Train station.

[rastafarian]

Patrick Brown was the best candidate but PP sabotaged his campaign

[shtferbrains]

So you think Patrick Brown was a better choice?
That's your guy?
Your guy seems to be carrying some heavy baggage for a shot at being the PM?

[the big wheel]

Patrick Brown, Klondike papers, David Wallace,

[blackpowder]

I suppose there are different levels of politics, in the news and behind the scenes by the long term grunts.
Making deals and defending sovereignty, straddling a razor I'm sure.
We've never been able to carry a big stick. But wouldn't it be nice to be led by some grizzled old relic who's actually slit some throats in his life?
Can you think of many national leaders lately presenting a long term vision? Mao, Ho (arguably), and to a lesser degree in post war democracies, LBJ (civil rights), Reagan, Thatcher?
Twinkletoes truly believes his legacy of Kumbaya will be the guiding light.
Lincoln knew better when he spoke of better angels.
So what's the difference between them. National pride and identity perhaps. Along with a clear realistic vision and steel like morals and purpose founded in personal experience soaked in sweat and blood. See where we are?

"Commodity groups"
Ever notice a sea change takes a nearly scorched earth event to begin.
Civil wars or the CWB take your pick.
Eunichs all of them.
WCWGA doesn't even mention C-293. Castrated.
Vicki. Are we that far out of the loop that either a) we ourselves really don't have a clue, or b) those in the loop are so high on each other's farts they are oblivious? Why do you get shuffled off to the side at meetings.
Either way, trade can happen, and will with or without us, diplomatic tiffs will happen, but who's playing chess and who's playing checkers?
Long vision with a realistic world view and a nationalistic purpose.
No, they're playing silly buggers and will be proven fools.

[blackpowder]

Remember, 2.1% of our population considered terrorists by India. And it won't follow the "rules".

[westernvicki]

blackpowder Question: Vicki. Are we that far out of the loop that either a) we ourselves really don't have a clue, or b) those in the loop are so high on each other's farts they are oblivious? Why do you get shuffled off to the side at meetings.

Go along to get along. It is a rule of life.
1/ Have you ever noticed at a farm meeting, all the representatives and staff will sit at one table versus, intermingling and talking to their constituents. I like to mingle and so I do not seek to join those tables or groups.

2/ Light hearted conversation is more sociable, so avoiding me is a good plan.

blackpowder made the comment early on on who about the under 50 and the over 50 and the question who actually cares what is going on, its true most of us have been lulled by prosperity and the stresses of farm and family transition.?

Regarding our level of awareness: for the individual there are a multitude of reasons, farms are bigger the younger generation has been caught up in operations, information and involvement take time often the elders are looking for a less stressful environment to focus their time, and indeed we have been reasonably prosperous so that is its own sedative.

Provincial farm organizations have focused on production and not policy awareness at regional and annual meetings. National boards have been granted the voice of policy. To the best of my knowledge a National Policy report is not part of annual Provincial meetings. At regional and provincial meeting strategic involvement would be a valuable asset of communication to growers.

'Question: Do we have a failure of accountability to their farm membership by national boards?

ie: Despite millions of dollars of farmer funding national boards like Pulse Canada have not presented on national and international issues, at a Provincial pulse meeting in years. They used to!

The big question is: Are leaders leading? Who is strategic thinking? How are important industry issues communicated to keep the grassroots engaged and informed. Have we as growers made this a priority?
?
All the above is why we are here today with no voice.

Have farmers allowed ourselves to become floating cork on that "water water everywhere and not a drop to drink" ocean of policy?

Is this where we want to be?

[westernvicki]

In the absence of farm leadership, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Dalhousie, woke farmers and Canadians up on Bill C 293 June 17, 2022; some two years into meetings with farm groups farmers, the Canadian public and farmers were mostly unaware.

The Bill was sent to Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and he promptly wrote this article:
?[url]https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/charlebois-is-bill-c-293-canadas-vegan-act[/url]
Sept. 25, 2024

The original awareness came from a lawyer on Linkedin and her substack Lisa Miron in February. Followed by numerous podcasts, interviews and action to inform the public on Bill C 293

[url]https://lawyerlisa.substack.com/p/sos-canada-one-click-to-email-your?publication_id=1287362&post_id=148587634https[/url] ://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/charlebois-is-bill-c-293-canadas-vegan-act&isFreemail=false&r=33gi0&triedRedirect=true

She started the campaign to ask Senators who voted once to pass the bill, to now vote no.

Please use this link below to write your Senators etc

[url]https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/promo/602[/url]

?

[westernvicki]

2% of people are involved as an average in being proactive.

Farmers are less than 2% of the population.

When, 2% of the 2% farmers are involved the pool is very miniscule.

Therefore finding the mechanisms of representation need to be deliberately organized.

[blackpowder]

Agree. And no Senators worried about their seat.
What we lack in population, we make make up for in dollars. Individuals don't see themselves as multi million dollar partners in a multi billion dollar industry that is a core part of the GDP. Fractured voice. Boiling frogs. Oh well...

Meetings. Haven't gone in years.
Equipment and yields is the discussion. And how not to pay for anything.

[westernvicki]

The thread is about why Western farmers need a separate voice in policy and global trade, why do we need to identify our region as separate from Ottawa? How the national farm voice concept has failed us, and always did.


Traders turn to Australia for lentils amid Canada row - Pulses, a volatile group of commodities, are a significant part of Indian diet and the country relies on imports of nearly 17% of its annual requirement. India’s import of lentils from key supplier Canada has been steady so far despite deepening diplomatic tensions between the two countries but traders are increasingly turning to Australia to diversify away from the north American producer. Pulses, a volatile group of commodities, are a significant part of Indian diet and the country relies on imports of nearly 17% of its annual requirement. Canada is a major supplier of lentils (masur) and yellow peas. India spent nearly $4 billion on pulses imports in 2023-24. Stable supplies are vital to keep a lid on inflation, which continues to be stoked by sticky food prices, especially of pulses. In September, retail inflation rose to a nine-month high of 5.49%, driven by a food inflation rate of 9.24%, which could delay a cut in interest rates by the central bank. The 2023 El Nino, a weather pattern whose effects ripple around the globe, including a patchy monsoon in India, resulted in a sharp rise in the prices of three widely consumed pulses varieties: pigeon pea (tur), black gram (urad) and chickpea (chana). Canada has been a traditional source for India for lentils but increasing friction between the two nations has traders worried but currently trade is continuing normally, analysts said. Neither country has put any restriction on trade so far, they added. “So far, there has been no impact on trade and we continue to import lentils from Canada because there are no curbs from us or their government. In case sanctions or tariffs etc are imposed, then there will be an impact,” said Bimal Kothari, vice-chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association. Traders are already shifting away from Canada since tensions began rising after the murder of Canadian pro-Khalistani Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023. The Canadian government has blamed India for the killing but the Modi government has rejected the accusation as baseless. “We are now buying a lot of yellow peas from Russia and lentils from Australia. It is not just a question of hedging but also competitive pricing,” Kothari said. In 2023, India imported 687,558 tonnes of lentils from Canada, which accounted for 45.41% of total imports of pulses, while Australia’s share exceeded Canada’s for the first time at 51.25% for 775,994 tonnes of import of the item. This year January to July 2024, Australian lentil exports have risen to 366433 tonnes, or 66.3% of India’s total lentil imports. According to Kothari, Russia has supplied 2.2 million tonne of yellow peas to India so far this year, which will cut down reliance on Canada. India exports several merchandise goods to Canada, although it is a relatively small market. In 2023-24, India exported merchandise worth $437 billion to Canada. “The increase in the share of Australia is both due to competitive pricing and it a lot of uncertainty in the future of trade between India and Canada,” said Robin Jalan, the managing director Saraswati Impex Pvt Ltd, a large food-trading firm. According to the agriculture ministry’s data, a campaign to distribute improved seeds raised pulses productivity by 34.8%, from 727 kg/hectare in 2018-19 to 980 kg/hectare in 2021-22. This led to a fall in imports, but extreme weather can still ruin crops and stoke prices. (HINDUSTAN TIMES)

From Weber Commodities newsletter.

Why we need a western Canadian trading block, and to get one farmers need a voice.

?

[blackpowder]

But but, Bruce Burnett writes this morning that lentil trade won't be affected all that much, Cereals Canada getting $7.3M and that we should all be working towards WTO resurrection.

[furrowtickler]

It’s time for a made in western Canada ag policy