Never Mind the XL Wreck...We're in big Trouble!

[wilagro]

I like the word "collaboration" as used in the report ...such a wonderful word.

Since when did the upper parts of the beef value chain give a damn what the primary producer thinks? Its always been a "talk down to" process. "Take it or leave it."

The sooner that producers get the ball rolling on their new version of "vertical integration" from the bottom "UP" the better. Otherwise we are stuck with what has prevailed for eons.

[KathiL]

Yes this is the best chance that the value chain believers have at changing the industry right now. Along with maybe a few more consumers who saw the truth behind the shit show at XL. Especially now that another multinational player is in town.

The whole report can be summed up very easily. There is no conventional beef supply chain in Canada. We have a cow calf sector, a feedlot sector and a packing sector that is likely more integrated with retail than anyone would admit or accept.

As the ABP/CCA and even the Canadian Government go about their promotion of Canadian Beef domestically and around the world, the multinationals (and yes NB was a "non significant" multinational.) have thanked them all for the gifts and went about business the way they would have even without those gifts. There never has been collaboration in the commodity beef industry. Other than maybe some contracted deals between feeders and packers and under the table agreements that none of us will ever hear about.

If we get no traction now, I don't know if we ever will. At least not in my time left in the industry.

Don't get me wrong, our little value chains will never stop and will likely move forward over time as more and more people wake up to multinational commodity ("so called") food production. However, for the Canadian industry to become a sustainable interdependent industry with room for cattle owned by independent ranchers and feeders and not multinational puppets, those of us who are left are finally going to have to sit down and make some plans together.

[KathiL]

Okay --- not an alias Grassfarmer. Kathi is actually the love of my life (beyond the cattle biz) and I have been using her computer which she registered as KathiL on agriville.

Her first post was her words and the last two have been accidentally mine.

Now I know that all of you are saying, "how could a goof like Kaiser; who can't even figure out a puter run a packing plant.... LMAO

No having fun Mr. Pallett and Semper Ad Merliora back at cha.......

[rkaiser]

K finally found the log out --- log in buttons,,,,