So if supply management issue will save Canada then why not?

[jazz]

The market has a way to deal with oversupply. Its called pricing.

Would you keep producing tons of wheat or canola if the price dropped in half?

It has a way to deal with undersupply as well. Should milk really be $10 a gallon? Work that out in equivalent terms to the commodities we produce.

The US system backs the cost of production mostly. Thats what we have with crop insurance mostly, but should profit be backed as well? I dont think so.

[bucket]

there is no such thing as a market when the exchanges are based in the states for pricing and every president announces billions in adhoc payments in addition to a fairly generous farm support program...

Farmers can grow 200 bpa corn and be waiting for farm support payments because the price dropped below a certain level...

Is that the market you refer to.....because that whats lowering our revenue in western canada.

And there is no market for lentils flax peas mustard ....those are spec plays

[jazz]

And there is no market for lentils flax peas ....those are spec plays

American farmers play in the big commodity markets, we are more niche players. Other than wheat and canola, the the other crops are small acres and thats a good thing. Last thing we want is the americans growing lentils. You can get a few months futures on flax still. Dont know about pulses.

[bucket]

American farmers play in the big commodity markets, we are more niche players. Other than wheat and canola, the the other crops are small acres and thats a good thing. Last thing we want is the americans growing lentils. You can get a few months futures on flax still. Dont know about pulses.

Wait till an american corn grower from Nebraska learns about growing lentils under irrigation where he can reduce his water usage and probably have the same return...

In 2016 ...3500 acres of the 10000 irrigated acres at Riverhurst were lentils....I shit you not.

[fjlip]

SM is not working, all small dairies and dairy farms are gone, swallowed by millionaires. No diff than rest of AG. Sorry. Quotas should have always been allocated, never allowed to be sold. Then a certain size could have been favored to keep dairies small and local. Big mistake!

[Jay-mo]

If SM is so great and helps keep "small" dairies profitable, why have almost all the dairies in my area disappeared in the last 10 years?
From what I hear, small dairies selling out their quota, is where the big money is at.

[Jay-mo]

SM is not working, all small dairies and dairy farms are gone, swallowed by millionaires. No diff than rest of AG. Sorry. Quotas should have always been allocated, never allowed to be sold. Then a certain size could have been favored to keep dairies small and local. Big mistake!

Good post, ya beat me to it. I think we agree.

[sawfly1]

yes it is enough,
but where do you want your milk $ to go ( don't care, maybe )
a little to Mexico in wages , a little to producers here or in the US.

and a whole lot to the dairy corporations on wall street.

because in the end it will eventually end up just like our wheat .

the consumer will end up paying the same . one way or another.
on the shelf and with tax dollars to keep farmers afloat.

just like the Weston's , make 50 cents a loaf and the farmer makes a nickel .
once the big corp.s control the milk business .
milk will be the same way .

that just seems to be where we are headed.

[jazz]

SM is not working, all small dairies and dairy farms are gone, swallowed by millionaires. No diff than rest of AG. Sorry. Quotas should have always been allocated, never allowed to be sold. Then a certain size could have been favored to keep dairies small and local. Big mistake!

The quaint notions of agriculture in Western Canada were shattered 30yrs ago

We were give 4 choices;

1. Cut costs
2. Get big
3. Diversify
4. Get out

Some people tried all 4...remember those poor SOBs who got into elk and emus?

But govt support was never on the table. Our ad hoc programs are reviewed every few yrs but they fail every time. A conscious decision was made to let western ag fend for itself. And here we are.

The only major positive for western ag is when they bred a GM weed we could sell.

[bucket]

Government policy drove the industry to get bigger and so called more efficient and yet consumer prices continued to rise....

Usually with efficiency comes lower prices like Walmart or sending plans to manufacture in China to reduce costs (and quality)...

It seems when you don't support smaller farmers eventually you end up supporting large corporate enterprises to the tune of many more dollars because these larger corporations have the politicians in the pocket...and can scare them with layoffs and economics....because most politicians are stupid...like Yerry...

[jazz]

We are going to see the limits of govt support in the coming yrs. Ag has already had its disruption. There are dozens of industries next in line including white collar jobs. If estimates are right, unless you are actively training to be a coder or a robotics expert, you will be unemployable.

[the big wheel]

We are going to see the limits of govt support in the coming yrs. Ag has already had its disruption. There are dozens of industries next in line including white collar jobs. If estimates are right, unless you are actively training to be a coder or a robotics expert, you will be unemployable.

Only because us farmers and rural people give our votes away for free