U.S. Wheat Associates

[agstar77]

"We are fighting it out with the Canadians right now. They have a lot of wheat to offer and they are getting good prices for their supplies. We are seeing strong competition in markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam." Mark Samson vice president for South East Asia U.S Wheat associates. Reuters News Agency Feb 28 . Deja vu Algeria?

[cropduster]

Soo Aggie......How many years after the sales do we get to find out what the actual sales prices were? 5,10,20yrs??Chairman Ritter promised to give us the prices on OATS,something the board doesn`t even handle......funny....he lost that train of thought.Why doesn`t the CWB trot out those spectacular prices to `prove` their superiority in marketing???

[Southpaw]

Yes, as a Manitoban farmer I am ashamed that we (farmers) have someone like Rosann representing agriculture in Manitoba. The number of ballots that we recieved (2)are no different than what she sent out in her bly vote or the CWB director elections.

[chaffmeister]

Agstar:

This is what I would potentially call a good news story. I particularly am encouraged by the line "and they are getting good prices for their supplies".

I have a question though. If US Wheat Associates can get a handle on the prices and volumes being sold by the CWB, why can't we get the same from the CWB itself? The CWB has always maintained a need for secrecy but the details are apparently available. What say you, Agstar? Evader?

[FarmRanger]

I searched for the article at reuters and couldn't find it. Is it behind a subscription wall, agstar77?

[AdamSmith]

How come Mark Samson vice president for South East Asia U.S Wheat Associates, knows the prices which Canadian Wheat is sold for yet us poor slobs growing the stuff aren't allowed such crucial and sensitive information?

Yet we're told this information must be held as a state secret for "commercial sensitive reasons" yet the competitors probably know within minutes of a CWB sale exactly what the particulars of any sale were.

And farmers whose grain is being sold and who's money pays for the salaries and per diems are left guessing forever.

Go figure!

[parsley]

Southpaw,

Wowchuk doesn't understand the difference between leadership and management.

Minister Strahl provides leadership by heading in the right direction, in other words,

DOING THE RIGHT THING.

(making sure the CWB can no longer jail farmers for selling what they grow)

KPMG, et al and all the bureaucrats who have been in the Department of Agriculture and the CWB , for years and years and years and years are the MANAGEMENT and their job is to see that management is

DOING THE THING RIGHT.

Doing the right thing<>doing the thing right.

Hopefully the Wowchuk moment will pass shortly.

Parsley

[winwin]

The cwb is able to "fight it out"by selling as low as it has to to get the sale.It can only do this by controlling all exports and keeping its aquisition cost (aka initial payments)extremely low.

If you free marketers have your way the cwb will have to pay full market value to farmers at delivery or else we might export ourselves.Or worse!Sell to a grain company and put the full value in our bank.

This is why we simply must maintain the buying-low monopoly,comrades,in order to maintain the monopoly in order to provide our customers with cheap grain and others with favours and thus maintain the monopoly.

[TOM4CWB]

Southpaw,

I really appreciate the fact that each ballot had the requirement to have the "producer" sign off that they were voting once and were eligible.

This is not the case with CWB Ballots for the Director elections.

[Jay-mo]

Every time minister Wowchuk opens her mouth i cringe.

[wd9]

It only took a day for the media to drop the story. They are hurting for stories, but not hurting that bad.

[wilagro]

VIVA la monopoly!!!

[chaffmeister]

Don't get carried away here.

The CWB is getting "good prices" because the wheat market in general has heated up - not because of the "monopoly" as you put it (even the CWB uses the term "single desk", not monopoly).

Also, the US Wheat Associates are seeing "strong competition" which could mean "aggressive" pricing (call it discounting if you want).

And in markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam - which have never been identified as "premium" markets by the CWB.

[winwin]

Chaff;we dont need to know the prices we're getting.Its not our job.Under the cwb Act weare called 'producers'.Like my daughter says"hello"its our job under the law to produce---not market.

This talk of prices and markets is very unsettling to the serfs.

[winwin]

I think you guys are being sexist in your attacks on mz Wowchuck.We ladies should only have to take so much.Especially you parsley.Guys like you need a good SPANKING.

But Rosie and I arent into that.We'll get the Human Rights people of ours after you.