Saskfarmer3

[WiltonRanch]

Every farming areas has its pitfalls and advantages. All I know is my family has farmed here since 1905 through far worse circumstances than we experience today. One mistake or an early frost and no food for the family. Grappa told me about these poor buggers from the dry south trying to settle in the bush north of where their place was. Straight bush and rock. Out of all who ventured forth not one made it. Today it’s bush pasture. Guys lived on partridge and rabbit and selling a little wood. People went crazy. Suicides were common. One old boy walked out in the bush and cut his own throat with a razor.

[GDR]

Alberta, with all due respect farming in canada is the hardest place in the world.

Here is why;

1. You need thousands of acres of land to make it now.
2. Ag was nationalized before you were born. Its been used for cheap food policy, trade negotiations, to support Britain in WW1&2, so save both china and russia from famine in the 70s, etc etc.
3. Winter, look at a globe. The entire southern hemisphere doesnt get snow. Europe is moderated by the ocean. The southern US gets mild or no winters.
4. There is no ag region in the world that is 2000 miles from tidewater with half that distance being mountainous terrain.
5. Weather - we continually have several weather systems fighting themselves over our heads, on top of that we have el nino/nina adding to the mix. Do you know there are places in the world that get no wind and their conditions are the same day in day out?
6. We may not have armed rebels but we have a govt that is usually hostile or ambivalent about this industry.

Human nature makes us feel we are worse off than the next guy. Not usually true. Here is my counter arguments.

1. There are lots of ways to be successful at farming without thousands of acres, livestock, market gardens, specialty crops, organic, farmgate sales etc. But if you want to only do the gravy jobs of siting in air conditioned cab with brand new machinery and not get your hands dirty yep you gotta farm thousands of acres of small margins cause most other farmers only want to do that too.

2. The government does not own my farm nor do they take away my production.

3. Winter does present challenges but it provides a seasonal break in an otherwise hectic occupation. Also helps control the life cycles on bugs, weeds, disease etc. The spectrum of pests we have is pretty small compared to most warmer regions.

4. Proximity to tide water is a challenge but amazingly with all the complaints we have of our rail system freight rates are actually pretty cheap, doesn't cost much more to get product from prairies to coast than from farm to elevator.

5. Weather is an issue everywhere just different. Ours is at least somewhat predictable. Remember the Alberta saying is you dont like the weathet just wait 5 minutes. If you know a place on the world with no wind and perfect weather let me know I'm in.

6. The government is not hostile to farmers, but unchecked they can certainly make our lives and industry more difficult to prosper. Any problems from government in Canada is more of a problem with democracy in General, on paper sounds great but in reality it is lacking.

IF it's that bad to farm here how come it's so hard to buy or rent land?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

GDR, you took the words right out of my mouth(keyboard).

SF3, somehow, both of us, although farming in the hardest place in the world managed to escape to Hawaii for vacation, and I don't begrudge anyone for doing so. What I noticed while there was a lot of other Canadian farmers, and US farmers, and retired farmers from the same places. What I didn't see was any farmers from Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Congo, Bolivia, Syria or any of the other Gardens of Eden (when compared to western Canada) vacationing in Hawaii. Not sure why that would be, perhaps they are staying at more upscale places compared to what we could afford, coming from such a disadvantage?

[mustardman]

Saskfarmers Problems are what's known as "First World Problems"
Crying that your ice cream is too cold , bout the same

[SASKFARMER3]

Again boys the chance of getting a crop in canada and a great payday is tough. Sad very few farmers from any where in the world win at the game all have same problem.

Ever see a home of our supplier in any of these places.

Yea third world problems.

[farmaholic]

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cycp-cpcj/bull-inti/index-eng.htm CLICK HERE FOR HELP SF3

[sumdumguy]

Farmaholic, I went there too.

[farmaholic]

Geez....I was joking, didn't intend to make a thread killing post.

SF3 craves and thrives on criticism! It gives him a higher high than OxyContin... makes him euphoric, 10 feet tall and bullet proof, but not weather proof! ....quit feeding the beast!

[grassfarmer]

Geez....I was joking, didn't intend to make a thread killing post.

SF3 craves and thrives on criticism! It gives him a higher high than OxyContin... makes him euphoric, 10 feet tall and bullet proof, but not weather proof! ....quit feeding the beast!

An uncharacteristic spelling mistake from you there farma - it's spelt a-t-t-e-n-t-i-o-n not c-r-i-t-i-c-i-s-m.

[farmaholic]

Nothing like some sarcastic goading to stimulate the discussion....