eartags

[cowman]

The CCIA is up and running and it sure didn't take the feedlots, auction marts, and packers long to get right onside...especially when they realized they could make a buck at it! They apply to be an official tagging site and pencil in a good profit so why not? Guess who gets stuck paying the bill? You guessed it; the primary producer. So if you send in a couple of cows with no tags, no problem, your friendly auction mart dealer will put one in...for a fee(and I am sure it will be a pretty stout fee!). Now if you send in more than five percent untagged cattle you will not only pay this fee but get a nice little fine of 250 bucks from our wonderful CCIA...500 bucks the second time! Big Brother has got the stick out!

[15444]

How the heck is the CCIA going to enforce those fines if I don't pay them? Unless they come after me with every cop in Canada, I ain't gonna start paying my hard earned money to a bunch of bureaucrats. CCIA can go **** themselves.

[cowman]

I like your attitude but unfortunately when you are dealing with the federal government they hold all the cards. They can withhold your drivers license renewal or any money you have coming back from the government such as GST rebates. And don't let anyone give you that garbage you are dealing with "a producer interest group"...they are just a bunch of flunkies for the feds. If not they couldn't really enforce anything. The fact of the matter is you can't fight city hall!

[tdrranch]

I have to say I dont not agree totally wuth the tags, but I do have to say point of origin for that cow will be a good thing. It will help control those who dont take care of there animals and who are not producing good quality cattle, which we are known for our Alberta Beef. There is still producers who have no idea about quality production. We who raise quality Alberta Beef want to help keep it that way and this tagging will help go back on bad producers

[cowman]

tdr:
I am not totally against this program either. I don't like how the government stuck the cow-calf guy with all the cost and responsibility when in fact most of the disease problems happen in the feedlots and dirty packing plants. I don't think the plan is really set up to address quality problems other than disease but I could be wrong. If someone buys my calves and then starves them or otherwise abuses them it will be me they will come looking for! If I sell a calf and she goes on to become a cow and twelve years later when she's slaughtered there is a problem, why would they come back to me about it? That's actually what would happen. Would there still be a record of who bought that heifer twelve years ago? Or all the people who owned her? Maybe it might work for something really bad like bangs ot TB but would they bother for something like a broken needle? It's a poor program but I guess its about the only one the government can think of that won't cost them anything! Food safety IS the governments responsiblity and they are well paid for it!

[ValueChainFX]

Hello cowman we meet again. You and many others already know that government and all their organized puppets are going to do what they like. Many do not know one end of a shovel from the other, and then others are very well trained yet will throw (your) money at the big boys with a single letter to them.

I have been in this industry for 30 plus years and do believe that it is about time the real farms, ranchers, producers cleaned house a little. I like the tag program, but would like to see it modified so at least you can use it to increase or add value to your operation. Don't really care for who operates the program much but it is more due to the fact that I do not believe in the programs as is.

Also cowman and others that know me know I strongly believe that if you do have quality product (especially beef) then you should be keen to organize yourselves with the experts (so called) to take your product to market and kick some tush in those government offices when they take before asking. Alberta at the present time is probably in one of the very best positions world wide to take advantage of our location, our quality, our reputation, our supply, and our future. But we sure are not going to do that going head to head with the big packers or the government. We are going to do that by securing niche markets that the big guys can not produce product for, developing partnerships with clients that will take your product at prices that make sense, by making sure that no matter where YOU are in the supply chain it matters to YOU how the end user feels about the product.

I believe that somewhere in the west we have a group of people that have their eyes open and will form such a group. When this happens, many of the associations, government agencies etc. will find themselves dealing with buisness men that are not affraid to make a stand and look after their own businesses like they own them not someone that can not or will not or is mandated not to help the real producers in this industry.

All I can say is those people that want to make it happen, drop me a line, I would love to be a part of this rebel alliance. When I say that I mean it to read, that as rebels we just take back what is ours! Interested to hear your thoughts?

[cowman]

Value Chain:
I'm starting to come around to your way of thinking! I raise these healthy calves and I have no say in what happens to them after they leave my place. When there is an E-coli outbreak we all get tarred with the same brush when usually it came about because of dirty conditions in a feedlot or packing plant.I'm starting to think we have to take control of the end product besides doing a good job of raising the feeder calf.
The problem is I don't want to be a feeder or a packer or a retailer! I do believe things like Certified Angus beef are the way of the future. What do you think of an organization something along that line, but not breed specific?

[ValueChainFX]

Cowman and others, I do not expect anyone that is in the present system of production to change what they do (ie a feeder to a feedlot operator or processing plant manager) I do know from my extensive travel throughout the three western provinces that there are enough people that are trying to do a very good job and produce excellent product, that we have enough people to pull together a group (that would produce, recognizable product on the market, such as the angus program) to make it a worth while goal. As I have stated before, if you do not look after your business then the government, associations or the big guys will look after it for you and bleed you dry penny by penny! I would be most interested in discussing with those interested the formation of such a group that would give each participant balanced share in the whole process, with information being part of a quality improvement process. I think the independent must maintain their own individuality, yet have a common thread that links the total supply chain together giving them control and added value incentives as we move into the future. I know from past experience that you can put such a group together and the value and end result far outways any costs and opens many doors that have been closed for you all as individuals. Any time you want to look at putting such a group together, let me know and we can talk to those interested.