For Chuckchuck (and his twin) and Agstar

[Incognito]

The CWB is as disciplined as the lentil exporters - ask the Algerian durum buyers.

Why wouldn't wheat farmers ask for the same information that lentil farmers received so they could make an informed decision about where their money is going?

Why wouldn't the CWB give their sales info to farmers so farmers can see the value they provide in wheat, barley and des bly?

The pulse industry is undisciplined.

So is the CWB.

The CWB is exporting far more wealth out of this country than the pulse industry.

That doesn't make either of them right - but SK Pulse had the guts to put out the report from someone credible with industry knowledge - not some economic model.

Does the CWB Board of Directors have the guts enough to do the same?

[northfarmer]

Icognito.... i thought i would also paste my reply to chuckshevik here as the Manitoba plebicite thread is geting a little long and slow on the download.........

Chuck Chuck asked:

"Please explain how you are going to compete against multinational players such as thoselisted below that can easily take a loss on any particular operation in any country they operate in in order to drive the small competition out of business when necessary."

direct investment in new generation cooperative structures, limiteds coops, effectively companies, in the US have made many farmers in the US very wealthy over the last year or two on the bio fuel ride as big investors moved in - plus as smart businessman, I mean farmer, I would never compete directly.....and none of those companies have any direct invesment in primary crop production andf they will not in the forseeable future....my little farm may only produce 2 to 3 million in annual sales, but with integrated marketing with another 10 top (like minded growers)in my region, or province we produce 20 to 30 milion...we can then source unit trains and boat laods of IPP product for foreign brokers and direct source commodities....not every farmer goes to town with his hat on crooked to sit in the coffe shop....you need to get out in the real world....i do not need some socialist political agenda guiding the structure of my industry...I need freedom to operate..a term you can take from the mulitnationals...they strive for it

"The other question is, if the CWB is the impediment to farmer investment and farmer ownership of processing industries why do farmers not own the beef packing industry or the canola crushing industry? Neither has a marketing board?

I know of several recently developed packer plants and value chains in the beef retailing industry that are produer owned...and beef works better than processed commodities(canola oil) as they can differentiate markets for the end products to find niches to explouts that the Tysons and Cargill can not efectively extract premiums from.....canola crushing is a economies of scale undiffentiated product....and how do you know that I do not have shares in these companies.....plus how many farmers that grow canola complain about the grading system, shipping and delivery access, and the lack of market liquidity and pricing options...


there, you have my answers.. the coming generations of farmers that are going to make it have MBA's, business, finance, economics, engineering, markeitng backgrounds and the rest of the successful ones are just plain smart no matter if they had any formal education.......we farm becasue we like the industry and the challenge.....and some of even make good money at it......change is the only constant and if you are not moving forward you are moving backward...we have the expertise and the savvy that rivals the executives and managers running these big companies that you live in fear of....i do not fear them.....i fear people like you whose ideologies get in the way of letting me do what i like to do.....

so there...I am going to go watch the oilers beat thh flames with my two boys......
IP:

[furrowtickler]

Good post n/f, this is a reality that has many line/multi nationals very concerned right now.

[TOM4CWB]

Northfarmer,

Take a close look at the Sunterra group, and see what a few local people can do, that are organised and skilled.

They prove without a doubt... that grower based value chains do work... if the growers don't get lazy.

Brings me straight back to:

WHy would we keep the CWB "single desk" ChuckChuck & Agstarr?

Is it because it easier than being responsible and doing the work ourselves...

It is for people who are lost... and greedy at heart, who want to coast to the end of their lives... Who believe their prosperity can come from taking the fruit of another farmer's, a neighbours, blood sweat and tears... their labours... by force and without permission.

Haven't we such a positive and uplifting future to look forward to... in the "designated area"... how well we are training our next generation of farmers...

To be basket cases and welfare bums.

To take by force... and not feel one iota guilty.

WOW.

[TOM4CWB]

ChuckChuck, Agstarr77 & Incognito,

Question for you.

If CWB Minister Strahl required "designated area" grain growers to decide... if they wanted the CWB "single desk" on their farm... requiring all wheat and barley they grow to only go to the monopoly...

Or on the other hand... by contract; sign out of the CWB for 5 years... which would prevent these growers from using CWB marketing services at all... in any manner for wheat and barley produced in the "designated area"...

How much of the "designated area" grain production do you think the CWB could get signed up?

5%?

Guess what the CWB Act says...

THe CWB Minister can't change what the CWB does... "unless

(a) the Minister has consulted with the board about the exclusion or extension; and

(b) the producers of the grain have voted in favour of the exclusion or extension, the voting process having been determined by the Minister."

So as so many have suggested to me over the last few years...

We could sign out... "vote with our grain" if you like...

And leave the rest of you fine folks to fight amongst yourselves!

What do you think WD9... a plan that would work?

[wd9]

Tom4, if there is an election and the Conservatives are opposition again, that is a route and others that will have to be tried. The outcome of the plebiscite I still feel is irrelevant as the policy (conservative) is worded simply but effectively so as to provide choice to those who wish it. It is not about majority rules. The only thing I feel that will mess up an open market for cereal growers in Western Canada is if PM Harper is on the wrong side of the house after a near term election.

[ado089]

NorthFarmer, what your post has told me is that you feel if you can put your neighbor out of buisness, you yourself will be better off. That is the attitude that is killing our rural communities. I'm a young farmer educated in both agriculture and buisness, I farm and I have two other, quite successful, buisness on the side. So you can't say that I'm a brain washed old socialist, in fact I'm far from. I do know that it is infact every buisnes's goal to have a monopoly in a market...it essentaly means that you can command the price you want for the goods or services you offer. So unless you and your two boys plan on farming every acre of land in canada and even more importantly globaly you'd better come up with a better buisness plan then putting your neighbor out of buisnes. We have a FARMER CONTROLED monopoly now, all be it fraught with problems, it is in place. The real issue is that, as proven by recent events, it mired by politics primarily on a global scale but more recently domesticly. In combination with the fact that there is no competition in rail transport, that's were we loose a good share of our profits. To round out this quagmire of issues is that grain companies are still selling on behalf of the board and inturn Canadian grain is still competing against Canadian grain.

[northfarmer]

more farmers the better, never made that point....the fact is that there are fewer all the time, the rationalization process and scale of operations drive it, not me....i was happy farming 900 acres 15 years ago, now more...lots more....but i plan on having a farm that my sons can chose or not to work for/on.....Geez..my grandpa left euro country to find more land to raise his family...i do the same.....

we do not have a monopoly marketing our DA grains..we have a monopsony....big difference.....