Ag Stability Formula

[bucket]

I'll tell you to get involved!



You ever been to the farm org meetings? I've only been to the AGMs at Farmtech, not enough time to attend other meetings/events so I can't say I understand how it all works - but at the AGM the average joes are given a chance to stand up at the mic and express their concerns and make resolutions. Go to their next one and make a resolution to add government lobbying to their mandate. Whether they follow through or not is a different story but better than endless discussion on agriville.

Good idea....the resolution for refundable checkoff has been made and passed....the board chose not to accept that resolution....so you have to wonder what's the point. ...make the motion again ....

[bucket]

Do yourself a favour, call the president of every farm association you pay levy to and ask what is on their list of demands.
Provincial and National.

You may be amazed at how little lobbying you are buying for your contribution.

My opinion are just in time issues, are beyond agronomy at this time.

Restoring the old formula would restore credibility to the ag. stability program.

Not many of them are willing to explain what they are doing or what the return back to the farm gate is on their work....they will gladly tell you to call someone else because they national group doesn't report to producers....they report to the provincial organizations....same people on the boards....so in a circle you go...

[grassfarmer]

I'll tell you to get involved!

You ever been to the farm org meetings? I've only been to the AGMs at Farmtech, not enough time to attend other meetings/events so I can't say I understand how it all works - but at the AGM the average joes are given a chance to stand up at the mic and express their concerns and make resolutions. Go to their next one and make a resolution to add government lobbying to their mandate.......

Wow, I'm astounded at the lack of experience the posters on here have of farm politics - therein maybe lies the reason we are poorly represented. The typical commodity organization AGM is certainly not set up to give the "average Joe" an open mike. I went for years to Alberta Beef Producer regional meetings and Manitoba ones follow a similar pattern. They give a sugar coated version of how well everything is going in the sector, how hard their organization is working and spend most of the night on trivia telling you about this project or that. Time for resolutions is limited and pushed as late as possible (on one occasion we didn't start on resolutions until 11pm as they knew there were some uncomfortable ones coming.) For years after BSE we had to sit and listen to how lucky we were that cattle prices were as "high" as they were, the packers were "our" friends and partners and how under no circumstances should producers get involved in building their own packing plants. These clowns do the dirty work of "industry" - they are the mouth pieces of Government and the processors - their job is to placate any peasant revolt and keep us just producing with our noses to the grindstone. Any "out of favour" questions asked from the floor get a politicians answer and they quickly move onto the next. Meetings are deliberately set up to not be open mike events as we would ask all kind of really searching questions. (Remember your experience at the seed tax meeting bucket - you realize now why it was difficult to make headway due to the format?) Time and again we passed meaningful resolutions at the regional meetings only for them to disappear at "resolution committee" prior to a provincial AGM. If they were presented at the AGM our regional delegates would vote against them despite them being the will of their "constituents" - how's that for democracy?

As for adding lobbying Government to their mandate - has anyone ever been to an AGM where there was at least one resolution moved that didn't involve lobbying Government? I'll tell you why it's in vain though - years ago the parliamentary standing committee would hold meetings around the country with farmers to gain insight into an issue they were dealing with. That was discontinued in favour of the committee members staying in Ottawa and having corporate lobbyists visit their offices instead.

It's rather telling that my post indicating the make up of the Ag Standing Committee received neither a "like" or a comment. Where is the outrage? The lack of comment there tells me what I already know, nothing is going to change as farmers don't care enough to do anything about it. It just won't progress beyond voting blue and blaming the Liberals/NDP for your problems.

[bucket]

Grassfarmer

I named some conservatives on the committee. ..I had looked it up
..
But your one comment is telling and true ....people from farm groups say we have a unfriendly to agriculture liberal government

And yet they never go back to where it started under a conservative government ....cause and effect. ...

[LWeber]

yes, they are. farm groups across Canada are nearly united in their request to have the margins moved back to 85%. In some form or another they are participating in the AgGrowth Coalition that has formed to move this forward at the federal level.

Ward Toma
GM, Alberta Canola

So Ward...Tell me that the:

Alberta Barley Commission
Alberta Wheat Commission
Canadian Cattleman association are united on this?

The same fu c ki ng morons who nominated Ritz to the HOF after he decimated the safety nets?

Cheerleaders with no brains..
They're everywhere...

[bucket]

yes, they are. farm groups across Canada are nearly united in their request to have the margins moved back to 85%. In some form or another they are participating in the AgGrowth Coalition that has formed to move this forward at the federal level.

Ward Toma
GM, Alberta Canola

Ag growth coalition.....another group with the same people with empty resumes....pigs finding another trough...

[westernvicki]

Good idea....the resolution for refundable checkoff has been made and passed....the board chose not to accept that resolution....so you have to wonder what's the point. ...make the motion again ....

Yes, make the motion again.

There is significant income loss on the prairies on a wide array of farms due to this harvest.

But what concerns me most is this:
we have precarious demographics where the youngest are the largest and it may be safe to say carrying a significant load in terms of land base and debt. The original formula was much better than the one we have now.

We should be organized enough to agree on this and at the very least ask.

FFS

[bucket]

I notice the discontent growing against our farm group leadership....and then they either change names or add another so called lobby group with the same incompetent group....

Follow the money....follow the names.....

People with vision leave these groups because no one wants to take on a difficult task. ...they just want their per diem or another add on to the resume....after they mention they are a 4th generation farmer.....like that gives them the qualification to be there. ...

A paper cutout with conservative written on it would be an equal to the current set of MPs. ...based on their contribution to the present mess we are in...

The farm program works when you can get a reformulated margin based on growth....which highlights the the policy the incompetents put in place prior to 2015.....