FREEDOM BREAD

[TOM4CWB]

In the first post on this thread, it says this;

"FREEDOM BREAD’s purpose is to draw attention to the fact that inequalities exist within Canada where all wheat farmers except the Prairies can directly market their wheat..."

"Canadians have fought and died for freedom. We are recently reminded of this with the 60th anniversary of D-Day. Freedom to buy and sell is one of the main pillars of a free nation."

"...a Toronto baker who sourced the FREEDOM WHEAT directly from farmers in Alberta..."

...

"The simple fact that many Canadian laws were broken in the formation of this freedom bread...

proves a point...

just like the underground railroad... a spirit of justice cannot be drowned out by discrimination and exploitation, that are backed by a corrupt government!"

...

"it is a total abuse of the CWB Act, Canada Grain Act, and an act fraud for the CWB to confiscate regulate and profit from products it has no constitutional authority to regulate in the first place.'

THE POINT IS WD9, some farmers in Alberta, are VERY unhappy that their neighbour thinks they have the right to dip into personal bank accounts... and steal hard earned resourses from their families.

So these Alberta farmers, supported by many others, decided to bring this injustice to your attention, WD9.

Hope this helps!

[wd9]

So the awareness is just to farmers then?

[eatmorewheat]

Thanks Tom.

Wd9 have you tried FREEDOM BREAD yet? You know, some will say that freedom tastes pretty good.

Free wheat in the west.

[wd9]

I hope that is not a Freudian slip - "Free" wheat in the west.

Some would say getting rid of the board would not be of economic benefit, some say freedom at any price, some say it wouldn't make a difference we're all going broke anyways.

I do believe in the markets. Markets and ultimately "Mr. Consumer" make or break all products. When products and services are tempered through supply and demand curves, a true price is realized. Peas, canola, feed barley - many other grains are not under the board and yet their value is realized daily based on how much we got versus how much it is wanted.

Due diligence and fudiciary responsibility limit a CWB's directors actions on the board to not destroying the corporation they are to govern, unless they are willing to be sued, so I don't see how farmers have the choice of whether or not the CWB exists by voting. I'm not sure about this, so correct me if I'm wrong.

Awareness does help the situation, as in Freedom bread, but every farmer certainly has an opinion of whether or not market choice is a good thing and changing their minds either way is unlikely to happen. You finally answered my question and said Freedom bread was awareness for me. I do enjoy the taste of fresh baked bread, but it will not change my mind or views of the CWB.

There has to be a way to resolve this question of whether or not the Western Canadian Wheat Board is no longer required or if it is necessary for Western Canadian farmers to continue with it.

This issue is swamping and stealing time away from many other issues which are also important. It causes hard feelings and anger among farmers, pitting one against the other. I'm reminded of this when I get 'preached at' by your responses without you even knowing my position. Perhaps, the government has realized that if we argue enough amongst ourselves, we'll leave them alone. So far its been working quite well.

More awareness I don't think we (farmers) need. We are all quite aware of what is going on and at least 99% of the farmers have their opinion and probably will not change their mind.

What we need is a solution to this problem. As the saying goes, crap or get off the pot. Endlessly arguing about it is of no value to anyone.

So, what is the solution. What can be done to end this issue and move on.

[Incognito]

"Remember the past, examine the present and determine the future."

That quote was passed onto me on Friday. Kinda fits.

Thanks for the eloquent post WD9.

[Ration-Al]

Can Farmers determine the future of the CWB by voting considering the legal obligations of the directors to be mindful of the corporation that they are to govern? The CWB Act lays out a process by which commodities can be added to or removed from the authority of the the CWB.

A group which represents a specific commodity can show that they have significant support amongst producers of that commodity for making a change. Then a vote would be taken to ask producers if they would support such a change. Although this would significantly change the mandate of the CWB it would not necessarily mean that the CWB would come to an end.

This is the process which has been laid down in the law and yet nobody talks about it. Perhaps this is the serious manner in which we should proceed.

[Incognito]

So whats the answer, Mr. Flaman?

Put both barley and canola on the table? Would that keep both sides happy? Or all grains?

Can we crap or get off the pot as WD9 suggests?

Can we get this over with once and for all, or do we wait until the WTO makes the decision for us and whomever is in Federal power has something to hide behind à la WGTA and REG?

For all the money, time and BS spent on this, it would be better spent on VISION. Everyone is so concerned about the past and the present, no one is determining the future. The Aussies have - they are ready for the future - we sir, are not. And it doesn't matter what side of the argument you are on. The answer is the same.

Realized net income is abysmal. Net income is as bad. And if I hear one more North Dakota Tourism ad on the radio, I'm gonna puke.

Tarriff our grain, shut the border on cattle, and then advertise that we should shop there. Please.

Strange bedfellows the left side made during the barley wars in 92/93. And whom is left to be accountable? No one. The Eadie's, Loewen's, Bruun's and Graham's are long gone.

What if......barley was Continental and stayed that way in 1993. Would we still be arguing and killing time today?

[TOM4CWB]

WD9/Incognito;

A free and democractic society respects the right of legitimate owners of property to say YES... I want to Co-0perate and work with my neighbour...

Or

The right to say NO... I do not appreciate the "help" you are "offering" to give... GET LOST.

This right is the foundation to a working efficient economy... that adds wealth to a society... innovation... respect for others... IT IS THIS SIMPLE.

The right of the majority to capitalise on, and confiscate other peoples legitimate property... is a communist command and control government central planned economy... FINE... if this is going to be the way things are done... then pay a 5% return on my crop... all expences included.

If Canadian Society is not willing to pay all my costs... and give me a reasonable Return on Investment... Then Canadian Society has no right to confiscate my wheat/barley/peas/canola... through the CWB.

And don't tell me the CWB doesn't effect the value of non-board crops, because the CWB does... a huge influence. When the CWB holds feed/lower grade wheat and barley down below fair market values... and takes international competition out of the picture for my grains... the CWB lowers the value of my grain in many instances.

AND because others compete with the CWB for acres on my farm... when the CWB produces PRO's that are obviously insane on the low end... the CWB devalues all the productive/economic ability of my farm on all crops... not just wheat and barley.

REGULATE if you must... but Canadian Society MUST pay the price...

And take responsibility to send a reasonable PROFIT to my families farm... if you insist on regulating my sales of wheat and barley through the CWB!

[Ration-Al]

What exactly have the Aussies done that will take them successfully forward? They have restructured. This seems to have deflected the attacks through the WTO. They established a capital base(in excess of one billion dollars). This has allowed them to backstop their risk management strategy as well as to make acquisitions of a major farm supply company. While this might spell success for the AWB, what has it done for farmers?

I hear farmers saying all they care about are price, cash flow, and delivery. The changes the AWB has made neither facilitate nor impede progress in any of these areas. The price of wheat is established globally. The structure of the AWB will not impact on the price of wheat in the world export market. Cash flow and delivery do depend on the the operation of the AWB but these factors can be impacted positively or negatively by AWB policy or lack thereof. This is a function of the AWB being responsive to their farmers.

Will this battle ever end? Not as long as the rivers flow. There are philosphical views that are diametrically opposed to the strictures of the current system. Can the majority of farmers support an orderly marketing system which they themselves control? Of course they can. It takes a lot of work. The organization must be responsive. The AWB has shown that this is possible. They have 70 percent support of their farmers. They have distanced themselves from government. They have structured themselves as a corporate body. They are responding to their farmers business needs. It has taken them ten years to do this, and there was opposition. There still is.

Can the CWB achieve similar results? Time will tell. There may not be much time. Monday's election may hasten the process. The WTO talks may hasten the process. Sometimes haste makes waste.

One thing I know is that farmers probably know best what is right for farmers. Governments and World Trade Organizations have their own agendas.

[Incognito]

By the time on your post, I hope you let it warm up before you went spraying this morning.

In restructuring, the AWB has gained favour with 70% of their farmers, and here, the left/right side debate percentage is so razor thin, one side in western Canada may have 51% on any given day.

Here in western Canada, the CWB has alienated the progessive farmer (use the 80 - 20 theory where 20% of the farmers, grow 80% of the grain) that if they tried to emulate the AWB, they would not have the same success, if my opinion.

The risk management strategy employed by the AWB you mention also involves currency risk. Their record looks phenomenal in the face of the CWB's. Their currency dropped 31% and yet they had their risk hedged whereas we did not. I'm curious as to who made the decision to watch the dollar escalate and not do anything about it.

Was it the Board table?

Accountabilty would suggest that if someone in a large corporation did likewise, their nameplate would be off their door rather quickly.

Through all the trees that have been killed regarding the single desk, substantive empirical evidence has never been presented to determine that premiums are received on ALL wheat and barley shipped from Canada. The benchmarking process has been forgotten outside the CWB.

The CWB should not be the sole marketer of barley. Period. How anyone can argue differently is beyond me. Protecting the Malt Industry and Livestock Industry in Canada is a cost borne by farmers. And it is unfair.

Wheat is debatable. I can argue both sides. The biggest misconception is that the CWB extracts a premium on all wheat it ships. They don't. There is not a large enough market to absorb the amount of wheat we grow at a premium to the world price. Buyers are not that gullible either. The Internet has made price discrimination near impossible and transparency available in real-time.

As I stated im my previous post, if we had stayed the course in 1993, we may have been on par with the Aussies, we are not, and will be soon under the gun to reform even further. A good friend of mine suggested that Agriculture policy gains are measured in inches.

Most of my posts (even you Boone) have been written to stimulate discussions. I don't buy into the "damn the torpedoes theory - full steam ahead."
There are ramifications of both systems and by taking baby steps over the last 10 years, have we hurt or helped farmers?

Months ago, Kato posted here about the bickering and politics. Today, he is mired in the same debate and I wonder if he would embrace/retract some of his previous posts. He has gone from trying to be politically correct, to being a political wild child.

Tom:

The "I own my own grain" theory is as tired as "science will open the border". Both are not working. But, I like your 5% ROI theory, notwithstanding the fact that I think its miniscule, given the stress, risk and pressure involved in growing a crop.

As you said. Time will tell. And the clock is ticking. Farmers just don't realize how loud.

[TOM4CWB]

Incognito;

THE CLOCK IS TICKING.... says volumes...

Corporate farms may be needed... to take over the production of our food... as the young people are fed up with us and our communist bickering. The love of producing food... for the sake of feeding hungry mouths... is growing very thin... especially in the under 25 farm youth!

We are driving these young folks away... fresh young innovators from agriculture to anything else but!

Sell the farm... do something else... anything else.

Without freedom/Neighbourly Love, we all operate in fear... fear is guiding our future JUST like the Liberals are doing in this federal election. A nation without a Vision... will parish. Fear is not a Vision... but a False Expectation About Reality... not at all what built this country.

[smoky]

Probably the biggest thing driving young folks away is our constant bickering. Who would want to go farming when all your parents do is bitch and complain about how bad it is. The problem is we have to look at the bigger picture, yes we don't make the returns we should, but is it the worst way in the world to make a living? All I'm saying is we have to be carefull of when and where we are complaining, because if all our children see is the negative side, I don't blame them for not wanting to go farming.