Now Is The Time

[grassfarmer]

wd40, The point about feedlot operators being unable to speak for fear of being boycotted by the packer buyers was intolerable. That made me so mad when I heard about it first and I think your hand was badly played by producers and groups like ABP. That story should in my opinion have been blown up into a big media story as it is an outrage in a democratic country. The consumers of Canada were so behind the producers, we were waiting for the Government to "investigate" packer profiteering - a revelation of this totally unacceptable behavior in the general media might have created a storm that eventually reached Ottawa.
Unfortunately everyone just shrugged their shoulders and let it happen, cow/calf guys didn't help the feedlot operators - when will we ever learn that we need to work together?

[farmers_son]

Will more resolutions bring about change? Producer resolutions supporting producer packing plants were brought forward to the ABP last December. One after one the delegates voted them down. I guess it is a chicken or egg thing. But unless people who support producer packing plants come forward before this coming August 31 to allow their name to stand as a candidate for delegate at the ABP fall elections then I have zero hope that any resolutions for producer packing plants will pass at the ABP Annual General Meeting in December.

It simply cannot be assumed that producer resolutions passed at the fall meetings will be supported by the delegates. More important than the resolutions sent forward to the AGM is the delegates who are sent forward to the AGM. Ben Thorlakson, past Chair of the Alberta Cattle Commission was quoted as saying those that show up make the rules. Well, now is the time that people start showing up who support producer packing plants.

I think I have said just all I can on the matter. People either read these posts on Agri-ville or they don’t. If they support the producer packing plant concept I would ask they will consider allowing their name to stand as delegate. It only takes a few days a year to be an ABP delegate, you get paid a per diem and mileage. There are both male and female delegates. The only requirement is that you paid a checkoff in the previous year and from my point of view hopefully support producer packing plants. Even if you do nothing more than put your hand up to vote at about 3 or 4 key votes then you can change our industry. But of course your ability to influence the Alberta cattle industry will be far greater than that. Again the deadline for applications is August 31. See the link at the top of the page.

[madcow]

hey cowman,I'm not trying to single you out here to pick on you specifically. I've heard this line a number of times from western producers, I just found yours to copy & paste first: "When you have Liberal politicians calling Americans bastards and morons it hurts our relationship with our best customer? Sort of like a cow/calf guy calling the feeder buying his calves, a bastard? "end quote. In my opinion the Americans are our BIGGEST customer,that doesn't make them our BEST customer. They certainly put it to us all with the ( as I call it) BSE non-crisis.We have a surveillance system that worked ,making our beef the safest in the world, what a reward we got!!!I'm a cow/calf producer and have been in the "call the buyer a bastard" situation, I held my tongue and quietly changed buyers.I don't sit quietly and get crapped on and the buyer got the picture.Quite frankly I find my smaller customers to be the best to deal with.