Viterra Says were on our way to a Average or better crop! HA HA

[SASKFARMER3]

Well viterra came out today with its crop report and it says western Canada is on its way to producing a Average to better crop. We have bins full of last years grain also.
Well I guess the crop reporters haven't took a drive around all three provinces, Yes around Regina is very nice. Its late but very nice. But if you decrease Alberta by 50% from last year and Sask by 25% and Manitoba by 10% i come up with less than an average. Oh well the BS is just starting Viterra must have to make a payment to some bank so its telling the world that they will move allot of product.

[per]

I had a field adjusted yesterday so I can turn cows into it. It has big areas of nothing that was wiped out by -7 frost mid June. 19bus/ac adjustment plus I will graze the rest. Must be some really good crops elsewhere to bring that back to average. The rest of my farm is considerably better but still not stellar.

[Burbert]

The way vitearra treats customers, has resulted in many farmers goin elsewhere to market their grain. I think this trend will continue, this year. The people that work for vitearra, are salesman, hence full of BS and it appears that they even believe their own BS. Lucky they are movin to Australia wit their experts, cause they don/t know nuttin. This report proves they're full of fertilizer!!!!!

[Sweets]

Burbert, if you have nothing good to say. Shut up. Maybe Viterra doesn't want to deal with you because your an *ss. It's everyone's choice where to deal, and every company has it's downfall whether it's Cargill, Pioneer, Louis, or Viterra. If your going to bash one, then you might as well go after all the rest, cause they are more alike then they are different.

[Fransisco]

I don't think it really matters what anyone says about crop conditions in Canada. As far as I can tell the market is still trading on what's going on with oil, the stock market and the US dollar.

The crop fundamentals in the States are bearish(especially for corn) but I still think the other factors are what's driving things.

[sumdumguy]

Sweets, evryone has a right to their opinion. Lighten up.

- no matter how hard they try, no company can suit everyone. Sales are a tough job. They all just do their best to please producers and their bosses.

P.S. Even government bureaucrats try to do their best to give good service, but they aren't always appreciated either, hey Saskfarmer? Everyone should just try it - maybe they wouldn't be so snippy.

[sumdumguy]

Francisco hit it bang on. The world right now could care less if Alberta and Saskatchewan's Canola looks like shit.

Alot of bigger forces at work right now.

We aren't even close to the lows yet. Then we will be off to the races for 2010!

[Fransisco]

I was hoping the low for Nov Canola would be $390(futures) there should be solid resistance there. But if we break through that...

[ado089]

Sweets, Burbert has every right to bash viterra and viterra alone for one simple reason. All the other companies steal our grain fair and square and built copanies based on that. What many young farmers, wich seem to be the viterra supporters, forget is that at one point the three wheat pools where co-ops. Built and paid for and owned by the farmers. Since the early nineties they have flat out stole our equity in that operation through poor management questionable last minute bankrupcy evasion and the buying of cash. 15 years ago SWP shares were worth about the same as they are now but they consolidated them by nearly 12:1 because the ticker couldn't go any lower. If this BS would have happened to share holders that weren't farmers people would have went to jail.

[stubblejumper]

ado089 what you seem to have forgot is that viterra is the only pool or coop grain company that hasn't gone bankrupt. They have done what the had to to remain in business like it or not.

[Burbert]

Yeah, I forgot, the basic grain business ethic. Lying, cheating, and stealing, are the way business is normally done. Get some mindless young guys that have a cousin on the farm in Manitoba, to do the grain grading and your're in business. In the mean time, tell the farmers how good, they are really doing and they'll spend, spend, spend at viterra. Now thats the Kanadian way of doin it, business I mean!!!!

[checking]

I confess that I don't understand your spend, spend, spend at Viterra comment. Is there not a fairly static amount of crop inputs that you are prepared to put into a crop? We have.. So unless you are in an expansive land mode, what gives with the Viterra comment. If it's that they are pushing pre-buy products for next season, and you're buying, it must be that you see the value in it. Why so bitter? Was it not Cargill that lost your malt sample? Did a pipeline company back out, or run you through arbitration? What really are you ticked off at? It can't be their. average crop comments because I've heard this same view from another source.

[ado089]

Wow, you two are either under 40 years old or work for Viterra. Probably both.

[charliep]

Perhaps there is a different audience for these comments - shareholders and customers.

Shareholders are likely smart enough there is a direct link between crop volumes and grain company profitability. Some reassurance that the company will handle enough volumes to maintain operation efficiencies.

On the customer side, Viterra (and other grain companies) will want to be assuring their customers (and yours by the way) that supplies will be enough to meet their needs in the coming within the realities of western Canada weather in 2009. Customers are already likely making the necessary adjustments to their sourcing to reflect the realities of western Canada and generally better crops in the rest of the world. Once a grain producing region losses a customer, it is tough to bring them back.

[charliep]

Interesting times and perhaps a comment on volatility in the future.

2007/08 - the year of the commodity/equity market run up and good prices.

2008/09 - Good crops but lower prices. Slow down in the overall economy allowed better transportation opportunities and larger export volumes.

2009/10 - Yields and from there production down (how much). Quality unknown but likely lower. Export availability way down. Prices unknown but a split between western Canada and the world on production/quality realities. No one in the supply chain will escape financial pain.