Strahl to Resign?

[BennyHin]

Will Strahl (and Anderson) need to resign after creating this mess?

By creating this uncertainty, neither the trade or the CWB were able to sell into these very strong feed barley markets. And now without these export sales, the domestic feed barley and feed wheat prices will be pressured at least in the short term. What a mess this Agriculture minister has caused. Just when I thought there could never be a worse Ag minister than Lyle Vanclief, and deputy minister Sammy Watson, team Strahl and Anderson have raised the bar.

[Incognito]

Deflecting the blame from your buddies Benny?

When will Ritter resign - thats where the mess started...

[kamichel]

If the CWB missed any sales that is their own fault and too bad for farmers involved. Instead of tossing 60,000 farmers in jail, how about tossing one judge in jail??? I did not grow any barley this year, but I will watch with interest what will happen in the market the next few weeks. That will be the telling tale if the board is doing any good. They will have to earn my vote.

[kamichel]

Lets not forget the people. The people have a vote and the majority rules and in some cases the minority rules. So in the end the vote is what counts. Human rights. And we think we are so high and mighty on human rights.

[charliep]

BennyHin

Suspect you are right. Markets will be off by about $20 to $25/tonne over the next couple of weeks (and that is regardless of weather for others here). Much of the fall feedlot demand has been covered by US corn which is about $20/tonne cheaper than current barley prices. The export demand is needed to clear the market off the combine.

If the promise hadn't been there for choice, the domestic market would likely be $20 to $30/tonne lower than today. So you can blame the drop in barley prices on Strahl but it the price never would have existed/will disappear in a CWB world.

My guage on testing the CWB will be the first PRO, initial payments (from my sources based off the May PRO and how much the fixed price contract is discounted from futures. Farmers can compare that to off the combine prices the grain companies have been offering to cover export business. The fixed price the CWB sets will be the floor price domestic feed prices head to over the next 6 months.

[charliep]

BennyHin

How do you know the trade hasn't participated in the recent run up in prices? My sources suggests they have but likely with a provision of optional origin in case things blow up in Canada.

[chaffmeister]

I agree Benny – what a mess. But what should Strahl resign over?

Campaigning to provide market choice, or acting to provide market choice?
Announcing he will ask farmers their opinion through a plebiscite – or doing it?
Saying he will respect the wishes of farmers, or actually respecting the will of the majority of farmers? (Majority based on the “plebiscite” and numerous CWB surveys)

When it came right down to it, he had only one choice. Strahl was faced with accepting either the will of the House or the will of Western Canadian barley farmers. Knowing what he was facing in the urban-eastern controlled House, he opted to go with the will of the majority of western farmers.

The ones that should be ashamed are the Opposition parties that used this whole debate to make all you Western Canadian farmers into political pawns. And the CWB for encouraging it. If you think that the Federal Liberals acted on your behalf, give your head a shake. And the Bloc! The Bloc is concerned for anything west of Gatineau? You think? Do you really think that the plight of a few western farmers means as much to Federal Liberals and the Bloc as Quebec voters? (Oh my God! First Alberta barley, next it’ll be Quebec milk and cheese! – As if opening up the Western Canadian barley market will influence ANYTHING that happens in Quebec! Just do the math.) In fact, if you’re being smug at all about this – shame on you. You’ve been used - and a whole hell of a lot of people will pay the price.

By the way – regarding your comment about export feed barley sales - <i> neither the trade or the CWB were able to sell into these very strong feed barley markets</i> - an excess of 600,000 tonnes of new crop Western Canadian feed barley was sold to offshore buyers in the last couple of months. How the CWB treats these sales and those that sold them will be very “telling”.

[TOM4CWB]

BennyHin,

IMHO The blame rests squarely on the Federal Justice Dept.

Strahl did exactly what legal council told him to do. He could do nothing else.

If anyone should resign, it should be the Justice Minister's staff and legal Dept.

[kamichel]

Don't forget the farmers also told him what to do.

[ProFarmer]

its to bad there are people like Benny in this world that can't see how the CWB is killing the Canadain Farmer

[wilagro]

Lets see what the situation is...apparently Strahl tries an end-run around the law and gets caught. His government plans change before a flawed plebiscit/vote even confirms that a change is desirable.

What is a judge supposed to do? The judge can't okay what Strahl and company did... so voila...the decision HAD to be against the government.

Run the changes THROUGH parliament and get them passed. What is the problem? If the changes make sense then they will pass in parliament.

This whole mess could have been avoided if Harper's government had acted LEGALLY. What a bunch of power hungry maroons.

[wilagro]

Wilagro, check the markets this morning(if you know how to find them on your computer) look at what this ruling has done to your pocket book. 9:14 am barley currently locked limit down!!!!!

Just heard Ken Ritter on the news stating that the new PRO's will have suffered from missing sales!!

Not even 24 hrs after the ruling, and the bastards are already making excuses why they won't pay us!!

Boys time to matters into our own hands!! Lets line up the Border with trucks!!!!

[Lifer]

There is no question that farmers want change. What kind of change is a little more difficult question. This court case had nothing to do with whether farmers wanted change or not.

It was decided that the government misinterpreted the law.

"So Run the changes THROUGH parliament and get them passed. What is the problem? If the changes make sense then they will pass in parliament."

The problem is that it does not have to make sense to pass parliament. It seems to have to serve the needs of the individual parties.

You are correct to say the changes need to run through parliament. Should they have that debate on whether farmers should have more freedom within our free country before or after the debate on fighting for freedom for people in Afghanistan.

[Lifer]

Wilagro, check the markets this morning(if you know how to find them on your computer) look at what this ruling has done to your pocket book. 9:14 am barley currently locked limit down!!!!!

Just heard Ken Ritter on the news stating that the new PRO's will have suffered from missing sales!!

Not even 24 hrs after the ruling, and the bastards are already making excuses why they won't pay us!!

Boys time to matters into our own hands!! Lets line up the Border with trucks!!!!

[wilagro]

snappy: Weeeelllll, while your at it...keep on going. The Americans will welcome you with open arms. Then you can be RICH with their support payments and all.

Or better yet, stay here and elect some politicians with some bloody brains that know how to do things right, instead of bluffing and scamming us all.

This whole mess could have been avoided.