"Those dairy farmers print money!" That's what a friend of mine says every time the subject of dairy farms comes up. Drive down many roads in Canada and it's easy to see how that perception was born. Huge brand new facilities, multi-site operations with finely manicured yards and milking parlors with nicer tile most people's bathrooms, but that's hardly a snapshot of the entire industry. There are more modest operations across Canada and it's not a cheap or easy system to get into. But it does have a measure of stability that other areas of agriculture don't.( Hogs anyone? ) A big part of that is due to the Canadian quota system, which isn't without its detractors either.
There are some farmers that feel that a lack of competition is hurting us on an international and domestic level. There is a feeling that the stability we enjoy also makes us stagnant, less competitive internationally and is actually shrinking our production base. So why not just pick up and move to a semi- open market system? That's not without its problems either. Too much competition coupled with high commodity prices in a fluctuating market can make for tight margins and a loss of stability right?
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Dairy farmer and <a href="http://www.ontariofarmer.com/sitepages/" target="_self">Ontario Farmer</a> columnist Ian Cumming moved his operation from Ontario to New York State to remove himself from the Canadian quota system. We caught up with him at the March series of the <a href="http://www.tiffinconference.ca/" target="_self">Tiffin Conference</a> in Lethbridge, Alberta. We talked about where the dairy industry is, where it's going and why he moved in the first place.
If you cannot see the embedded video below <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Ry6uvV_wk">click here.</a>
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There are some farmers that feel that a lack of competition is hurting us on an international and domestic level. There is a feeling that the stability we enjoy also makes us stagnant, less competitive internationally and is actually shrinking our production base. So why not just pick up and move to a semi- open market system? That's not without its problems either. Too much competition coupled with high commodity prices in a fluctuating market can make for tight margins and a loss of stability right?
Subscribe to the [URL="http://www.realagriculture.com"]REALAGRICULTURE.COM[/URL] Email Update
Dairy farmer and <a href="http://www.ontariofarmer.com/sitepages/" target="_self">Ontario Farmer</a> columnist Ian Cumming moved his operation from Ontario to New York State to remove himself from the Canadian quota system. We caught up with him at the March series of the <a href="http://www.tiffinconference.ca/" target="_self">Tiffin Conference</a> in Lethbridge, Alberta. We talked about where the dairy industry is, where it's going and why he moved in the first place.
If you cannot see the embedded video below <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Ry6uvV_wk">click here.</a>
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