Roadside Hay Salvage

[plowjockey]

What a farce! The dept. of highways in Saskatcewan spend 10 of thousands of dollars each year to say that after the 15 of July hay along Highways can be salvaged by anyone! well last year I cut about 6 miles of of hay along a highway only to come back in 4 days to find all my hay gone!! A land owner baled and hauled my salvaged hay and told me I had no right to cut hay along his property! Wow! I phoned the dept of highways to get a comment and got quote!"" Possesion is 9/10 of the law!"" What kind of crap is that! I then asked the land owner who owned the land beside the Highway if he would compensate me for cutting and was promptly told to go to !@#$!! What is up with all of that?

[nakodo]

so lets see, as I understand it I put my land into fallow for a year expecting the rest of the world to experience a wheat shortage to drive prices up? You need more than Canada and Brazil to pull this off. Why not grow a crop or produce a product that a customer wants instead?I know it means changing what we do but isn't changing 50,000 farmers easier than changing a billion farmers into a single marketing coop (or is it a WWB = World Wheat Board???)

[plowjockey]

I see you really haven't looked at the FOS plan yet as there are a few things that you seem to be unaware of. Some of the U.S. farmers along with Farmers in Austrailia ,Canada, and Brazil would achieve the desired amount of crops.(a Mix Of Crops, NOT JUST WHEAT!!!)It is reasonable to believe that considering the relationship of production to price a one year 10% cut in world wheat production, (2 billion bushels), would take present prices from $2.50/bu to $6/bu. Similarly, a 4.5 billion bushel cut in feed grain production and a 1.5 billion bushel cut in oilseed production should have the ability to drastically raise the value of these crops and hold their value up for 3 years. Farmers have been diversifing for years and the small niches that are left may help very few for a short period of time.That is the reality!! Let the market place pay for the Farmer's produce not the tax payer! Maybe you have this group mixed up with another that plan to corner ther world wheat market!(Won't happen!)

[nakodo]

so why is it when world weather disasters happen our small crop production seems to have little impact on the world price. I suspect the scale of demand and the scale of our production are not in the same unit measurement, the myth of the "Canada as the bread basket of the World" is 100 years out of date, France can kick our production by herself.

We need to think about producing what people want and need, not holding them to ransom for a product already in over production.

[cakadu]

I also tend to think that human nature being what it is, if your neighbor sees you NOT planting this year, he is going to plant "wall to wall" to pick up your slack.

I agree with nakodo - time to start growing what people want and have a demand for versus something that will bring you the status quo at best.

[cowman]

One question:What crop do people want that we can actually grow here? What crop in the Palliser triangle? How about cactus?
We tried things like bison and ostriches but now nobody wants them either. Cocaine, marijuana, opium and tobbacco are products people want but our government frowns on them.
And somehow I just can't see avocados or artichokes being an option at Hanna, Alberta? I think their only option is to grow wheat or let the antelope have it back.

[plowjockey]

Iowa can produce more grain then all of Canada! What do these facts tell us? I quess you still don't get it! Maybe that is why farmers are not signing up very fast. People that think Farmers can just grow something else have not studied the options in real time. Sounds like our Ag minister!
Look at the trends its all there in Black and white! Bigger corporate farms will all rule until you can make a small farm profitable.

[bkjones]

Two questions

How is eliminating income for a full year going to make the small operation profitable? - to me it gives the advantage to the larger operation, with the cushion to withstand the lack of funds for a year.

What is wrong with large corporate farms becoming the norm in farming? - why are the small farms desirable?

[pandiana]

"What is wrong with large corporate farms becoming the norm in farming? - why are the small farms desirable?"

Small Farms Are:

More efficient: Works directly with task at hand without dealing with employees, contractors which frequently results in scheduling problems, time off etc. Equipment is usually smaller and more efficient. Also, employees usually have less regard for the land, and all efficiencies built in to the job.

More environmentally friendly: The farmer that farms the land walks the land and knows it more intimately, allowing them to head off potential problems before they become a big problem. The land is not only his means of making a living but it is his major investment and his home.

More economical: One farmer or family unit works long hours most often without regard to incorporating labor into value, let alone yardage.

More fun: I have often heard from others what I believe myself, that when one is stressed (a condition that follows life regardless of occupation) walking through your cows is the best possible stress reliever. Looking out over your land, watching crops and animals grow, following the continuity of the seasons as each unfolds. You can have the satisfaction of knowing that you are directly involved in each and every part of the working of this small unit of production.

[rodbradshaw]

1)The world has changed since the last time a cartel was put in to place for agricultural production. The capacity of all areas, especially the southern hemisphere has dramatically increased in the last forty years.
2) Large scale farms are sometimes highly levered(high risk-high reward philosphy) and cannot afford to stop cold turkey and wait a year to resume cash flow. The other thing is what do you do with all the employees that would have to be laid off. Sons, daughters and neighbours tossed to the wolves on the gamble of higher expectations. Once these people leave you will not be able to attract them back as the uncertainty of what might happen two to three years down the road.
3) Banks are not going to lend you money to sit out for a year unless you have mega resources. This plan will also effect people in the supply side of the business as agribusiness will have to fire staff as their will be no service required. This could be the death knell for some small town businesses as well as some of the larger higher levered businesses.
4) The only way to solve the problem of income in agriculture is to permanently eliminate production capacity. If we continue to produce we will continue to wither on the vine.