We really need to have election scares more often...

[perfecho]

Off topic, but....Have heard from some who have bought SUV's so they can run purple, where as a van does not qualify. Used our "home van" for farm use after it was worn out for the original job, and could not get farm plates.
As a side note, found the van with the seats taken out more useful than the truck. Low to the ground, entry doors everywhere and covered all the time. Was great.....much more room than a truck bed with the fifth wheel hitch and tool box in it. And you can buy a decent used van for two thousand bucks......run em till they drop.

[grassfarmer]

Coppertop, I guess you must be more honest than some. The practice I described is commonplace in my community. I agree with Perfecho on the van thing - we don't use a van but I guarantee I have hauled more farm produce in the back of our small car than many in the area have in their SUVs. I was told when I first applied for my farm plate that it was only available for vehicles that were suited to transporting farm produce ie big enough to haul a cargo or to pull a trailer so an SUV qualifies and a car doesn't - I don't see why a van shouldn't if you were selling vegetables or something similar at a farmers market.
Going back to Kathy's post I think there definitely is a good case for tightening legislation and doing some checks into what is actually used on the farm. If the only constraint is that you have over $10k farm output a guy that grows hay for example and gets it all done on a custom basis could qualify yet not burn one litre of his own fuel making or transporting his produce - should he still qualify for a farm plate so he can drive into town for his mail on subsidised fuel? Doesn't the Government have a duty to see taxpayers money isn't squandered on things like this?

[smcgrath76]

GF - I think I actually tend to agree
with you on this one. The challenge is
that as the rules increase in complexity
the enforcement costs soon outweigh the
value of the program. I get pretty
pissy when I see a farm sticker on a two
seater car, but I know several
horticulture operations that use
minivans as a regular part of their farm
business. It is tough to say where to
draw the line, particularly on a mixed
type of operation, where a SUV may be
used to transport product to a Farmer's
market.
I know a lot of people take advantage of
the program as I have personally seen
construction outfits and others fill at
the purple pump when they have
absolutely no business doing so.
That said I also don't really want the
invasion of privacy and PITA factor that
comes with full blown enforcement.
Like most things it is a double edged
sword. Low fuel costs also facilitate
greenhouse gas emissions and less
efficient use of a non renewable
resource.

[burnt]

grassfarmer, I think it depends upon what you are making your comparison when determining whether or not food prices are high or low.

Of course, there are very few consumers who think they are low, but in comparison to the rest of the world, our food prices are unsupportably low. And this in a country with one of the world's highest standards of living!

Our consumers are soooo spoiled - the best AND the cheapest! What more could they want, free?

[grassfarmer]

Burnt, if you compare what primary producers of beef receive for their live cattle and compare it with what consumers pay for the cuts in the grocery store I think you would agree the consumer was paying quite a hefty price.
I do not agree for a minute that retail prices in Canada are unsupportably low. On most products there is more than enough margin in the system to pay the primary producer enough to earn a dignified living - if they were only able to access a fair share of that consumer dollar.

As for having the best food in the world you've got to be kidding! best in what unhealthy saturated fats? highest in corn sugar? Where it's nice to claim Canadian beef or Alberta beef is the "best in the world" from a primary producers limited viewpoint how does that translate into the actual food that is retailed and consumed in this country?
I think you only have to look at the overweight population driving through the MCDonalds, Tim Hortons etc loading up on their next feed of artery clogging junk food to lay claims of the best food in the world firmly to rest.
You could maybe look to France, Germany or Switzerland for some clues on healthier food.
The sooner Canadian producers can built an alternate food supply system supplying healthy, natural foods off our farms direct to the consumer the better it will be for both producer and consumer.

[smcgrath76]

GF - I would argue that the sooner
INTERESTED producers can build that food
chain and supply the world...

[grassfarmer]

OK Sean, fair enough INTERESTED producers but I don't agree with "supply the world" I think the opportunities to supply the world will always be governed by those controlling the distribution and retailing infrastructure - shipping lines, ports etc. When producers don't currently have the ability to work together to own and operate a small packing plant I can't see them ever owning distribution capacity.
There is no point in us producing good healthy product up to slaughter point then selling it wholesale to distributers. At least that is not what I am interested in.

[smcgrath76]

GF - the reason I say feed the world is
that I think it is irresponsible of us as
a nation to have the ability to produce
vastly more than we can ever consume. I
didn't ever say sell to wholesale or
multinational, but I do think we have an
obligation to think beyond local based on
the capability of our resources.

[skhadenuf]

Getting back to the original comment, us farmers as a whole are so freakin passive, our ag minister went on and on all summer how he's looked at the programs and even once his quote was "trust me these programs are going to work" then just days after election threat, oh gee I just realized these programs won't work for the livestock sector well either it's incompetance or just another minister feeding us all bullshit. Now I wonder if he has also realized these programs are also not working for grains either since it's all the same principles applied.
You mean to say mr. Ritz moving CAIS to Melville isn't going to improve the program? well of course it isn't scrap this crap all of it. If this were europe his office would have been pummeled to the ground.

[burnt]

Grassfarmer, I don't think you should confuse "the best food . . ." with "the worst eating choices". By the best food I mean the availability, broad variety and quality in the world. Available at about 10% of disposable income. When I see obese people chowing down at McDonald's, I am not inclined to think of a faulty food supply - only their choices. But as far as the retail price, you are correct to a degree, there likely is enough room there for a bit more for the farmer/producer. Which points us to the fact the our product value discovery system is broken.