Lentil Prices

[TOM4CWB]

CP;

You said: "Tom to bad you dont know anything about growing lentils."

After establishing a great production coverage on crop insurance, & Selling lentils for $.12-.26/lb... in the early 90's... yes in recent years we stopped growing them.

There are easier less risky crops to grow... that net more profit.

ESPECIALLY NOW that the market is oversupplied... and for so long the alternative feed market @$.06/lb was a very BAD alternative!

CP, am I intimidated by your shallow words? How much respect on other subjects you expound upon... are you gaining by displaying this arrogant behaviour?

[cottonpicken]

Sorry tom i wasnt aware northern alberta farmers had much experience with them,I apologize.

However in the south they kick the shit out of peas.

[lakenheath]

cp

Time for you to grow up. You add little value to threads when you make statements like lentils kick the *&%^% out of peas in the south. I farm in the south there CP so speak for yourself. Yes, lentils have had some good years and so have peas. It is a balancing act. Tom is just giving his perspective on what is going on now.

Why are you so high strung and defensive. You come across as a very unintelligent person. Smarten up.

[TOM4CWB]

Lakenheath!

Now you are being unfair!

It is so easy to punch a few keys out... hit send... and then we can't take it back!

Kind of like words coming out of our mouths when speaking...isn't it! Can't take them back!

Good practice though... as we then understand what we say (or write) stays in peoples minds... recorded in memory just like Agri-ville threads!

No PROBLEMO!

Apology accepted CP! No hard feelings!

God Bless Canada!

[mustardman]

Charliep
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, was off to Saskatoon for a couple of days.
Wouldn't mind having some of the snow they have up there.(We have only a skiff)
Anyways I don't know if a CLB would work or how it could be setup involving todays players. I don't know if it would work.

But I do know that Canada is acting more as a price taker than a price setter,when it should have the ability to act as the price setter in this market.

Marlene Boersch in her report also says that" there are various tools available that would help the industry escape the 'commodity trap' and position itself to work with derived markets Instead of Cost-Plus pricing.

Examples she gives:
1. Producer cooperative-to determine the supply-flow and set a floor price.

2. Loan Program-to gaurantee a minimum price to farmers and to provide interim financing on eligible production by using the loan program options.
3. Marketing Club- to develop strong international market intelligence to give advice and marketing recommendations to growers."


I think option #2 is the reason the US pulse industry has grown so fast.But good luck in getting a Canadian Govt to have a long term ag policy.

[charliep]

A major problem with lentils (and the other green pulses) is lack of a forward pricing tools (futures or cash) and from there active price reporting. There is no way for farmers or processors to handle price risk/hedging activities. I would add this onto your list.

The only other comment is a lentil marketing agency would likely have as much benefit for the processing industry as for the farmer. The assistance would be in the form of inventory financing, price risk management and buyer insolvency/other issues with dealing in a market of relatively small/diverse import buyers. An industry agency which helped them deal with their issues in this area should result in lower processor margin needs to cover risk.

I have some of the highest respect for people in the pulse industry who have taken this industry from effectively nothing and grown it into something that provides western Canadian farmers a good alternative to other crops.

[parsley]

Well charliep,

Many of these "professionals/experts":

1. Exited the single-desk environment.
2. Are designing an industry with government money, but are expecting it to feed itself on farmer-money.
3. Are not necessarily herding farmers into a voluntary system
4. Are using a failed system as a template to create the pulse system. And I say failed in the context that it fails farmers, not industry.

I note you carefully say, that a "lentil marketing agency would likely have as much benefit for the processing industry as for the farmer".

I'd step that up a notch to say:

A lentil marketing agency would better benefit the processing industry than the farmer, as it is presently headed, because of the lack of volunatry participation by the farmer in some juridictions, and obviously directors and staff will be more than happy to download costs on the farmer with the free reign they have been handed.

That should rile you up this morning, charliep.

As you well know,I loathe downloading so many costs on farmers.

Parlsey

[charliep]

Not likely to get me too excited this morning - too many other things on my plate.

Both Tom4cwb and mustardman have raised issues in the green lentil market. Looking at alternatives that would satisfy some of the concerns in the industry.

You are highlighting that many farmers/businesses do quite all right marketing their own products outside the traditional marketing system or have developed their own supply chains/customer base. The voluntary lentil board could be just an additional cost without providing value. Agree that they should not be burdened with the extra costs.

Having said that, there is still need for at least some industry based coordinated effort to establish and maintain a commodity based marketing system. The question and discussion is how it can be done (if needed at all).