Potential Mad Cow Case found in Brazil!!!!

[burnt]

Good comments, HT. Land is always a solid asset and the parameters you set out appear sound. However, your sage observation ". . . that land tenure is historically, well, tenuous" has been well documented throughout history.

What I find discomforting is that our democratic process leaves us highly susceptible to influences that are most unfriendly toward the lifestyle and values that made this country what it is. And we all know that those influences are already at work.

What prompted my initial comment is a "rumor" that I heard on Friday that our local stockyards here in Southern Ontario, Brussels Livestock, was recently purchased by Chinese interests. I hope it turns out untrue.

But it is a fact that the Chinese are investigating the construction of a meatpacking plant near Brussels, so time will tell. And it is also a fact that the present owner of the stockyards wants to sell.

[SASKFARMER3]

It just sucks when we have to play buy rules yet rest dont. BS BS BS. Close packing plants here we loose thousands of great cattle producers for what. Cheap beef from out of country. Wait slowly they wein you off food stuff and soon puplic think crappy range beef is new norm.

[grassfarmer]

Its all perception SK3 - an increasing number of Canadian consumers are already turning their back on "crappy feedlot beef". We can't meet the demand for our high quality grass-fed product ;o)

[Kathy]

HT quote: " For most of us I would recommend that we try to match our holdings to our family's labor and management capacity with emphasis on personal fulfillment."

Extremely wise words!!

With the passing of legislation in Alberta, like the new Animal Health Act, the Land Stewardship Act, Land Project Areas Act and the Electric Statutes Amendment Act - I feel anyone who owns land, or is thinking of buying more should be very very cautious!

There is NO guarantee of compensation should the government decide to take your land, or freeze its development or use... in the future....

The biggest thing is don't get into more debt. If you've got the cash to spend, you are risking less. If you borrow to buy more land, be prepared to pay much higher interest rates than we presently see.

[ajl]

It is time for us to stop pretending we know how mad cow transmits. The bone meal theory is like man made global warming theory. Sure has been a convenient non tarriff trade barrier. Most beef I have eaten lately tasted quite good so we can lay off the grass fed is better than feedlot raised beef as well.

[grassfarmer]

So ajl do you speak for all Canadian beef consumers? Rather a presumptuous statement I thought.

[ianben]

Googled BSE and found the latest human
deaths total
October 2009, it had killed 166 people
in Britain (the most recent being of a
different genotype than other
sufferers[5]), and 44 elsewhere.

Very sad for the 210 people who have
died but not the epidemic feared in
1996.

At what point does the scaremonging stop
and reaction which equates to risk take
over.

[Happytrails]

Thanks for the complements Kathy and burnt.
If the Chinese want to build a packing plant or buy an auction market in Canada I don't have a problem. However if they were seeking a dominant role that would be different.
There are some good posts over on commodities pertaining to the limitations of the democratic system. One of the contentions in the book I mentioned earlier is that some of the consequences of social development become destructive to it. Corrections happen in markets and human progress.

[ajl]

I speak for me. However, apparently you beleive that consumers would select grass fed beef in a blind taste test. I will believe when I see it. I do know that family that travels to New Zealand regularly tells me their beef sucks. As far as I know it is generally grass fed.

[grassfarmer]

I don't need a blind taste test - my customers tell me "best beef we've ever tasted", "the way beef used to taste", "my kids eat your beef but won't touch store bought" etc etc. I'm not claiming every consumer wants grass-fed but the demand for this product is soaring. I hate to see people ruin down grass-fed based on hearsay and prejudice.