Have a voice.

[blackpowder]

Never sat on a board and not about to start. I believe the people who do so have the best of intentions.
Change the mandate.
Since the board's demise we seem to be floundering. 12 years and I hear the same blah blah and see no changes.
We can't even agree on export sales reporting.
Copies of the Seducer from the 50's have similar headlines as today.
Or maybe it's like I told my elder neighbor. Younger farmers today don't need or want our experience. They just write the check. Solves everything.

[fcr]

One of the biggest problems I see is there are so many middlemen taking a piece of our profits. Eg. the endless amount of so called chem reps and agronomists driving around in new pickups with an unlimited credit card . I have farmed for 42 years and have yet to have to call someone to tell me when to seed or spray or harvest. The new generation knows nothing because they pay someone to do this for them. Or a satellite image to show me my crop is doing good or not. As black powder said just write another cheque.

[fjlip]

Yes Crop Pro, knows all, current farmer on the land apparently NOT! Farmers built ALL the monster terminals and swanky huge Stealerships....plus all workers involved, paid by farmers! Till we can't afford, then what? Collapse

Unless grain prices rebound, doubt the $100-$150 rents will be happening.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

We are the most environmental farmers in the world.
Its a market advantage in a competitive world.

We have created an advantage in marketing. We are ESG producers.

How can anyone find anything negative about claiming the territory?

The Question: Do we have a voice in our Ag Associations is Valid.
Indeed we should expect them to at the very least agree to champion our success in being the most efficient productive producers in the world.

Only fools would ignore this opportunity.

If one were to make the naive assumption that the current definition of ESG is a fixed target, and the goal post will not be moved in time. Then perhaps playing along to get along might have some merit.
But when all evidence indicates that the originators of these toxic ideologies have a goal nothing short of eliminating conventional agriculture and reliable energy, along with all of the inputs required for unreliable energy, I don't see how we win this game which will have ever evolving targets.

At some point we simply have to admit that the King has no clothes. Do that as soon as possible rather than being complicit in the nonsense.

[jazz]

Customers for Canadas grains crops are all 3rd world countries. They dont give a fck about esg and wont pay more for it.

It would be stupid to align ourselves with an ideology like that. And to front run it just in the hopes somebody eventually pats on our backs and rewards us is lunacy.

[bucket]

A perfect example is Triffid flax. Our customers said they would not accept it . So the breeders decided to ignore these requests, who ended up paying?

I know the answer, but no one that created the mess was ever held accountable.

These programs have to have a monetary accountability to them. Otherwise farmer keep paying. In lost markets , or prices.

[sumdumguy]

I think if we stick our necks out, the woke jokes will make us a target. They already are so jealous of farmers. They think we are coddled by government.

[bucket]

Customers for Canadas grains crops are all 3rd world countries. They dont give a fck about esg and wont pay more for it.

It would be stupid to align ourselves with an ideology like that. And to front run it just in the hopes somebody eventually pats on our backs and rewards us is lunacy.

Very good point. My son wants to make perfect bales. I tell him a cow will eat a battery if given a chance. Hungry people don't care about our good stewardship, they care about getting fed.

[blackpowder]

Tough crowd. I can see why nothing changes.
I too got tired of hearing about the highest quality wheat in the world while it's base value was set by the price of the lowest.
Good marketing is good practice all the same.
Whether ESG or Code of Practice, I still say the biggest threat within our control is our own government.
But eventually the 200,000 acre farms may have the political influence and understanding we never will.

[westernvicki]

To the tough crowd group: How would being branded the most environmental farmers in the world hurt us?

JAZZ the lunacy is in thinking there is no merit in being the best in the global industry.

The carbon tax, distance to market, and FSU production & geographic advantages mean buyers will look to Canada for supply necessity.

A profitable future belongs to those who strive to define supply attributes that can satisfy the ingredient requirements of major food companies that demand safe, quality supplies.


We are 67% better than our competitors. If that does not matter to you as a marketing tool, we must all be lunatics.

How many of you actually read the study?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

A profitable future belongs to those who strive to define supply attributes

If producers could succeed in being the ones who define the parameters..

I have my doubts that that is how it plays out in the real world.

[blackpowder]

The customer is always right of course. I think we're all concerned about governments defining parameters.