Shouldn't the CWB go to jail?

[henbent]

I think that the right guys went to jail during the CWB protests, the Farmers for Justice, represent a minority of farmers, themselves. Recent votes have proven that most farmers still believe in and back the CWB. Grain companies are the major threat to us all, and their pals the railways. Remove the CWB, then you'll find that the lowest price, becomes the rule. The CWB, is simply another market, that we all use to sell our product. Remove it and watch the freefall of the open market.

[TOM4CWB]

henbent;

A little competition would require the CWB to respect our farms... and the commercial farmer who has loans to pay and land payments to make...

Great if you like the CWB, but for those of us who are tired of deception, threats, denial and broken promises... we need some real choice.

Grain companies are service providers... as are the rail roads

I would say our biggest problem comes when we decide our neighbour is doing too well... and then we confiscate our neighbours hard earned property... then we have a real problem...

Government cannot make an efficient economy... but government can sure ruin an efficient economy... if it gets greedy and selfish!

[parsley]

Henbent,

We presently have the Wheat Board ruling with a Custom's stick and the lowest price is the rule!

Here are the facts Henbent.....the jailed farmers were charged at Customs for "failing to report in writing". This means the farmers did not flash a CWB export license at the border.

Consequently, some of the trucks were seized because a CWB export license wasn't presented. Some fines were issued because no CWB license was presented. Some of the vehicles were impounded because no CWB license was presented.

The point is this...any farmer from the Designated Area who applies to the CWB for an export license is automatically denied one because of where he lives.

How can a Prairie farmer report in writing at the border when he CANNOT get a license from the CWB? Good grief.

If you think it is a good idea to throw farmers in jail for not presenting a license that simply cannot be obtained from the CWB, well, your comments reflect a point of view that is irreconcilable with a democratic society. Throwing people in jail for selling what they grow is not democratic.

You seem to defend jailing by stating that the majority of farmers support the CWB,.... but the point is this,....the CWB tells FARMERS that the only way to get an export license is to do a buyback. The Act does NOT support what the Board demands. Lying is not my idea of what I want in a business partner.

You are defending backroom policy that is not supported in the legislation, yet you advocated jailing farmers. You support jailing farmers who want to market what they grow, withoput legislative permission. You want to use force to impose what you want. And it won't end with grain. It will eventually spread into religion and politics and education and parenting and neighboring. My way, or jail!

Henbent, this is exactly why I want to chose the partners I do business with and market with.

Parsley

[henbent]

TOM4CWB,

Grain marketing and export is a big complex issue, which cannot be well done by individual farmers, I don't care how expensive or fast you computer is at home. How long do you think the US border, would remain open to Canadian farmers, if we all started hauling into the US? I suspect the US Gov't would step in, or groups of US farmers, would put a stop to the practise ASAP. Just ask the forest industry how well things are going these days. Europe doesn't want our GM contaminated produce. I guess we as individuals would have to ship to Asia and Japan, wow, would that become complex fast. It is silly to describe the CWB of being greedy, they work for us. Here is the solution that I see. Grow open market produce and sell on the open market, grasp the new way of doing things, you'll be richer in no time.

[parsley]

In case you hadn't notice Henbent,

Grain marketing and export IS being done by individual farmers. And successfully.

Livestock marketing and export IS being done by individual farmers. And successfully.

Parsley

[parsley]

HEN bent you are depending to much on what your pappy told you about marketing. Most of his marketing skills came to him through the CWB or federal government propaganda. That the big grain companies would steal our grain if it wasn't for the government bureaucrarcy looking out after us. Guess what, money is made in the grain handling business through competition and tonage handled. Not thropugh monopoly and single desk.

The only bright light on the hozison is that there is only 23% of the eligible voters in Western Canada that are holding up the new revolution in marketing and value added processing of wheat and barley.

Give your head a shake, careful though egg is in your ancestry. HEN!

[TOM4CWB]

Easy Guys...

Henbent is allowed to say what comes easily... strange though...

Henbent wants to control what I grow on my farm, ...no high quality wheat or barley for TOM4CWB... hmmmm...as well as sending me off to jail if the opportunity presents itself...

Just who is being a tyrant?

Explain why Henbent, the CWB refuses to offer modern risk management tools like minimum price contracts for the 03 harvest...

if little OWPMB could... during the peak prices last fall, why couldn't the CWB?

[henbent]

TOM4CWB,Kernel, & Parsley,

Please forgive me, for stating my opinion, I don't want to be a tyrant. I think you guys are over-reacting. What is this ANGRYVILL? All the recent debate, close elections, audits, and calls for transparency, have made the CWB a better organization. If I am not mistaken, we even have farmers, now acting as directors, or are they part of a giant conspiracy to keep their neighbours down too? I don't believe that for a second. The CWB does good work and should or can be supported, when they offer, good deals and we make money selling through them!! If not move on and look elsewhere, I sell open market, and via contact at times. I believe the CWB is evolving and responding to farmers. No they cannot make it good for us all the time!! Who can? I've heard of many disasters, when farmers start marketing and cannot even produce what they've contacted or don't understand what they are doing. Then, the crying starts, envoke the Act of God clause, let us out please!! I live in Northern Alberta, a long way from the US border and have now been abandon by my friendly grain company and railroad. The CWB represents stability, which has allowed me to survive. No I'll never get rich, but I make a comfortable living on a small family grain farm. Sorry guys, but if you want to be rich, buy lottery tickets or play at the casino, or on the stock market do not farm. By the way, my Father is a heck of a good man and knows what he is talking about when it comes to farming.

[parsley]

henbent,

Please address these issues:

1. Do you condone and support that the CWB requires Western farmers to do buybacks even though the CWB Act does not say that you have to do a buyback to get a license?

2. If Board POLICY took a real bent turn and decided that in order to get a license, each Prairie farmer applicant would have to pay to the CWB ...30 fat steers, would that also be alright with you?

3. Do you think that forced partnerships, through threat of jail,is morally acceptable?

Don't avoid the issues. We all had wise Dads, I'm sure, but this discussion is about principles.

I'm sure you will want to define yours on Agri-ville's table.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent;

I do not see this issue as a one of being "rich" or "poor" for that matter.

In terms of 90% of the world's population today, all us farmers in Canada are rich, and very rich by 3rd world standards.

The real issue is self improvement, improvement of our communities and country.

If we have the knowledge to do things better, why not do things more efficiently?

[henbent]

parsley, 1. An orderly marketing system must exist to serve us all. The buyback system exists, as I see it to protect us from violations of international trade ageements, like NFTA. In accordance, I support the export licence. Why Ontario is treated differently bothers me though. I wonder, how much they actually export annually? 2. I could not support selling 30 fat steers to buy an export licence. The cost of such a licence today, is considerably less than what you suggest. (Check with the CWB). 3. There are many Canadian laws which are flawed, but change comes during an election and from work within the system. I speak for the majority when I say that the CWB has done a heck of a lot of good for farmers and payments received on many occasions are a welcome event on farms across Canada. Losing the Crow didn't help us much did it? Freight costs are way up. TOM4CWB Good comments!! All that I can add is that it appears the CWB is responding, and change has occurred and is still occurring within the existing system, keep up the pressure, we are all trying to do the right thing.

[parsley]

Henbent,
1. Every time a Prairie farmer applies for an export license, the CWB points to 14(b) in the regulations and they say, "Look at what the Act requires. Right there it says you have to do a buyback if you want a CWB license."

This is simply not true.

For one thing, the regulation that they point to applies equally to Ontario as well as Alberta. If a buyback is required in Manitoba, it is required in Quebec as well because the regulation applies equally to every province.

The part of the Act that the CWB says is a buyback is actually a national tariff requiring every exporter in every province to pay an identical tariff. Right now that tariff equals $0.00 because of the Free Trade Agreements..

Ontario pays the tariff, so does everyone, except the Western farmer. When Westerners try to pay the $0.00 tariff to get a licnese, the CWB just plain say we can't have a license and we have to sell our grain to them.

Prairie farmers being forced to sell their grain to the Board instead of just plain paying the tariff is not what Parliament wrote.

You say you don't want to pay the price of 30 fat steers to get a license, and I'm not surprised, after all the Act doesn't say that you have to, in order to get the license! But, I don't support being denied a license either. And I don't support having to do a buyback to get the damn license either.

The point I am trying to make to you is this....what does the legislation require and allow? Don't think about what the CWB keeps preaching to us, but think about what Parliament states and ALLOWS.

*****The legislation states that you must pay the difference between the price of wheat inside and outside of Canada. A straight tariff, henbent.*******Read this again.

This is obviously NOT the buyback that the CWB demands. If they asked you to belly up 39 dead goats for your export license, you would see how ridiculous their requirement is.

The CWB are not working within their legislated confine. An orderly marketing system must remain within the law, would you not agree?.

The CWB Act itself is just fine and it is not flawed if it is followed. I'm willing to pay the tariff. Unfortunately, the CWB has strayed when they issue licenses in the West and are telling us "No buyback...no license".

Realize, henbent, that the cost of the license,right across Canada, according to the CWB Act, is legally..... $0.00

Parsley

[henbent]

parsley, In relation to the buyback system, it is obvious you know more about it than I do. However it appears that the Court takes a different view and has upheld the CWB position to date.
TOM4CWB Although you managed to create a lively discussion, I feel it is ridiculous to make a statement like "Shouldn't the CWB go to jail?" The last time I checked this was a democratic country and the majority rules we still support the CWB. If only 23% of us think the same way, what happened didn't the rest bother to vote, or couldn't they figure out how to cast their ballot!! Bye for now guys I've got other stuff to do.

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent;

My main point was that the CWB policy, to tell everyone that PPO contracts are "Market Choice"... is a deception, false advertising... and certainly appears to border on the criminal side of the ledger...

One of my objectives is to educate, as the court of public opinion is the most effective way to change the CWB... as the Justice system has no desire to stand for Justice... too bad, as we are all the loosers as our society breaks down...

I believe for the CWB to survive long term, it must listen to the practical issues we commercial farmers face... and CWB PPO contract don't come close to being acceptable risk management tools, and fail to offer competitive basis buy-out options.

Finally, when the CWB offers a contract that pays me less than 40% of the value of my wheat, is this not criminal?

How can $100/t profit for the CWB be reasonable?

[TOM4CWB]

Henbent: you know what started all this descent toward the CWB was the CWB itself refusing to market wheat that was offered to it by farmers. Mainly because it wasn't up to speck but the farmers themselves found a market for it. In the process they also found a better market for their good wheat and malt barley. and thats when the s--- it the fan and export license hasle started. There is penlty of evidence that CWB undercuts prices in the USA and other places in the world.

Your grain co. is not going to leave if the CWB disappears. It will get stronger if its management is worthy. Farmers will see better freight rates and lower handling fees as companies try to get your business like they do to purchase your canola and your other off board comodoties that you are growing now. Under the system we have now for CWB grains the freight rate and elevation fees are non negotible. The CWB policy is also very much export orindated and are very much a deterent to domestic value added. Flour mills and malt plants will deni this in public but will tell you a whole different story about how the CWB is nearly impossible to deal with. If they discuss this in public the CWB has ways of punishing them as you can quit well imagine. The atmosphere between the CWB and Value added processors is fairly poisoned.

Most of are directors on the CWB are politically motivated. They state democracy rains, majority rules with no moral conscience for the minority.

The only reason marketing choice is not allow is because the board could not compete with the open market with their pooling accounts. Lets face it technogoly has come along way since the horse and wagon days of the 2nd world war. Technogoly cost and a producer needs to have a better risk management tool then the poorer than average price that the CWB discovers.

Talking about directors capabilities one started his career as a lawyer, then went teaching school, then went home to the farm, do you see where his mangement of career moves was headed. Then he run for director on a platform against single desk selling, but once we got his nose in the trough he turn coat on the farmers who elected him. I'am not liking him as a business partner. Give me some choice.

I know truck drivers with a cell phone that can do a better job at marketing than the CWB does.