Milling Oats vs Milling Wheat

[Vader]

A lot has changed in 6 years and I have an awful lot more information now than I did back then.

Would be a terrible world if we were not allowed to change our minds when new information is available.

[TOM4CWB]

Vader;

You said: "I am completely lost."

Hope you find what you are looking for... truly... I am trying to help!

Peace be with you!

[parsley]

JACKFLASH,

Some pasta plant information in a USDA report at:

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:XQy_7HZMbiIJ:www.usembassycanada.go v/content/embconsul/fas_twica22_2004.pdf Prairie Pasta %2B CWB&hl=en

and this is what it said:

"CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD BLOCKS PRAIRIE PASTA PRODUCERS:
Late last week, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) blocked the attempts of the Prairie Pasta Producers (PPP) to establish a successful value-added venture for their durum wheat. PPP had been in discussions with Dakota Growers Pasta Company (DGPC) over the last several years to work together to add value to Canadian durum by
processing it into pasta for Canadian and American consumers. By acquiring shares into DGPC, this
would give the PPP member the right to deliver one bushel of durum per year to DGPC. Earlier this month, after PPP concluded a share offering with DGPC, the CWB informed PPP that they do not
qualify as a new-generation co-op under the CWB’s New Generation Co-op (NGC) policy rules because
the processing would take place outside of Canada. This effectively killed the share offering. The
transaction had been conducted with full knowledge of the CWB and was done according to the CWB’s NGC policy, but this was the first time that PPP had been informed by the CWB that they were breaching the CWB’s NGC policy. This is not the first time the CWB has hampered the PPP goals of creating a valued-added industry for durum wheat. PPP is a new-generation co-op of Saskatchewan farmers that who originally got together to build a pasta plant in Saskatchewan. The CWB’s buy-back policy made the original venture too costly and cumbersome."

Vader,
I find your terms "Innovation. Planning. Succession. ", presumptuous and out of place; in fact plain scarey.

Succession to whom? Sounds as if you are planning to turn the CWB's pooling accounts over to the Liberal party of Canada.

Just so you know, Vader, farmers in Western Canada aren't dead yet. And we don't need the CWB to make succession plans for us.

Parsley

[JACKFLASH]

Parsley:
Thank-you for the information.
Vader I know we have a 2MMT glut of Durum in Western Canada, and yes it is going to take time for it to move thru the system
Now it is a market signal to decrease production, and fringe growers like myself will not seed durum next year,but there still is alot of Durum going to be seeded in 06. It could be 07 before a price recovery will happen.

[parsley]

JACKFLASH,

Italy is prolific with pasta-makers. This is what marketing experts at www.delverde.it say:

QUOTE
So, at Fara San Martino, on the slopes of the Majella, two of the most well-known brand names of Italian pasta were established. One of these has many particular characteristics: it is a young dynamic firm which immediately set its sights on the international market, winning an important position in a specific area, that of high quality pasta. This is Delverde (www.delverde.it): it has a turnover of 45 million euro, 220 employees and 58 per cent of sales achieved in the export market, mainly in the United States of America and Canada. We asked Giorgio de Gennaro, the managing director, what strategies were used to break into the international market.

"We chose to turn to those markets which, because of their nature and economic standing, were able to take on a product which falls within the upper level of the market. This is the case of the United States of America and Canada, where today we firmly hold a 8 per cent share of the market.
UNQUOTE

We've got the durum. We've got the young folks. We've got the drive.

We've got one impediment.

Parsley

PS
Oh, at:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/130/130919.html
I found it interesting that Italgrani
has a mill in North Dakota. You realize, JACKFLASH that Italgrani and the CWB are old pals?

Here's from their website:

"Italgrani U.S.A. puts the flour in the pasta. The company provides durum and semolina flour manufacturing services. It purchases grain from midwestern US farmers, as well as through the Grain Exchange in Minneapolis. Italgrani U.S.A.'s products are sold under the Aurora Semolina and Aurora Star labels. The company operates mills and grain elevators in Missouri and North Dakota, and it distributes products to pasta makers across the US by railcar, truck, barge, and airplane. Italgrani U.S.A. is a subsidiary of bankrupt Italian grain producer Italgrani S.p.A."

Hmmmmmmm.

[Vader]

Why did Italgrani go bankrupt?

http://www.bakingbusiness.com/headline_stories.asp?ArticleID=73158

The article says that they were doing one billion Euros of business per year in the 1980's.

Looking at Delverde's customer base it appears that the pasta industry is a lot more about marketing than it is about production.....surprise, surprise. And by the way they have been at it for some 35 years now.

http://www.delverde.it/page/eng/f_ita.htm

I wonder just exactly what is the success rate of start-up pasta businesses?

Here is an interesting article written during the construction of the Dakota Growers plant in Carrington. They were predicting that North American pasta consumption would reach 30 pounds per capita by 2000. Today were are closer to half that.

http://minneapolisfed.org/pubs/fedgaz/92-07/nd.cfm

Here is an article about Minot Milling and Philadelphia Macaroni company. I note two things. They are milling spring wheat for pasta and they received a 10 year tax exemption from Minot City Council.

[parsley]

Can we both agree that Canada could use "45 million euro, 220 employees and 58 per cent of sales"?

That's the important part. How then, do we get more 'Made in Canada' products?

Not by convincing and re-enforcing that Western Canadian farmers need to be protected from the bid bad commerce boogeyman. Western farmers need not be afraid to develop, invest, expand, and co-operate.

I have faith in all Canadians' ability to build businesses, service customers and compete in the world. You don't.

The Governnment's CWB merely wants to continue to supply the raw material for other countries to process.

That's why the Board, like the old typewriter, Vader, has run its' course.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Vader;

Why exactly won't the CWB allow "designated area" to value add, export those products processed... without paying the CWB a tax to get the export License?

How would this hurt the CWB monopoly?

[TOM4CWB]

Should be "designated area" producers

[JACKFLASH]

Vader:
The freight differential, was a problem. Unless it was shipped down the Sooline. Which I believe goes by Carrington, I could stand to be corrected here. It is unworkable if Durum is sent to Emerson,Mb.then south to Grand Forks, and eventually west.
Parsley: Yes I don't know why we cannot have even one pasta plant on the praires. The savings in fuel alone, should justify it.