NFU crazy, or am I missing something?

[jensend]

sf3 is right that the hard times we're going into will make consumers carefully consider how they spend disposable income but as was pointed out farmgate sales really aren't more expensive than buying off the meat counter. the other effect tough economic times might have is to make govts reconsider subsidizing export industries because it's really a subsidy to another country. dairy and poultry are essentially producing for domestic consumption and beef is getting close. the grains sector is hugely export oriented and could become a target. klause might have an advantage the way his costs are structured by the looks of his operation.

[grassfarmer]

vvalk, Your post was rather confused but I'll attempt as reply. I based my figures on retailing a fat steer direct to customers at $2500 - it has been established that an average steer out of the commodity system retails around $3000 over the counter. So direct marketers can afford to sell below store average price, pay a higher cost for processing and still be substantially ahead. That rather defeats your argument about it being a product for the rich and SF3s argument that there won't be any such people around shortly with the recession. We have found it easy to double our customer base every year with <$100 advertising budget.
Pleased to see you recognize who the rich are though - multi-nationals, input suppliers etc - now if you could just follow that through to it's logical conclusion.

[Burbert]

It'll be interesting to see, what changes Mr. WELLS will make to the CWB. WELLS knows farming well and should be a real asset to the board. Go CWB, go!!!!

[FarmRanger]

<i>"Go CWB, go!!!! "</i>

And don't come back until you're voluntary.

[highwayman]

Maybe the first thing that Mr. Wells needs to push for is a next to zero cost export permit for all those in the designated area like he himself currently enjoys as an organic producer. What do ya think Burb? Isnt that what you NFUers preach is fairness and equality for all?
It would be interesting to know what percentage of NFU members originate from outside the designated area where they have the freedoms that we do not. Seems that there executive is largely made of of Easterners.

[ColevilleH2S]

Why should Stuart Wells have anything to do with marketing my grain? Does he have a stake in the success of my farm? No, absolutley not. No skin in that game. As long as the board follows it's marketing pace, he could give it all away for $100/tonne and it shouldn't bother him a bit. And that my friends, is one of those intangable benifits of Socialism >

[ColevilleH2S]

Oops that should have read, "Why should Stuart Wells have anything to do with <b>expropriating</b> my grain?"

[parsley]

Stewart Wells was elected.

There are only perhaps 2000 organic farmers in all of Saskatchewan.

So, conventional farmers obviously voted for him.

You can't beat him over the head for running or winning.

Maybe you should ask, "Why did so many vote for him?"

If organic directors were perceived as anti-conventional or hoplessly lacking business accumen, the majority of conventional farmers would not vote for them.

What it tells me is this:Conventional and organic farmers have common ground.

Why don't we look at commonality?

Both want more money for their farm products.

Both want to be business-minded.

Why don't we dwell on some of the positives?

btw, thanks to so many av'ers who sent Christmas e-greetings or left phone messages. It was appreciated very much. cDuster, I'll rsvp when I catch my breath. Pars

[dave4441]

Geez, i go away for 3 months, come back and SF3 and Parsley are making sense.

[parsley]

Talk to urban farmers. WHY do they want to grow their own food?

Could this possibly influence their decision?:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/news-update-farm-animals-get-80-of-antibiotics-sold-in-us/

pars

[burnt]

You know Parley, after reading that linked story,I can't blame the consumer for not liking some of the things that happen in mainstream ag production today.

I don't like them either.

BUT -

BUT - if they don't like the things that have become standard farming practice to operate (survive) within today's market values, then they had better be ready to pay whatever it takes to produce the kind of food they want on their plates.

And that is where the trouble lies.

[grassfarmer]

Burnt,
There you go threatening the consumer again - remember the customer is always right. Why will you only deliver them the product they want for far more money than they pay currently? There is plenty of money in the food production chain to adequately reward all participants if it were fairly distributed. Why seek to take more out of the consumers pocket rather than the packer or retailer?
I can produce and sell a product my customers consider far superior to store bought, reared on grass with no antibiotic use for less money than they could buy the same cuts at the supermarket.
The trouble lies not with the customer paying too little but the middlemen taking too much. I realise that may involve some different thinking for some of the corporate lovers out there but it is the reality.

[parsley]

grassy, If I lived near you, I would hopefully be your customer for grass fed beef. And I can pay wheat you ask, or barter, or you can say, "No."

Willing buyer and willing seller.

I like what you are doing and good for you. I hope you do really well financially.

Right now I do not some product offerred in too many stores.

In local areas, much of the hamburger is grown locally, and ground locally. So the batch I buy is ground from maybe 10 head butchered that week

City people? Their hambuger is ground in huge huge batches...maybe 5000 head butchered, cut and ground in a batch

Your chances of disease, hormone saturation, mad cow, contamination, etc.....from large batches increase.


But you do say this, grassy:"if it were fairly distributed"

We've passed stringent regulations. They have not been acted on. The governme nt does not do its' job. Nor do gov't entities.

Isn't the best way to decide profit is to allow the buyer both the choice of whom he buys from, and the price he pays? That is what you are doing! You are circumventing corps, the middleman, the establishnment. And recieving a premium! One YOU HAVE EARNED.

I too, wish to circumvent the CWB and sell for a premium. They are a detriment. They sell the grain as cheap as they can to dump it.

Fair distribution should not be part of how you sell steaks! If I want to buy them from you, based on trust and taste, why should either one of us worry about fair distribution?

A large meat plant needs the consumer. If I don't buy...he's toast. If you don't sell to them, he's toast.

If you grow and sell, you should be paid amply for it. imho, grassy. Pars

[burnt]

The customer is always right . . .hahaha.

A wise person once put it this way, the customer isn't always right, but he is always the customer . . .

As for the rest of my post - it stands for itself.

[gustgd]

Well played grassfarmer....

Just like moving cattle isn't it.
Someone don't have to yell and scream Just apply pressure, and animals go where you want.

I started a thread on why the NFU would want to change the definition of farmer, thinking maybe I missed something.
You quite masterfully got people off on a tangent of organic vs conventional.

and YES for the record I think that $10,000.00 in gross sales is much to low for the definition of a farmer. maybe 10k net??