"farmers_son "What they are asking for is some relief from the financial pressure they are feeling and unfortunately there is no easy solution for that."
Easy solutions - maybe not but at least ABP could try. Instead you seem to be intent on benefiting everyone but primary beef producers.
Defeated resolutions at your AGM:
#5 ABP Conduct a study to determine a 2 – 5 year sustainability of beef producing farms. DEFEATED
#6 ABP lobby that beef importation be stopped. DEFEATED
#7 ABP lobby the provincial government for compensation for cow/calf producers for this year. DEFEATED
#10 ABP develop a cow/calf council with same standing as the cattle feeder council. DEFEATED
#13 Lobby to allow BSE testing. DEFEATED
#15 Lobby for ban on packer ownership. DEFEATED
#16 Ban packer ownership of fed cattle. DEFEATED
I won't even bother posting the slate of resolutions that called for changes in the way ABP is run or demands that ABP actually consult it's members on what their opinions are - needless to say all were defeated.
Also omitted are the resolutions that disappeared between the fall producer meetings and the AGM. Things that producers wanted adopted as policy but the leadership choose to override.
One such resolution was moved by me at my zone meeting where it was carried but then disappeared. I'd like to share it with readers and let them tell me why it is such a bad idea.
" Be it resolved that ABP research the potential opportunities for increased feeder and fat cattle production off grass rather than grain diets, taking into consideration the economic and environmental benefits of such a move."
I thought this was a better and more relevant resolution than the one that was approved at the previous year's AGM where ABP decided to spend money researching higher yielding barley varieties to compete with US growers increasing corn yields so that we could remain lower cost fatteners of cattle.
Well I'm no agrologist but I'm pretty sure you will never top US corn yields with Canadian barley yields - it just ain't going to happen. Colder climate and lower yielding crop - end of story. And then there is the ethanol byproducts angle that will always give the US the advantage.
A typical short sighted policy decision by ABP - showing they can only think of maintaining the status quo by tying producers to the same low cost commodity beef production that is failing them now. Whereas a chance to produce a potentially higher value, differentiated product that could access new markets and enhance producers returns is slipped under the table where it will never see the light of day.
Where is the logic in this??
Easy solutions - maybe not but at least ABP could try. Instead you seem to be intent on benefiting everyone but primary beef producers.
Defeated resolutions at your AGM:
#5 ABP Conduct a study to determine a 2 – 5 year sustainability of beef producing farms. DEFEATED
#6 ABP lobby that beef importation be stopped. DEFEATED
#7 ABP lobby the provincial government for compensation for cow/calf producers for this year. DEFEATED
#10 ABP develop a cow/calf council with same standing as the cattle feeder council. DEFEATED
#13 Lobby to allow BSE testing. DEFEATED
#15 Lobby for ban on packer ownership. DEFEATED
#16 Ban packer ownership of fed cattle. DEFEATED
I won't even bother posting the slate of resolutions that called for changes in the way ABP is run or demands that ABP actually consult it's members on what their opinions are - needless to say all were defeated.
Also omitted are the resolutions that disappeared between the fall producer meetings and the AGM. Things that producers wanted adopted as policy but the leadership choose to override.
One such resolution was moved by me at my zone meeting where it was carried but then disappeared. I'd like to share it with readers and let them tell me why it is such a bad idea.
" Be it resolved that ABP research the potential opportunities for increased feeder and fat cattle production off grass rather than grain diets, taking into consideration the economic and environmental benefits of such a move."
I thought this was a better and more relevant resolution than the one that was approved at the previous year's AGM where ABP decided to spend money researching higher yielding barley varieties to compete with US growers increasing corn yields so that we could remain lower cost fatteners of cattle.
Well I'm no agrologist but I'm pretty sure you will never top US corn yields with Canadian barley yields - it just ain't going to happen. Colder climate and lower yielding crop - end of story. And then there is the ethanol byproducts angle that will always give the US the advantage.
A typical short sighted policy decision by ABP - showing they can only think of maintaining the status quo by tying producers to the same low cost commodity beef production that is failing them now. Whereas a chance to produce a potentially higher value, differentiated product that could access new markets and enhance producers returns is slipped under the table where it will never see the light of day.
Where is the logic in this??
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