Building a Sound Foundation for Agriculture

[parsley]

Following the money is important.

But understanding and analyzing and being aware of the policy put into place so that the money is able to FLOW, is the first essential.

For example, in Canada, Government money flows into agriculture,

But have you ever examined how much money flows into each province?

There is no reason why we cannot analyze.

Set up website groups and analyze and report back

Never mind flying somewhere and spending time planning some bloody lunch.

I mean digging for info.

Do you think any AV farmers would be willing to dedicate say, 2 hours per week, to actually digging, researching, googling, and jotting down what they have found? Pars

[charliep]

Are there industry agreed to outcomes in agriculture? If an industry doesn't know where it is going, will it ever get there?

An example from previous threads. Perennial cereals for human food. If this was an outcome based on resource use and sustainability, how would the industry achieve this objective?

[parsley]

Different goals will bring different outcomes. That's healthy.Holds promise. And also spreads risk. (Organics a failure but biotech successful or vice-versa)

BUT favoring/punishing:

---- different locales(mustard/Gravelbourg),
----or various regions(DA ghetto/heaven),
----or segments of industry(organic/biotech),
----or racial pockets(french/native/hutterites),
---through say, excessive/exemption taxation(tobacco),
----or punishing/rewardingthrough policy(buybacks),
---or through legislation(marketing boards),
----or through grants(branding)

All of these things cause the stoneboat to pull unevenly. And unfairly, thereby discouraging youth.

Pars

[charliep]

Perhaps it is the youth that need to pull the stoneboat. Don't know about you but sometimes get tired. Also find the youth have a different way of thinking and priorities based on their values (someone under 35 has a different approach to life, risk and business than someone over 55) and necessities (getting paid as quickly as possible because there is bill to pay, loans due and a family to feed).

[charliep]

Maybe a question for those of us somewhat older is I were starting my farming career today, what structure (or strong foundation) would I need to provide the highest probability of success in my farming career? Same question enters my mind work with new individuals who are starting their career in agriculture.

[parsley]

I'm still a young thing at heart, charliep,lol

1. Level playing field.(Subsidy levels to only Quebec are plain offensive)

2. Equality of Opportunity (Pretty hard to sell homemade butter from the twenty milk cows you just bought because they were a good buy)

3. Consistency.

4. Knowing the market environmnet in place (Di I plan for production in a capitalist environment or a communist environment? Ask yourself about land availability in 2019)

5. One voice to protect at least some of your your interests. Pars

[parsley]

Tommorow morning I will be there to bury my childhood best friend. A farm girl. I'm hoping just a speck of her unconditional kindness, and gentleness, and extraordinary patience will rub off on me, charliep.

We'll need in it in this "New World Order of Me", won't we. Pars

[charliep]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Rememberance is a time of reflection.

Likely shouldn't put here (and perhaps Shaun wouldn't want me to) but here is an interesting editorial from realfarm.com. The world agriculture lives in is changing.

[URL="http://realagriculture.com/2010/08/20/what-alberta-will-learn-from-ontario-eventually/"]rural versus urban vote[/URL]

[charliep]

real agriculture.com not real farm. Sorry about that.

[wd9]

Nothing much wrong with the system we have, just eliminate government support and crop insurance. It will self regulate.