Seasons Greetings

[farmers_son]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

It seems that 2009 may be a very interesting year but havent they all been interesting. We can take what wisdom we may from the cattle who know the grass will grow and the calves will be born every spring as they always have. In these uncertain times I think there is some peace in knowing that. All the best in the New Year.

[smcgrath76]

From myself as well. Certainly with all of the "changes" in industry it is important to remember our many blessings. I would rather be doing this here than anything else somewhere else.
Merry Chistmas and Happy New Year.

[smcgrath76]

From myself as well. Certainly with all of the "changes" in industry it is important to remember our many blessings. I would rather be doing this here than anything else somewhere else.
Merry Chistmas and Happy New Year.

[per]

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New year. When it gets right down to it I have been blessed by and through the cattle business. It has led to all sorts of interesting sidelines and relationships for which I am thankful. Thank you folks on Agriville that are always here to offer fact and opinion and forcing each other to see all sides.

Enjoy the holiday season.

[rkaiser]

All the best from Ponoka as well. Hang in there everyone --- the change, she's a coming...

[Willowcreek]

Yep-- Heres a wish for a Merry Christmas to all the Canadians from south of the 49th...Like that old Grinch rkaiser, I too have optimism for the New Year..

[kato]

Merry Christmas to everyone from Manitoba as well.

We're glad to see the end of 08, it was quite a ride! For those of us stubborn folk who've stuck it out over the past few rocky years, maybe 09 will be the year we've been waiting for. Feed costs are down, the dollar is down, fuel is down, interest is down, and cattle numbers are down. Things are in place for something to go up, and with any luck it'll be the price of cattle.

My wish for all is for 2009 to be the wonderful year we all look back on as the year our fortunes turned around.

[grassfarmer]

I'd like to throw in my best wishes to everyone on agriville at this time of year as well.
I'd also like to get a head start on next years plans and as such have taken the liberty of posting a "letter to the editor" that i'm hoping to get printed in the next few weeks - it ties in with kato's post. Not to spoil anyone's wishes but we've got to be realistic.

As one year draws to a close and the next begins it is the season of “New Years messages”. As usual most written about the beef sector will start out by assuring the reader that next year can only be an improvement before going on to list the unforeseen obstacles that arose to thwart the fortunes of producers in the year just passed. Can it really be a coincidence that year after year something happens that unfairly wipes out the returns a producer should have received for his hard work and investment? Despite what Governments, the media and most beef producer organizations will tell you the answer is no – it is anything but a coincidence. Proof of this is contained in the “Farm Crisis and the Cattle Sector: Towards a New Analysis and New Solutions” document published recently by the National Farmers Union. This presents a thorough analysis of our current predicament as well as suggesting some possible solutions.

The report charts seventy years of cattle prices from the great depression through to present day and when they are adjusting for inflation a clear pattern emerges. Those of us in the primary beef sector have not been crippled by a series of freak events beginning with BSE in 2003 as many suppose, rather, since 1989 there has been a systematic collapse in prices received by producers to values approximately half those that prevailed in the 50 years prior. The evidence documented is compelling – the demise of producer’s returns coincides exactly with the arrival of the two large US packers in Alberta and the era of corporate concentration that precipitated. The policy of increased beef production aimed at the export market has been disastrous for Canadian primary beef producers largely because there is no competition in the processing sector. Tremendous wealth is still being created in the beef production process but that wealth currently accrues to only a few very powerful players while the majority of us are left to fight over the crumbs.

Most producers will not be surprised by the findings of the report as they confirm what we have suspected for a while. The report also highlights the profound lack of curiosity shown by politicians and most beef producer organizations into investigating the true causes of the crisis in the beef sector. Time and again we are told that next year will be better, if “we” can just export more beef our cattle prices will improve – yet history clearly shows that this is not the case. Other excuses commonly cited for our plight are high grain prices, the high dollar, ethanol and SRM removal costs. The report conclusively proves that none of these are significant causes of our current problems. If producers want to improve their fortunes they must act on this report – it does no good to nod our heads in agreement and allow it to gather dust on our kitchen tables. We must hold our elected politicians and industry officials accountable for their lack of action and misinformed excuses.

The National Farmers Union will be organizing public meetings across the country beginning in January to share the report and develop possible solutions with producers. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings and share their opinions. If we are to precipitate change we must take every opportunity to share this report with our fellow producers, other producer organizations, media outlets and politicians. The old adage that “information is power” holds true - this report contains the information we need to improve our circumstances. Let us rise to this challenge and maybe we can look forward to a New Year’s message that won’t be lamenting another disastrous year for beef producers. Copies of the report are available to download from the NFU website (www.nfu.ca) or by calling (306) 652-9465

[kato]

My wish is for a good year, but sadly my expectations are set a bit lower. I downloaded the executive summary, and after I read that, if my dialup allows, I'll download the full version.

One thing I know is that something's got to give. We can't keep this up.