My vote is for sale

[Sheepwheat]

Big Wheel, thank you for calming down some. A couple things though. I am not being forced from grain farming, I will always grow some grain as long as I live. I have CHOSEN to change how I farm because I do not see much of a future for myself or my family in commodity farming. Hard to grow acres in this area for sure. We are all at a different place on our journey in farming, and I have accepted that.

Sheep may be the answer for some, goats others, garlic, value adding and selling kamut flour, honey, cabbages, fibres, free range turkeys, you name it, there are just tremendous PILES of things that consumers are craving. And then you can name the price on these things. If you market it well, that is the point, you name your price. Far less need of acres and iron and headaches trying to follow markets up and down. The harder I market, the more ideas come up. Learning what consumers WANT us to grow is eye opening. Like it or not, consumers are always right.

But there are other answers for other people. So many answers. Just saying we do not all have to resign ourselves as price takers, we can grow things that we IMPORT, or of high value, and set our own prices. It is empowering, and I really wish more folks would try different models of farming, because it is freeing and rewarding. Rather than complain about the middle man, BE THE MIDDLE MAN!!

I regret not seeing this until recently, I sure would have done things differently and would have saved a lot of the stresses that raw commodity farming forces on farmers.


Again, I apologize for how I could be perceived at times. I forget sometimes that many folks are not on the same page in thought processes.

[hobbyfrmr]

[QUOTE=Sheepwheat;423543]Big Wheel, thank you for calming down some. A couple things though. I am not being forced from grain farming, I will always grow some grain as long as I live. I have CHOSEN to change how I farm because I do not see much of a future for myself or my family in commodity farming. Hard to grow acres in this area for sure. We are all at a different place on our journey in farming, and I have accepted that.

Sheep may be the answer for some, goats others, garlic, value adding and selling kamut flour, honey, cabbages, fibres, free range turkeys, you name it, there are just tremendous PILES of things that consumers are craving. And then you can name the price on these things. If you market it well, that is the point, you name your price. Far less need of acres and iron and headaches trying to follow markets up and down. The harder I market, the more ideas come up. Learning what consumers WANT us to grow is eye opening. Like it or not, consumers are always right.

But there are other answers for other people. So many answers. Just saying we do not all have to resign ourselves as price takers, we can grow things that we IMPORT, or of high value, and set our own prices. It is empowering, and I really wish more folks would try different models of farming, because it is freeing and rewarding. Rather than complain about the middle man, BE THE MIDDLE MAN!!

I regret not seeing this until recently, I sure would have done things differently and would have saved a lot of the stresses that raw commodity farming forces on farmers.


Again, I apologize for how I could be perceived at times. I forget sometimes that many folks are not on the same page in thought processes.[/



When you change business models in an industry that has done things very similar, expect to get some flak. Every community needs a Pariah to talk about.

The zero till innovators were doubted. I remember 25 years ago older hutterites at the elevator saying “no till, no crop”.

There are different ways to make a living farming. Choose your model, make your plans and cut expectations in half. When I look back to when I started farming, there was absolutely no way I imagined I would be doing what I do now. Its about a 6 beer story.

Its a free country, we all have the right to fail......or succeed, it depends on your plans and decisions. I think most AV’ers have farmed long enough to know that the market doesn’t have to “pay” f’ all. The market will remain illogical longer than some of us can stay liquid.


“ I dont’t like it, but I guess things happen that way.” - Johnny Cash

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Can someone explain to me how subsidising the production of a product which is already over supplied will solve the initial problem of supply exceeding demand? This solutions seems to get brought up every time someone doesn't like the price of something, and often is supported by people who claim themselves to be capitalists( I don't think Cuban Assassin fits into that category though).

So if I'm losing $1 per bushel growing canola, then the market is telling me it wants less canola, and the government pays me $1.50 so I'm back into profit, will I grow more or less of it next year? And by ignoring the market signals, will it prolong the agony of getting supply and demand back into balance, or solve it right away?

[bucket]

Can someone explain to me how subsidising the production of a product which is already over supplied will solve the initial problem of supply exceeding demand? This solutions seems to get brought up every time someone doesn't like the price of something, and often is supported by people who claim themselves to be capitalists( I don't think Cuban Assassin fits into that category though).

So if I'm losing $1 per bushel growing canola, then the market is telling me it wants less canola, and the government pays me $1.50 so I'm back into profit, will I grow more or less of it next year? And by ignoring the market signals, will it prolong the agony of getting supply and demand back into balance, or solve it right away?

Think of it this way....GM was being told to quit producing cars and trucks but the governments of North America supported the auto sector....

There is a big need for protein isolates with fake meat but the only way those plants get built is with government subsidies.....

You could say the same thing about airline jets that Bombardier was making until they sold that division to airbus and the taxpayers were not repaid for...

If you want to go it alone and quit producing....like they say in the states ...you go first....

But the additional funding for producers in the states is a reflection of the governments to achieve other goals with respect to China........


You want to go up against the US treasury while getting priced from that payment impacted market....go ahead...

But the canadian government hasn't been on our side in any trade negotiations nor has our farmer representative groups....

Agriculture supports a shitload of people in this country .... you can't ignore that...nor should any politician.