Extending information

[cakadu]

It is an interesting concept that you propose and it would be great if we could get the government to do that. It seems to me there were a couple of federal programs that the federal government dropped i.e. business planning, because they didn't want to compete with private enterprise. I see now that with the renewal arm of the Ag Policy Framework that they are bringing in such a service again.

I daresay the reason we haven't seen management people popping up like accountants is because they cannot compete with what the government charges for seminars etc. as they are doing this to make a living.

It is often said that farmers are slow to adapt to new information, but the reverse of that is true as well. Sometimes these government people are saying many of the same things they were saying 10 years ago, which tends to erode credibility and trust in the information one is getting.

I think that there is also some benchmarking that is missing in this process. One cannot tell how successful a program has been unless you know where you've started from. A particular model is adopted in many of the departments because it happens to be a model that they like, yet there is no clear indication of whether or not the model actually works and does what it is intended to do. That isn't to say that what they are doing isn't right and I'm definitely not bashing the government, it is just a shortcoming that I have observed over the years.

The other shortcoming that I've seen and have talked to the government folk about is about various programs offered. I remember several years ago when a government person said to me that producers just don't pick up on the programs that are offered. I asked him why he thought that was and he said maybe it was something they weren't interested in, so why should they bother. I then asked him if it could be the fact that they announce the program several months before they have all the details worked out and then nothing is said after that. To me, that is a huge problem because they don't say much after the press release.

One glaring example of the government not promoting what it does is the Leduc Food Processing Centre. That has to be one of the best kept secrets n the province. It has been in existence for a good 15 years or so, yet to this day you can run into people who have no idea it exists. During the Ag Summit process several people brought up the fact that we needed a facility where you could test run your products before going to full blown commercialization. Well it exists in Leduc.

Bottom line is that both sides have to be willing to change so that the information that is out there can be turned into useful and productive knowledge.

[grassfarmer]

rsomer, I'm sorry but I don't agree with you on this one - Canada has a wonderful freedom of speech and of action. There is so much information out there that is easily accessable to producers if they don't choose to access it that is their problem. We don't need to be babyied by the Government in every aspect of our lives. Farming is a business and by implication that means you need information management skills -if you haven't got them that puts you at a disadvantage to a farmer that has these skills. That is life - for an industry to be sucessful you need to allow the people that are good at their job to get ahead. I feel constantly nursing the poorer businessmen to try and average out the competitiveness of the industry is a mistake - it's basically communism and we all know how that stifles enterprise.

[ValueChainFX]

grassfarmer, you are probably as right as rain! Although since we have a much more complex industry today than we had even a year ago, how can one have all the expertise needed to take advantage of the opportunities that exist today! Information is without a doubt one of the keys to success, however, the information needs to be in a form that can be understood by the people that can use it. We have long recognized the value of working with information and implementation of that information into our supply chain. Each link or bridge can make the supply chain stronger and more viable. We don't see the government as the sole keeper of the information keys; in fact the opposite is true. As business people linking information in today’s climate is the only way to compete with the big guys. There have been many people working towards this goal and we see the retail sector pushing for this now as well. That probably means we will see linking information streams with-in the next five years. The government and industry experts will soon share the information treasure chest with a new group that may be independent business people but link together through information that makes the whole supply chain work as a seamless continuum.

[rsomer]

"If the future of agriculture in Canada is to be what it ought to be, it has got to be encouraged." Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture, Duncan McLean 1920.

Government support of extension and information transfer is WTO green and not considered to be a subsidy for purposes of international trade.

Supporting the transfer and utilization of information to primary ag producers will not stifle enterprise but create a lasting competitive advantage that is sustainable. I do see the need to offer the information to producers in a form they trust and will embrace. Given the staff reductions in extension the time may be right to offer producers incentives to seek out private information providers. Doing so would increase the pool of experts available to the producer so the producer could choose an expert or experts they trust with the future of their farm, someone who would be available on an ongoing basis; and secondly it will encourage the development of an entrepreneurial group of people trained and skilled in providing the needed information. Doesn’t sound much like communism to me.

[cakadu]

Rsomer, I think you've hit the nail on the head. There is so much information out there that it is hard to sift through it and get the real picture, story, understanding - whatever you want to call it.

A person needs to be able to first and foremost trust the source(s) of information to be reliable, unbiased, current and representing as many sides/opinions/viewpoints as possible in order to make sound decisions based on the information.

We all have a right to information but along with the right comes the obligation to first seek it out, ask questions and understand it as fully as possible. Every generation has had their share of troubles and needed help making decisions based on the information that was available at the time.

There has probably never been a more opportune time to change how information is exchanged and turned into knowledge that will benefit the producer.