Cheap feed grain?

[JACKFLASH]

Cowman:

Do you know how many of those ballets get send by the CWB to producers like yourself,who are small grain producers,and most of your production goes into feed industry.

Or the semi-retired or retired farmer who is 65 to 80 years old,who has cash rented out,or crop shared to solely keep a permit book to claim deductions on the farm.

Lots,To the CWB this is a free vote in their favor. These old farmers to their defence don't know any better.

Then again you have us younger farmers buying the 200,000 tractors and huge imputs farming the acres. I think I should have 4 votes.

[charliep]

The Australian compromise is to have votes weighted both based on size of business and a simple vote. 50 % of the vote (I think - should check) is based on size and the remainder is one farmer/one vote.

[TOM4CWB]

Charlie;

My number 9 of the 10 things the CWB needs to do was;
http://www.agri-ville.com/cgi-bin/forums/viewThread.cgi?1076353929

"Acreage/production based voting rights in CWB elections based on land assesment (Municipal Assesments) for the operating units who actually operate the production unit."

If I can grow wheat or barley... then I should have a specific right to vote on the produtive capability of the land I farm.

[poorboy]

It would be very interesting to track the total tonnes of deliveries to the CWB versus the permit book number and vote. We could look after the election at what the vote was with one vote per permit book and compare that same vote using the computer to a vote using production and see if it is the same outcome. If both systems vote for single desk selling, that would mean a lot to me.

Tom,
Your system of basing votes on productive land assessment is good, but has some drawbacks. If you have some very highly productive land, but only grow canola, peas, and feed barley, should you have a greater vote than a 100% wheat grower in the lower productivity areas? Yes you can grow more grain, but if you deliver none to the CWB, should you be able to outvote a person who is making all of his living from the CWB. In my example you would not even be using the service, but having more clout.

If I could see the breakdown of the voting on elections from size of farm, age of operator, etc., it would help put my mind to ease. Maybe every catagory would have a majority vote. If it did then I would sit back and not be so critical of how things are working.

[cowman]

Maybe we could take this concept further...into the federal/provincial/municipal governments? Base it on how much income tax you pay? So the person paying say $5000 gets one vote? Then the bay street stockbroker paying $50,000 gets 10 votes? I think that would be fair after all who is contributing the most here, right?
Of course all the working poor and the little welfare mommas wouldn't get a vote, after all they aren't really contributing? Then we could further cut out their interests until we got rid of them?
I suspect most of the ballots mailed out to guys like me get tossed in the garbage...very few care? As I said if I didn't know Jim I would never have bothered and I never will again. Better to work with Shirley to scrap the CWB than try to take "voting rights" away from those old farmers? When you start to try to disenfranchise people they get stirred up? And it sets a very bad precedence?

[boone]

cowman: best points yet, but don't be surprized if it doesn't catch on right away. The reformers of the world only want voting change when it will perceive to give an advantage, the criteria used is poor but so will the next be. If I could just afford a couple of 200,000 I assume$ tractors they might make me pres., anyway good luck calving. (sincerely)

[TOM4CWB]

Poorboy, Cowman and Boone.

I was not trying to "stack" the votes in favour of any particular "Pro" or "Anti" wheat board producer.

The simple fact is that many people have become so fed up with the political nature of this debate:

If I can produce wheat, at 3 times the level of someone else... I lose 3 times as much money when the CWB tilts the Pool towards higher grades, and CWRS.

Take one look at the spread between a domestic;
1CWRS 13.5 ($232.97/t)
2CWRS 13.5 ($232.97/t)
3CWRS no px ($231.57/t)
1CPS Red ($223.27/t)
1CWRW no px (225.77/t)
2CWRW no px (224.77/t)
Canada Feed (220.87/t);
these were the wopping spreads yesterday.

And I ended up with $117/t for my #2CWRW 11.2px wheat through my freindly CWB Select IP program... hauled this Jan on freezing rained on roads.

Is there any wonder why my neighbours think I am crazy, in continuing this battle with the CWB?

They say: "Get on with your life and forget the CWB!"

Isn't this what we are talking about?

Data from;
http://www.agdayta.com/AgDayta/madx?u=UFWNA00101432&sg=03101&page=Newswires&id=80 1&listdate=Feb 20%2C 2004&ltype=newsList&pgNo=1

[TOM4CWB]

Cowman, Boone, Charlie;

If I had done a Basis Price Contract with the CWB for March 04 and priced on Feb 20/04 these are the spreads in the prices:

C$ Feb 20 CWB 1CWRS 13.5 $208.93/t
July 31st Mar. Basis CWB $013.74/t
Total Mar 20/04 $222.67/t

C$ Feb 20 CWB 1CWRW no px $188.81/t
July 31st Mar. Basis CWB $(015.62)/t
Total Mar 20/04 $168.19/t with $5/t discount to 2CWRW

THE spread if a CWB FPC were done is $54.48/t while CWB selling price spread is $8.20/t for our grain!

Even the PRO's are only $32/t apart between the 1CWRS 13.5 and the 2CWRW.

Boone/Charlie, what exactly am I supposed to do about CWB Fixed Price Contracts?

[TOM4CWB]

Boone/Charlie;

Just for interest;

I hedged my CWRW on July 31/03, the March 04 Kansas was $187.22/t CDN (CWB Price)

On Feb 20/04, the March 04 Kansas was $188.81/t CDN (CWB Price)

The PRO I was forced to price against was July 03 @ $155/t #1CWRW ($5/t discount to #2CWRW) while the Jan 04 PRO was $179/t ($5/t discount to 2CWRW)

The $24/t narrowing in the PRO, July 31st 03 was the last day to do a FPC/BPC nothing I had any control over, the CWB KEEPS this money.

And it happens year after year.

[TOM4CWB]

Poorboy;

I hope you can now see my point about land productivity.

I sold half my Select Winter Wheat off the combine in August, to the feed wheat market, for $133/t.

I was told it would have no problem in meeting a 1CWRW 12.5 on 70t I took from the same field.

Vertually no Winter Wheat gets to the CWB at port position, as it's flour yield is higher than CWRS... it normally leaves Canada as CWRS in a boat... with the Elevator Co's getting the premium to blend it of the $32/t.

That is if a farmer is stupid enough to deliver it as CWRW.

I understand my wheat went on the Market Development program select boat (I understand only enough for 1 boatload) to Malasia... discounted to push out US Hard Red Winter no doubt...

This small volume of wheat could have easily been sold south of the 49th, at a premium price, for $50/t more possibly than the CWB got... high frieght and all!

Obviously maximising the Winter Wheat growers return is not where the CWB is taking us.... unless it is delivered as CWRS!

Back to cheap feed grain!

Back to don't deliver it the the CWB!

Back to who should be able to vote?

[cowman]

TOM: I can understand your frustration of having to deal with an institution that is basically stacked against your interests. But I believe changing the vote is not a very pratical solution for this simple reason...it makes the large grain producer look like a greedy capitalist who wants to trample on the little guys rights! You do that at your own peril? You want to get those old farmers up in arms and active just keep expousing those views!
The best way is to go with Shirley? I suspect she is going to basically break the single desk? Just let her work her magic and don't stir up the opposition?
I think you'll have your open market soon?

[TOM4CWB]

Cowman;

The CWB is considering a change to the vote structure we have now;

Many say (including the CWB) that my farm already has "market choice".

I am confirming that again, I have not lost my mind, I am fighting for simple truth and justice... not to be greedy.

WE DO NOT HAVE MARKETING CHOICE, as long as we have a "single desk" CWB as the CWB defines itself today.

We need the diversify what we grow... but the CWB holds such a big stick... it is near impossible.