Free Trade 2

[per]

no.... it would not take a simple no so I am writing a few words.

[grassfarmer]

No - It has been a disaster for primary producers. For the same reason as per I must expand ;o)
"Free Trade" is a misnomer - it could more accurately be termed something like "enslaved trade".
What do you mean by "agriculture" anyway? It has been very, very good for processors, suppliers and retailers of agricultural products but terrible for primary producers.

[kato]

Here's NO number three to add to that.

[wmoebis]

As grassfarmer says; It has been good for agriculture as an industry, however the Gov'ts see producers as a supplier to the industry and it has been so good to the suppliers.

Not unlike the auto industry, bailout was good for industry but not so much for the suppliers as many are now shut down.

I vote NO as a producer.

[jensend]

Free Trade 2

i vote no. did anybody else notice in the canfax out on friday that captive ownership of the week's slaughter was down to 69%; said it was down from previous weeks? how can they live with so much uncertainty?

[jensend]

i vote no. did anybody else notice in the canfax out on friday that captive ownership of the week's slaughter was down to 69%; said it was down from previous weeks? how can they live with so much uncertainty?

[Kathy]

jensend - this Canfax information regarding 69%
captive supply, does not seem to mesh with Roy
Rutledge's latest comments in Alberta Beef. He
states packers only OWN 4% of their supply. So
does this mean the other 65% you mentioned for
the week were "CONTRACTED"?

Splitting hairs between what is OWNED and not
owned, when the packers have CONTRACTS with
feedlots for a significant number of animals.... is
crazy... The whole point is what number of animals
see the OPEN MARKET for bids.

Canfax might serve the producer better by defining
what % is packer owned, versus packer contracted.

[grassfarmer]

Remember who Roy is though Kathy - Nilsson's favorite puppet. Roy is always eager to back anything that is good for Cargill and Nilssons. He is also probably very happy that Nilssons have now officially closed the Moose Jaw plant for ever. Nilssons were allowed to buy the Lakeside plant as long as it did not reduce the competition and sales venues for Canadian cattle producers. We used to have 3, now we have 2 - a blatant slap in the face for the competition bureau. Corporate concentration rolls on - packers win - producers lose. No wonder fed cattle are trading at such low prices.