Western Seperation not run by dummies

[Rareearth]

The shortest growing season, we live with it every year, the lack of cropping options and “excessive equipment and labour” makes a lot of sense, compared to other growing regions. It’s a bigger disadvantage than most would believe, plus the cost per unit produced. We better grow good stuff at premiums.

It will be interesting as Fed government sucks the life out of agriculture through taxation and lack of infrastructure development.
- What crops we can’t afford to grow anymore
- how fast, and how big Farms grow trying to generate cash flow
- export infrastructure, special crops, organic, protein extraction, alfalfa, honey, concrete terminals, port loading, cattle
- will the only opportunity be to sell domestic and USA, ? Only because we are close and nice and if Trump doesn’t put tariff on imports?


I’m not all doom and gloom. Just good to know the opportunities and risks.

[westernvicki]

Equal?

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The formula was fixed from day one to exclude benefits from Quebec Hydro. As for avoidance of tax with the underground economy this has never been an issue, because no one in Federal politics would risk challenging this, however having this as part of the formula may indeed assist in leveling the playing field.

Canadians' outside of Quebec should at the very least come to understand the basis of formula. As the basis of wealth redistribution this national policies has had critics for years, including BRAD WALL Has calculations been made with what is believed to be a biased formula? Will the formula survive a modern day FAIRNESS TEST?
Indeed currently the transfer of wealth from provinces in a deficit position in itself should trigger a review! And, if JT II government is truly committed to fairness, the a review of this formula, the valuation of energy on an equal basis & take into account the practice & the value of the underground economy on net income per capita should indeed be the next step in the "Fairness" Agenda.

As for separation my guess is there will be strong minds thinking about the fairness of the Federation and the lack of Checks and balances now with the soft Senate in place, as we well should. The west has contributed much to the prosperity of Canada, and indeed if nothing else, the equalization formula must change.

[westernvicki]

http://nationalpost.com/opinion/peter-holle-artificially-cheap-hydro-power-your-equalization-dollars-at-work

[Klause]

The shortest growing season, we live with it every year, the lack of cropping options and “excessive equipment and labour” makes a lot of sense, compared to other growing regions. It’s a bigger disadvantage than most would believe, plus the cost per unit produced. We better grow good stuff at premiums.

It will be interesting as Fed government sucks the life out of agriculture through taxation and lack of infrastructure development.
- What crops we can’t afford to grow anymore
- how fast, and how big Farms grow trying to generate cash flow
- export infrastructure, special crops, organic, protein extraction, alfalfa, honey, concrete terminals, port loading, cattle
- will the only opportunity be to sell domestic and USA, ? Only because we are close and nice and if Trump doesn’t put tariff on imports?


I’m not all doom and gloom. Just good to know the opportunities and risks.

We're looking at indoor production of organic vegetables. Huge local market and we have a really big advantage over California... Freight.

As for broadacre crops...

I'm not sure. Kazakhstan and the FSU are producing lentils now thanks to us exporting whole seed to them...

They will cut that market. We used to produce premium wheat but this year there's no protein so I'm not sure that's a way to go. Soybeans corn the world is awash in and other than MB we can't grow them well enough to compete.

Canola was the darling crop but it's an oilseed influenced by the veg oil market.

Pulses are still going to be our best bet I think. Perhaps through more innovation and stopping the export of new variteties whole.

Maybe Gerrid could chime in... Where is the SPGA on this issue? I know you had Dr. Grey research it...

[foragefarmer]

Klaus

"So according to you everything is perfect here... That's great!"


No Canada is not prefect never said it was, but I'm not the one say "Uruguay is looking good'" or we should join the USA.

I guess I value where I live a lot more than you do!!!

[westernvicki]

AS for the tread on agriculture and competition from FSU its' real:
Red lentils from Kazakhstan, limited albeit, CAD equivalent 17 cents.
Green lentils from Russian, albeit limited: CAD equivalent 29 cents.

Same for peas, & flax, wheat is a given.

Canada should have done a competitive analysis review on production costs and systems several years ago like AUSTRALIA has done in order to understand our strengths and weakness', production & supply chain costs and deficiencies, the data used to formulate national policy from taxation to innovation. I promoted the idea at PULSE INDUSTRY ROUND TABLE but the idea did not take hold, to the best of my knowledge to date it has not been completed.

[Klause]

AS for the tread on agriculture and competition from FSU its' real:
Red lentils from Kazakhstan, limited albeit, CAD equivalent 17 cents.
Green lentils from Russian, albeit limited: CAD equivalent 29 cents.

Same for peas, & flax, wheat is a given.

Canada should have done a competitive analysis review on production costs and systems several years ago like AUSTRALIA has done in order to understand our strengths and weakness', production & supply chain costs and deficiencies, the data used to formulate national policy from taxation to innovation. I promoted the idea at PULSE INDUSTRY ROUND TABLE but the idea did not take hold, to the best of my knowledge to date it has not been completed.

Same thing down south. Argentina has surpassed Canada in chickpea production... And they are growing more and more lentils in their winter season.

This is an excerpt from. A Spanish report... Year over year growth some years in excess of 100% some years hitting 200%.

The production of a series of winter crops in Argentina has exhibited an explosive dynamic in
the past years as a result of the strong public intervention in the wheat market favoring
operations in less intervened markets and the need of diversifying the agricultural product
mix. One of these crops is the chickpea, a legume that in few years has shown rapid growth in
all of its indicators.
The rapid chickpea production growth brings about concerns to the actors of the production
chain about whether or not these growth rates are sustainable. The concern is not centered in
supply-side restrictions as Argentina has a large endowment of land, technologies and human
capital. In contrast, the concern is related to demand-side limitations. Will the chickpea world
market continue to absorb higher quantities without causing an important drop in the
international price? ¿Which is the limit of the Argentine chickpea exports, and therefore
production, given that the world chickpea market is considerably smaller than the rest of the
traditional crops’ markets?
This document presents the mentioned issues through the analysis of: i) the Argentine
chickpea exports success, ii) the chickpea world market and their main protagonists involved;
iii) the chickpea international price recent evolution. The export boom in the past years
Argentina has emerged as a main chickpea exporter in few years. In 2012, SENASA (the
Argentine National Service of Food Health and Quality) recorded chickpea exports for 86.2
thousand tons. The growth average rate in the last seven years records 63%.
In the first two months of 2013, Argentina exported 18.3 thousand tons of chickpea, a smaller
amount when compared to the same period of 2012 (28.5 thousand tons).
The export historic record accomplished in 2012 reveals, at the least, the following two
circumstances:
a) A high chickpea production level for the 2011/2012 cycle that was only possible thanks
to the larger allocation of lands to this crop. According to the Argentine Ministry of
Agriculture (MINAGRI), in the 2011/2012 campaign, 73.5 thousand hectares were
destined to chickpea harvest with a production of 106.2 thousand tons.
b) The high competitiveness of the Argentine chickpea allowed the placement of growing
quantities in the international market despite the relative small size of the world
chickpea market, as it will be discussed in the next section.
In terms of the sown land in the 2011/2012 cycle, the Bolsa de Cereales (Grain Exchange
Market) of Cordoba estimates that only in the province of Cordoba the chickpea sown land
reached 21.4 thousand hectares with a production of 44.7 thousand tons.

[grassfarmer]

Problem is it would be run by dummies - for dummies because separation and fragmentation of first world countries in this day and age is just dumb. Same story in Scotland. "In unity is strength" - better stay together and work to make it better every time.

[Daylate]

I'd say a form of seperation or a move to more independence is not impossible. Left leaning had the world convinced Trump would not be president. The silent majority here could be ready for this move.

[ajl]

Western Separation is imperative. Look at your kids and tell them that one day they get to pay off Ontario's debt. The day is coming that Ontario goes broke and will be going cap in hand to Ottawa. That is the end day of Canuckistan. Western Canada's debt level is still manageable assuming Notely leaves soon. There is hope mayor spendsharia gets shown the door in Calgary and that means that there are still enough voters here to sober up and make wise choices.