The CWB and Rats

[parsley]

Very simply put CharlieP:

We already know what we need to do in the chain (new buzzword).

The following already know how to work together:
1. I have worked directly with grain companies and find them extremely good to do business with.
2. I have worked directly with the railroads and find them extremely good to do business with.
3. I work directly with processing companies and find them extremely good to do business with.
4. I work directly with end users...consumers.... year round... and find them extremely good to do business with.
5. I work directly with employees and find that they do their job wonderfully.
6. I work directly with other farmers and find they do their job well and good to do business with .

If the occassion should rise where there are bad folks, I won't do business with them again.

7. I sell farmgate, retail and wholesale,
8. I sell domestic and export

These players work in harmony every day. These players ARE the "chain", yet the present system does not facilitate harmony or wealth creation. CWB and the railroads fighting. Farm groups fighting. Try being a potato farmer in PEI this morning....and try to tell them that governments are innocent in the whole process.

6. I find that governments and government regulators and bureaucrats are out of touch, they try to provide services that are not relevant, that they are self serving and that they often do not tell the truth. And these regulators, and these bureuacrats, have designed agriculture and control agriculture.

And there are some farmers still looking to governments for a cure

What part of the chain should I get changed on my operation CharlieP?
Parsley

[charliep]

I suspect I am not answering the question you would like (I will let others respond) but would suggest that in the long term, this is where all farm managers will be taking their businesses over the next ten years. It is likely that many managers will not want to push their business into the value added/retail levels but they still need to be looking for relationships with other businesses to achieve higher values for their products by meeting specific consumer needs. Thoughts.

[parsley]

Halpenny says, " The premise of some of the questions, decrying the CWB as the cause of economic loss on the Prairies,.......... is mischievous at best and deliberately malicious at worst."


I want to respond to this statement. The readers on Agri-ville can decide for themselves if the the "economic-loss premise" could have some merit.


The following is an exerpt from a document titled

Secret

CABINET WHEAT COMMITTEE

Among those attending attending this December 5, 1946 meeting included:

The Minister of Trade and Commerce, The Minister of Finance, The Minister of Agriculture Mr. J.G Gardiner, The Minister of Mines and Resources as well as assistants and deputies


and the following Canadian Wheat Board people
G.H. McIvor, Chief Commisioner CWB,
O.E. Hunting, Asst Chief Commisioner CWB
W.C.McNamara, Commisioner CWB
H.B. Monk, Solicitor to CWB
Dr. T.W.Grindley, Sect'y to the CWB

Chairman MacKinnon "explained that in the view of the imminent expiration of the National Emergency Transitional Powers Act, it was necessary to consider the form of the legislation which should be introduced in order to provide for the continuing powers of the Canadian wheat Board"

Mr Gardiner "thought it might be very difficult if an attempt were made to introduce permanent legislation for the Wheat Board'

"The Chairman asked Dr. Wilson to outline the problem in connection with the Wheat Board's powers concerning flax"

"Dr Wilson explained that the Wheat Board under its present powers had a monopoly control over flax seed, and was paying producers a fixed price of $3.25 a bushel. (The U.S. price now stood at $7.25 a bushel). It was necessary to decide whether the Board should continue to offer this guaranteed price to producers."
Parsley

[parsley]

If you don't believe that the cabinet documents are authentic, the CWB can check it's own documents on the flax policy. You will find it in the CWB library thalpenny, in a Confidential Document named
MEMORANDUM TO THE WHEAT COMMITTEE OF THE CABINET
FROM THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD

It states
"At present, the Board acts as a monopoly handler of flaxseed paying a fixed and final price to producers, basis $3.25 and selling domestically under direction at $2.75"

"The United States price rose to around $7.25 under decontrol and we have refused many applications from producers and others to export flaxseed"


Agri-ville readers can pretend it is 1946 and can ask your very question..... would there be more or less value for farmers without the CWB?

Hindsight is helpful
Parsley

[ianben]

Hi again from England
This disscusion seems to be going round in circles to me so here an unbiased idea
I went back to that cwb site and
clicked visions, This is what came up.
To create value for Prairie farmers by being an innovative world leader in marketing grain.
Now as far as I can see what happened in 46 or yesterday for that matter is history
Its tomorrow that counts.
Innovation. I see no innovation or have I missed it.
World leader? Perhaps many years ago. World leaders today are MEGA. Ford , Fiat, New Holland, Case, Internationl CNH. ICI, Zenica cannot remember the rest they change so quick etc.etc. Unless you are a world leader you will not be taken seriously in any market and cannot create value.
So stop before you get dizzy.
Innovate. Recreate your CWB as a worldwide marketing group without compulsive powers. Invite the rest of the world to join and add value for us all.This is the only way you could influence todays market.
SO IS IT
FARMERS CHAMPION OR GOVERNMENT PUPPET
CARNIVOR OR DINOSAUR.
Now some of you say Chas and I are impatient, well I am.Because the way I see it we are way behind in this game.
The train is waiting in the station bound for San Fernando, I want a first class seat I want the CWB or some other farmer controled organization up there with the driver.
All aboard and we can make something work
Keep arguing and we have missed it.

We have house guests this weekend,so the wife has issued a death threat if I turn on the computer so I will be back Monday to see what you say.
Goodnight Ian

[TOM4CWB]

Ian, I could not agree with you more!

You said:

“Innovate. Recreate your CWB as a worldwide marketing group without compulsive powers. Invite the rest of the world to join and add value for us all.This is the only way you could influence todays market.”

This is music to my ears, and what 70% of Western Canadian grain Producers need,
“the freedom to choose” between working together without compulsive powers, or competing and innovating moving directly up the value chain if necessary, to remain competitive and profitable so the next generation can be wheat growers as well!

Did you know the CWB's plan today is to reduce both Canada’s world wheat market share and the production of wheat over the next five years!

Why would any marketing group (talking about the CWB) want to destroy the industry they were supposed to serve?

[ianben]

Hi Tom
I knew you would like that bit.So due you agree with this?
I said we were behind in the game well I do not think we are even playing yet!
I think they changed the game when the WHAT IF program came out you know the one where you list costs and it works out your profit. In the new game you need a bat and ball to play in the premier league and you ALWAYS win. When you grow GM for Monsanto you are definatly playing with someone from
the premier league. Most chemical companies are up there, so are the machinery manufacturers and I think the fert companies just got promoted. All these products are now priced on what we can afford to pay because they can use WHAT IF in reverse. It is a fact of life we must accept THE GAME HAS ALREADY CHANGED.
We will never be in the premier league and I not sure I would want to be, I have morals too.
I believe there is a lower league where my rat baiter and the man who buys your HEAR **** play. They a least have a bat.
They manage supply to match demand and have realistic prices and happy customers. This is where I think we HAVE TO LEARN TO PLAY.
It is like when we changed from BARTER TO CASH
I bet that took some getting off the ground. It will never work you cannot change the system, BUT SOMEBODY TRIED AND IT DID.
Ian

[TOM4CWB]

Ian,

I agree in principal, however one critical issue remains, the freedom to choose our own destiny!

We all choose what kind of equipment we will use, no monopolies there(although some would say JD is like Microsoft!)

We choose how much fert we put on, and what kind and how much herbicides we will use.

We choose if we will use fungicides, and then all decide which company gives a fair shake on grading quality we harvest.A good truck is the best tool to get this in line(I just bought a set of superbee's yesterday).

Destiny and good fortune is 99% being prepaired to allow someone to give us a fair deal, which means no one goes away rich, but hopefully no one gets ripped off either!

This is respect, something I hope the CWB will plug into, for it is the only hope for a future that is not a dead end.

Does the CWB respect farmers, Grain co's, or Railways?

[ianben]

Hi Tom
Yeah I know what you mean but just how free are we.

When NH and Case feel the need to merge I think the only choice left in that market is colour. It puts the shits up me.

How do you feel about this

When we buy fert we do a test to see what we need.

When we spray we have an agronomist to advise us.

We look at variety trials before we choose what we grow.

We MARKET blind.
I looked up the market report at CWB -

By the end of 2000-01, global wheat ending stocks are forecast to fall 17.5 million tonnes (MT) to 109.9 MT relative to last year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as record world consumption outstrips production for the third consecutive year. Stocks this low haven’t occurred since 1995-96. At that time, the estimated 107.9 MT carried out helped to drive the annual average price for Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat at the Gulf of Mexico (an indicator of world prices) to a record US$215/t (US$5.85/bu). And the stock-to-use ratio was then estimated at 19.7 per cent. In comparison, the USDA is estimating that the world will only carry out 18.4 per cent of our total annual use this year – a record low! So why haven’t prices rallied?

Is this of any help to me or you? I have never read a market report which gave me specific advice.

This is what I think we need -
By the end of 2000-01, global wheat ending stocks are forecast to fall 17.5 million tonnes (MT) to 109.9 MT relative to last year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as record world consumption outstrips production for the third consecutive year. Stocks this low haven’t occurred since 1995-96. TO MAINTAIN THE PRICE AT US$180 AGAIN THIS YEAR WE RECOMEND YOU MARKET 95% OF YOUR PRODUCT AND SEED SIMILLAR ACRES TO LAST YEAR. FORCAST MARKET FOR NEXT YEAR IS 102%.

It would need trust I know,but we all believe a piece of paper is worth $100.

Has anybody a better idea to take on CNH's in this global market.

Ian

[chas]

Tom4cwb your hang up on freedom is a commentable rugged attitude but financially unstable.
Ianben you are showing a real good sense of sustainability.
I think its time someone started a new topic on how to create world prices on grain and oilseeds that stablizes them so there is no tendences by farmers to over produce in anyone commodity to cause surpluses and to create a margin between imputs and prices for sustainability. Could it be a reality or a dream.

[TOM4CWB]

Chas,

I find reality a little hard to take some days, but the sooner I try to do something constructive and positive, the better my life becomes!

I find it most unacceptable when the CWB becomes a speculator and does exactly the things the large grain companies and speculators do, only without the responsibility of having to live personally with the actions they just committed my farm to.

This is why a voluntary portion of the CWB is required!

If you are OK with what the CWB does with your grain fine.

But if I disagree and am totally against what they want to do with my grain and my farm, then some avenue must be provided to allow freedom of choice!