CWB Producer Survey Released

[charliep]

Just a note the annual CWB survey was released today.

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/newsroom/speeches/pdf/survey_full_062107.pdf

Interesting survey which actually confirms the results of the barley plebecite (western farmers provided the same message). Will note of permit book holders. Only a powerpoint presentation and not the written results. Will be interesting to see the full survey similar to last year - should be available through access to information if not provided voluntarily. The uninterpretted raw data was perhaps the most informative in the 2006 version. Very little provincial breakdown.

[Fransisco]

Survey says...

61% in favour of dual marketing for barley.

58% think competition would lead to better services.

54% think competition would get them better prices for their grain.

Look at that, my views are in the majority.

[Fransisco]

<b>Farmers back changes to barley marketing in annual wheat board survey</b>

Jennifer Graham
Canadian Press
Thursday, June 21, 2007

REGINA (CP) - Farmers want changes in the way the Canadian Wheat Board operates but not at the expense of the demise of the organization, board chairman Ken Ritter insisted Thursday.

The comment came after the CWB released the results of its annual survey to gauge the mood of producers. "Farmers want the CWB to change the way they interact with them with respect to our marketing of barley," said Ritter, speaking at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina.

"Farmers are saying a couple of things, first of all 'I need more accurate delivery times and I need far more money up front for my barley.'

"But in my judgment they haven't said we want to get rid of the CWB."

Of the 1,300 producers surveyed, 36 per cent said they would choose the wheat board to market barley if given the choice of the board, dual marketing or an open market.

Sixty-one per cent said they would choose either dual marketing or an open market.

That mirrors results of a plebiscite held earlier this year on barley marketing.

In that vote, 62 per cent of the 29,000 farmers who cast ballots favoured ending the board's monopoly on barley marketing.

Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl has said the board's monopoly on western Canadian barley sales will end Aug. 1. - prompting the CWB to launch court action against the federal government.

But a spokesman for Strahl said the latest survey results show why the wheat board should drop its case.

"This is not at all unexpected," said Conrad Bellehumeur.

"In fact, this should be encouraging the board to move ahead with dual marketing instead of interfering in the process."

The telephone survey of Prairie producers was conducted by the public opinion firm the Gandalf Group from April 3-15 and has a margin of error of 2.72 per cent.

The survey also found that 60 per cent of producers feel that if Ottawa moves to open up the barley market, it must ensure that the CWB remains strong and viable.

And Ritter said those results support the lawsuit moving ahead.

"Certainly they're an indication of a desire for change, but as we've seen from these results the desire for change is not so great as to weaken the CWB or harm it as the farmers' organization," said Ritter.

"I think it's a strong signal to us that we have to make changes. Should we cut our losses and run? I don't think that's a thing that farmers would want us to do."

Despite tensions around the future of the wheat board it appears farmers have more pressing concerns.

While officials and the survey largely focused on the marketing issue, farmers indicated that the situation "pales in comparison" to concerns about spiralling input and transportation costs.

[AdamSmith]

Damit, I'm still in the minority.

I'm one of the 10%-15% who want the feds to repeal the cwb act, take the building at 423 Main apart brick by brick, load the bricks onto a freighter at Churchill, and carry them 1000 miles out to sea and dump them.

Take the steel to Selkirk, melt it down and form ingots, sell those ingots to any and all manufacturers of cultivator sweeps and eventually that steel will become microscopic parts of the prairie soil.

Everything else could be recycled into something useful.

Then...., erect a statue of Andy McMechan in handcuffs and leg irons, with a large plaque that simply reads. "NEVER AGAIN"

[Fransisco]

The problem A.S. is that your vote is being split off with those who want to set up a row of Howitzers on the west side of Portage and those who believe that it should be turned into a Starbuck$$

[AdamSmith]

"Farmers are saying a couple of things, first of all 'I need more accurate delivery times and I need far more money up front for my barley.'

-------------------------------
Gee Ken, your quick, farmers have only been saying this since, oh, 1990.

--------------------------------
"But in my judgment they haven't said we want to get rid of the CWB."

Well actually......, but seriously isn't this why farmers (other than myself and two, maybe three other Manitobans that I know of) want a dual system. They want the performance of the open market and the (false)sense of security of the cwb.

But lets all be real here, why not ask real questions that pertain to real life circumstances, instead of this misleading push poll.

How about this:

Question #1 [A] $4.25/ bushel at delivery or [B]$2.75/bushel a year after delivery, which offer would you choose for your malt barley?

Question #2 There are no more questions. Is that ok? Yes or No

Earth to Ken, a majority of farmers want to let the open market function, and they want you to try and function in that environment. They don't want you to cry your little crocodile tears and go running off to court, so maybe you won't have to compete and risk ending up looking like complete incompetents in the process.

[SASKFARMER3]

Here is a quick note from two days at the Western Canada farm Progress show. There are two booths actually three that were busy this year.
1. CASIP two days I was close buy them 4 people liked the program(just got a check) every one else was going at them.
The CWB people would walk up realize who's booth it was and beeline to the other side of the row.
Who the hell are these friends of the CWB. HM "NDP"s in disguise.

Ill loose more than the Stupid Sask NDP gave (30,000) and Stupid Man NDP (20,000) on my barley if these idiots actually screw up this change on august 1st.

Why are a Minority (trust me ask the real question and see the results)
YES or NO.

Then higher the wrecking ball and level that place. Give a brick to every NDP as a souvenir and lets get on with farming.

Oh yes send Ken Ritter back to where he came from.

[Burbert]

I think Sask should again elect the corrupt crooked progressive conservative party. Now that would be a giant step, in the right direction, outright corruption would help grain marketing in a big way!!!!

[highwayman]

Burbert You want to see corruption and scandal? Lets try looking in the NDP closet starting with the almighty CCF. Ranging from communism support to vote buying to coverup after coverup this political organization has done an unbelievable job of keeping this province down. All in the name of socialism. Mr. Calvert and his predecessors dont have the slightest clue what makes rural Sask tick. 17 years of socialist bullcrap have taken their toll on the entire province. Bring on a new fresh face to governement and let this province step into the 21st century. People like yourself can go on living in a dream that your NDP gods will protect you from that evil monster called the free market. The rest of us will prosper and flourish.

[parsley]

Burbert, You need to talk to agstar, and some of the CWB employees/Directors who approved donations to the LIneral fundraisers using farmer's CWB pooling account money.

They will be teaching the agstars and the Vaders how to avoid cotrruption. Some of them were nibly trained in Adscam. Others were in Goodales's office when the market went ziggety-zaggety, claiming all mouths were ministerially zippered.

The Liberals can teach the master class, Burbert.

Parsley

[food4u]

Hope the next government in this province goes into REGINA with a BIG broom and really cleans house in the upper bureaucracy. That was what got another government in serious trouble. The present ones have no trouble doing it every time they get elected.Remember when R. Thatcher had to do the sixties.There was a terrible nashing of teeth but you have to have a bureaucrazy that will work with you. not against you.

[parsley]

All surveys done by organics show that 80% of all organic producers want get rid of CWB warbles, and yet Patty Rosher just became an Organic Marketing Manager!

Here we go again.

1. Will she know anything about organics! What do you think?

2. Will she ask anyone in organics anything about organcis? What do you think?

3. Will she steal all the established markets? What do you think?

4. Will she undercut current marketers? What do you think?

5. Will the CWB be accountable to organic producers? What do you think?

Parsley

[charliep]

Did anyone read the survey? My take is farmers (permit book holders) sent the CWB quite a different message than the spin the CWB is putting on it. Farmers are ready to try something with barley with an understanding of the risk this presents to single desk. Am I wrong?

[parsley]

Survey says:

51% are in favor of dual marketing for wheat.


Parsley

[Fransisco]

No Charlie you are right.

The BOD needs to suck it up, get on with it and stop wasting all of our time and money on their ridiculous lawsuit.