well said parsley, and welcome westside....
i now get corrected when i talk about being a young farmer, I guess i just feel young, and still am 20 years younger than the average age of a farmer, but after planting almost 20 crops I am no longer young.
There is room for new talent in farming, new talent will be attracted when economic opportunity and the quality of life it brings is apparent....
In our part of the world, where the economy is hot and wealth is being created in the non agricultural sectors it is hard to get the next generation excited. Land is being sold, and a lot of new hutterite colonies have entered into our market because of the opportunity. Land buyers have arrived from other parts and are putting together parcels of land assumming that they can exit at some later point, with a nice capital gain, by then vending the complete package to a colony that would otherwise be unable to get the deal put together themselves.
Looking at how these colonies make their money, and forget about the cheap labor, is that vertically and horizonatlly integrate their operations and turn a lot of their crops into meat, protein, milk etc. Sure they sell some wheat and barley, and maybe to the board, but i can assure your that is not wehre there wealth is created.
Making money in agriculture in this new paradigm we are in will require excellent management in all areas including agronomy, marketing, human resources, finance, etc. We must also look at how we as primary producers can get directely involved in participation and ownerships of the vlaue chains of our business, Simply selling grain to the board and waiting for the payment is not the answer.
CP, i agree we are in the commodity bull and that prices will rise and may remain at levels we have not seen in some time. But so too will the cost of land and all the inputs including labour, equipment, fertilizer, etc.
20 to 30 years ago success could be defined by how hard you worked, how many seasons you worked, but the new paradigm will define success by how smart you work and how successful you defined and executed your evolving farming enterprise strategy....
everyone naturally wants things to stay the same and to retain and regain profitablity in the environment they are accustomed too.......
the only thing constant is change, and those that are not prepared to accept that will eventually be left behind. My children will grow up on a farm where they see wealth created in modern agriculture and will not hear me whine and complain about the industry I love. I would rather spend my enegy and time looking for solutions, not whining.
While the debate about the cwb is important, and in my mind is about my individual rights (should be obvious as to where i stand on this matter), it will also become increasingly irrelevant as we move forward. We, as an industry need to try to channel the resources of many, including government, into working on the many other things that need to get done.
i now get corrected when i talk about being a young farmer, I guess i just feel young, and still am 20 years younger than the average age of a farmer, but after planting almost 20 crops I am no longer young.
There is room for new talent in farming, new talent will be attracted when economic opportunity and the quality of life it brings is apparent....
In our part of the world, where the economy is hot and wealth is being created in the non agricultural sectors it is hard to get the next generation excited. Land is being sold, and a lot of new hutterite colonies have entered into our market because of the opportunity. Land buyers have arrived from other parts and are putting together parcels of land assumming that they can exit at some later point, with a nice capital gain, by then vending the complete package to a colony that would otherwise be unable to get the deal put together themselves.
Looking at how these colonies make their money, and forget about the cheap labor, is that vertically and horizonatlly integrate their operations and turn a lot of their crops into meat, protein, milk etc. Sure they sell some wheat and barley, and maybe to the board, but i can assure your that is not wehre there wealth is created.
Making money in agriculture in this new paradigm we are in will require excellent management in all areas including agronomy, marketing, human resources, finance, etc. We must also look at how we as primary producers can get directely involved in participation and ownerships of the vlaue chains of our business, Simply selling grain to the board and waiting for the payment is not the answer.
CP, i agree we are in the commodity bull and that prices will rise and may remain at levels we have not seen in some time. But so too will the cost of land and all the inputs including labour, equipment, fertilizer, etc.
20 to 30 years ago success could be defined by how hard you worked, how many seasons you worked, but the new paradigm will define success by how smart you work and how successful you defined and executed your evolving farming enterprise strategy....
everyone naturally wants things to stay the same and to retain and regain profitablity in the environment they are accustomed too.......
the only thing constant is change, and those that are not prepared to accept that will eventually be left behind. My children will grow up on a farm where they see wealth created in modern agriculture and will not hear me whine and complain about the industry I love. I would rather spend my enegy and time looking for solutions, not whining.
While the debate about the cwb is important, and in my mind is about my individual rights (should be obvious as to where i stand on this matter), it will also become increasingly irrelevant as we move forward. We, as an industry need to try to channel the resources of many, including government, into working on the many other things that need to get done.
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