Quote:
Originally Posted by calculoso
If there are higher prices out there than farmers can get with the CWB, why should they be held back? If nothing else, it should mean that the CWB would fight for higher prices than farmers are currently getting. If most farmers don't want to do the extra work to find higher prices and want to stay with the CWB, then the CWB would keep their market share/supply of grain and have very little impact.
Where's the down side?
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Exactly, there is no downside. Other than some board members with cushy jobs and good pay.
A perfect example would be before the court decision, maltsters thought that we would have a dual market. They were signing up contracts with farmers for malt barley for around $4.50-$4.75 per bushel. After the court decision, malt barley payment now comes from the malt barley pool which is at $4.25 per bushel. So the CWB is paying $.25-$.50 per bushel less to the farmer than what the farmer could have gotten on his own. The CWB touts their price pooling as the way to get the best price. However, it turns out to be less than what farmers can get on their own.
There are lots of horror stories out there about the price the CWB receives for their sales of wheat and barley. However, due to the fact that they have a closed book policy and are not required to show anyone what they get for the sales they make, it is hard to prove. The only way is to look at the price they pay the farmers and the prices on the world market. So much for showing transparency to the farmers who supposedly control this organization.