Do you remember ?

[dluther]

We blacklegged our heifers today and put them out to pasture and I had a flashback to 9 years ago today and broke out in a sweat,after thinking about it for a minute and the way things are now, prices are good but will we ever get back what we lost.I lost alot and so did a lot of people, I can't stand another one.

[burnt]

A day I'd rather forget.

But like you some of the fallout makes it impossible. And it goes far beyond the financial.

[kato]

Yup. We were sitting in the kitchen proudly looking out the window at the new truck we had just bought to replace the old 1986. Twenty four hours later, we were looking at that same truck and wondering "How are we ever going to pay for it?" Good bye equity. Welcome back to the world of the deep-in-debt.

We did pay for the truck, but boy, was it hard to do.

We lost more than money. We lost any chance of passing the farm on to the next generation. They saw the wisdom of paying jobs, and it looked so much better than a life of debt and stress. We didn't discourage them either. How can you insist to your sons that they take up the life we had post-BSE?

[per]

Pretty hard to forget. We were somewhat prepared for a catastrophic even like this and were diversified enough to weather the storm. It certainly took it's toll on the industry and psyche of the cattle folks.

[grassfarmer]

Really Kato? if the profitability was so good before
BSE that sons were planning on farming but
afterwards decided that a paying job would be better
why couldn't you buy the truck cash in the good
times? I don't think this can be strictly true in
financial terms - more in emotional terms and in
terms of people re-evaluating their career choice.
Yes it was unfortunate, uncomfortable, difficult for a
while but if you are in this job for the long haul these
blips have to be overcome.

[kato]

Buy the truck cash in the good times?
We were coming into what we thought WERE the good times when the rug got pulled out from under us.

We did not have a farm given to us. When you are one of eight children, you pay fair market price for everything. There are no breaks. We started from zero and had spent almost 30 years working to get where we were. They say it's impossible, but we were doing it anyway. Our old debt was paid, the farm was almost free and clear, and the market future was looking good. Finally. Our youngest son kept 20 heifers, and was planning a cow herd of his own.

Just when things were looking like it was all coming together... bang.

[ASRG]

I don't know if anyone who didn't live it can explain it?
We thought the government had our backs. How sad it was when we realized our government was the enemy who had conspired to destroy us!
The katos' and ASRG's thought the government actually cared about us and represented us!
..........it was a rude awakening!
We cried as we saw our future, and the future of our children going down the drain! Don't ever under estimate the tears that were shed or the heartache that was felt. It quite frankly was a horror!
The government of Canada dropped the ball! The attitude was "F' the farmers! Okay....my attitude is "F" Canada!.......which is probably why I'm emmigrating! You can have this s--t hole grassfarmer.

[burnt]

Grassfarmer, I think I'll come ranch where you live! The sun always shines on you, the cattle never get sick, the markets never go against you, customers beat your door down for your products your neighbors all envy you, - oh wait . . .

Your lack of understanding and empathy for the experience of others leaves one to wonder if you live in the real world.

No one can do it better than you, anyone else who experiences failure must have screwed up and are only getting what they deserve, if only everyone else would be just like you, they would always succeed and on and on and on.

It makes me wonder why you left bonnie Scotland (or where ever) and moved in among such a bunch of incompetent losers. Perhaps it was too small to contain your success?

Just sayin'.

[grassfarmer]

Man, all the "glass half empty" crew are in town
tonight.

[perfecho]

One item I have often pondered, is when the hog industry was in hard times, dollars were given to "buy" them out of production......I know some were 250K. Does this mean they have a better lobby group, or.....?

[kato]

grassfarmer..Not "half empty". Realistic.

The thing is that some things should not be forgotten. To forget it is to say that it we're OK with what happened. Which we should not be. To forget it is to do exactly what those responsible are hoping for. It's what they've been delaying dealing with the class action suit for.

It didn't have to happen. But it did, and we owe it to all our fellow cattle producers to make sure those responsible don't get out of their duty to own up to it.

I am sure that if there was a definitive cause for the BSE outbreak in Great Britain that could be traced to government negligence, that the farmers there wouldn't sit back and take it. Especially the Scottish ones. You know that, I'm sure. I've as much Scottish blood as you, and it seems I've inherited that "Up Yours" attitude of my Highland ancestors. So therefore I for one will not sit back and give up.

Of course we should be putting it behind us and moving on, but that doesn't mean we should forget. Especially on May 20th.

[per]

Henderson 1972 - watching with my classmates in school

Black Monday November 1987 - planting trees in back yard, also contracted pneumonia that day

911 - dentist appointment that morning

May 20th 2003 - Still seeding crop.


Those are dates that had a profound impact for me out side of my family. Any of those for you GF. The question was simple do you remember?

[SADIE]

Ditto Per

The last three dates (especially the last two) had a huge impact on our farm gate cattle prices.

That is why some of us have become more cautious with farm management or planning going forward from today.

What and when will be the next "HIT".

[grassfarmer]

Per,
I remember where I was watching Gemmill against
Holland in '78

and Chernobyl in April '86 when they released nuclear
contamination that blew onto the hills of Scotland and
cost our sheep sector dearly. No compensation.

Also through the late 80s watched the evolving of
BSE..... in '89 suffered our export market for breeding
stock being completely closed - to last for 17 years.
No compensation.

Remember several times through the 80 and 90s
when our sheep exports to France were shut down
illegally due to what would now be called "non-tarrif
trade barriers" on some occasions, state backed mobs
blocking the ports and torching British trucks on
other occasions. No compensation.

In March '96 remember the real disaster that was BSE
unfolded - all cattle trading, auctions and beef
consumption essentially ground to a halt for weeks
on end. Complete loss of export markets for 10
years, all live cattle and beef products. Limited
compensation.

I remember 2003 and the years that followed, we've
all lived it. Limited compensation.

You either knuckle down and get through or you can
spend your time complaining life is not fair.
Glass half full or glass half empty it's everyones
choice to make.

SADIE, I don't remember any negative effect on farm
gate cattle prices after 9/11 you'll have to refresh my
memory on that one.

[per]

You shouldn't have detected complaining or glass half full from me GF as I also said we were prepared for disaster and weathered it by being diversified. 72 never impacted the cattle industry at all just a good national boost. The stock market crash did however affect trade as did 911 with an internalization of commerce. It too did not last long. 2003 changed who we (commercial cattle industry) thought we were. Maybe it was because we were complacent or something like that but it certainly was a date to remember. It was a watershed for me in that it spurred my interest into industry governance because the way we as an industry handled the issue did not suit me.