plant no crop

[sawfly]

Unless things change before seeding is planting as little as possible, with little or no inputs a reasonable idea.
all or most of western canada just backs away
if every crop pencils break even at best.whats the point. you might even convince the bank.
take some of the fert money and buy futures?

[sawfly]

this am expert says canola acres will only drop 10-15% So no need for higher price

what if we had pledge forms where we agreed to only seed 50% the canola we did last year. nothing legal,just our word. Every farmers name in a community on a list and an indication of whether they signed on or not.Sure there would be some that broke the pledge, But most farmers are good for their word.
poast the lists every where peer pressure to get everyone on side.

same thing for lentils but 1/3 the acres
some pledge that acres taken out would only be seeded to unfert. cerals or greenfeed or smf

so instead of us loseing money or breaking even we have less inputs and positive return

[GrainVac]

Haven't been around that long, but every time I hear acres are going down for a crop the opposite happens. You start a list like that and game theory will prove that Western Canada will never have been so yellow, as guys sign-on and double up their acres to collect on the sweepstakes...but this idea really is a joke...has land prices or rent gone down? Not a bit where I'm from in central AB and asking the older guys, the last actual correction was in the early 80s and due more to sky high interest, not high inputs and low commodity prices.

[charliep]

As a management decision for individual farms, I have no problem with the decision to grow no crop. When individuals are looking at their situation, this may be the best alternative. My only worry (with my luck at least) is the year I backed off production would be the year of the best ever crop in western Canada and a drought in the US.

From an overall policy standpoint, I would ask the following questions.

Would reductions in Canadian production be enough to influence international prices? What would happen if Canada reduced production and the world market didn't care - no improvement in international prices?

Would Canada be handing the other exporters a major gift? Would other exporters simply fill the needs of buyers and replace us?

What impact would this have on customers with long standing relationships - particularly on the high quality end? Picking on durum and lentils again, my quess (someone will correct me) is the carryover will be mainly 3/4CWAD (maybe low protein 1/2) and 3/extra 3's in lentils. Canada needs to ensure we have at least enough product to satisfy our most loyal/best paying customers.

Just trying to get people to think outside the box and look at alternatives to a very difficult situation. No answers on my own but willing to talk.

[lohner]

If everyone whose fixed costs allowed them to summerfallow rented those acres to someone whose costs didn't, for the same income to landowner that fallow provides all my problems would end.

[lakenheath]

that was as clear as mud....

[lohner]

Sorry, If you can afford not to plant a crop, rent those acres to someone who can't.

[charliep]

lohner

Are you suggesting the potential landlord (likely land paid for and grain in the bin they would sell into a rally) were to pay someone an amount equal to the cost of chemical fallowing and/or whatever number of passes to conventionally summerfallow to crop in the coming year. Yes I did say paying someone to look after the land for a year with the renter capturing benefit. Why not. Works for me.

The ones that have talked to me have mainly been around dealing with perenial weeds and perhaps elements of the green manure that has been mentioned in the organic thread.