Is CWB "Online Tools" Merely Job Creation Project?

[parsley]

Several people have mentioned that the new "online tools" segment on the CWB website is not working well, and is not useful.

Several comments made that it is only the CWB wanting to look as if they are "doing something", so that the focus comes away from market choice.

Other comments were it is simply making jobs jobs jobs for Winnipeg with farmer dollars.


Anyone used it, or have comments?


Parsley

[sidvicious02]

Parsley,
which online tools did you mean, the Permit signup, PPO signup, etc? My opinion it's not a bad idea...i used it to sign up both my father's and my own permits and it worked well on highspeed but pretty slow on dial-up and i can imagine others thinking that it had hungup. I originally thought it was a good idea for saving money, but then they still mail the big envelope out with the book anywho....so there goes that theory. Also a little easier than putting all the honus on the elev company to do their legwork, saves me a 1/2hour trip to the nearest facility too.

I don't know kind of rambling here, but guess you could say i'm lukewarm on the whole thing.

Scott

[parsley]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to:

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/farmers/weather/midge/

Midge Emergence Maps.

[sidvicious02]

Quote "Sorry, I wasn't clear."
Think that's at least as much me to blame for that....

Looks to be a valuable tool, but strikes me as something we should be looking to the provincial depts to provide. Frustrating when there's a different forecasting tool for every pest/disease - midge, fusarium, army worms, etc, etc and all on different sites. MB/SK/AB ag should be trying to consolidate. And besides....what does midge forecasting have to do with marketing wheat anyway?

[parsley]

One question I heard was,"Why is the CWB doing more and more extension work?"


Get working, Scott, Hellofalotta provincial ag department employees to hire and pay for if that's the case.

Parsley

[stubblejumper]

Sask doesn't have any ag resource people anymore and the Alberta ag resource people are busy trying to bury the CWB to do anything else.

[parsley]

stubblejumper,


Do you want the CWB to hire staff and take on an extension role in addition to their national licensing role and their regional marketing role?

Parsley