M-COOL

[kato]

I don't think there's anything wrong with using the fact that we are years ahead of the U.S. in our quality assurance programs up here. When has anyone ever worried about our feelings????

After all, we don't kill downers, we don't feed chicken shit to our cattle, we don't even feed cattle parts to our dogs, we now have access to a vaccine to put ecoli out of the picture, we can trace, and if we really want to get on board, we can all do the verified beef program and put it in writing from start to finish. The groundwork is done.

A smart marketing agency could make it work big time. It's a matter of timing and will. Every time another story about downer cows and ecoli contamination comes up, out goes an ad campaign showing Canadian cattle standing out on a rolling pasture with mountains in the background.

Our competition, since this is what they want to be now, can't even agree on whether or not to tag their cattle! We are so far ahead of them that it's amazing, and it's our duty to use that to our advantage.

I agree that this could be a question of be careful what you ask for.... We may be few in number, but we've got our backs in a corner, and even little guys can get pretty scrappy when that happens. LOL

We don't produce enough of the American market share to be worried about not being in every supermarket, just a select few would do.

Now could someone please tell me how to pay the bills while we're waiting for things to turn around??

And then there's the whole violation of NAFTA that is going on here....

[Willowcreek]

Seems I remember, it wasn't too long ago I was reading about an eastern Canada plant that got closed down for dragging dead and down animals onto the meat chain...So don't go crowing too loud there Profarmer....

And remember as long as your stuck with your policy of riding on the US cattlemans shirttails and sucking on the hind teat of the US market- when the US loses demand- Canada's market goes down about double...

[pagewire]

wrote by grassfarmer
"I would not label my product "BSE free" for the EU - it would sell better without the words BSE appearing on the packet! "

I agree and include other EU neighbors

[ProFarmer]

The US farmer is one of the most subsidized farmers in the world. I wouldn't call any other countrys farmer a suck until you look at yourself in the mirror. Wake up willowcreek you Rcalf sucks couldn't farm if you were not attached to your own government's tit.

[rkaiser]

So what do we Canadians do? We know that Uncle Sam will continue to find a way to up the milk from the tit old Oldtimer sucks on.

The grain thing hit Canada earlier than it did America, but it is coming down there as well. And when it hits hard, Uncle Sam will be there.

Poor Old Willow Creek needs that milk in his old age, so I say let him have it and leave him the hell alone. America doesn't want our commodity beef folks. They would just as soon feed their people the cheapest crap they can find from South America. We are no longer commodity beef players, and American (the country) is a commodity consumer.

Identity will get us off the tit, and leave it there for Willow Creek to keep sucking. Identity will get us off this continent where folks are hungry for our beef.

Let old Willow Creek and the Rcalf boys fight the multinationals who will be bringing in commodity beef from South America by the shipload more all the time.

Our exports do not amount to all that much if you consider the rest of the world's needs. We need to get our minds off of America and on to other countries. Aware Americans will still search out our superior product, but the American commodity eater and those who supply them do not want our commodity beef.

Sorry to say Oldtimer, but Mcool is not going to do it for you. You too will need to work on your health and safety standards, your feeding protocol and your genetics,to make you product unique or your grandchildren will be nothing but welfare pups like yourself sucking off Aunty Sam's tit for the rest of their lives.

[Willowcreek]

rkaiser- you are fighting a good battle there buddy- but I'm afraid those folks sound like they would rather drown in their misery than get off their duffs, organize, get rid of ABP/CCA, and get something accomplished...Yep- you are right- you have a world of opportunity available-if you could get folks to do something... And contrary to what some negative Canuck posted about cattle markets- many are saying that the world is going into a huge food shortage by this summer- and in fact there will be a run of all types of proteins...Folks down here selling culls now for $60 cwt are wondering how high the price can go by the normally high barbeque period in June and July...

Profarmer- We do have too much subsidy money out there- but you have to know our governments trickle down economics--the major share goes to the politicians that keep the laws in effect- Next the Multinational Corporates (Cargil/Monsanto/Tyson/etal) take their share followed by the Big Corporate owned farms (many owned/financed by the same names), then eventually if a little is left it trickles down to the family farmer/rancher- which then gives the Canucks what drips off their shirttails as you ride them...
So Canadian producers profit about the same from any subsidies as the average US producer does.......

[waterloo_boy]

our product in any market other than the US can and should receive a premium. what must not be overlooked is the intense national pride of the American population as a whole. if the consumer chooses not to buy our product, no matter how superior it may be, then what? we are talking about a perishable comodity with a self life of at best 48 hrs at the supermarket level. the last thing we need in this country at this present time is a backlog of beef with no alternative market to move into.

[ProFarmer]

Not with 25 cent cows 33 cent bulls and 80 cent 700 lbs feeders, oyeh and with that cheap corn you dump on us I can't even get 4.00 for my barley. If there is one thing you could do for us take our CWB it sucks us dry.

[Willowcreek]

Profarmer-- I feel for you guys..I was talking to a neighbor right across the border that was telling me about the same thing..

If you can even find it- feed barley around here has been $8-$9 cwt-- oats as high as $16 cwt....Spring wheat hit $18.75 bushel here last week- and some in N.D. was selling for $20 bushel...Already contracting over $10 for next fall.....

You guys need to do what some of us did- quit following the old fogies that have been leading you down the poverty trail (NCBA/CCA/ABP/SSGA)-- and jump onto rkaisers bandwagon...The markets are out there-and more will be from what the worlds economists are saying...But you have to give the consumer what they want and get past this NCBA/ABP/CCA/AMI/Multinational Packer driven "Them thar dum folk will et what we put in front of them- take it or leave it" marketing mindset.....