Organic grain sales

[craig]

What am I missing? An article in last weeks Western Producer about organic wheat sales and buybacks has me confused. The concept behind the buyback was to keep producers from stealing those premium markets from the pool accounts. What I don't understand is how is organic wheat sales stealing premium markets from commercial producers when we can't sell into that market? When I started thinking about it, I realized I don't understand how organic production fits into the Board. Does the board have someone in organic sales and is there a seperate pool account for organic grain? On the surface it looks like another example of discouraging value added by stealing from someone who spends the time and effort to seek out new markets and giving to someone else who doesn't want to do anything.

[parsley]

Home again from Alberta country, so Belated Happy Easter to Agri-villers.

The CWB has made organics confusing on purpose, because to do otherwise allows us to see them for what they are.

Here's the facts.

1. Organics find their own buyers and markets.

2. The CWB does not market organic grain. The CWB hired an organic marketing specialist even though they do not market organic grain. She is supposedly paid for by a special levy on all organic sales.

3. All organic wheat and barley sales have to do the buyback.

4. There is no CWB organic pool and organics have made it very clear that they do not want an organic pool.

5. In 2001. one Manitoba producer kept track of the money he was out for his buybacks minus what he took in for final and interim payments. He lost $13,500.00 into the pooling void on his wheat crop that year on buybacks. That is exactly how much money his Eastern counterpart would pocket.

5. The buyback is set so high for organics, that it stops sales. This is exactly what the CWB wants so that they can take over organic marketing.

6. The CWB claims the buyback is supposed to be returned to the producer via interim and final payments but it is not. Therefore, the buyback is a penalty that stops sales. Organic Mills in Canada are buying and importing US wheat to fill their supply needs.

7. The CWB are not allowed to market into an organic market because they have conventional grain only. The organic markets will not buy conventional.

8. Organic premium markets have absolutely nothing to do with conventional pooling accounts.

9.Without organic buyback money, the CWB would have needed to borrow more money from the Federal Government to cover their marketing failures reflected in the pooling accounts. Organics pay into conventional pooling accounts.

10. No wonder Rod Flaman approved of giving pooling money to the Liberal fundraisers(and no wonder if he'd like organics added to it!) He must have gotten top marks in his Gaglliano class.

11.Organic testing requires falling numbers etc. A CGC grade is of no value. The Wheat Board marketer is of no value because they cannot make a sale, as they are not certified organic. Organics do not want them. The CWB's reputation for incompetency is a detriment to organic sales.(deer poop in the loaded ships etc.) We don't want them.

12. The CWB continually try to claim that the organic premium is the direct result of CWB's conventional marketing. A little like Henry Ford's family claiming they are the reason Toyota does well. How do you reason with the likes of the CWB?


13. Any suggestions for organics on how to get rid of these big CWB spring dogs would be greatly appreciated.

Parsley