I think were getting bullshitted on Big Canola Supply!

[farmaholic]

So draining/ditching and bush clearing aren't allowed(after 08). I wish I would have kept a copy of the agreement.
Then there was the potential audit for the farm and it's records. I am just not "willing" to give up that much information and control.... being mandated is one thing but volunteering is another.

[sk_wheatking]

So draining/ditching and bush clearing aren't allowed(after 08). I wish I would have kept a copy of the agreement.
Then there was the potential audit for the farm and it's records. I am just not "willing" to give up that much information and control.... being mandated is one thing but volunteering is another.

What so some asshole from nowhere near your area is going to launch an investigation on your farm because there may or may not have been a certain bush on your farm in 2009? Now it's sustainable agriculture. Like what's next. If you burn diesel your out????

[Partners]

trucking grain 900 km sounds sustainable?

Sounds stupid yes .
Local trucker gets paid a dollar a bushel to haul it.
Must be mega money in it for bunge.

[Dylan]

No one has ever been audited they said.
As long as you deliver good quality seed..no surprises like to many greens or high moisture.

And you bought that hey?
Did they pay you $500 for signing up for the program? They were paying that when they first started signing guys up a few years ago. I asked "if this program is as good as you say, why do you have to pay people to sign into it?" Answer was "to encourage people". I said no damn way! I talked to a couple guys who came from Europe to farm and they lost their mind when approached for this program. they said that's how it started over there. Next thing, OH&S is on the farm saying they need to paint yellow lines on their shop floors, any little oil spill had to be dug out and disposed of, fuel tanks had to be replaced, outlets need to be replaced, etc. One guy said he knew a guy that was forced to spend $10,000 to bring his farm up to their standards. No damn way!

Oh, and at the time, the Viterra rep told me "as a company, we need so many of these signed cause as long as we can show we're able to source sustainable canola, then we can get into those markets". So basically admitted that they will sell regular canola to that market as long as the have the paperwork showing it could have come from the farmers who signed it.

[Agvocate]

I sat in on a presentation Viterra did on this when they launched the program 5 or 6 years ago. We signed up and think they paid us $500 at the time for doing so. Didn't seem as thought they wanted to do it so much as it was required for seed and oil going to the EU for biofuels. If you did get audited they would come and facilitate it as well as pay any expenses you may have. It's not a grain company initiative it was a political one. So if it seems ridiculous, it was designed by politicians, so it likely is.

[farmaholic]

God, I'm glad I'm not the only nay-sayer.

[Dylan]

I sat in on a presentation Viterra did on this when they launched the program 5 or 6 years ago. We signed up and think they paid us $500 at the time for doing so. Didn't seem as thought they wanted to do it so much as it was required for seed and oil going to the EU for biofuels. If you did get audited they would come and facilitate it as well as pay any expenses you may have. It's not a grain company initiative it was a political one. So if it seems ridiculous, it was designed by politicians, so it likely is.

I remember that being said also. And then I asked how come the "commitment" from Viterra to assist with the audit and any expenses isn't on the form and isn't signed by a Viterra rep? No answer. Cause they won't do it! I learned a long time ago that Viterra giving you their word means sweet fak all.

[Agvocate]

I remember that being said also. And then I asked how come the "commitment" from Viterra to assist with the audit and any expenses isn't on the form and isn't signed by a Viterra rep? No answer. Cause they won't do it! I learned a long time ago that Viterra giving you their word means sweet fak all.

Fair point. You can opt out anytime, but if you don't it automatically renews each year. Pretty sure they said their elevators and port terminals had to be certified and audited too. If that is the case, I am operating under the assumption that it is in their best interest that if a farm was audited it passed the audit, so they would be likely to help. But you are probably correct there was no written guarantee.

[Klause]

Sounds stupid yes .
Local trucker gets paid a dollar a bushel to haul it.
Must be mega money in it for bunge.

I did that haul a lot...

Just look at price spread etween Altona and Dixon... That's usually a 1.50 to 2.00

That's when bunge does that haul.


Shitty thing is it doesn't actually pay that well for the trucker because by the time you're down there it's hard to find a load coming back... $40 going down and if you're lucky you can find some feed corn coming this way for $15

[grassfarmer]

You are right on the money farmaholic, i'm wary of any such scheme now. We had this in the early 90s in Scotland - "Farm Assurance" program where you were certified by an outside party in order to earn a premium for your livestock sold to the packer. The little bit of premium was quickly dropped as more farmers signed up and soon non-farm assured animals were discounted and continue to be so to this day. So the guys on the retail end get something they can charge customers extra for and the farmer has an ongoing cost and hassle to meet farm assurance standards to gain commodity price.

[bucket]

Grassfarmer

A question...was that a motivating factor to move to Canada. ?

[grassfarmer]

No, it was a minor irritant in the grand scheme of things. I learnt a lesson there though - now i'll only participate in "value adding" if I have full control of who receives the added value - if it isn't me I'm not interested!

[makar]

Reminds me to jump on the dozer to finish the north 40.

[Oliver88]

Canola up $4 per tonne today.

Things are looking better but a ways to go for $12.

[biglentil]

I too used a carrot on a stick to get the horses on the way to the glue factory. Mind you it wasnt a $500 carrot.