What do you think of this?

[ALICIA]

15444- I already sold my top steer calf and got 65 cents a pound he weighted 585 pounds.
I said last year I wasn't going to breed my cows this year and I went ahead and did it, so I got know one to blame but myself, if I can't even give them away next year.

[cowman]

Well somehow I don't understand the reasoning behind not breeding the cow? Maybe keep them for pets or something?
I do not understand how so many people can keep taking a beating and still hang in there? I guess they have some pretty deep pockets or something?
The real scary part is a lot of these people have no concept of what their costs are and frankly couldn't care less! It's like, Oh my grandaddy gave me this land and I don't need to make anything for my labor sort of thing!
Which is okay I guess, but it sure is alien to how I think!
Is it really any wonder why we have so many young people not entering the cattle business? How do they compete with people who are just in it for the lifestyle and don't care if they make a profit?
We've all heard how cheap Brazil and Argentina can produce food? I would suggest Brazil will never be able to compete with some of our cattle producers! Because some of our producers will pay to raise cattle!

[ALICIA]

Cowman: My thinking at the time was I will keep my very, very best and get rid of all the rest. Keep the numbers down so that they can keep the pastures cleaned off, and I have lots of hay in the barn to feed them till this pass and things get strainghtened around.
But I got sucked in by the goverment and other peoples thoughts. I breed them again, so the packers got next year out of me for cheep calfs to sell for meat at a big price.
May be if we all had not breed or cow herd last year. Their would of been know stockers this year or next year and I'll just bet that the prices for old cows would of been not to bad. But that is just it if we don't give or calfs away for nothing the goverment will just import more beef into the country, AND HOW DO YOU BEAT THAT SYSTEM.
You live out west their there is a lot of land that the people don't want for housing and development. In the east we have more people that want land for development and with the enviorment laws, natureal resourses law the people can't build houses on poor land, they have to have the very best farm land. So the goverment has to put a plain in place to take the land away from the farmer, but make it look like it was the farmers choice to move off the farm to make room for industral development. The goverment makes more money by importing food from underdevelop countrys and exporting industral good to them. I think I told you before that soom of my farm land runs right into the villeage, so they passed a buy-law that when every cow goes off my proporty or I stop doing farm activity that the proporty turns from farm land to Residental. And once its Residental that is it no more cows no more farm. GONE.

[ALICIA]

Also Cowman I have to wait at least 3 yrs for Whiteface to get me the bull that I want to use on my cows. Maybe by that time things will be good again and I can give Whiteface the asking price on my bull and the next year all my cows will be happy with their new babys and I will be happy because I can sell the babys for a real good price.

[cowman]

Well I guess I can sort of understand your reasoning.
Land use bylaws can be strange indeed! Just recently I got hold of a copy of my own municipalitys plans on how to move forward on land use. This one is not for the general public but for the people who make the decisions! I got it because I know somebody.
The strategy is to direct developement to the areas the planners want it to happen. And also how to restrict agricultural developement in those areas through a system of zoning bylaws as well as taxes!
The strange part about this whole thing is in fact the document promotes developement on the very best land in the county and shuffles agriculture to the very poorest land! It also cedes the best land for future expansion by the city of Red Deer! When urban and rural municipalities collide the rural interests always have to give way.
The whole thing makes a complete mockery out of the various governments calls to "save the good farmland"?
Unfortunately the proposed land use forums restrict my land for developement as I am not in the "golden circle" yet! I suppose too many farmers still own the land where I am situated...I guess they need to wait until a few more doctors/lawyers buy up the land around me?
This "proposed" land use thing isn't the law yet but it is going to be! The municipality had lots of open meetings on it where ratepayers could express their views. Of course the resulting paper has nothing to do with what the majority of the people wanted...more what the experts and planners wanted in the first place? We'll see how it goes. A lot of people are pretty disgusted with how the various forms of government try to screw us and aren't adverse to hiring some legal help and taking a run at them!

[cowman]

cowman you are seeing first hand the pressure in the Highway 2 corridor. The same holds true for development around Calgary.