Time for Cdn farmers to stand up for our grain grading system!

[grassfarmer]

An Op Ed for discussion.

[URL="http://www.nfu.ca/story/op-ed-time-canadian-farmers-stand-our-grain-grading-system"]http://http://www.nfu.ca/story/op-ed-time-canadian-farmers-stand-our-grain-grading-system[/URL]

[farmaholic]

God I hope this doesn't turn into a political ideological debate.

[biglentil]

God I hope this doesn't turn into a political ideological debate.

No I predict some weirdo will come outa left field bash us for whinning and tell us if we dont like it we should farm elsewhere. I say drain the swamp.

[WiltonRanch]

This article does raise some valid points. I'll give it that. I like to keep an open mind. However, it reads like union banter. It's got enough opinion but little on fact. Really I wish he could back some of the doomsday scenarios up. Really should be some discussion on grading. However worrying about dumping into Canada. How much of our wheat was hauled stateside because of better movement price and opportunities. The want our cake and eat it too attitude flies in the face of trade. We griped about rcalf, North Dakota wheat commission claiming we were dumping now nfu is wading in the same rhetoric. If Nfu wants any support or relevance maybe shelve the 1940s isolationist world is a boogeyman stance. Then maybe more of us would support the pertinent issues they do address.

[seabass]

Any NFU supporter I knew was an NDP, CWB, SGEU save the whales dingdong. Just another outfit looking for membership fees.

[WiltonRanch]

Any NFU supporter I knew was an NDP, CWB, SGEU save the whales dingdong. Just another outfit looking for membership fees.

True true. Agriculture is so segmented in representation amongst the different sectors. Nfu tries to represent all but politics are too left for most. Really I wonder how big their membership really is? Aren't Ontario farmers forced to be members? Anyone I know who supported them were the ndp guys.

[farmaholic]

Remember my comments about the "magic grates"....how things mysteriously change as grain passes through them. Or statements made about how durum shipped from the country into port terminals is loaded on ships as higher grades....likely more than can be accounted for in blending opportunities. "Buying on specs"....what's that. Maybe we need to fix the problems at home before complicating things with import wheat bought then sold for export.

Why would an American want to sell wheat in Canada? Exchange sucks. Roads suck. Logistics can suck. Grading can suck.

I mentioned the lowest common denominator in other posts. I think we may have enough trouble maintaining a marketing edge as it is without "dumbing down" our "perceived" quality advantage.

We even/already created more "classes" of wheat in our grading system to try and maintain quality standards that I bet will never get adhered to by shippers. That lower cheaper class of wheat that was once part of the highest class will be blended with the class above it. How much red winter do you think gets blended in?

[grassfarmer]

Aren't Ontario farmers forced to be members?

No, as I understand it farmers in Ontario have to pay an annual "farm business registration fee" and they get to decide whether it goes to the NFU, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture or the Christian Farmers Federation of Agriculture.

[sofa.king]

Grading needs to be more standardized. In canada the primary terminals on the prairies have a far higher standard than export standards at the port terminals. It's funny when you sell to the world grain standards are much lower or maybe moving grain east or west on rail improves the grain.

[redleaf]

While on a tour of port facilities in Vancouver we were shown the grading room by a cwb fellow and he showed us the sample of #1 wheat that was used as a check sample. When I saw it I commented that if I hauled wheat like that into an elevator in sask I would never get #1 for it. The cwb fellow stopped short of calling me a liar but insisted I was wrong until another couple of fellows stepped up and said the same. We were assured that we could submit samples to the grain commission and get better results in the future. Well maybe but I don’t think I would be alone thinking I should not have to take the grain buyers to task every time I haul.
Another thing that I was told by a local grain buyer was that he bought rye every year from a fellow but never shipped it out as rye. It was always blended into wheat shipments. I guess when you are a big multinational you can do these types of things and take advantage of your customers to line your pockets.
How about the whole shit show over canola screenings with China that our hero sock puppet went to bat for Canadian farmers for ( really he went to bat for the line companies so that can keep adding screenings to exports).
How about the fiasco over deer feces in shipments that are dumped back into the boats after we are deducted cleaning charges
The list goes on when we talk about grading standards

[wmoebis]

Any NFU supporter I knew was an NDP, CWB, SGEU save the whales dingdong. Just another outfit looking for membership fees.

Not a member of either org but can't the same be said about WCWGA all being CPC members?

[HappyFarmer]

Remember my comments about the "magic grates"....how things mysteriously change as grain passes through them. Or statements made about how durum shipped from the country into port terminals is loaded on ships as higher grades....likely more than can be accounted for in blending opportunities. "Buying on specs"....what's that. Maybe we need to fix the problems at home before complicating things with import wheat bought then sold for export.

Why would an American want to sell wheat in Canada? Exchange sucks. Roads suck. Logistics can suck. Grading can suck.

I mentioned the lowest common denominator in other posts. I think we may have enough trouble maintaining a marketing edge as it is without "dumbing down" our "perceived" quality advantage.

We even/already created more "classes" of wheat in our grading system to try and maintain quality standards that I bet will never get adhered to by shippers. That lower cheaper class of wheat that was once part of the highest class will be blended with the class above it. How much red winter do you think gets blended in?

Bang on farma!

Look at the CGC specs in a No 2 CWRS. Your allowed up to 5% CNHR ( faller, Prosper etc) in a No 2 spec. 2.5 % CWSP (Pasteur's etc)

It's all on the CGC website. You can look it up for yourself.

The opt Ed is completely off base...he is putting to much faith in our system.

We are buying grain from farmers and exporting it on a completely different set of standards...doesn't make an ounce of sense.

Honestly putting more money into organizations like CIGI, is the direction we need to go, not relying on our so called "high standards" The Americans are putting ridiculous amounts of money into organizations similar to CIGI and it's starting to hurt us on the world stage.

[farming101]

The article says farms in Canada can add $70/tonne because of high quality. The trouble is we get $66/tonne taken off for inefficiency. Net gain - about $4/tonne

In the 2016 calendar year Comtrade reported that Canadian wheat of all classes and grades averaged 228.61USD/tonne. US sales averaged 224.08USD/tonne. If you convert Canada's sales to CAD I guess it would be about $70/tonne more

[bucket]

The CGC was gutted so independent labs could be set up and more than likely the government could claim the 100 million taken from farmers.... back to general revenue....

By government policy it made look like there was a business case for what the CGC was suppose to be doing therefore it could be put into private hands....potential board seat....


Who started that policy of gutting the CGC....????


And who the **** thought of adding more wheat classes....has anyone tested the gluten strength of the downgraded varieties this year?

[the big wheel]

Stop making sense Bucket, because I don't think it is allowed from farmers. It makes a mockery of our system shame on you!!
You make it sound as if no one has our best interest at heart and that isn't true they all say they do all the time so just stop this it's confusing.