Willowcreek question.

[silverback]

Willow,

We are talking on the commodity form about the costs of things in the US as compared to Canada. Grassfarmer claims that we are paying less than you are for our basics.

Could you please tell us what some of your stuff costs down there and post it over on commodity (or here).

1 Gallon of Milk
1 pound of butter
1 dozen eggs
Chicken?
Turkey?
T Bone Steak?
Hamburger?
Cheddar Cheese?

Thanks

[grassfarmer]

As usual you choose to misquote me silverback - I'm not interested only in the spot price today, I was quoting the average over the last 10 year period.
Like all the cwb bashers it suits your case to pick a spot price one moment in time and claim that is what all produce should attain in a "free marketplace" Luckily policy makers do not operate on such a naive and short term outlook.

[Willowcreek]

Hey silverback- I had to wait until Grandma was around since I haven't been in a store for awhile...And since we don't buy beef- I had to call my daughter, so took a little while....

Milk $5.00 gallon
Butter $3.25 lb
eggs $1.29 doz
Turkey about $1.00 lb
Chicken-- we never buy
T-Bone $9.00 lb
Hamburger $2.90 lb
neither one could remember cheese

[silverback]

Thanks Willow.

Grass, you are the NFu member who keeps chipping in how great the cwb is while never actually growing any grain. So when you rip into the guys who would like some freedom in the person or company they sell their own grain to you are open to any sort of clarification that is needed.

How come you think it is ok for a grain farmer to be subjected to accepting the prices that a gov't agency sets for them, but you don't think that would be good for your little calves????

Don't give me your garbage about spot prices on these food items that Willow gave me either. Every day of the year they are lower, every day!! While every day of the year in the US, their grain prices to the farm gate are higher. The cwb never gets us a higher price than the world market and I have been farming a long time in this country - unlike you.

My father and his father worked like hell under the cwb trying to earn enough to keep us fed and knowing what we know now about the way the cwb works, I truly wonder how they kept it going.

Any time you want to let someone in the federal gov't decide how much grassfarmer deserves to keep from his calves, please share that with the people on this site.

[grassfarmer]

Silverback, You highlight my point perfectly - that it is a futile exercise to pick spot prices on one day and base policy on it. I brought figures to the table but you don't like what they proved so you ask willowcreek what he pays for milk in sometown, Montana on the 26Sept. 2007 and claim that proves that US prices are lower every day, always. As I said before - what nonsense, thank goodness our politicians don't base their decisions on such short term thinking.

I'm not sure what you meant by this statement or who it was directed at
"Any time you want to let someone in the federal gov't decide how much grassfarmer deserves to keep from his calves, please share that with the people on this site."
I would have thought as a beef producer yourself you would realise that what we are paid for our calves already is decided, not by the federal government, but by messrs Cargill and Tyson.
I guess you guys can only chant the one mantra "government bad, corporation good, orderly marketing bad, free market good" How is that free market working for you with your beef operation anyway? Looking forward to good calf prices this fall?

[silverback]

The cows/calves are doing quite nicely thank you. Too bad I didn't have 1000 of them like some of my neighbors. Just think of the power they will have when the beef industry goes to supply management.

If you didn't hate the US so much, I would suggest you go visit somewhere down there and see for yourself how low their prices can be - anyday, everyday. I'm sure Willow would put you up.

While you are there go find out how much my wheat would be worth.

You left your old country to come to Canada why? So you could start over with the freedom to do what you wanted to do, expand if you wanted to, am I right? So now that you are here you spout off about the benefits of Gov't controlled marketing of Ag products. Please explain this hypocrisy.

[grassfarmer]

I wasn't asking how your calves were doing, rather how you were doing financially relative to the predictions of the upcoming fall run. I have never advocated supply management in the beef sector. Do you? do you think it will come about?
I don't need to go to the US to understand that their prices are not all "lower anyday, everyday" - where does that expression come from anyway have you been spending too much time at Walmart? Shopping with Willowcreek for dairy products in Hicksville, Montana would not demonstrate US versus Canadian prices over the last 10 years.

I left my old country to come to Canada to start over with better opportunities. There are many opportunities here but one thing I do not see as an opportunity is the intent of some to destroy the most successful sectors of Canadian agriculture by abolishing supply management in the mistaken belief that this will somehow increase the number of countries willing to import our beef. Like Fransisco I ask you to name me one country that would do this? -it just is not an issue relative to beef exports.

[spudchucker]

I am a Canadian living in the US. I am in Canada until the 24th. I will be happy to give a regular update on prices.
Off the top of my head, milk usually is going for $5 for 2 gallons at Safeway if you have a card. Regularly it is about 3.75 although I could be off a few cents. This is in Casper.
Dairy products are generally cheaper here in the US.

[grassfarmer]

The responses from willowcreek and now spudchucker prove the futility of picking spot prices and trying to claim they make a 10 year average - or even a reasonable estimate. willowcreek claims milk is $5 a gallon, spudchucker that it's $5 for 2 gallons or $3.75 for one gallon.

[spudchucker]

I have been in the US for 3 years and have noticed that it has always been cheaper. I am not picking numbers out of the air. If you want to confirm, I am sure there are government statistics out there. Inflation is figured out on a typical basket of goods and I assume that milk would be in there. If you think I am lying then check it out.