Are we willing yet (rb excluisivity sunk the ship)

[wd40]

Are we willing yet to objectively take responsibility of our own industry yet? Or are we going to continue be live like barn cats?

Lets start thinging out of our boxes, shoot our hobby horses, personal agendas (which is nothing short of selfishness) maake a small deposit on the future, and hang our independence.

[grassfarmer]

So is there a proposal forthcoming WD40 - or is it just me that doesn't know what you are talking about?

[Willowcreek]

I would bet he's talking about this article-- and rkaisers idea to get something going before it sells to the Multinatinal Mafia for a nickel on the dollar...

As an outsider looking in- I think the first thing you need to do is get an organization (not the packer bought CCA, ABP, SSGA's, etc.)...Something like the Big C...Until you can get organized and public and government support (most of which is now packer owned) and some new thinking folks beside the Ted Haneys-Lynch-Stauntons you will never get a private plant that can stay open against the Packer Mafia...They'll run every one they think is even a slight competition into the ground...

------------------------

Ranchers Beef Plant Closes And Tough Market Conditions Blamed
Aug, 17 2007 - 12:40 PM


CALGARY/AM770CHQR - The president of the Canada Beef Export Federation says the timing was just wrong.
Ted Haney is reacting to the closure of the Ranchers Beef plant just outside Calgary.
Haney tells QR77's Dave Rutherford that trying to make money while many beef export markets were only partially open or closed to Canadian products was risky.
He says the strong Canadian dollar, tight labour market, and continuing BSE scare fallout were all factors.
Haney says without full access to U.S. and Asian markets - it's still a tough road ahead for Canada's beef industry.

http://www.770chqr.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=72577&red=801109 23aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm

[rkaiser]

This packing industry crisis that we face in Canada is the reason we have producers battling producers on both sides of the border as well as across it. And all the while, the multinationals sit back like **** fight owners and enjoy the battle.

America still has some competition in their packing industry, albeit loosing ground due to the money and power we are handing Cargill and Tyson daily with a closed border. As long as the border was open, Canadians had a little bit of competition, and all that American producers like old Willowcreek could complain about was the so called advantages that Canadians had over his and his neighbors unwillingness to become more competitive. Do you see a theme unfolding Willowcreek? Competition is good. It is good for every family farm in every part of both of our countries. Anything that you and I can do to ensure more competition is good for your family and mine.

I would like to congratulate Cargill and Tyson for their outstanding business strategies over the last few years; for all of those who think that all I am is a packer blamer. It was those strategies and the laws and changes in government policy that have allowed an unprecedented time in the history of the North American cattle industry. One that has seen not only concentration of power north of the 49th, but south as well.

Everything that our current industry leadership does is designed to not flip and apple cart that has been rolling over primary producers ever since these two multinational giants moved into Canada 30 some years ago. Farm gate profits have eroded to the point of ranchers making sense out of feeding their cattle with horses and pitchforks to survive. To continue to not want to flip that apple cart is ridiculous.

If you were to think of the many initiatives that have been brought forward by groups like BIG C or simply the folks on this board and then ask why those initiatives have not been implemented, you will come up with the same answer; Cargill and Tyson do not want those things to happen.

We can argue all we like about things like BSE testing or producer ownership but those who support that upturned apple cart have thus far prevailed.

Why would Canadian producers be afraid of COOL for example? Are we not proud of our own country of origin - are we scared of competition ourselves. - No ---- those who do not want to turn over the apple cart are afraid that our "current" packing industry would be jeopardized. My lord the system is so - so predictable.

So how do we stop this situation - how do we make the voice of Willowcreek that of a scared old man who doesn't want to change his production methods to compete with savvy Canadian producers again. We upset those who control us and take a chance. If we can not change rules fast enough, some of us may not survive, --- ,but hey look around, - a lot are not surviving anyway, and we certainly have nothing to be proud of for trying to save those ones.

I realise that this little rant has a snowballs chance in hell of rallying any troops, as most of us will do what we always do after reading Agriville, or going to a ABP meeting, or taking part in any organized session or debate. We will all go home and figure out what is best for home. Some will choose to get a job or leave the farm. Some will choose to bash those of us who speak out. Some will continue to lie under the wheels of the apple cart and give the thumbs up when they survive another day. And a small few will see that big picture. The one that shows a declining rural population and an industry with less to be proud of almost every day. One that does have a sunny bright corner in it that could be developed and made out to be a bigger part of the picture.

A picture of a packing plant that has a sign at the gate with producers names on it. One that may or may not survive but one that we can all be proud of that serves the customers needs and labels it's beef "Product of Canada".

[Willowcreek]

Atta Boy kaiser--But I think it needs more than your speech to stir up most up there...They are too tied to the old status quo of riding on the US hind teat....

While I still don't agree with you about the implications and effects the closed border has had-- I pretty much agree with everything else...

One of the first things that is needed in both the US and Canada is some strict labeling and M-COOL laws...Put a crimp in the Packers/Importers/Retailers ability to pass off anything they want (cheap product) as something it isn't...

And just like the US missed a great COOL opportunity during the 9/11 patriotism run-- the US and Canada are missing a great opportunity with this China, Asian, Mexican, etal food safety scare now on...

But at least now - Folks are awakening to the fact that the "All Natural" label does not mean the same worldwide-- and for some reason don't particularly like the Chinese method of raising their "all natural" catfish in a Binju ditch with human feces for natural mineral and banned US chemicals to keep the diseases down....

Canada has a hell of a chance to jump on board with an M-COOL right now-- or they can keep fighting it and be in for another losing battle...Right now the rising tide is for M-COOL- being carried by the US consumers and the media..Politicians have no other choice when you have polls showing 90% of the public wanting it-- and now the press MSNBC, O'Reilly, and especially Lou Dobbs have picked up the banner...

Instead of still blaming the worlds happenings on R-CALF or the US-- Canadian cattlemen should be pressing Parliament for some labeling laws in Canada-- and putting their money and efforts into promoting the "Product of Canada" or "Product of the US and Canada" that will be appearing in the US next year....

[grassfarmer]

Good post Randy, not much I would argue with. Thoughts reinforced by a radio interview I heard with an ABP spokesman this morning re Ranchers Beef and it's demise. He blamed closed export markets, cost of labor, additional costs of BSE and then went on to say it was disappointing because they (ABP) had worked so hard to increase slaughter capacity in Canada since 2003 and this was a slide backwards. Really? I thought they had spent a lot of time fighting against producer packing plant proposals...but I digress... What he absolutely did not mention was lack of competition - as far as I'm concerned the day the border opened to young cattle going south we did not have a slaughter capacity shortage. We had, and still have,the major problem of lack of competition within the packing sector across north America but particularly in Canada. The extra slaughter capacity that Cargill and Tyson built with our dollars since 2003 is not bankrupting them - surely this is proof to ABP that their analysis is illogical?

So what do we do to change things? - I still maintain producer apathy is our biggest problem. F-S often points out that we are sellers of live cattle not sellers of beef - by the same token I think an awful lot of producers think of themselves as sellers of calves rather than an integral part of a bigger beef producing picture. I think this view diminishes their involvement and interest in matters relative to the well being of the beef producing industry.

I read an inspiring article in the Alberta Express yesterday by John Cross of the A7 Ranche, Nanton on sustainability, the Land-Use Framework and the environment where he calls for political change. It is, I believe, very relevant to the beef sector in Alberta also. Here are a few quotes:
"There is no political will to really step up to the plate and do what's right for the environment and the people who are trying to practise good ethics and land stewardship ... I think we are in a lot of trouble. We are just cashing out our capital assets and calling ourselves winners. The money is going to the corporate sector, yet most of them are having no trouble being profitable."

"It's time for political change. It's time for a real shake-up. Democracy needs to lead the market, not the other way around. The market is a dumb thing that needs to be led by democracy"

Cross advocates public policy developed around the concept of natural capital
"We need a new idea, where the land and the people come first. Right now we're the servants of companies. But it should be that the government and business are here to serve the people..."

Is there an awakening coming about in rural Alberta? When you hear this coming from someone with the standing and background of John Cross it cannot be so easily dismissed as the ravings of a leftist tree hugger.

[kato]

I think there's an awakening coming in more than just Alberta. I read an article this week about NAFTA in the Co-operator, and it got me thinking about this globalization obsession that has been so strong over the past twenty years or so.

I think that if we sat and thought about it, there have only been a few winners in the race for a global economy. Nowhere on that list are the primary producers (like us) or workers that make it all possible. In any country.

The original premise was logical. Open up trade, gain access to foreign products that will help developing countries bring their standards of living up so that they can buy our goods from us. Free and fair trade to the benefit of all. I actually heard GW use almost these exact words on the news this week.

Actually implementing this turned out very differently. The missing piece of the puzzle was the fact that opening up trade with other countries allowed large corporations to move their production to countries that had cheaper labour. They produced the goods there, shipped it home to sell. This is not trade. This is setting up a branch office.

The only way global trade can be good for anyone is if the trade is actually between two countries. A lot of international trade these days is not really international. It's things like Walmart using cheap Chinese labour to make products to sell in America for American profits, as an example. Chinese workers still make pennies an hour, and American workers lose their jobs so they can only afford to shop at Walmart! Who's the winner here???

The end result is that the more developed country loses jobs in order to import goods from the poorer country, and yet the profits come directly back to the developed country. Who's pockets does it go to? The corporate pockets, that's whose. In the meantime, the country with the lower cost of production loses it's own industries due to not being able to compete with the billions of dollars of clout thrown about by the big corporations.

Starting to sound familiar?

Now the big question is what to do about it? It's going to take some big changes. I think that all the environmental uproar is probably our best friend right now, as odd as that sounds. In the long run, it's going to become politically incorrect to think of using valuable resources to ship products from around the world when the same products are available nearby.

What we, as cattle producers should be working on is promoting the idea of buying locally. For example our area has three small abbatoirs, and four large grocery stores within a fifty mile circle. The best thing they could do is form alliances and promoting locally fed beef. They haven't done it yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that someone has thought about it. (Besides me, jsut now) The Hundred Mile Diet could be our best friend yet!

Big changes take time though, and we've got to find ways to survive until they can happen. It's going to be through the sort of things that Randy and others like him are doing that this business will get better.

[Willowcreek]

AMEN--Kato...I think you're finally getting it...
Yep the trickle down theory of Reagonomics never got trickled down to the middle and lower classes after Clinton and the Bushies threw open the doors to any country/product that could make their neocon corporate buddies richer....

At least Reagan understood that small business was the backbone of the nation- and needed to be protected-- but that all changed with the Bushies and Clinton...

[numbercaller]

As unpopular as this post may be.... here goes nominations for ABP elections close on August 30. Whether we like it or not they seem to have the Gov,t of Alberta's ear on some issues. Besides you might be suprised at how many people are starting to think out loud compared to 3 or 4 years ago. I hate chanels as bad as anyone but if your not at the table you can,t contribute , or affect change. How about some help?

[kato]

Willowcreek, I get it and a bit more.

I also get that cattle producers in Canada are not your problem, nor tomato farmers in Mexico, or the workers in Nike's sweat shops. We get the blame, but we are NOT the problem. The problem is the giant corporations who have taken full advantage of trade laws to the benefit of themselves and detriment of both US and YOU.

I guess this is what ticks me off so much. Real progress can only be made if the primary producers in all countries involved in this so called free trade worked together on issues that affect us all. Then we might actually get something done.

Imagine Canadian and American cattlemen putting up a united front to convince governments on both sides of our border to pass laws that helped take some of the wind out of these big monopolies. We might even have some success.... if we worked together instead of being diverted into scrapping about the nonsense that's been going on for the past four years. All this border injunction lawsuit stuff, bad mouthing Canadian cattle, and grasping at any straw available to close the border has managed to put even more money in the pockets of these corporations, if that's possible.

The enemy is not the Canadian cattle producer. The enemy is closer to home than that, but it's being ignored in favour of an easier target.