Cam Ostercamp essay

[charliep]

Kind of thought this guy needed top billing on Agriville.
Mark purdey's truth may take a few years to have an impact on our industry, but this essay by Cam has potential to make some quicker cahnges.
http://www.lgunderson.com/essay_3.pdf

[grassfarmer]

I'm interested in the source of this essay - Lee Gundersons website. A few months back Lee indicated in his Alberta Beef column that the next edition would carry a really powerful article critical of many of the industry leaders and lack of direction in the beef crisis. I looked but never saw the article he hinted at - could this be it and if so why was it not published in Alberta Beef? Maybe we should push for it to be published next edition - at least most beef producers would see it that way.

[grassfarmer]

Adding more urgency to the need for this article to be widely published or broadcast is a rather depressing article in the WP today.

Jim Robb a meat market analyst from Colorado says "the US and Canadian Governments need to work harder to get the borders open in N. America and overseas"
"Canada should have worked more aggressively to open Asian and Mexican markets"
"many Canadians and Americans have been unrealistic in thinking that the border will open before the end of 2004"
and finally: "Canadians cattle producers need to factor trade disruptions into their future calculations because they will continue" (Is this a new US policy? I thought it was a one off because of BSE)
ps Worryingly I think this American isn't part of R-Calf but someone in favour of the border opening!

Also quoted in the article is Kevin Grier of the Morris Centre in Guelph, Ont. who says "the Canadian politicians need to focus on meeting American requirements" (really???)and adds that:
"we wasted too much time accusing different parts of the industry of trying to take advantage of the other and if we had expended our energy in the US we would have been further ahead"
(again, really???)

[samsdad]

There has been far too much time spent finger pointing, time and energy that could have been used more alot constructivley.

[samsdad]

I always question: " What and Who is finger pointing?
Are people are refering to farmers getting their backs up over the way we have been treated by the packing industry?
All along our politicains and so called producer groups have warned us not to do this. Don't rock the boat, just concentrate on appeasing the Americans and opening the border. I, for one, will never stay quiet for that kind of nonsense.

[samsdad]

I always question: " What and Who is finger pointing?
Are people refering to farmers getting their backs up over the way we have been treated by the packing industry?
All along our politicains and so called producer groups have warned us not to do this. Don't rock the boat, just concentrate on appeasing the Americans and opening the border. I, for one, will never stay quiet for that kind of nonsense.

[blackjack]

rpkaiser... you are so right ... us cow-calf producers are going to have to overhaul our cattle associations to get a change in the system ... it is so obvious that associations do not have the grass root producers interest at heart ... the feedlots and packers now have their margins set so what is the next step ? if we don't yell and scream at the politicians who is going to care ?

[grassfarmer]

Samsdad, could you please justify your comment by telling us what we should have been doing that would have been more constuctive and would have helped resolve the current crisis.
I'm tired of hearing this garbage trotted out anytime someone dares to query "official" policy.
I assume you are referring to producers doing the finger pointing as politicians have basically done nothing?

[samsdad]

What I am saying is that all of the time and money spent trying to get the packers to open their books is not really productive. It is not helping to resolve the current crisis, is it?

[samsdad]

What is the current crisis Samsdad?
I say that the current crisis is a market where SOMEBODY is paying a pathetic price to Canadian producers while fetching a tremendous price for killing, cutting, boxing, and sending that product across the border to the USA.
The crisis is "no competition" and "no rules" for those who hold the monopoly.

And what on earth are we holding up?
This whole situation will be decided by money and greed...... Nothing that we or our government, or our producer groups has made a damn bit of difference so far.

Test Canadian Cattle and find new export markets.....That will make a difference.

[kato]

Actually, to get them to open their books will show the entire Canadian public just how things are run in the cattle business.

I don't think anyone has any idea just what a stranglehold these businesses have on our industry. To make it public will really open some eyes, and may be the catalyst we need to make some REAL changes.

[grassfarmer]

Samsdad, "all of the time and money spent trying to get the packers to open their books" In the grand scheme of things how much time or money has been spent on this?
It's only in the last couple of weeks politicians have started to do this - remember all the months of zero Federal involvement last summer? Our taxes pay the politicians full time anyway so there was no additional cost. Given the scale of the disaster they have devoted very little time to the entire crisis and appear to be doing so now just prior to calling an election in a cheap attempt to buy Western votes.
As I suspected you can come up with no constructive ideas of better use of our/ the politicians time - this seems to be the case with all the people taking the official "wait and see if the US opens the border" supporters including politicians CFIA, CCA, ABP.
A total leadership void.

[jensend]

somebody's gonna have to get it through to the boys at cca that the horse they're beating is dead and it's time for a new strategy. you'd think they would have figured it by now; they must have heard it often enough but there seems to be a wilful deafness (to be charitable) on their part.

[rsomer]

I am not sure that there was anything that could have been done to prevent this crisis. If there is a leadership void is it here or is it in the U.S. of A? In hindsight as a nation we were too dependent upon shipping live cattle to the U.S. across an international border. But shipping live cattle was encouraged by the U.S. so that the value adding took place south of the line. American owned packers did not take over the Canadian industry just because of advantages of economy of scale. Obstacles were put in the path of Canadian firms looking to export beef to the U.S. There was not a level playing field for Canadian companies even after NAFTA was signed. U.S. customs purposely made life difficult for Canadian owned packers, these problems disappeared when the same plants were taken over by U.S. interests. The rise of protectionism in the U.S. is surely the root of our problems more than a void of leadership in Canada.

What can Canadians do? I am afraid not much. The future of our industry will be shaped by the U.S. NAFTA has left our politicians and leaders powerless to put up an effective response to U.S. protectionism and self interest. A simple void in leadership does not explain the softwood lumber dispute, the salmon fishery dispute, the BSE crisis and so on. Changes... change to what? Changing the leadership, changing the government, changing our beef organizations is not going to make the U.S. change its position and policies.

There is not so much a void in leadership as a void in political and economic power within Canada to influence U.S. policies. We gave that power up when we joined NAFTA.

If you are looking for constructive ideas, I would offer the suggestion that Canada needs to form political alliances with other nations that share the common interest of joining together to effectively stand up to the U.S. An economic United Nations of which the U.S. may not be allowed to participate in. A U.S. free WTO, a G8 minus one. Of course it will never happen because the U.S. has the guns, the rest of the world is disarmed. Unless, just maybe, the world is so disgusted with the Americans after their handling of the Iraq situation that they finally see the U.S. for the hideous monster it is.

[rsomer]

I have a hard time with the America thing. I still and always beleive that problems arise from radical individuals, or groups, but the majority of the population in any country are just people trying to survive like you and me.

Just had a good half hour with Cam Ostergard on the phone. I would recommend a call for anyone who wants to hear, not only a man with passion, but an organized approach to most of our thoughts.
You are definately on the right track with approaching other countries rsomer. There is nothing wrong with being an exporting country. We have a product that all of the world envies (even some Americans)and we need to keep this industry going for the sake of all Canadians, not just us good old farmdogs.

Find new trading partners, and test the cattle for BSE. Or test the cattle for BSE and find new trading partners. Better than sitting on our asses and quibbling over who's to blame.

Politicains tried, an will never admit that they failed. Packers grabbed and can't be blamed for simply profiting in a free market. Scientist can't decide which scientist is righter. Customers still buy the beef. Which of these four groups of people are the most important to us?