Guesses as to what % of eligible voters actually voted in barley vote?

[kamichel]

I must agree with Cropduster. Poorboy it is not our job to make the CWB work in an open market, it is up to the CWB employees. I feel 100 percent they will lose the barley monopoly this year. I am not sure what kind of support should be allowed for the CWB from the government in an open market because they would then be competing with private businesses and much government support may not be a correct thing to do. It will need to lose its connections and supports from the government. Yet I find it hard to believe that an organization with supposedly expertise in trading 4 billion worth of grain per year does not have the ability to make a go of an open market. Perhaps a shakeup is in order.
Possibly a group of CWB staff will form a new trading company or few.

[gregpet]

Poorboy

I guess my only reply to how is the poor CWB going to do it? Let them them use all the expertise they have along with their $37.3 million ( that's $37,300,000,000) payroll and figure it out. Are they that helpless and dependent? Maybe they should listen to the John Depape interview on Newstalk Radio, I'm sure he would not charge that much to consult them.

[gregpet]

Whoops, I meant $33,300,000.

[rockpile]

Hi you all - the question is actually acedmic and irrelevant. Regardless of the vote, barley goes open market (ADM is in control, afterall). This won't hurt the CWB one bit - it would de-politicise the whole discussion. I've never really understood why a junk grain like barley, who anyone can grow, either feed or malt, was such a political and philosophical lightning rod. My predictions - 100% vote whatever they want, feed barley becomes a locked in continental product and prices tumble to the level of oats, feedlots will be happy, and any premiums that used to propel the malt lottery will vanish, since there is always an over abundance of malt acres seeded. Offshore exports of raw barley will disappear, since returns on risk and market developement are way too low and there is no business case that justifies investing in this product. (reminds me of rye). The E.U. will supply the world with barley, so don't worry about camels starving, and the Tom 4's will get together and re-invent the wheel by 'co-operating'.
Rockpile

[kamichel]

ADM is in controle?
This won't hurt the CWB?
Barley is a junk grain?
Feed barley will be locked in continental market only?
Malt premiums will vanish?

I don't agree with anything you have said.

What controle does ADM have here?
Why won't the CWB be hurt?
Barley and malt are very valuable grains to my farm in the past.
USA is exporting feed barley overseas.
There are currently 1 dollar per bushel premiums offered for malt outside the CWB right now in my area.

[rockpile]

Hey kamichel,
Glad I caught your attention, and yes ADM is in control because of political connections. No, the CWB can't be hurt - this is a people organization, and should it be slam dunked tomorrow morning, I guarantee you that by 3 PM there would be hardly one unemployed individual left from that outfit. There has been a lot of talk about 'ownership' of grain and who owns what. Yes, on paper, the CWB does take possession of one's grain on delivery. Moot point. Think of the CWB (and grain companies) as a realtor selling your product or home. A professional sales agent working on your behalf. But ultimately, you the creator of the product are completely responsible for the integrity of that product in the hands of the end user. (Somehow, this little principle of commerce is lost on much of the farming community. Fact is, your responsibility does not end at the farm gate. We must get past this mindset.) You have your strengths, they (marketing agencies) have theirs. You want to impress me and state that you can do your own sales stuff, please save your breath. Want to really impress me, tell me that you can overhaul your diesel injection pumps in your basement, now that I like and can witness the proof of. You say that the USA is selling barley offshore. I submit that it is not the USA, but the US dept of Commerce, and likely to get the barley, you have to buy X number of planes, cars, missiles, air time - whatever. By the way, the US dept of Comm is the worlds largest 'single desk seller'. Finally, you say you are being offered a premium off Board for malt, under the current structure, how does that compute? Here is one for everybody to chew on. I was told by the govt and the RR's that if we got rid of the Crow rate, de-regulated - and centralised our grain handling facilities into 100 car units, why, we could move grain as cheap as coal - 10 bucks a ton. So what went wrong? It seems to me that there were some farm organizations who preached this outcome; some have backtracked, but more importantly, they really screwed up on this one, but are dispensing advice on the future of grain marketing. Ah, hell with it, let's all go to Puerto Vallarta before seeding starts.
Rockpile

[charliep]

rockpile

I am pleased you know the outcome of the plebiscite (I think the outcome will surprise) and have accepted an open market for barley (with or without the CWB).

I look forward to a more more open market where barley is more than the junk grain it became under the CWB mandate (realizing for many farmer barley is one of their top paying crops even under single desk). Your biggest fear should be that barley enjoys the success that oats did both in higher exports and increased domestic value added processing. It will provide the model for wheat when that question is asked down the road. It should also get the CWB/others asking questions about implications of the new multi purpose wheat class and domestic ethanol production will have on the current CWB starting with export volumes. Interesting times ahead.

[parsley]

kmichael, if you go to town and buy a bin, there are different legal ramifications that flow from that legal purchase than if you go to town and lease the same bin.

Consider a neighbor who comes over and wants to set up HIS bin on YOUR land. Got a twinge of what if's? You should. Ownership is important. Who owns the bin and who owns the land. Who owns the grain. That's what this CWB issue is really all about. Ownership.

The CWB is extremely aware of the ownership issue. For example, think about demmurrage costs/shipping costs if you own the grain and ADM is "just the shipper" as opposed to if ADM become the owners of the grain.The point of sale becomes a mighty vital event.

rockpile, ownership has financial repercussions that you might want to revisit.

Parsley