Feeding calves?

[cowman]

Steve: you lost me there when you said"this was forced on us but this is good" Are you saying we should be forced to participate in crop insurance? How about we should be forced to grow whatever the govt. decides? This is a slippery slope you are on here! What is best for the majority or what is best for me? Who decides? We have that wonderful institution(CWB) that already adheres to these principals!
As far as "give them food instead of guns" you just don't get it! There is ALWAYS money available for guns!!!! We don't need to give them money for guns...they have it...usually because they won't feed their people! And hey, if we give them food they can buy even more guns!

[Steve]

Cowman: I said that it is a good thing that all drivers should have car insurance and are you saying that it is up too the individual to decide if he needs it?

Someone asked earlier on if the crop insurance could be improved and my opinion is if we all worked together it is possible.

I also can see where the part that nobody is going to tell me what to do would eliminate that possibility.

The way I see it in most cases the end result is better to work together than against one another.

The thing about feeding poor people is a good idea and I would like to think that I always see the good side first.

[TOM4CWB]

Steve,

If crop insurance actually worked like auto insurance it would be a big improvement!!!

With auto insurance I am able to replace my machine with a simular model in simular condition.

If Crop Insurance paid my costs, like it will when I replace the vehicle that is damaged, then this would be a big step forward!

I am hoping that the Alberta government will take the Crop Insurance review seriously that Charlie Mayer did, But I won't hold my breath waiting for results!

A manditory system of insurance is cheaper to run, but...

If we can't even agree on crop insurance, how will we ever get a better marketing system?

[cowman]

There is a big difference between mandatory auto insurance and mandatory crop insurance. Mandatory auto insurance protects the other guy not you. Crop insurance protects only you. There are voluntary auto insurance policys(collision,comprehensive, etc) that protect you but they are NOT mandatory. Now if you get a loan from the bank they insist you take these out to protect them. I imagine the banks also want you to take out crop insurance if you owe them for crop inputs. The crop insurance scheme is just another subsidy. If it wasn't then the govt. should get out of it and let Mutual of Omaha take over. Hey, it might actually work then.

[ianben]

Is a subsidy a handout to farmers or food insurance for the public.
Surly these payments are made by our governments to insure a supply of cheap food.

[Steve]

The mandatory auto insurance is the same for everybody because you could be the other guy.

[cowman]

Steve: No. There is no other guy in crop insurance! Only me.

[TOM4CWB]

Cowman,

The other guy is actually the government, as when a weather disaster happens everyone goes running to them for compensation!!!

I hope a crop insurance program that comes closer to true cost of production can be created, as costs are higher each year therefore our risk is rising.

Younger and debt ridden farmers need crop insurance to control risk where farms that are close to debt free can self insure.

[cowman]

TOM: So, are you getting rich on the governments' compensation this year? Did they set aside a lot of money in the budget to deal with the drought? Well so much for that idea!
The best way to get a real system in place is get the government out of the business. Let the private insurers take it over. You'll get your full coverage. Of course it will cost more for premiums but it will be real insurance not some half baked subsidy.

[TOM4CWB]

Cowman,

No one ever said life would be fair, but...

If we look at NISA, Crop Insurance, and AIDA we are much better off than if the government invested nothing in our industry.

These programs even with their flaws are better at stabelising production, which all of us need to maintain critical mass and the value added industries that can afford to pay premiums for our products.

Being thankful however does not mean that we cannot do better, or should do better and create more effective and efficient government programs.

Cowman, would you not agree that our country and farms are in much better shape than our neighbours in the Africa,the Middle East, Asia, or South America?

Are we not better off than over 2/3rds of the rest of the world?