were the correct ones.

[charliep]

Interesting comeback. Understand the process behind the PRO/was part of the team that developed. Besides, a forecast is a forecast is a forecast - all come with relatively short expiry dates/periods they are relavent. So the PRO forecasting part is not the issue although explanation of changes could be done better.

What is the issue is the visibility and ability to verify the accuracy/fairness of producer pricing options. We all realize the CWB is the only game in town. They are responsible for producer pricing options but they also have to be accountable for the values to people who use the programs.

I also note these same programs lost $40 mln in 2006/07 (page 58 annual report) and will likely lose far more in 2007/08.

[parsley]

wilagro, I knew you'd be "rubbering"

LOL

At least we can communicate in the same language we both understand. :>)

We will have a glass of champagne together, wilagro, how be when the CWB is voluntary? Are you a good sport?


Parsley

[charliep]

Interesting the CWB released an explanation of the basis calculations as we were communicating here.

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/farmers/producer/fixed/commentary/

[parsley]

Pavlov's laptops.

A grunt and a "slap a page up for the whiners" reaction to the summer student reading the thread out loud, and then the department goes back to the exercise room to tone up before they hit Canada Day beaches.

Until that place is voluntary, it has to be completely and utterly torn down.

Parsley