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

[grassfarmer]

I think the financial side would entice most producers if they gave it a try. Sold a heiferette as beef recently - paid the astronomical processing charges and was still left with $700 PER SIDE to bank. Compare that to getting what? under $500 for selling her as a cull and I think enthusiasm would develop for most guys.
Now I think it's the best reward in the world when new potential customers call you up prepared to spend $900-$1000 on a half beef for their family based simply on what they have read about your methods of production. I think the consumers that contact us are wonderful - they so want that personal connection with producers and when you think about it are prepared to take a big financial risk because they are so unhappy with the store bought "best beef in the world".
I hate now when I hear producers moan about consumers only wanting the cheapest food they can buy and not wanting to support producers - it is so not true in my experience.

[burnt]

Grassfarmer what you are saying is true to a point - YOUR customers have learned to look beyond the price tag. MOST have not. That is why superstores exist.

[perfecho]

But even some "Superstores" are looking at a local market for their products......they know the next biggest trend is going to be local, fresh and supporting your neigbouring farmer. It is up to us to get on the band wagon and help steer the damn thing ;-)

[smcgrath76]

We can't forget that there are only 30
million of us, mostly in the east and that
we are aging and eating less red meat. I
don't think that "local" or even national
can sustain the current cow herd size.
there could be a lot of pain in
downsizinng to that level, although we
could argue all day that we should or
shouldn't get to that size.

[grassfarmer]

I see that as a largely moot point Sean - we can't sustain the current herd size under the current set up - even with the band aids of AgrisStability or CAIS. The "global marketplace" isn't making money for producers with the current herd size and nobody seems to care. If nobody cares about herd reduction why is it a factor when we discuss building a more sustainable system based on local food, domestic consumers and direct marketing?

[smcgrath76]

GF - I don't think it is moot. There
are a lot of questions around that point
if we were to focus strictly locally...
1. How are we going to get rid of
3,000,000 cows?
2. What are they going to be worth or
how are we going to pay for exit?
3. How much processing capacity do we
need to kill 1,000,000 head a year and
does that further concentrate power into
existing processor(s)?
4. What are the environmental impacts of
converting forage land to something else
that generate revenue since we won't
require the land base we do now?
5. How will we handle competition from
low cost producers outside of Canada?
6. What do we do with the parts no one
wants to eat, or do we just structure
things so that we are paid enough we can
afford to dump them?
and I am sure there are a lot of others.
I think even in a massive herd reduction
the reduction/exodus will come from the
very people we want to continue in the
business (small/medium sized family
farms).

[grassfarmer]

Oh, the issue concerns me but it is obvious that it doesn't really concern anyone in a position to do anything about it. Our current "industry" system is financially unsustainable so people are bailing out right left and centre. The "big cull" isn't some grand scheme we have to plan, it's happening all around us - we are in what - year 3?

As a free-market advocate how else would you see it happening? For Government to step in in any capacity to halt or reduce the decline in cow numbers would effectively entail subsidising unsustainable and unprofitable production - would you support that?
The way I see it the cull goes on, cows aren't worth much but there is still a lot of land that could grow grain so it would make sense that the cowherd decline until they fit the non-farmable acreage. I expect grain prices will rise and that this year's are an anomoly. Kill capacity isn't really a problem - as we reduce cows we also reduce calves plus there are US plants under capacity. Environmental impacts of grain versus grass? - horrible but again who cares? - the politicians don't - this is a fossil fuel driven economy and the more we burn the more revenue the Government gets. Environmental effects hurt the next generation, politicians don't look beyond the next election.
Foreign competition - how do we handle it? "we" don't the retailers do and they will buy as much as they want for whatever purpose they want - again the free market at work.
Not saying I like or agree with the way things are going Sean but it seems to be the way they are going and I don't see how to change it.

[coppertop]

The winds of change have started blowing in
Alberta so wait a few weeks and we will see
a cabinet shuffle with perhaps a new Ag
Minister who will change everything one
more time !!!!

[smcgrath76]

that may be part of the problem. Some
extended stability may be a pipe dream,
but it would certainly help the planning
process (although it would also slow the
learning curve)