CAIS

[k-way]

They said money was going to be coming quickly, Dec. they said I should get something, phoned back in Jan. they said Feb. Now it has come I phoned them, they want more forms and 2003 income tax. How can a person pay bill that way, it only takes 90 days to go to collections. They operate like the U.S. with the opening of the border. What has everybody experienced with CAIS?

[kato]

They are still inventing it!

I am all ready, taxes done and everything, and can't find out the inventory values to figure out if we qualify for anything. They keep saying any day now, but that wears a little thin after a while.

My advice..get the taxes done right now. Who knows? There may be a refund on those. That way, when the CAIS guys get their acts together, you are ready.

[kato]

Oh yea.. there is an interim payment available, but right now, for us, anyway, I think it's just as easy to do the whole thing once and for all, rather than get a partial payment and have to wait for them to figure out the final.

[cowman]

I find it ironic that the government, both provincial and federal, take their own sweet time sending out program money but if you owe them momey you'd better get it in PDQ. I believe the feds are a little faster than the province?
I also just don't get it about some of these programs? They seem to always require you to send money before you get money? I wonder if the whole thing is like a pyramid scheme...sort of like one of those chain letter type deals?
Or do they use the money requirement thing to discourage people from participating? Why not just have a program where if your income drops below the five year average they top up your income? It seems to me the cost of doing this thing must be awful expensive? I mean they've got the CAIS road show appearing in just about every town? That has to cost a lot of money? Just think of the money being wasted on accountants and advertizing?

[frustrated1]

These programs definetly keep the bean counters going. Instead of griping about not qualifying for these programs maybe it's time I sit on the other side and help administer them? I could be a consultant, help explain that the cows with all the funny hangy down parts are actually boy-cows called bulls. You know, that type of thing. Explain the difference between straw and hay, cows and heifers, etc, etc. I'd be an expert! Probably have my own office with a window. Go to the lake on the may long weekend......... If you can't beat 'em join 'em.

[k-way]

Speller is saying no money until fall now from this good pogram.

[boone]

Post: I always wanted a job on the "weekend" so I could keep farming. But I couldn't find a job standing on my head.

[CattleAnnie]

I can't say that I've been overly impressed with the program so far...I had to jump through hoops to even get a chance to fill out the application, which they have yet to send (waiting for week four now).
And Boone, I hear you loud and clear. Like a true-blue idiot, I gave up two paychecks a month to ranch full-time (might not have been getting rich at the job, but at least my bills were paid and I wasn't drowning in debt). Now I've got too many head to look after to even think about an off-farm job. We're also in an area where decent paying jobs are kind of scarce to begin with, and live 30 miles out, so low paying supplemental jobs don't even cover the trip to town.
Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. One consolation, the bank doesn't seem to be in a hurry to load up the cows, so maybe we'll all be able to ride out this storm.
Y'know, the funny thing is, I still love what I'm doing. Just wish the pay was better. Hang in there, everyone! Best wishes from the B.C. Peace river country.

[kato]

The interim payment application is on the net.

www.agr.gc.ca/caisprogram

I think the regular application is tied to the income tax return. They are suppsed to send us an extra form with the year end inventory adjustments etc.

When we get those...who knows?

[CattleAnnie]

Thanks, Kato. I do believe I'll go take a little look-see at that website.

[rsomer]

In Alberta, the inventory value price lists are online at: http://www.afsc.ca/Disaster Programs/Farm Income Disaster Prog/Price Lists/2003 Price List.htm

[k-way]

CAIS is truning out to be like FIDP, there doing a good job in the media the farms are getting millions, but how much have we lost billons. It is going take years to get out of this mess and I do not think the goverment is really equiped to handle the problem at hand, we still cannot butcher an old cow. What about the price of ground cow? Politics and farming do not mix, by the time they get there act together half the farms will be broke, problem fixed.

[k-way]

Yeah, abouth those interim payments. We're supposedly eligible for nearly $25,000 total (almost $12,000 interim). But we can't access it because we weren't part of NISA prior to CAIS. They tell us we have to go through everything the long way for them to "confirm" that their estimates are correct. Apparently, our FIDP info is at high risk of having been all a bunch of lies. So we have to do more forms and keep waiting just to get the interim that a lot of people received before Christmas. I swear the plight of the young farmer (with debt) just doesn't matter. No one must want to have an agriculture industry left in this country when all the old guys "retire". We'll be out of it long before they are. Then people will b**** that food costs too much when we have to import it all from the US (which is what the US would like).