The worst thing about all this, is there's really nothing left in agriculture in Canada that makes any money. That's the main reason there are so many cattle in the country. It was the only thing left with any potential.
Pig prices are in the tank, as are sheep. There never was much money in grain, at least in the last few years. Who's going to go out and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment to get into that, anyway. If I had a quarter of a million dollars, I surely wouldn't be spending it on a combine!
The diversification experiments are blowing up in everyone's face, too. Elk farmers around here have no markets, and have so much red tape around their industry, that they can't even reduce their herds. They need a DNA test costing over a hundred dollars, even if they put an animal down on the farm. They aren't even allowed to do it themselves, they need a vet to do the job. Then they need to find a way to dispose of the animal. It's really nasty. They have no market, and no way to get out without going broke doing it.
The PMU people have been doing well over the last few years, but they have been totally decimated this year. Operators who have been raising horses for 30 years have been told they are no longer needed. They are at least getting a buyout and compensation from Ayerst, but they are also watching their really good heavy bred mares selling into the States for a hundred dollars apiece. These were four thousand dollar horses last year. There are fall colt sales here where you can go and watch literally hundreds of purebred Belgian colts go through the ring, all looking alike, from one owner, on one day. It's an amazing thing to see. It's also all over.
I hope our government sees just how close Canadian agriculture is to collapse. Don't be too hard on the supply managed commodities...they may be the only ones left.
Pig prices are in the tank, as are sheep. There never was much money in grain, at least in the last few years. Who's going to go out and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment to get into that, anyway. If I had a quarter of a million dollars, I surely wouldn't be spending it on a combine!
The diversification experiments are blowing up in everyone's face, too. Elk farmers around here have no markets, and have so much red tape around their industry, that they can't even reduce their herds. They need a DNA test costing over a hundred dollars, even if they put an animal down on the farm. They aren't even allowed to do it themselves, they need a vet to do the job. Then they need to find a way to dispose of the animal. It's really nasty. They have no market, and no way to get out without going broke doing it.
The PMU people have been doing well over the last few years, but they have been totally decimated this year. Operators who have been raising horses for 30 years have been told they are no longer needed. They are at least getting a buyout and compensation from Ayerst, but they are also watching their really good heavy bred mares selling into the States for a hundred dollars apiece. These were four thousand dollar horses last year. There are fall colt sales here where you can go and watch literally hundreds of purebred Belgian colts go through the ring, all looking alike, from one owner, on one day. It's an amazing thing to see. It's also all over.
I hope our government sees just how close Canadian agriculture is to collapse. Don't be too hard on the supply managed commodities...they may be the only ones left.
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