malsters are going to get what they deserve

[charliep]

My experience and feedback from farmers is the same as yours broker by the way with a caveat happy people don't call me - just the ones that are mad and vocal. The system does work reasonably well with a note there is 4 MMT of selectible barley in western Canada this year and 2.6 mln tonnes of market.

[broker]

just curious...what is 4mmt of "selectable" barley? I maybe should know how this number is derived, but at this point I am not sure.
I know what there is for market, and I know the tonnes that I get selected and what is rejected, and how much of the non-selected could have been....but who tallies this for western Canada??

[charliep]

That was a number the CWB used at the District meeting in Wetaskwin. Seems like I have also heard them use it elsewhere.

Selectible barley is always a matter of definition. The highlight is this past years crop was generally good quality and a high portion suitable for selection (or at least within the quality specifications a maltster can use).

[Burbert]

Soooo, now the system is working very, very, well! It would seem that all the problems reported were bovine scatology. Now the malties are good, good, honourable fellows. It appears more and more however that the system is based on a very large pile of scat at the best of times, and most of us farmers don't even know,or can't recognize a problem. Broken contract, no problem, there is always next year boys, another shortage will result in the sucking up malties chasing us agin!!

[furrowtickler]

Sooo, no one is to blame eh? The CWB dropped their pants in all marketing last year, and the maltsers are playing god - it must be the stupid farmer who tried to get the best return for his product. what a bunch of b/s!!

[charliep]

I should note those numbers are for 2008. Other years have been different.

I encourage everyone to listen to Gord Flatens interview on crop prospects about malt barley and its outlook.

http://marketprospects.usask.ca/

Talks about the CWB philosophy and strategies around the malt barley pricing/payment side. The area of contract enforcement and arbitration does not come up. Again, I ask the question about whether a cash clearing house concept has merit in malt barley.

[Fransisco]

Wheat board sets up the contracts, gives the maltsters an easy out and the maltsters take it. And Malt growers are surprised because...?

[Burbert]

The malties, have always played god. Whinning and sniveling about grain that is off loaded. The malty says this, the malty says that, the malty says trying and make the grain, more uniform. .1% moisture wrong, what a mortal sin that is, lets doc, the farmer, no lets dry the grain and charge the farmer, then we'll just blend it and like majic its the best. Malty's know it all, they are perfect, they are in fact god. Go Maltin, only the best will do and git it in or they'll close the poooooooooooool on ya! Then its Cashplus all the way, big guys know, it the only way to gooooooo. Get rich plantin maltin ya!

[craig]

All these comments only reinforce my postion.A good value chain is based on a system where all players benefit. each party has obligations and trust and good will is built on respecting those obligations. What the malt industry has built is a system where there is no obligation and no loyalty. As long as producers continue to play the game, this will not change. In the mean time the CWB sits on the side and does nothing.They have done a very good job of demanding to stay in control but contributing nothing to the process.

[classicalliberal]

I sure as hell would cross out the grading portion about the buyer changing the grades and the refusal of delivery. There is no way that I would grow it if that were the case because they can, through their wacky contract, take the barley when prices go up but not take it when they can buy it in cheaper. That is a bullshit contract and it should be changed to reflect most other grain contracts.

[charliep]

Perhaps the one element is the complexity of the contracting processes and the fact there are three contracts - The CWB and maltster/exporter. The CWB and farmer. Finally the maltster/exporter and the farmer.

The contract that would be very interesting to me is the CWB/maltster one. Single desk means the CWB controls access to the market so this is the driver and the lifeline to a selectors survival.

Perhaps in a new world with one contract (farmer and selector be it maltster or exporter) there would be only only contract on a tonne of malt barley with enforceable terms.

[charliep]

Perhaps I find the following wording in the Dispute resolution section (clause 10) of the cashplus contract interesting.

"Minimum Quality Specifications or such other quality specifications as are acceptable to the Selecting Party"