Alberta Ag decimated

[Blaithin]

The government sites (and universities) are some of the only places doing research and trials that AREN'T run by the companies pushing the products being studied. Even if somebody feels research isn’t highly necessary, being left with mainly research and trials run by the companies on their own products is hardly something I like the looks of.

Also you look at locations like Lethbridge and Breton plots and trials they've been running for decades. Tweeking plants and breedings.... that’s a lot of work wiped out with the strike of a pen when places like those are told they’re done or they have to move. It will take a long time to build back up to where they’re at.

At least there are private ranches and farms that assisted in many of these trials that hopefully won’t just go out and plough in or start using controls just because the division they’ve been working with is gone.

[farmaholic]

There's alot of Industry people not earning their wages, those are the ones I'm talking about.
It's the ones that add no value that can and should be trimmed. Just because people collect a paycheck doesn't mean they've "earned" it.

[ajl]

I worked for Gov't at one time. I paid into Gov't employee pension. I would like to see a take home pay stub comparison from a gov't employee making the exact same wage as a private employee. And then again when they turn 65 on both CPP and private/gov't pensions. Just for interest sake.

Today a private sector worker at the same pay grade works longer, has more responsibility and takes on more risk than their public sector counterpart. 30 to 50 years ago the spread was not that much and the public sector provided some useful services. Today they are pretty much all grifters working on non sense projects like climate change and renewable energy. What has an AB ag department worker done for me lately?

[walterm]

Didn't Ritz down size and destroy work and results a bunch of fed research offices and down load that work onto provincial research branches? Are some of these those branches.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

All of these people do good and valuable work. That is my opinion. However , when their paycheck enables them to get a good pension at 25 years , when the rest of us have to put in 35-40-50 years I have a problem with that.

Strictly my opinion , and I don't like seeing research cut, regardless of the province.

I met a couple of my former teachers( a married couple) last summer. They were proud of the fact that they have both now been retired for longer than they worked.

Teachers like to complain about how much a rig worker makes compared to a teacher with 4 years of education. But in almost every case that I know, the rig worker (for example) ends up working hard physical labor until he is so old that he is physically unable to, then retires in poverty. Over a life time, I would take the teachers ( or other civil servant) wage and benefit package every time.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I actually used and appreciated the services of the specialists at AB Ag.
I don't have an older generation to ask questions of.
I'm learning grain farming by trial and error in an area where most of my neighbors are small cow calf operations, so not able to watch or learn from them.
I'm willing to try things that "don't work here" by conventional wisdom.
I rarely take or ask for advice from anyone with a vested interest in selling me something.
I'm usually looking for advice of how to avoid spending on something, not vice versa.
These folks filled the void in many cases.

I was quite disappointed when I called this summer and learned they had all been let go. I tracked one of them down, and he is more than happy to keep helping.
That said, I'm not certain this was the best use of my tax dollars, but I can think of a lot worse ways to waste them.

[tweety]

It's the research staff being let go. They are cutting 25 million and spending 37 million on RDAR so it isn't about money.