Good Article in Today's Leader Post about Why POT laying off workers.

[SASKFARMER3]

Cotton where not really subsidised is what I was trying to get across. On US side of border under subsidization the same program costs $50,000.00 under our system its close to 100,000 and they tell us there subsidising us. In reality Sask crop insurance was set up to make the government money and it still does. When the crap hit the fence in 02 and 04 they showed their first huge loss. What about the other 50 plus years with out such a loss.
Simply if the Gov really took my fert to 50% cost then its the same as INDIA AND CHINA.
But it doesn't so were sending our product and still screwing our own.

[TOM4CWB]

C.P.;

Our safety net programs are here to make sure we have plenty of cheap food... period.

5 years of premium increases from 2003 to 08... from $30K to $200K for same acreage coverage... less bu/ac than in 03. No losses at all since 2002.

This is not an insurance program. It instead is a stablisation program... just like SF3 has pointed out.

But it (P.I.)is a tax deductable expence... where self insurance is not... so it is clear... the gov. has caught us in the squeeze.

Paying tax on NISA/Stability contributions... what a scam.

[TOM4CWB]

C.P.;

"How does your logic fit with free/fair/open markets?"

NO ONE EVER PROMISED LIFE (or markets... or economies... or anything else) WOULD BE F A I R...!!!

Do you expect to take one ounce of gold... peck of $$$bills... bu of Wheat or Canola... with you when you die?

So you work and slave... to gain WHAT... for WHAT REASON?

ANSWER... to give it all away!

May as well learn how to do this now.. C.P.... get in practice!

The more we learn how to 'give' things away... honestly... the higher and greater the opportunity we will create to 'give' away even more wealth!!!

That is what prosperity is all about in the first place!!! NO HOARDING ALLOWED!!!

[parsley]

I have family in th know living there, and that's what they say. I specifically asked. Pars

[cottonpicken]

Dying to see what everyone else thinks.

[bluefargo]

Ofcourse crop insurance is subsidized! The Feds pay half the premium. The Province picks up the administative costs.
It likely works out to the producer paying about 40%

[dave4441]

Do you see anyone trying to compete privately with Crop Insurance? No. Of course it is subsidized. Might be a poor program at times, but does not mean that it is not subsidized.

[cottonpicken]

typical,illogigical,nonsencical responces.

You'll spend countless hours fighting the cwb but wont put one second of time fighting for free,fair,open global markets.

[poorboy]

Crop insurance is an expensive program to run the way it is. To employ all the paper pushers and price forcasters, as well as the people to measure bins, walk fields, etc. all come at a huge cost.

My feeling is that the farmers now actually contribute what the dollars are to equal the payouts on a long term average but do not cover any of the manpower and admistration costs. The federal and provincial gov't contribute a huge amount of money for the program.

Perhaps if a better weather network was set up, you could buy crop insurance based on a percentage of normal rainfall and growing degree days, as well as frost. It could be done be computer measurements from the weather stations and you get a payout or just contribute your money.

It possibly would be a cheaper way to provide some stability to farms than the crop insurance currently offers. Make it mandatory to belong every year, or something to that effect, in order to stop people from joining just because it looks dry going into fall.

Farmers get subsidized heavily in Canada as well as the US, but it is just done differntly in Canada, so it is not as noticeable.

For example, crop insurance, ag research sites and new crop varieties, being able to use farm fuel in your pickup truck, year end tax deductions for next years crop inputs, regulated rates on railway costs, reduced regulations for carrying herbicides/pesticides in your pickup truck (as compared to what the oil industry must comply to), and many more. Not always direct cheque in the mail type of subsidies.

[TOM4CWB]

C.P.;

Ever heard of Grain Growers of Canada... they work on my behalf... to do exactly as you have said... we lobby in Ottawa... and around the globe with organisations like Pulse Canada... Alberta Barley Commission... just in case you had not noticed! What do you think CAFTA did all these years on WTO... and the millions spent to try to get a good agreement through Fed/Prov. lobby and grower networks spending 1000's of hours on this!

And all this counts for nothing... and makes us a 'one trick pony'?