Calgary Herald: Wheat board doomed without monopoly

[TOM4CWB]

Boone;

It appears that the innovation for this year from the CWB, is to let farmers pay storage to the elevator companies... to get to a cash price... and allow us a goofy basis contract that is totally locked into the CWB pooling accounts.

There must be more innovation and change than this from the CWB.

1. A Cash price by contract for Barley... there needs to be no "cherry picking" when contacted grain is totally under CWB control at the outset.

2. Cash prices for Wheat and Durum, same as above, at a decent basis.

3. Shorter pools avaliable to those who choose them. Year long pools for those who choose this option.

We have been waiting since 1996 for these options..., it is about high time CWB excuses turned into action.

[carebear300]

Well said Tom I agree with you entirely!!!!! Time stops for no man, including the Canadian Wheat Board.

[boone]

Tom4cwb: I do not disagree with one thing you have said here, all I'm saying is look how far you have moved them. You have made a heck of alot of progress. You have the elephants attention, it is stopping, it is turning from side to side and looking what is required, get the two by four out of Shirley and Ralfs hand before they damage it permanently!

[TOM4CWB]

Boone;

Better to have the elephant stop and look at the 2 by 4... than have it charge over the cliff... without even noticing it was dead ahead....

THe Alberta Government could have picked an elephant gun... they did not.

To get the attention of a beast like this... the skin is so tough... it must know we are not just removing the flies and itching it...

To this point that is all I have been doing... itching the elephant... and it really enjoys the attention...

I see my black and blue feet... as it rubs against me... steps on me, and slobbers... all over me... YOU TOO BOONE

[rodb]

The Cwb is doomed anyway in its present form. If it does not start giving clear market signals we will get run over by the rest of the world. I had a chat with a friend the other night. He had just finished touring a group of Russians thru Western Canada. These farmers are on average farming 60,000 acres and they are business men who have made it in other areas and have been coerced by the Russian Government to become farmers. From the sounds of it they have the capital and other resources to make a go of it. There will be another Russian revolution if these fellows are successfulas the peashants that they will replace have to go somewhere as these farmers will have the best of Western farming technology.

They already have the capacity in soils and climate to compete with us plus the population closer at hand.

If we don't wake up and smell the burnt coffee, we will be insignificant players in our own market place, let alone HRS supplier to the world.

[AdamSmith]

Just what does this say about the CWB today? Measner, as President of the CWB, knows that the competition will wipe the floor with them. It will be a masacre. CWB offerings will be so much less than what the private trade will offer, a 10% market share would be considered an amazing success.

The CWB will be shut out of all barley. The CWB will be shut out of all mid quality wheats like cps and winter wheat. Non registered varieties will flood into the prairies and the CWB will be shut out of those as well. Durum will be a near shut out for them. This leaves them with about a 25% market share in CWRS. And unless they can compete here that will fall as well.

The thing I've never been able to understand is that if the CWB knows they can't compete and if farmers overwhelmingly choose other avenues to sell wheat and barley, why should we care whether they cease to exist at all?

Am I a poorer and worse off because Minniapolis-Moline tractors don't exist any more?

The CWB has been proped up for far to long, take their monopoly away and if the continue to stand, fine. But if they fall flat on their face and earn a one way ticket to the national archives, that should be fine as well.

But as Tom4 has noted, much of what is to become of the CWB has been created by their own hand and their own decisions. The CWB has spent the last ten years attacking and belittling the younger and more progressive farmers on the prairies. Thousands of farmers will never deal with them because of the way the CWB has treated them.

By the time the CWB realizes this fatal error in tactics it will be far to late for them to do anything about it.

[boone]

Post: Like I said, "TWO GRAVES"

[AdamSmith]

boone,

The one grave will say RIP CWB,

but who are you refering to that will be in the othere grave?

[boone]

Adam Smith: I expect it will be the 'illusion' of 'Free Will'.

[TOM4CWB]

Boone;

Are you saying we have "free will" now... sending farmers to jail for giving a sack of wheat to a 4-H Club in Montana?

Just an inkling of fair play and justice and the CWB/feds crucify anyone who would dare to fight for an ounce of competition...

And you are happy with this Boone?

like a dog and one of those collars... with a wire burried around the outside of the yard... Western "designated area" farmers who still use the CWB we are... afraid of our own shadow!