WCWGA Convention in EDM...Our 'Board' grain markets... after the 'single desk'

[wd9]

One common thread of effective lobbying
is.... money.

How much effective lobbying can you
(WCWGA) do if you don't have the
hundreds of thousands of dollars it
takes to do effective lobbying?

Why try to duplicate Grain Growers of
Canada when you say WCWGA will do
lobbying? Issues such as CTA, Intl Trade
etc affect all commodities, they just
need money to be effective. That money
will come from levies of provincial
commissions. How can an organization
like WCWGA with limited resources
actually contribute?

I believe the issue you write of was
unique to Sask and how those commissions
were formed, but those issues no longer
exist as evidenced by SCDC's involvement
in political lobbying. There was also
the fear of levy refunds if involved in
lobbying, but those fears have not
materialized either. Why should cereals
be any different?

[TOM4CWB]

WD9,

Western Barley Growers worked well for many years.

Good people... ~giving~ time for a ~noble~ purpose...
can NOT be duplicated.

Fighting against the 'hand that feeds you'... ~the
provincial gov's~... is a tough sell... politically correct
leadership is far too often the result.

Leadership at its best... is freedom of choice to
dream... and then following through to make those
dreams come true.

You support AWC Wd9... be my guest... they are
politically correct X2.

Cheers

[bucket]

What i read from gust's posts are that the member are enuring they have another meeting to go to, to collect some per diems.

A sask wheat commission - to collect dues? WTF?

Why not just ask the minister of ag to get some of the overpayments of freight sent to the commission - get a huge surplus - and then budget it like an annuity to run the commision.

We don't get our money back in reduced freight rates, instead the overpayment goes to the WGRF. Get some of that money apportioned to you for the wheat commission dinner fund.

[gustgd]

WD9 I agree with your point about dollars.They are needed, and thats why we are always looking for new members. GGC is an effective lobby group. Yet they are an umbrella organization. they need strong membership to be effective.

Where I think we differ is the time frame. I don't have supreme confidence in the commissions to do the right thing on policy. Remember when the Manitoba Canola Growers decided to poll their members on selling Canola through the single market CWB. I cant remember if the Saskatchewan or Alberta commissions took a public position. I'm going to guess not.

We have a strong working relationship with the Federal Government. As well as the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. We don't have the same influence with Manitoba Ag.
Who do you suppose the Federal NDP will go to for policy if the conservatives stumble? I imagine that the commissions will play nice, they have to pick their battles.

Another point I have heard on the Canadian Canola Growers is that they use the money earned on managing the Canola Cash advance to advocate policy. R&D and Market Development is handled by commissions. Is this accurate? Wheat/Cereals dont have this option.

[gustgd]

Bucket
Not sure on your point about WGRF. The Wheat Growers are a member around the table.

At the Wheat grower Edmonton meeting I heard more about completely eliminating the revenue cap. These people argued that with increasing Oil and Potash Grains need to be able to compete more.
I argued with the Duopoly of rail we still need a check valve to prevent gouging.
Your point about per diems and loving to go to more meetings doesn't deserve a reply.

Let us know how you want to run things, show up to some meetings make some calls advocate for change. Don't just snipe from behind a computer it doesn't help.

[bucket]

gustgd

I am not sniping from behind a computer, you know who I am and you know how to get ahold of me as well.

Its your job to get ideas. If you don't like mine then don't ask. As far as making phone calls, I do lots of that and I don't need to have my name attached to a group or an idea. I like to put the idea ideas forward and someone else can run with it.

I just gave you one. Get the money from an apportionment of the overage of the rail cap. western grain research fund (WGRF) I think is where the overpayment of the rail cap currently goes.

The rail cap is a great way to fund a commission (if, in fact, saskatchewan farmers need one. Personally I don't think we need another checkoff) until it is eliminated. I am not sure I have seen any value from the millions of dollars that has been siphoned off to the WGRF through an overpayment of the rail cap.

The check offs have to be refundable.

The commission you are setting up should have there policies available soon. I will take a look at them and comment on the deficiencies, if you like.

Most would think there should be some efficiencies created by consolidating all these groups. Less administration and meeting, more bite to the policy.

Joint running rights for the rail would help and if you guys are so tight with the current governments maybe that would be a first policy step to get the railroads smartened up.

Potash is a fraction of grain movement and fewer points to serve. Grain gets used as filler work for the railways - that has to change.

[Jfreedom]

Bucket you should investigate your statement
about potash being a fraction of grain shipments
.When at a conf this summer the spokesman for
PCS stated that potash is projected to increase
from 8mil tons to 33 in the next 5 to 7 years. This
is a company that owns its own cars and fixes
them ,owns the unload facility and the boats that
transport the product . The only thing they don't
own is the engines and track all with no revenue
cap .If you ran CN and CP whos product would
you haul . Your handle is appropriate cause
hanging a bucket of wheat on a potash car might
be the quickest way to get our grain to the coast
in the future .

[blackpowder]

I don't think I know enough about the
WCWGA yet to make a statement. As a
member I wouldn't mind seeing a annual
report and perhaps a survey shortly
after the AGM. $250/yr so far seems
cheap?
I too have questions for the WGRF,
and I guess I again have to learn more.
I'm not crazy about some of their
proposed expenditures. Sounded to me
like they were trying to be another
Alberta Ag with a %30 allotment for
agronomy research.
The rail freight cap as we know it
today could be a dead man walking. And I
believe it should be.

[bucket]

jfreedom

8 million tonnes is considerably less than the 20 plus MMT of grain moved by rail currently.

Good points though because if potash and grain start to equal in exports, all the rail cars in the world won't help move it with just a single line with a union doing the work.

Joint running rights and a twinned line at least to calgary would be a big help.

Then someone will have to start looking at the european boring machines to punch another hole through the mountains to twin the rail lines.

This country's politicians lack a whole lot of vision. They can gladly talk about all the resources this country has but fail to put a plan in place to export it. The infrastructure has to be put in place BEFORE the plants are finished being built, otherwise the bottlenecks start right at the interior plants.

[gustgd]

As I understand the reason the rail overpayments
go to the WGRF is ease of administration. All
crops shipped by rail weather Canola to
Vancouver or Canary Seed to Mexico all
contribute to rail revenue and are counted
towards the Cap. Decisions are made by farmers
on net price. People have told me lawsuits are a
potential problem if decisions are changed
retroactively. I remember this discussion last time
the railways had an overage. I don't know if some
of you made your decisions known outside of this
forum. I would say that some of the Wheat grower
directors might agree with you. I do not.

The point I'm clumsily trying to get across is. The
idea that rail overages should go to commissions
can't work. First of all
A)not bankable, commissions must have some
sort of reasonably stable funding *if* you wish
them to continue services.
B) to many commissions/crops back to wd9 point.
C) three provinces.
D) administrative nightmare.

But I may be wrong?

[gustgd]

Blackpowder we do annual updates. And part of
your membership fee goes toward mail updates a
couple times a year. Members also get e-mail
updates a couple times a month. Our exec
director Blair Rutter and all directors are a phone
call away. All directors are volunteer. No Per
diems.

Bucket your right I'm sorry. The sniping comment
was uncalled for. We have talked but never on
this issue. Give Blair a call maybe he can explain
it better. I just don't think your right. Although if
other directors outvote me....

[wd9]

Tom4, I would hope the new Alberta wheat
commission won't be as you suggest. Still
not sure why ABC just didn't add wheat to
their portfolio.

Thanks Gustgd for your good answers, this
is a tough topic.