BIC-C policy

[nerves]

exactly right Kato some may try to argue but what you state is dead on.

[grassfarmer]

Cowman, I hope you get to the meeting in Olds on Thursday, it will be worth your while. I was at Camrose last night where another very successful meeting was held. If you can't get to Olds we are organising one at Ponoka on July 7th and one is also planned for Innisfail although I don't have a date for that yet. The producers that attended the meeting last night went home feeling that this movement may be able to achieve something worthwhile. Compare that to Government/CCA/ABP that have no ideas and no solutions - call your neighbours, friends get them to the meetings - they will be impressed!

[whiteface]

Thanks again kato for being a loud and clear voice for so many producers that really need leadership out of this. You're post was very well put and more protest against these very same things from taking us over is needed. Wish you were in Olds Thursday night!

[kato]

The credit for that post goes to Lee Gunderson, but I must say I agree completely. He said it so well, I had to post it.

It's now or never time for us all. If we don't have improvement by the time the calves come off pasture, we are in deep deep trouble.

Wish I could be at that BIG-C meeting, but will have to support from afar. Producers in Manitoba are already thinking like you guys out there, so don't worry, there's lots of backup here when you need it.

[InAHurry]

There are different opinions about the slaughter/packing plants on Canadian soil. My question does not side with any I just want to know:
Are they working at max. production; full staff, 24-7, supply of fats (or culls) are available, etc....?

[greybeard]

I have to applaud you guys who are getting out and trying to do something to get things happening. It always takes some real workers, not just talkers, to get results.
One thing that concerns me is when we say we need to sell to others like Japan because the Americans don’t want our beef. We forget Japan doesn’t buy beef, individuals do. Same goes for the USA. American consumers are buying our beef right now .The packers we have are shipping them all they can. American producers don’t want our beef .Never did. They aren’t our customers.
We have to take care of our customers as they have supported us in the past and are supporting us now {individuals, not governments}.
Japan is a different story. They never did buy large quantities from us. Not that some weren’t trying to sell to them. Thompson Meats at Melfort geared their whole business plan to Asia and neglected their well established domestic market and went broke doing it.
We always feared we were to dependant on the US consumer, but never seemed to be able to do anything about it.Cargill/Tyson may have indeed been relableling our beef and trans-shipping it. But they weren’t selling to” Japan” ,they were selling to people.
I expect whoever they were selling to wanted it that way.
Please don’t take this post as discouragement. Keep up the good work. I want markets to return to “pre BSE” levels, and said from the start politicians won’t save us, hard work by individuals will. But remember the first rule of buisnessis; Take care of your current customers first, then go looking for new ones.

[cowman]

Sure going to try to make Olds on thursday! Right now things are completely psycho around here! Too many darned things happening!
My son is definitely going and he told me, we need to do this! So I hope to be there.
Why wouldn't I wear a cowboy hat? Well they are darned inconvenient in a pickup or for that matter on a quad(I don't do horses anymore!)? I really prefer a good soft baseball cap...preferably a freebee from a machinery dealer(partial to John Deere) or a chemical company(Dow-Elanco)!
And also I don't wear cowboy boots...too darn uncomfortable! Like a quality workboot or a good pair of runners. But hey at least I wear Wranglers! And I have a good quality stockmans knife in the pocket!
I never felt the need to play the part!

[grassfarmer]

Pleased to hear you are planning to go Cowman, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. A good baseball cap is to your taste Cowman? shame you have to give some free advertising to another set of multi-national corporations !!Would you wear a Cargill or Tyson cap?