government loansharks

[kpb]

I talked with my neighbour yesterday and he told me that CAIS was clawing back his interim payment. We're talking big money here that he recieved when we were all advised to get an interim payment based on our inventory of cows going down in value.

This was supposed to be one half of what we would eventually receive for 2004 which, as everyone knows, was tough because of BSE.

So now these miserable SOB's come back to my neigbour and tell him not only is he not going to get the other so-called half but he has to pay back what he got as an interim payment. And, get this, he is given 2 choices. Either he signs a promissory note right away that basically means he agrees with what they are doing and will pay it back over time and, if he signs, they'll waive interest for a year. Or, if he doesn't sign, they'll collect through other means and will start charging interest today.

Can you believe these guys? Remember this was supposedly half of what we were going to receive--that's what we were told--and it was based on the value of our cows declining due to BSE. So, I ask you, have these cows gained much in value in the last nine months? Has the border opened to cows? Did I miss this?

CAIS is the worst program that we have ever seen. I sent an e-mail to Strahl a week ago when he said he was going to leave the program in place but it's like throwing something into a black hole--nothing comes back, no acknowledgement, reply, nothing. Who knows if he reads anything? On the Rural Issues site, a couple of guys are saying we should give this government more time since they are in a minority situation. This is pure claptrap--firstly because we're likely going to be in a minority government of one sort or another for quite a while and, secondly, because we elected these guys to govern not sit on their hands.

If Strahl lets this program continue and lets these pencil pushers demand all this money back from guys who are teetering already, there will be more farmers leave the business. I have always voted PC or Reform but if they do nothing about this, when they could scrap it and come up with something better and when they said in the campaign that they would scrap it, then I will not vote for them again.

kpb

[mb_rancher]

This is a total disgrace. When the farmer/rancher are down why not kick him another 5 times. This is going to finish a lot of people in the agriculture business. I think we should all plan to slow traffic down on the trans Canada highway right across Canada on the same day. This may make people take notice.!!

[dalek]

Pick April 5th. Farmers expected in Ottawa from Ontario, Quebec (UPA claims to have at least 3000 coming), Nova Scotia, PEI, and several coming from the prairies (so far). Tractors will be driven to Ottawa from as far as 300 km away. April 6 sounds like there will be rolling blockades of food distribution terminals starting in Ottawa and progressing across Ontario.

[dalek]

Manitoba Solidarity Rally
Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2006
12:00 p.m. (noon)
Location: Legislative Grounds
450 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR
ALL OF THE FARMERS STRUGGLING IN
MANITOBA, AND TO SHOW SUPPORT AND
SOLIDARITY FOR THE RALLY TAKING PLACE IN
OTTAWA.
The Ottawa Rally is calling upon the federal
government to show leadership in addressing the
deficit in realized net income.
Keystone Agricultural Producers
1-1313 Border Street, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0X4
(204) 697-1140 (phone); (204) 697-1109 (fax); kap@kap.mb.ca
We Need
You…..
Solidarity

[dalek]

OFA Commentary #1306



Understanding government signals



By Ron Bonnett, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture



Ontario farmers know that existing government programs to provide stability to their incomes are not working. That was predicted as the CAIS program was being developed – we identified a number of short-comings with the program and urged our governments to correct them. That didn’t happen, and now farm families across the country are caught in the resulting financial crisis.



At the March meeting of OFA directors, senior staff from OMAFRA advised that the current thinking within the bureaucracy of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada was that the CAIS program is working the way it was designed to work. It was designed to eliminate farmers that continue to produce a commodity that shows no sign of being profitable, we were told.



Government staff claim this was the reason the ‘renewal’ pillar was included in the Agricultural Policy Framework – an opportunity for unprofitable farmers to exit the industry.



Government staff went on to say that farmers should not confuse income support with income stabilization, and urged farmers to be vigilant as bureaucrats work to transform the CAIS program. Farmers should be aware of the changes being proposed, we were told. Government interference in the global marketplace ‘is an idea that is not going anywhere,’ we were advised.



This bureaucratic mind set leads us to believe that the designers of our agricultural programs are more interested in economic theory than traditional values. OFA does not accept this vision.



We will be telling the MPs on Parliament Hill that existing farm programs are failing to address the massive hole in farm income over the past several years. The resulting deficit is eroding agriculture’s equity, built up over decades of profitable farming. The negative income position farmers are experiencing now is threatening the economic future of rural Ontario.



Our MPs will be told agriculture needs bridge funding programs that will take them to the next Agricultural Policy Framework when it is due for unveiling in 2008. We will also make it clear to them that immediate funding is essential and that provinces must have the flexibility to deliver that funding as local needs dictate. We need this flexibility to fund options like the Risk Management Program and Self-Directed Production Insurance.



A vital message for our MPs will deal with the absolute necessity to support and strengthen marketing structures like supply management and the Canadian Wheat Board. These systems continue to provide for profits for farmers operating within them, allowing them to plan a successful future.



The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has no appetite nor time to consider the concepts of social and economic engineering proposed for farmers in Canada. Canadian agriculture has a long and productive history, a history that has allowed generation after generation of farmer to make a future for their families by producing food to feed the nation and others around the world.



Farmers aren’t prepared to accept the theories that food should come from the lowest standard or most heavily subsidized source of production. We believe that Canadians want and deserve a healthy, safe and secure source of food – food that has come through a proven system of tests and approvals.



We also believe that Canadians, given the opportunity to choose, will want their government to support the domestic production of their daily supply of food.



That’s why we are calling on all farmers to attend the Solidarity Rally in Ottawa on April 5th. That’s why we urge our farmers to bring their agri-business partners and their urban friends to the rally. A strong show of support for Canadian agriculture will be an important demonstration to Canadian politicians as they begin a new parliament

[grassfarmer]

Good luck with your action dalek, there is certainly a lot I'd agree with in that OFA commentary - it is much like NFU position.
Presumably you won't get a lot of support in Alberta when you mention "the absolute necessity to support and strengthen marketing structures like supply management and the Canadian Wheat Board" It seems the redneck ranchers and the vociferous minority of grain farmers think they can take beat allcomers with their independence and free market ideals.

[ddniak]

Wasn't sure of the exact figure, but according to The Manitoba Cooperator, Sask Wheat Pool receive a CAIS payout of 4.9 million from its failed hog ventures. When it rains it poors.

[cowman]

grassfarmer: Yep, you got it right there! We sure don't like being ruled by the darned government out here in Alberta! Bottom line is free enterprize and the capitalist system is the only one that really works!
Stengthen the CWB? You have got to be kidding, right? The CWB is imposed on only one area...the west...how is that fair? as far as supply management...just peachy if you were the one who got the quota...not so good for the young guy who wants to get into the business?
As for the NFU...they make some good noise...but you'll never get the western Canadian grainfarmer to agree with a group that supports the grain handling unions...while their grain sits in port and the wolf is howling outside the door?
Sort of like the NDP? Lots of talk about how they support the old peasants down on the farm until their commie bosses tell them how it really is? Stalin slaughtered the peasants whenever he got the chance, and that commie ideology just will never wash out here? Just my opinion.

[grassfarmer]

"Lots of talk about how they support the old peasants down on the farm until their commie bosses tell them how it really is?" How different is that to the current situation if you switch the NFU for the Alberta Government, ABP etc? talking of supporting the old peasants until their capitalist bosses (the corporations)tell them how it really is. There is not much difference between a communist system where all are supposidly equal except the ruling elite and the capitalist system with their ruling elite.
Not that I would in any way support a communist system - although by your use of the word it's clear you don't know what it means anyway.

[newguy]

Took interm cais payment because had frozen crop and bse in 2004. Accountant figured I would have to pay back half. Wondered why I did not get grain and oilseed payment and got a notice that it was kept as I have to pay back all my advance. Showed this to my accontant and he thinks they will now owe me half the advance back whitch they took from me in the payment I should have got. Wonder if I should make a note on my tax return and just keep that back from them as they did to me.

[cswilson]

Heck Albertans are just socialists who vote conservative-most ranchers I know out there keep that government tit sucked pretty clean-kind of like a big indian reserve-nobody pays taxes and the chief's drunk half the time.

[cswilson]

cwilson, I am hoping you are joking !!! There are many farmers in AB that get no oil revenue and do not have a grazing lease on public land.

Hopefully this site isn't going to start pitting one province against the other, that is pretty damn unproductive !!!

[grassfarmer]

I enjoyed that cswilson, funny and a bit of truth to it!

[cowman]

Now gentlemen you know Ralph took the "pledge" and doesn't indulge anymore?
CSWilson: Careful? You're getting pretty close to sounding NOT politically correct? You're not supposed to say those kind of things in this day and age!
I will not defend the current PC government of Alberta. In truth how can you defend a government that spends $28 billion when they should only spend $21 to remain equal to Saskatchewan? Unfortunately they are the best we have right now? The other clowns want to spend more!
There is some truth to cswilsons naming Alberta as socialist? The provincial government bought the feedlot business, they bought the packer business, and without a doubt they bought the cow business?
And yes we do have a semi-decent crop insurance program for our grain farmers as compared to the joke Sask. farmers get.
I'm not sure if all that government largesse is a good thing or a bad thing, but it has given us some short term advantages?
As far as the thing about unions or corporations goes...I think I'll stick with the corporations? They seem to pretty well have the world whipped and I don't see that changing?

[cowman]

In a perfect world all provinces would be equal with no-one having an advantage, but that isn't likely to happen as governments and economies differ.

I sat at the local auction market yesterday and chatted with some of the old boys that hang around there every week. One fellow was counting off how many people have gotten out of the cow business in this area over the past year, apparently another fairly large operation has been sold ( to a fellow who sold his service rig company for 30 million), and the owners are selling the cows next week.

The fellow told me that his view is the governments need to have a fair system across the country so all producers are on an even playing field.