malsters are going to get what they deserve

[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"

[pilpilsner]

WOW...A bunch of angry farmers who are to scared to even say a swear word on a website.Or if they do are banned by an even bigger bunch of cowards.

Cowards deserve what they get.

[charliep]

Lots of room in the moderator area. The only issue is
that you have to put your name there and be held
accountable. Do you have the courage?

[Burbert]

When I sign a contract, I sign a single contract, not three contracts. My signature appears on a single document. I sign contracts, in good faith. Have I ever, read the fine print. Have you? There is usually, way to much of it. The font is generally unreadable, at the best of times and who the heck can make heads or tails of the legalees anyway. In the maltie world, it is an accepted fact that the farmer, takes all the risk, cause he's gonna get the malt bonus if the grain measures up, or the market wants the grain, causa shortages or whatever. The malt system sucks big time and I doubt that CASHPLUS er the open market will ever change the way bidness is done in Kanada.

[charliep]

Perhaps I have to go back to the ideas between craig
(which is the same as yours Burbert) that a many farmers
are extremely unhappy and concerned about the malt
barley contracting. As broker highlighted, however, many
farmers have extremely good relationships with maltsters
and exporters. Perhaps one reason for the difference is
there are effectively 4 maltsters across western Canada (5
if you include BARI for their US operations) and each one
have a different business model and way of doing things.
Each has different contracts. From there, you can add on
the different grain companies that export malt barley.
There is competition albeit in year of lots of malt barley,
most will go for the best.

In what is effectively a value chain relationship, farmers
need to seek out partnerships that they are comfortable
with. If you can't find that relationship, you are best to
grow something else. Not to plug broker directly (don't
know who you are) but it is also a place where using a
outside agent/consultant who is familiar with malt barley
grading, has a good relationship with selectors and knows
where your malt barley has the best home is a good
investment. They can save you a lot of grief and can carry
more weight with maltsters because they represent bigger
volumes.

The farmers most important decision is the seeding one.
Can't live with malt barley contracts? Don't grow it.

[checking]

And on the flip side Charlie, brokers can be a farmer's worse nightmare. When push comes to shove, who exactly is the favored client that the broker will side with in a dispute that can't be resolved except by the legal system? Is the broker's interest more in the few dollars/tonne he receives from the farmer, a single grower, or in the greater business of the larger, limited number of buyers? I know the answer, and so does the broker. Otherwise, your points are well taken, and I choose not to grow malt varieties.

[checking]

For you profilers out there, this is a wonderful site,(www.lawsociety.sk.ca), Under new judgement section, provincial court, case name: Tweedle Farms Ltd v Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Inc.,April 2, 2009, decision by Judge Scott, Access No. PC09043. Case involves a malt v feed barley dispute, and contract issues. It's well worth the read.