new general purpose wheat class a joke

[craig]

It bothers me that the CGC is running around the country bragging up the new general purpose wheat class as our new saviour and answer to the feed and ethanol industries. We continue to protect HRS wheat through KVD when the premium market place for HRS is deemed to be 3 million out of a 12 million tonne crop.We set no date for phase out of all KVD continuing to restrict breeders from at least working on material that will be ready to go when the deadline approaches. What we want to do is set up a whole new regulatory system with multiple year testing and then seed multiplication. By the time they come to market with something use ful we might all be growing switch grass instead of wheat.Face it, the balance of good wheat germplasm in the world will not pass HRS KVD. Even if you cross with current CPS or winter wheat varieties you have a strong possibility they will still express the wrong gene. Our regulatory system basically controlled by the CWB and CGC is costing us millions in lost opportunity. The 100 million tonne a year ethanol plant planned close to my home will have a much bigger impact on my farm than some constantly shrinking HRS premium wheat market. Make this market an IP system and let the rest of us be free to use the best tools available to meet these new markets.

[TOM4CWB]

Craig,

This has always been about the CWB/CGC cherry picking the wheat crop. Malt barley is no different.

I have some ocean front property in Penhold I can sell you... if you think the CGC and CWB are doing this for "designated area" grain growers. The rest of Canadian grain growers told them to shove this system... a long time ago.

[charliep]

Apologize for being off topic but had a good chat with someone involved with the Bunge canola crushing plant expansions. You can add JRI and LDC new plants plus anything that ADM and Cargill are doing to tweek theirs. I suspect mainly vegetable oil but likely at least some thinking about bio diesel. A open market canola industry that embraces technology is off and rocking. The future challenge is to produce enough canola.

If we apply these same criteria to wheat, where are we at? How much new processing capacity is coming on line other than Lloydminster, Minnedosa (hopefully I got the location right Manitobans) and the chatter around Penhold? What other value added opportunities are happening in Canada outside bio fuels/ethanol? Is some of the process to reduce the regulatory burden around wheat and allow its market to grow?

[furrowtickler]

You are right on the money charliep, also there are 3 more proposed canola bio-diesel plants in the works in Sask alone.
I am glad that we are within distance of an ethonal plant, hrs might have very little future un the prairies in the near future.