Test all Canadian Beef for BSE

[kato]

Once again excellent points rsomer. Especially talking of our position with the US as a trding partner in general.
Maybe we just don't stand up for ourselves. Maybe the US is going to Japan because they are standing up for themselves. Maybe it will all work out in the end when everyone else decides our fate, but I guarantee that in the mean time lots of our great cattle people in Canada will be lost to the industry forever.

The open border might be the only LONG term solution to our problem, but the only SHORT term solution is to find some leverage, some way to show how bad we need things to change. Test every cow for BSE, or at the very least threaten it as a desperate resort to save some of our industry leaders(THE CANADIAN CATTLE PRODUCERS).

[jensend]

rsomer - the reason canada's trade is viewed as not as important as japan's is because most of what goes from canada to the states is being shipped home by american controlled companies. central canada is almost completely a branch plant economy as is the oil industry. the americans don't have to listen to us; they tell us. the grain sector and now the beef sector have been pretty much taken over by the americans and its going to take a new style of leadership with some balls to stand up to the americans including telling cargill and tyson test or you're nationalized. klein would have to grow nuts to do it and i don't see it happening unless there is grassroots demand and maybe not even then.

[cakadu]

There is something like 80% of our value-added processing done down in the Lethbridge area. Now, lets see who is down in that neck of the woods. Lamb Weston, Cargill, Hostess-Frito Lay, IBP (Tyson). Do any of these sound like Canadian companies? Is it any wonder we have no way to stand up to the US?

When I went to Chile, the only Canadian province that the Chileans considered aggressive enough to make it on the world market was Quebec. Quebec has a "war chest" of money that they use to prove their agriculture point - that and the UPA.

We keep giving so much, what do we get in return?

[cowman]

Rkaiser: My decision to leave the cattle business happened long before BSE. BSE forced me to stay in this business longer than I hoped. Maybe that is unreal thinking on my part...but I sure hate to sell an asset for two bits on the dollar! But eventually a person can't keep beating a dead horse and you accept the new "market reality"? And I'll let you in on a little secret...we all get old and for just about everyone there comes a time to quit. In everyones life you have to set priorities and ask yourself "What is really important?"
Now if being in cows is the number one priority in your life then that is good, but it is also good if you value other things? The idea of getting out of cows was painful for me, but necessary(I just don't have enough time). I just wish I could leave the business on a happy note instead of losing a lot of equity and labour...so yea I'm pretty bitter.

[cowman]

You missed my point cowman. "Just give up" was refering to your advice for those of us who are fighting for testing the cowherd for BSE.

I accept the fact that you are old and were ready to quit the cow biz before BSE. Personaly I am in my cow career prime at 43, and will do everything in my power to try to help the industry.
With our marketing scheme,we are probably suffering less than most, but my fight to help end this anarchy will never end as I do not beleive that Cargil and Tyson will be very good customers for my breeding stock when they are the only cattle producers left in Canada.

[whiteface]

Me too, rpkaiser, I haven't let up one bit on the need for testing the entire Canadian herd and I'm not getting rich at breeding cattle but I sure do love doing it!! Meeting people, cattle shows, exchangeing ideas, common goals, it's a kinship unlike any other I've known and I've had my mitts in a lot of crap over the years - nothing has had as big a payoff ( in areas other than financial ) as the cattle. Maybe its a "purebred" thing, I don't know but I know your drive and determination is a valuable thing and is likely largely your secret to sucess. Thanks for being on our team, there are days when I want to "give up" too thinking I'm fighting the right to test for BSE all by myself.:-)

[kato]

This website has over 5 thousand members. I'm sure there are lots who come and read the posts without ever posting themselves.

This message is to those good people. The silent majority, so to speak.

On the Cam Osterbank thread, and on the political idea thread you can get a link to that copy of the essay. You can also find a link to the email addresses of all the members of parliament. With a little searching, all the media outlets are accessable.

If even a fraction of those 5 thousand were to contact the government officials, and our cattle organizations and media, think what we could do.

Those in the grain business have as much to lose as we cattle producers have. What will happen if the cow herd drops in half, and half of the pasture and hayland in the country is put back into grain? And half the market for feed grains disappears?

Not a pretty picture.