Rolf Penner- This is from last fall, October to be exact. It clearly shows how prices are higher in an open market environment vs the single desk arena.
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Farmers need better CWB accountability
Richard Pedde and Sylvain Charlebois, Special to The Leader-Post Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Western farmers who produce wheat and barley for export or for human consumption are required by law to sell their grain to the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), which in turn sells the produce on their behalf. The CWB’s regional monopoly over sales is usually referred to as “single-desk selling.” Continue reading
Posted in Price Comparisons
It shouldn’t be a crime to sell your own grain
Rolf Penner- Over 100 Western Canadian farmers have been convicted for trying to sell their own grain outside of the CWB single desk system. They tend to be convicted under the customs act for failing to provide a Canadian Wheat Board license which the board refused to give them.
It shouldn’t be a crime to sell ones own grain, and if elected I want to change that. I don’t want to put my neighbor in jail because he might want to market his grain in a different way than me.
Posted in General
4000 Page Views!
Rolf Penner- Another milestone zoomed past for this blog last night as it registered its 4000 th page view. I’m not set up to monitor how many of those are regular visitors and how many are new ones but it’s impressive and humbling none-the-less.
It definitely makes me think that it’s been worth the time and effort to share all this information with you and hopefully you’ve been able to get to know me a little better because of this website.
It’s not over yet, there are still four days left to get your vote in and to bug your neighbor to make sure he gets his in as well. Change is possible but its up to us, farmers, to make it happen.
So if you’ve already voted, if you could please take the time to remind others that the clock is ticking and that its time to get it done it would be greatly appreciated.
Posted in General
Canada’s wheat cult
-National Post- November 24, 2008
Lorne Gunter- On Friday, Larry Hill, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) chairman, told the National Farmers Union — a leftist farm organization — that “there’s a guarantee that a Canadian Wheat Board cheque is going to be good, and in uncertain times it’s not an insignificant guarantee.”
That wheat board cheque is also going to be about $18,000 a year less per farmer than American grain companies would have paid for the same crops, but at least it’s guaranteed. Yep, that’s a significant comfort to farmers, I’m sure. Continue reading
Posted in Arguments, Price Comparisons
CWB double talk
In a July 31 News Release the CWB stated the following about COMPARING CWB RETURNS TO US PRICES:
The largest proportion of U.S. farmers reportedly sold their wheat at $6 to $7 per bushel, well before the dramatic price spike of early 2008. By comparison, western Canadian pooled returns were about $8.50 per bushel for spring wheat and $12.35 for durum.
In an Aug 8th News Release, the CWB points to various flaws in the Informa Study including the following “flaw” about COMPARING CWB RETURNS TO US PRICES:
Comparisons to U.S. elevator prices, which are based on a different set of market factors than Canadian wheat returns. (more)
Posted in Arguments
Point-Counterpoint-Point, Rolf vs CWB #10
Rolf “A vote for choice is one that respects everyone’s rights, and does not place one group of farmers ahead of another. Farmers who want to sell to the CWB can continue to do so and those who wish to pursue other avenues can do so as well. That is a basic Canadian freedom enjoyed by growers of every other crop except Prairie wheat and barley, and it serves them well.”
CWB: Many Canadian cattlemen who dealt with rock-bottom prices during the BSE crisis while packers reaped record profits would disagree that the free market – usually dominated by a handful of multinationals –serves farmers well. Continue reading
Posted in Arguments
Sunday Funny- The Money Hole
Rolf Penner- Nobody does satire better on the world wide web than the folks at the Onion.
Posted in Video
My Blog?
Rolf Penner- I’ve gotten a positive response from people about my election blog and many have asked me all sorts of questions about it. The first ones are always, who’s doing it for you and how much does it cost?
The answer is that I am doing all of it myself and the cost is next to nothing. WordPress has a free blogging service that anyone can sign up for and that is what I started with. I spent around $15 or $20 to register my domain name and another $20 for a space upgrade so I could post audio files and that’s it.
There’s a few other bell’s and whistles I wouldn’t mind having, but, as you can see, you can set up a pretty darn good website for a couple of bushels of wheat.
Posted in General
Point-Counterpoint-Point, Rolf vs CWB #9
Rolf- “Numerous studies from a diverse body of researchers favour choice. Economists Carter and Loyns found that it ‘. . would raise farm income. . . .’ The market analysis company Sparks saw ‘substantial opportunities’ if the industry were ‘unimpeded.’ An agricultural think tank, the George Morris Centre points out ‘. . . mandatory organizations in Canada that have moved to voluntary status have actually become stronger marketing organizations.’ One of the key recommendations by authors of the 2006 Market Signals Report was to ‘allow marketing choice in barley.” Continue reading
Posted in Arguments
How to fill out your ballot
* Each ballot must be mailed separately in it’s own official return envelope or it will be rejected.
Posted in How to Vote?
