Cow People

[cowman]

I am out and about a lot and I see lots of farmers in my travels. Of course, being sort of a sociable type, I have lots of interesting conversations!
It is very interesting how people react to this BSE crisis. Generally I have found people are coping although there seems to be a general desperate feeling underneath it all. I tend to find younger people are more angry and afraid than the old boys. Some of these old guys just have the attitude that they will make it no matter what and theres nothing they can do anyway so why get in a sweat?
I asked one old gent "So hows the cow business treating you?"
His answer " Well not all that great, but I came into this world with nothing and I'll leave with nothing, so as long as I get three meals a day and maybe a shot of whiskey on Saturday night, what more can I ask?" Sure got a good chuckle out of that one!
But you know that old boy had the right attitude?

[max]

I certianly agree, a good attitude will get you further than anything else. I personally am grateful for my family,and friends and community. At any given time I can talk to someone about any positive that we can find, believe me we can find them. Walking around with doom and gloom thoughts or attitudes isn't good for yourself or anyone. Personally I chose not to associate with people like that as they tend to bring you down and depress. As Red Green says "were all in this together, I'm pulling for you"

[nerves]

Cowman go figure most of the ranchers today are more worried about the tax man than if the border opens. I know lots that want to retire but are in fear of the tax bite but once the border opens they will sell the cows and rent out the land. most have no payments and have a nice egg in the bank so why would they worry.I still don"t know who they are going to rent to the young farmer of the day is 40 very rare to see a 20 year old.The 40 year old is in debt up to his eyeballs and usally just breaks even at best or loses just a little. This just work hard and you will win attitude does not cut it any more. You have to have a cystal ball to see what direction things are heading. If you don"t the bank man with cometh.You control your own distiny.

[cowman]

You know nerves I often wonder myself just where that next generation of farmers is going to come from? Pretty hard to convince young people that agriculture(at least on the Prairies) is the way to go. And in reality who could blame them for not wanting to be in an industry that pays so little and costs so much?
I think the tax thing is very valid. But the fact is most of those farmers worked very hard for the equity they have aquired and it is tough to know you have to give a large portion of it up to a den of thieves who will squander it? I wonder what might happen if the government gave a one year tax holiday to all farmers wanting out? The stampede might be incredible?

[15444]

Cowman, if the government ever gave a tax-free year to farmers, there would not be any form of primary agriculture left in Canada. I would think the next year the government would have to resort to the whole 'The Last Best West' thing and lure unwitting Europeans over once again or risk becoming super-dependent on the US for food?

[nerves]

Don"t get me wrong cowman I have lots of respect for the older cattleman. They have seen tough times and have to make sacrafices to. My dad and uncle have done more in 40 years than most would in 100. I myself learnt how to run machinery at 9 years old. It is just the way things were done back then. Maybe that is were we get our drive because we know the effort it took to get to this point. I would hate to see all that work gone to waste because of politics. If we go down we go down swinging that"s my attitude. I don"t think that makes me angry just proud to be a cattleman.

[grassfarmer]

Cowman, maybe a large exodus of older farmers would create a situation where younger farmers might return to the land, ie lower land prices, rents etc that were more in line with production potential?
I don't know how the different generations have fared on the Prairies but in the UK the toughest times without doubt were in the 1930s. Farmers that failed went hungry - but so did the rest of the population.
My parents started farming on their own in the 1950s and reckon that the period 1950-1980 was the best time to be farming. They worked hard in the early years but made real money doing it and it seemed like the sky was the limit. Things got physically easier over the years due to mechanisation but the returns got worse too.
In my time (post 1980) work has got ever easier, but the management harder -BSE , subsidies and dealing with all these crisis management issues that have cropped up. I firmly believe a lot of this can be tied to the rise of the blood sucking multi national corporations. So I agree with nerves, I wouldn't say I'm angry - more struggling to comprehend the twists and turns of modern agriculture as it evolves into something totally different from what I was brought up to expect, by parents that lived in a different era.
One story my Dad likes to tell was around 1952. They were farming 300 acres of mixed farm - crops, vegetables, beef,hay, dairy, pigs and poultry all on a small scale. Grandpa, his two sons and three employed men worked long hours but still made a profit equal to the wage bill at the local high school (in a town of 6000 people!) In the early '90s my cousin was farming that area alone and didn't have a chance of equaling the pay one teacher gets or even equaling the amount spent on computers in the school. So many people outside agriculture have had such a huge rise in living standards it makes farming look kind of the poor relation. But without food they would all starve!

[cowman]

Grassfarmer: My Dad always said the 50s were the best of times, too! He said you could really make a buck! And yet looking back on the farm books it didn't look all that rosy? But he was relatively young and moving ahead so maybe things looked good? Perhaps he remembered it as as agood time because he was learning to cope with his war wounds and had 7 kids to feed!
I suspect you and me could have a good old chat sometimes. My people(paternal) came from around Stratford on Avon and edinborough. Maternal- Sussex and Aberdeen.