Am I wrong to feel this way?

[mcfarms]

Looking for feedback before I either write some letters or consider some other form of action.

Yesterday the federal gov't announced a 9 million plus dollar grant to crown lease land in Alberta, this money sound like it is going to go towards watering system rehab and new fences.

Now heres my concerns with this.We happen to farm and ranch in an area which is not near a crown lease so we have never been able to get any of our animals into one. Instead we have to buy or rent private land and patures to run our livestock on. We also have to repair our own fences and worry about our own watering systems. These costs come out of our operating budget , my question is this , does the monies paid to these leases constitute a form of subsidy to those that use the crown leases and if so would it not stand to reason that they are in fact a trade distorting subsidy within our own country? Is this right? Should we have to compete with our own tax dollars in our own country. The costs of fence and other maintainance on crown leases should be bourne by the costs charged to producers using the crown leases and not shared by other tax paying producers that do not have access to these leases.

A free market is a free market and in a subsdized market all players should have equal access to the subsidies not just a chosen few.

[grassfarmer]

I agree your reasoning has some merit - we do not operate on crown land either. It's funny though that issues like this to do with crown land have always been strongly backed by the ABP - would it be a coincidence that the ABP heartland is in the foothills around Calgary where much of the crown lease land is?? Hmmm I wonder? It would seem to go against their alleged belief in the "free market" wouldn't it?

[coppertop]

There are patrons from a long distance
away using the grazing reserves in this
area. I know some young people starting
out that have been able to put cattle on
the reserve out west, and without it
they likely could not have the cattle
numbers they do. I have never used
Crown lands and I am wondering if the
Regional Land Use Plans across the
province will change any of the way
these lands are utilized.

[littledoggie]

mcfarms, there must be more to this then meets the eye. Why would the federal gov't grant money to Alberta leaseland? Could it be all about the water?

[littledoggie]

yes good reading about subs leasland in alberta .
plus some off the oil and gas revenue goes to the lease holder i heard low rent as one dollar a month per head , in the foothills of west alberta
am I wrong to feel this way????
put up the lease for tender , so every cattleman have a change to this very very low subsidiced lease land .

[smcgrath76]

I believe the funding is for grazing
reserves (community pastures). Not
privately leased crown land.

[coppertop]

Surface Lease revenue on Grazing Reserves
on Crown Land does not go to individual
patrons. Resource companies get a break on
surface leases on these lands, and some of
the oil revenue goes to the crown, I think
that some may go to the Grazing Association
for improvements to the actual land, fences
etc.

[coppertop]

The Federal money is for pasture
improvements such as remote watering
systems, cattle handling systems,
fencing etc. Many of these grazing
reserves have been struggling to keep
enough local cattle on them, lots of
long haul cattle in our three grazing
reserves. The Grazing Reserve Board must
hire a Pasture manager, usually provide
housing. Some reserves are located back
from public roads/highways so internal
roads need to be maintained if they
aren't oil company roads. Access for
liners and stock trailers for taken in
and take out is sometimes a real
challenge. This is not FREE GRASS for
livestock producers.

[mcfarms]

Nope just an free subsidy for those using them, I checked into it and I am right to feel PO'd , my taxpayer money competing directly against me in the form of lower pasture rental beacaue these needed improvments should come out of users pockets not taxpayers . OR all livestock producers should recieve the same funding on a per animal basis. I intend to write the minister asking for a similiar program for all non grazing lease participants.

[coppertop]

If Crown Land is not used for Grazing
Reserves what use should it have ? There
was a great debate a few years ago and the
suggestion then was to sell off some Crown
Land to beginning farmers, but that went
nowhere.

[coppertop]

here we go again 9 million dollar to a few old time cattle people lease holder, single grasing assoc, or private lease holder in alberta.
i hope our federal AG-Minister will have a better look and change to equal access to the subsidies NOT just a CHOSEN few!!!!
some had no cattle last year , so toke bids and offer as high as 31 dollar /head /month good profit happend there, in the foothills of alberta,have to agree with grassfarmer post he said IT right FREE ---MARKET!!!!

[coppertop]

Out grazing reserve association only allows
owner cattle to make up the allottment of
each of the reserves patrons. The money
went to grazing reserves not private
grazing leaseholders.

[mcfarms]

Which in turn paases the subsidy onto the users of the grazing reserve then in the form of lower fees as the taxpayer are fixing the fences for you. It's a subsidy for a chosen few and it appears from your statement that you may be on the oinky end of the trough copper. DO you use grazing reserves? If so your credibility on this is very questionable.