PAST DUE time to tell the truth about the farm family crisis!!!

[riders2010]

I don't know the details of what caused the horrible situation to occur with cotton,
nor is it my business. But I can tell you in our area there have been 3 tragic cases in the last 2 years and those cases were caused of financial ruin. Not to mention the amount of broken families and families living at or near poverty. Last years drought and and now the flood which is being ignored by governments of all levels has taken its final level for many.

I m calling on all the people with a voice that speak publicly and have livelihoods because of the agriculture industry to start telling the truth about what is happening.

We re being ripped off by basis, freight, dockage. grades and finally crop insurance and agristability are just not working while the same time our ag ministers and leaders are not only ignoring but lieing about them working.

Our own premier went hand and knees crawling for extended benefits for oil workers. Where are you crawling now mr premier? Your minister told everyone the programs are working well I and anyone in our area can tell you who are they working for? Certainly not farm families.
Or did you maybe mean the Bay Street farms you know the ones touted by FCC and the banks as the smart farmers that lasted what 2 seasons? But yes they were smart somehow they recieved loans in the millions obviously without a fraction of the security that all of us farm families have to have not to mention took out millions to the managers of these farms for managerial wages and how is that hasn't been criminally investigated? Yet at the same time the agristability cheques are a negative amount to honest farm families? The crop insurance 10 year average joke!!! Are the oil workers including years they never worked and had zero income in their payout averages??

So I m calling on all those that have a voice to the public to at least bring out the realities that farm families are facing this fall. Larry Webber, Earl etc etc ndp and conservative opposition where are you????
Very nice thing you did Larry in organizing the funding thing I ve contributed what I could, but how about doing your part to help avoid this in the first place?

That family with those kids will live with this the rest of their lives long after all of us let it slip away from our thoughts. it's heartbreaking to see.

[farmaholic]

Grain farming is a tough gig. Suppliers of goods and services each trying to take as much as possible all while at the same time the buyers of your product using every thing at their disposal to try to pay you as little as possible. And the Queen, Mother Nature, making the ever changing rules on production.

I've sarcastically said it isn't for the faint of heart or anyone who knows better.

Insane risk.

There are afew guys here who have "risked their financial well being along with their mental and physical health for their insatiable ego". It is hard to feel sorry for those but then there is all the rest who took calculated risk and are in the same boat. Farming takes no hostages, anyone can be Mother Nature's victim.

Who in their right mind would do this? I can't imagine what some people are up against. I myself have been lucky. I don't expect help under my circumstances but farm programs that have been gutted won't help anyone. Do the guys I described above who bit off more than they can chew deserve the same level of help as the guy who took reasonable calculated risk? Yes, at some point there has to be personal accountability.

[bucket]

Farmaholic and riders

Well written but I can tell you that our MPs MLAs and our farm groups are so out of touch it doesn't matter to them.

Lyle Stewart won't extend ad hoc loans. He would rather see the 139 land Corp come in and buy up a few guys. He's been told to do so.

David Anderson is more worried about a chief of staff that will be tied up in court than his constituents.

The farm groups are sleeping. They should be on the ag ministers doorstep every day...there isn't much else going on in ag.

Phone your MLA MP and find out how stupid they are and their staff that is no brighter than a 2 watt lightbulb.

Solutions.

1. Grain companies could be offered an incentive to dry grain.
Some grain cos that have no dryer can't justify the expense yet farmers in the area are expected to buy dryers individually.

2. Throw agristability out....it's garbage.

3. Politicians should actually talk and drive thru the country to see how bad it is.

[sumdumguy]

I am wondering, is Western Wheat Growers still around?

[bucket]

And the sad thing about cottons event is that a cycle like this has happened before.

But it's not talked about.

[Eeyore]

I left crop out last year so cash was very tight and I never met the dec.31 agristability deadline so I asked for more time to pay the premiums the first week in january so I could participate in the 2015 program,I was declined. really???? for a program that is famous for being so far behind gets hung up on a few days.
Since crop was left out scic couldn't finish my claim until spring and this also meant I didn't have enough production to cover my spring advance so this put me in default and ineligible for a new advance this spring.
There is so many things depending on cash flow nowadays when the programs that are supposed to help through the tough times don't work the house of cards falls very quickly.
Now I'm behind on payments to the company store and they feel the thing to do is put the screws to me a little more and insist on 24% interest .
I have 80% crop insurance because i need the coverage to cover my bills, so this means I am more sensitive to weather related production problems thus triggering more claims so after the last 10 years of wet my premiums are out of control and I can't stop crop insurance because I need the coverage.
No big rent paid here, $50/acre is the most, never chased the crazy land prices other than borrowing against what I already had to keep going.
Just a farm family that wants to make a living and eek out a decent way of life as to keep the next generation interested in continuing to farm, if they don't see any positives to what I'm doing they are smart enough to know its not the life for them and will exit the industry,
Don't feel alone out there guys,

has anyone heard from free wheat?

[bucket]

Deadlines drive me nuts.....


agriinvest.....agristability etc and they can take as long as they want to finish up.


Ag has changed....crop insurance should be applied for after you have it seeded.....not before you know what can go in the ground on March 31. Does anyone buy house insurance before signing the mortgage documents. ?

[wmoebis]

Farming/ranching is like an addiction Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. With a few changes in habits (switch to beer only, try cocaine) Maybe a 12 step like program is needed for those who need/want to change.

[bucket]

6500 views on that thread about cotton.


Sort of tells you how silent the issue is....

[hobbyfrmr]

has anyone heard from free wheat?[/QUOTE]

I was thinking the same thing about a week ago.
My guess is he is hunting. He may not get the best crop but he is going to have food for the winter!

[Guest]

I was wondering the same , how's it going free?

[AllisWD45]

Drove thru Freewheats area on Wednesday hauling cattle. New route for me sick and tired of DOT's pulling me over at 9 and 49 junction with a new truck and trailer and wasting my time and theirs going over rig with a fine tooth comb.
Anyway things look a lot wetter and a lot of crop out compared to some other areas that may have a chance of harvest yet. Will be nice fat wild game everywhere this winter. Fill your freezers especially with my favorite rats of the bush moose

[bucket]

Meanwhile as grain farmers have billions in the field the dairy industry will wait for a payout due to the signing of ceta.


Crazy ....those guys can milk everyday and are on an cpi indexed pricing mechanism.

[chuckChuck]

Good Post Riders2010. The reality of the crisis hits hard when you see what has happened to Cotton and his family. The stress of farming and financial problems takes a heavy toll on some individuals and families. The reality is the farm safety nets are inadequate.

In my total farming career we have seen endless changes to farm programs depending on the government of the day. It is hard to make good decisions when you have the unpredictability of markets, weather, and government programs.

Agriculture needs some good safety nets. Unfortunately the current nets are not targeted well enough to those who need it most. We have tremendous support for supply managed dairy and poultry in Canada. Other sectors not so much support.

The question that needs to be asked is what are the policy objectives of the farm programs? Are they to be targeted to keep more smaller and medium sized farms in business or are they going to favour very large and specialized producers who already have a lot of advantages? I don't think most farmers or taxpayers want the biggest most successful farms to get the majority of the support, which is what often happens when subsidies and safety nets are handed out.

Without caps on payouts and support programs, are taxpayers funding the continued increase in farm size by giving those who don't need it, more support to allow big farms to get endlessly bigger? Or do we want to help keep smaller farms in business and support the health of our rural communities? These are some of the questions that need to be considered.

I want to remind many posters on Agriville that many of your posts are filled with anger and hate towards other points of views, politicians you don't like, other races and religions and ethnic groups. I find it upsetting that often there is little sympathy for "others" who don't agree with your world view.

Suicide is tragedy no mater where it happens whether it be on a farm or in a northern first nation community. Kids who grow up on reserves where there is tremendous poverty and despair came into a world they did not make. Farmers and families who get caught up in bad weather, bad markets and bad luck came into a situation that was not of their making. They all deserve our sympathy,understanding and respect.

It easy to blame someone for their own misfortune. It is easy to criticize someone because you don't like them or their political views. It is easy to make generalizations that are not true. Wherever possible be fair and understanding. Try to debate the issue and don't make the person the issue. Don't hurl personal insults. When you do, you are only showing disrespect for the target and yourself.

I know that as we are mostly anonymous on Agriville we often say things we wouldn't likely say in public or in our communities. But keep in mind that we still need to be fair and respectful on Agriville.

If you don't have any thing constructive to add to the issue then don't say anything. If all you have is vile contempt and insults then shut the f**k up and don't bother posting. Nobody deserves it especially when you don't know the person or their state of mental health.

[tmyrfield]

Most people in the cities and more importantly poliicians and beuorecrats look at farmers and see very wealthy people. I'm not saying this is the right attitude its just reality. This view is bolstered by stats can ag survey asking for values in all farm assets but not a single question on debt levels. This is on purpose so that beuorecrats can tell the political bosses that every thing is just fine down on the farm. In fact they feel that they can take more because fairness or something. The investments that farmers make to become more efficient just reinforce the idea that they have immense wealth. Media Stories of multi million dollar farm sales, record auction sales, 30000 and bigger acre farmers all add to the narrative. Farmers make up a very small part of society and are losing their voice daily. We argue amongst ourselves about policy meanwhile the pols sit back and let us shoot ourselves in the foot. I don't have a solution. And certainly groups like the nfu and wheat growers try to get the message out but it is so garbled by the time the media filters it the message has no meaning for most who themselves are struggling.
3 more years of Justin will certainly mean loss of capital gains exemption higher taxes for fuel and fert and equipment, more regulations and higher scrutiny on every single line item in your tax return. This is needed to fund liberal pet projects.
This farm will hunker down, cut spending to the bone use every legal means possible to minimize taxes. I apologize to the people in the service sector but no more meals out. No new vehicles. No equipment purchases. Buying bearings and filters from Napa instead of John deere. No prepaying of any of next year's inputs. No new loans for anything. I will let my neighbors take advantage of any and all upcoming opportunities lol. Knock yourself out.

PS
If we get 3 weeks of nice weather i reserve the right to completely change my opinion.