Today's Farmer

[TOM4CWB]

Kernel,

I have found that in a normal year I can insure my price for about half the cost the GRIP program when it operated.

What many forget is that insurance does cost money, and the GRIP insured values were declineing just like crop insurance coverages are.

This is why the "floating averages" being used were making the program useless. I am really happy we did escape this program as farmers were again trying to farm the program instead of farming for what the market wants us to produce?

The better the signal, and the faster that marketing signal can change, then this signal allows my farm to react and grow what is needed, and isn't that where we should be want to be headed?

[cowman]

TOM: You're comparing apples to oranges. You can't compare our country with the third world. I don't think we're there quite yet! Compare us to western Europe and the U.S. and it's a whole new ball game! Then how does our system stack up?

[ianben]

I believe there are two sides in both your crop insurance and our subsidies.

The farmer and the public.

Governments insure a cheap food supply by useing taxpayers money to keep us struggling on. A bonus is the poor pay less for food than the rich.

Like all insurance if you don't see a risk why pay the premium.

This is where I think most governments are at today.
Food is plentyful and cheap so why pay insurance.

Canada's smaller population means it can never subsidize like the US or EU
But lower land prices etc balance out a bit. I think costs/tonne are very similar.

We don't need to compere with other countries. We need to compare with our fellow countrymen. We must have a similar standard of living or it just is not sustainable.
Over here we are slipping behind fast it can't go on for ever.
Higher government premiums; higher food prices,or very few farmers

I saw a stat which stated average Canadian pays his food bill by 7Feb and the farmers part by 8Jan dont know UK equivilant but looks like your standard of living beats ours.

Would they notice if it took them 2days longer and increased you incomes by 20%.

Rgards Ian

[TOM4CWB]

Ian,

I agree with your statements, and believe a switch is occuring when we will be paid to be stewarts of the land rather than producers of food.

This of course means that they (the governments) will tell us what and how to do this if they are paying us.

We become serfs, have no ownership rights, other than to be farmers.

It is hard to convince my sons to become involved in the future farm, when the spirit of our industry is clearly giving these signals.

Change is hard.

Life is not fair, but no-one promised it would be.

Are we willing to pay the Price to our freedoms these changes require?