CWB director's duties

[bucket]

Just got off the phone with a director. I was asking him about the demurrage charges on the durum boat and durum prices.

I was shocked to learn that he knew nothing about the boat waiting for durum for close to a month.

I asked him why the cwb didn't set the initial for durum at least the same as off board durum. Once again shocked to hear his answer about existing formulas etc.

Then I asked why the directors, with their wealth of farming experience, didn't mention that this crop would be shitty given the spring we had to the people that sell our grain. No one can predict the weather was his response.

What are the directors there for if they know nothing about what's going on, offer no expertise, and/or offer no new solutions to to the pricing problems in durum??

WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY DO?????

[parsley]

CASH THEIR CHEQUES!!!

[riders2010]

They say they have no idea about what is happenning yet cashing their cheques and the minister says he cannot do anything about it, seems to me alot of do nothing know nothing that comes out of somebodies pocket to pay for on both sides, these people are not making chump change.

[Fransisco]

A neighbor of mine had a dispute regarding a winter wheat FPC last year and found out, on top of everything else, our Director didn't have a clue how they worked. He still doesn't. The only thing he's interested in is telling everyone the monopoly is great.

[bucket]

Since the WP says that durum will sell, how about a FPC linked to their current asking price.

Or how about a mid month PRO to tell farmers how the durum market is changing so quickly. I know the PRO is useless but it would be some sort of indicator.

How about looking to the states and seeing there durum prices go from 4.50 to over 7.00 in the last month.

Maybe I could hear the premium song again and how american farmers didn't get 7.00. Well, yeah they did because they were paid to keep the stuff in their bins or if they did sell they were paid 6.00usd.

Why not just ask the minister if an exception could be made given the disasterous year farmers had and given crop quality for an initial equal to the off board price OR...

... A new formula that links the North American price, the off board feed price,the cwb asking price at the port, and a falling number to associate premiums to make up a GDC price for farmers to deliver against. Currently that could put a price out there at $7.25 for a base grade durum.

The cwb wouldn't be losing money, it would be based on quality(falling number) and the price would be attractive enough to match sales.

Interesting note about durum. When the price gets to high, millers will buy wheat. When wheat is worth more, they continue to buy durum. Durum should always be at a premium to wheat for high quality. But the cwb should know this. They don't!!!And so should the government when they are approving prices. They don't!!!!

[charliep]

Well said bucket.

The director's role is to set strategic direction and policy for the CWB as
well as mearsures of performance for a $5 to $7 bln business and from
there hold the operations side accountable for their performance in
meeting targets/acting on B. of D. direction.

[bucket]

Right, charliep BUT

Who writes up the targets for the BoD to approve??? The monkeys are running the zoo.

The board should write the targets and if ward or ian don't like them, find someone that reach or better the targets.

In speaking with directors over the last six months, I have learnt they know nothing. They think being a director is like a badge or something and all should hail them. They don't answer questions. If I, as a farmer, ask a question to a director I expect an answer.

And I get pissed when I hear "don't know, haven't heard anything, can look into that for you and get back to you".

I expect the directors to know as much as myself for two reasons:

1. They are farmers and its their business.

2. They are a director of a multi billion organization and they supposedly have a knowledgeable staff to get answers. And they should have asked the question before a dumbshit farmer like me.

The targets are too lax and this durum event proved it. Asked the director who will lose their job over a million dollar demurrage bill for one boat. He didn't think "anyone should lose their job because farmers weren't delivering grain ..."


My blood is still boiling.

The cwb issued early calls and couldn't get 75,000 tonnes to port because of shitty prices and its the farmers fault. Not the people executing the sales. Idiotic incompetence.

The director can't believe that 1 &2AD is being made into ethanol either. Wonder why the cwb is run so badly?

[TOM4CWB]

Bucket,

The slave grain grown in the CWB 'designated area' will always bring less... and not be dependable...

BECAUSE IT IS 'SLAVE CWB GROWN GRAIN'.

COMMERCIAL GROWERS IN WESTERN CANADA KNOW IT... GOODALE KNOWS IT... THE BLOC IN QUEBEC KNOW IT... AND THE TRADE IN CANADA KNOW IT.

BUT CHEAP GRAIN IS EASY TO SELL... JUST LIKE LADAS... SO WHY CHANGE?

If the slaves don't rebel... take the money and run!!!

[ProFarmer]

Bucket you must have been talking to EX director Bill N an socialist at heart and only good at cashing his cheques.

[bucket]

Nope

Gust knows him.

[parsley]

"The greatest guilt of today is that of people who accept collectivism by moral default; the people who seek protection from the necessity of taking a stand, by refusing to admit to themselves the nature of that which they are accepting; the people who support plans specifically designed to achieve serfdom, but hide behind the empty assertion that they are lovers of freedom, with no concrete meaning attached to the word; the people who believe that the content of ideas need not be examined, that principles need not be defined, and that facts can be eliminated by keeping one's eyes shut. They expect, when they find themselves in a world of bloody ruins and concentration camps, to escape moral responsibility by wailing: "But I didn't mean this!"
— Ayn Rand

[gustgd]

thanks for calling the buggers Bucket

The only Director I "know" is Neilson,he has a pretty good working knowledge of the Board. Although I've met many of them over the past 5 years, including most of the Liberal and Conservative appointee's.

If your talking about Cam, did his replies really surprise you?

Drop me a line and I'll tell you true stories from the road that would make your head spin.

It still amazes me that the NFU picked Geoff over Weibe. I guess it's because like Korneychuck they knew they could control him, while Wiebe would have soon figured them out and come over to the "dark side"

[parsley]

I'm always interested in stories, gusty
Pars