When the dust settles

[leland]

Just want to get all you fellow beef producers to remember where your products are purchased when it finally does rain and you consider replacing worn out equipment. We recently had to replace a tractor and as usual we bid out our purchases. However we didn't allow Agco to bid as their products are European and the company is based in Europe. Our thoughts are that if they won't eat my beef why the **** should I support them? We make this choice commonly on all farm and non farm purchases. Our choice was to support the only Canadian made tractor.

[grassfarmer]

While I agree on principle that we should try and buy home produced goods and thereby strengthen our local , Provincial and National economies I'm intrigued why you would decline to buy from a European owned manufacturer yet still consider American products ? Aren't U.S. subsidies and trade disputes (eg softwood lumber) doing more harm to Canada than the far of European ones ?
Do you really feel that Europe has any need of North American beef ? In my view European consumers will not eat hormone treated beef (despite the science) unless it can be bought cheap enough to pass off quietly as lower quality "foreign" beef - and to compete in that market you need to undercut the South Americans and some of the other
" low cost - low quality" producers.

[cowman]

I wouldn't get in a big sweat about not buying "European" machinery. John Deere and Case both have machinery made in Europe. Anything under 100 hp probably comes from Europe anyway. John Deere from Germany and Case from England.
Take a lesson from the corporations...they go to wherever the best value is and don't get all caught up in nationalism.
Chances are excellent if you raise beef in western Canada that that steak will end up on an American plate. They take the majority of our export beef. Why should I worry about soft wood lumber? Who really benefits from Canadian soft wood lumber anyway? A bunch of American lumber corporations? As far as American and European farm subsidies go we should be encouraging our government to get up to speed and quit crying because their governments want to protect their rural populations. All the drivel about how we can't afford it is just garbage.

[Muttley]

Much of what you buy here in Canada still stays in Canada. When you buy a tractor the dealer still get's a fair chunk of the money, as well the Canadian distributor get's some to. After all this don't forget that the parts you buy and the labor done on this is from your local dealer who is Canadian.
Maybe the equipment itself is made in another country but much of the money stay's in Canada.

A story my dad tells is that when man first landed on the moon and left valuable equipment up there folks complained that it was terrible to spend all that money and leave it there.
Guess what the product is there but the money is still down here!!!

[leland]

I appreciate your comments however I am sticking to my guns. I will support those who support me. As farmers we expect help when in times of need, such as this drought, and the help will only come from those in our country. The more we support those who can help us, the more help there is available. As well studies have been done to show that if our beef was available in Europe their consumption habits would change as a result of a increase of supply at a reasonable cost.

[grassfarmer]

I wonder how long ago the research into consumer acceptance of N. American beef was done in Europe - I think this dream of exporting into a high price, undersupplied market was thought up years ago,circumstances have changed and Europe is awash with cheap beef.
There are a few small volume, high price
niche markets (sometimes organic as well as hormone free)within Europe mainly in France,Italy and Germany but these countries are fiercly patriotic and almost totally resistant to foreign imports.The United Kingdom as a member of the European community since the early 70's is unable to sell to these countries as they constantly put illegal trade barriers in the way.
In 1999 France was ordered by the European Parliament to lift it's illegal ban on UK beef imports - it's still in place.Yes it would be nice to see European consumers being able to eat cheaper beef as UK steaks in a small town rural setting are around twice the price of Alberta - yet the farmers receive a similar price for their cattle - the cost structures
and profit taking in Europe are different to here so I still don't see how Canada could compete - and this is without the hormone "problem".

[ianben]

I think as a UK farmer I have very similar problems to you guys in Canada when I read these posting.
Subsidies do not insulate us from low commodity prices.
The new US farm bill sound great but the guy on the farm there still seems to be in trouble.
Suporting the local ecomomy sounds good too but how do we get them to pay a fair price for OUR products??

Farmers everywhere need better prices!!

We need to learn from the tractor manufacturers about charging what the customer can afford.

How much difference was there between makes?

Very little I bet but they do have substansially different prices in different countries but the same spec of each make will be the same price.

[leland]

ianben the price difference on the tractors was Buhler the lowest Case 10000 and JD 15000. Interestingly John Buhler just donated $200000 to the shipping cost of hay from the east to the west. See what I mean about shopping local as those who you help can help you back. I don't see any other manufacturer doing this. Why would I support an economy that would not support me?