WGRF $$$: 1/Leave2/ Return 3/Build

[haveapulse]

Western Grains foundation is a benefactor of almost 70 million dollars of farmer money. I believe it should be farmers decision as to what happens with this money.

(for more info please read the discussions in "Railraoded")

I believe the line in the sand is
FARMERS DECIDE, not OTTAWA decides what direction we prefer.
1/ leave with WGRF
2/ Return to farmers
3/ redirect into a value add fund for building value add projects.

I personally am in favor of
3/ BUILD
using the money to create an agri invets fund as a base for capital to build value add projects.

2/ Return, while most ideologically pure, the reason to leave as a fund is when taken as whole the money is significant enough to enable us the power to build value add industry.

To take the pool and like the story of the fishes in the bible, multiply.

1/ Leave with WGRF, research definately produces dividends, But we need added value to give us a better marketplace. We already fund research dollars these annual contributions are
already built into our cost of production.

We need value add industry, to create a better market environment for the future. The fund would let PRODUCERS identify where to invest, what to invest in, and to have ownership in these projects, be they are investor shares, in a larger project or as independently (fund owned) projects.


THE fund taken as a whole, provides a tool to
accomplish the fact
IT IS TIME TO TAKE SOME MEASURE OF CONTROL OVER OUR OWN DESTINY! and in so doing diversify our market place with the intent to grow a less governmetn dependant sector.

IF you want to be part of working for this to happen; you can contact me at
vicki@westerngrain.com


Let us make things happen!

[cottonpicken]

4-lawyers


You simply cant build a fertilizer company with 70 million dollars and hope to compete.

The phrase,honey,is economy of scale.

Lawers could:

a=investigate the railroads and take legal action against them

b=investigate the fertilizer companies and take legal action against them

c=investigate the seed companies and take action against them

d=investigate the cwb and take action against them

e=investigate the grain companies and take action against them

The "BATTLE" is in the courts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cottonpicken]

Unless of course this value added project is in MINES community,then i'm all for it.

[cottonpicken]

Or maybe Viki has a good idea what community should get the funds already.

[furrowtickler]

cotton, over half the money will end up in these lawyers hands. I would hope they produce viable results. For every $1 paid to these lawyers there better be a $2-$3 return.

[agstar77]

Maybe western grain trade needs help?

[haveapulse]

Oh my, no wonder the industry is where it is, are you fellows CWB supporters too, what are the odds.

[haveapulse]

Lets talk about the idea, boys!

[Hopperbin]

Haveapulse I would like to say I support any ideas of value added. So go hard.
I would like to see more value added in western Canada than the maybe 5000 dollars returned directly to my pocket.
How to create that value added is not my area of expertise.

[Hopperbin]

Havapulse did you know china produces most of their nitrogen from coal. Not Natural Gas like us and most other countries. Coal is so cheap here that we even ship it to China. Getting any ideas?

[haveapulse]

Thanks hopperbin, appreciate the support. It does seems the farmers like the idea but as always the critics are first to the plate.

When I was in India in November they were buying 4$ peas from the Ukraine, Canadian farmers here were asking 6. Fall contracts for Yellow mustard in the Ukraine are being suggested at 15 cents a pound. I note these numbers because these farmers are your real competition.

The world is our backyard, and we are worried about whether the plant will be in my backyard, or yours.

The reality is if a plant is built in anyones backyard, from this fund it benefits indirectly everyone when any amount of product is not shipped out as a raw commodity. It changes the marketplace to a local market. A plant needs commodities everyday. A local plant does not shop the world for the cheapest commodity to fill the demand,
a local plant buys on a local market.

But, yes I do plan for a value add project to be in my community, and I have made that clear. We have a committee to build crush bio diesel plant and yes if the fund becomes reality we will apply.

The initial idea was to take the funds to start a fertilizer plant so hopperbin, coal vs natural gas would need to be compared. Thanks for the info.

I guess I was hoping that Agriville would provide a litmus paper for the idea, and a grounding point.

Today in discussions it was suggested that due to the variance in dollars (some stand to get up to $60,000 was noted) that a shareholder structure be set up, although the shares would not be tradeable, the can be allocated, so in event the fund investments pay off and dividends can be paid, and in event one day the shares become tradeble they can become a tangible item.

Everyday we give money to investors to trade on our behalf, to companies we likley know very little about (I note that some of you may not do this but I do with my RSP fund!) maybe the rest of you did better on your shares that I did, but quite frankly some of us have lost more in off farm RSP investmetn that risking this newfouund money in this fund on the hopes that it could work, looks quite appealing.

Quite frankly, the time has come to maket things happen for tomorrow. My generation has not built a darn thing really, our parents did, what indeed is our legacy, other than I note survival which indeed is in itself noteworthy, but really what is our legacy to the future?

Pray tell.

Our farm like yours hopperbin will not live or die on the money if it is not returned to us, and I like you would like to drive by some BRICKS and MORTAR and say farmers investment fund help to build that there.

[Hopperbin]

Havapulse I like the idea of Patronage Dividends where if you buy the product you get a proportionate share in the profit. If you don't use say the service of a fert. plant that is your choice. If you use it you are entitled to a dividend if the economy permits. Certainly in todays climate we would all benefit from a fert. plant weather we use it or not.

[haveapulse]

Agstar77, to answer your question, the reason why I am so passionate about value add is from a simple idea in 1982 that was then a seed plant predominetly we have created value.

Western Grain Trade is doing quite fine, Thank you for asking, we are the first rung of the value add ladder, now it is time to build another step up.

You see AGSTAR the real value of Western Grain is that it has taught me the value of value added, the reality of how much of a challenge it is but that can be done (where there is a will there is a way). But for the industry the real value it the fact that processors across Sasaktchewan like me, have given producers a window on the world at a grassroots level that no other commodity was willing to do, we meet your buyers and your competition on a daily basis and we learn we need to do better.

And you just want to be rude.

[haveapulse]

A fertilizer plant indeed is a good place to start as we all use fertilizer. We all complain about gouging, so here is an opportunity to build our own plant.

I will type up this proposal for the trade groups consideration with a copy for the governments, and the media. If anyone wishes to help drop me an email and we can work on this together.

I will advise on the reception I get from the trade groups.

However I note, the critics tend to be more aggressove that the supporters!

[gregpet]

How about they just reduce the freight rate next crop year to reflect the 59 million and keep the money out of all the lawyers hands and any administration?