Is it time for a National Day of Protest?

[kato]

We have people like grassfarmer and his cow, Kerry Arksey and his free beef, and those persistent pain in the neck politician badgerers like those of us here who have been slugging away to call attention to our situation without getting any response. Individuals are banging their heads against the wall, and just coming away with headaches.

I think it's time for another approach.

Do you guys think we've got enough fight left in us to really seriously have a go at something like a day of protest? Or maybe a series of town halls like Big C did? Do you think it would have an impact?

Maybe we need to take a page out of the activist handbook and do something noisy. It seems that's the only thing that gets any attention any more. It's a sad day when it comes to that, but it is the reality these days, and we may as well accept that.

I'm putting this out to the brilliant minds that hang out here, and would love to see some ideas tossed about. I'm thinking the internet is the place to start this up, since it reaches everyone in the country. If we could get producers from every province all tossing out ideas, maybe we could get something done.

Before it's too late.

[burnt]

Well I'm waiting to hear what the brilliant minds have to say, but until they make themselves known, I will say that I like the idea of picketing the big stores that sport a lot of imported beef in their coolers.

They could be forced to disclose where they source their meat, if it isn't readily obvious.

There are some excellent, "local beef" programs out there, for example' "Ontario Corn Fed Beef" (OCFB)and I'm sure that every region has it's own special marketing tool. However, a major chain store dropped the OCFB brand from it's shelves last year because they could bring in imported product for less money!!!!!

That has got to stop!!!!!

In a coordinated effort that reaches across the country, we could just find 20 or 30 farmers/producers to assemble at the doors of a number of retail outlets and perhaps them move into the stores.

Then they could pick out a bunch of imported packages and ask the consumers if they realize that the meat they are being offered might well be coming from sources that have a much lower standard of production and processing than we have in Canada. And it wouldn't hurt to mention that such actions are killing the domestic industry.

If there would be a few consumers that show an interest in supporting domestic product, they could be helped to directly confront the management about their purchasing practices. Because what the customer asks for would be a lot more influential than producer pressure.

It would take repeated such activities but heck what have we got to loose? It would also take some planning to make it more than just a knee-jerk, unsophisticated effort.

But now let's hear from the brilliant minds!

[burnt]

Add a few gimmicks like wearing caps that say "Buy Canada Beef" and maybe we could find the funds to get a few thousand coffee mugs that say the same with a Maple Leaf on them. Hand them out to the people.

A coffee mug gets used every day and would be some cheap, "reusable" advertising.

[kato]

I think the grocery stores is a great idea, but first we need to raise awareness on a larger scale. We need consumers to have an idea what we're all about.

If a person went to the store already knowing what the situation is, they'd be much more open to change.

[grassfarmer]

Don't know about brilliant minds but I can tell you how to run the supermarket information protest if "we" decide the issue of imported beef is serious enough.
You need it to happen in every province - for about 6 days continuous. You don't need a lot of people - 5 at large town stores and maybe 10 per city store. An example in this province would be to picket Calgary stores for 3 days, Edmonton stores for 3 days and two smaller centres around the province each day. If every participant volunteered for only one day it would only take 120 people total in this province.
You need to identify who to picket first - then print off fliers spelling out the facts to distribute and make up some home made placards - preferably the kind that could be worn as vests. It needn't be an all day job - 4-5 hours at a store would be quite enough.
This level of commitment for 6 days would almost guarantee you TV media coverage on a national scale. The stores would reflect on their buying strategies very quickly given this type of negative publicity.

These tactics were very successful in the UK when they were threatened by South American beef being sold as "home produced" The public were very receptive to it and were genuinely interested to be informed.

This would take a bit of organisation and this is the point at which it starts to fall down for me. You could almost guarantee that the status quo commodity organisations would not only fail to support this they would oppose it. Just as they did the week I was trying to get media attention with my cull cow - ABP's contribution was to go on record stating that they did not want to see an inquiry into packer/retailer profiteering.
I guess the most likely organisation to be involved would be the NFU as they have a track record of organising and conducting public protests. If NFU involvement has the effect of turning 85% of producers against the protest then we may as well quit before we start. It's back to the same old problem - do the majority care enough to do anything about it?
With fats trading at 74-75 cents surely enough people are hurting to care?

[Ruco]

That sounds like a good idea. It will help consumers become more aware of the plight of producers. Whether they are pork, beef, grain, vegetable or lamb producers

[grassfarmer]

Thanks Ruco, but I think the underwhelming response to my suggestion indicates that as usual the majority of producers are not interested in doing anything. Oh well, I guess it's back to doing nothing but complaining at the coffee shop. And we wonder why the situation is so bad?

[kato]

A question for the moderators? What kind of traffic do these message boards get? Are there lots of people lurking quietly? Or is it just us few vocal ones here.

If there are a lot of people just reading these threads, and staying quiet, is that an indication that no one cares any more?

I would think that since this is as far as I know, the only Canadian beef discussion board, that there would be a fair number of people checking things out.

[per]

Picking up the fight is getting harder I have to admit. Like some of you here I have fought many but am a little tired. Kinda of like not looking forward to calving until the first one shows up to get you enthused. I'll be there when the time comes.

[coppertop]

Grassfarmer is right. People complain,
don't do anything about their plight,
then they throw up their hands and sell.
I was at a cow sale today, one producer
sold his heard, his cattle handling
equipment, bale processor, feed etc.
The volume buyer was one of the largest
operators around. The seller made a
killing on the green feed and straw
bales he consigned, but he took the same
beating as everyone else is on his cows.
I talked to him after they went through
the ring and he said he is just DAMN
GLAD to be out of the cow business. It
is sad to when good cattle producers
leave the business.

[teastman]

It is a shame that it's our nature to be so independent - for years my brother (living in the U.S now) would make comments like, "Why don't you guys all just get together? Drive a mile of combines through downtown Edmonton...get some cattle liners together and plug up Deerfoot trail!" (not like THAT doesn't happen normally!) "You've got to do something to get the attention of the city dwellers!"
Easier said than done, right?
And now I am one of those who gave up - got tired of "beating my head against the wall". We've had cattle here for three generations - since 1923...Last December they walked up the alley and on to the trucks...guess I should have trailed them down the Deerfoot...

[coppertop]

Farmers plugging traffic with combines
or cattle liners only serve to turn
public opinion against them. Nothing
makes a motorist who is trying to get to
work or home from work angrier than slow
traffic so I would not advise that
method to gain support.When many urban
types see fancy combines they think they
must be owned by RICH FARMERS. Cattle
liners on the deer foot make people mad
because there is POOP running down onto
the street. I have a relative in Calgary
that voices his displeasure at the
liners on the Deerfoot all the time !

[kato]

It's good to hear new voices here though! I say just keep tossing out ideas, and see which ones stick to the wall. It's too bad it's only the radical ones that get any attention though. You've got to give them a good sound bite for the news intro, or they won't pay attention.

Isn't there a new cattle numbers report due out in the next day or two? The one in the U.S. had cow numbers down, and I'd really like to see what ours says. I have a feeling it's going to surprise some people with just how low it has gotten.

There is a real danger here of having the numbers get too low. That could lead to a whole other set of problems. Nightmare scenario... they get low enough for one (we all know who) of the two left in this country to say they don't want to be here any more. What happens then? I don't even want to think. It would break the industry, because it takes just too long, and costs too much money to set up new outlets for our cattle, and if the one packer left has no one at all to bid against, why on earth would they pay more than the minimum needed? We wouldn't. The cattle producers left standing don't have the resources to last long enough to get past that sort of trouble.

This is what I've been telling J.Ritz in my letters, but of course I'd be better off telling my dog, for all the good it's done.

[coppertop]

Kato, never underestimate that your dog has
more intelligence than a politician . My
dog listens very intently when I tell her
anything, she at least acts like she cares,
which is more than I can say about most
federal politicians.

[kato]

You're right about that! And your dog will watch your back too.