An Interesting idea?

[cowman]

I think the provincial govt. should buy out all the farms and hire us all back as employees. Then we could all go on strike for a 20% increase like the school teachers! We could all get a base salary of $72,000 if we have 10 yrs. experience. And only work 30 hrs. a week,have the summer off, two weeks at Christmas and Easter, and a day or two a month for"professional developement"! I guess that means a day on coffee row!!
We wouldn't have to be rated for performance! And if the govt. thought we were asking too much we could just strike and quit feeding our livestock and not plant our crops until they caved in. And if it really got bad we could get consumers to fund raise so we could have a new tractor or pickup. The govt. shouldn't kick too much about our wage demands because they gave themselves a pretty healthy raise too.
Now if we could just convince the public to go for it....

[pandiana]

A great idea! One problem, however. Many of us would have to go back to school. Because teachers have a 'degree' they are worth considerable more than farmers who do not have to have a degree to farm. Teachers are professionals.

[cowman]

Pandiana: Don't go there! I could go on and on! My son has a degree in Commerce and it was the worst thing I ever did to him!!!! Being basically a dumb farmer who went to the school of hard knocks, I hate to rant away about modern education, so give it up and don't start!!!

[jensco]

Not to mention that many of today's farmers have degrees in other areas...including agriculture. So, I guess they are professionals too! Sorry, but a BA is a dime a dozen these days. Being a professional means more than having a degree.

Teachers are considered important because they mould the minds of youth. Unfortunately, the production of food has never rated the same kind of importance in our society. Probably never will.

[cowman]

Part of the problem of food not being important is that farmers aren't "mobbed up" like other industries. Now whether you call that a union, association, profession, corporation, political party or a crime cartel it all amounts to the same thing. You hold back your service or goods until they become important. Which should be more important: You learn Shakespeare or you eat? Ask the starving kid in Ethiopia!
It is in the general interest of society to keep agriculture fractured and independent. That way they can't get "mobbed up" and get a fair price. I sometimes think the French farmers have the right idea...if the govt. won't support them they riot in the streets! Or maybe like in the French revolution they cut off their heads!

[cakadu]

Cowman, I think you've hit on something key in not having our food production taken as seriously as it should be. I had the good fortune about 18 months ago to hear Patrick Moore speak. He was one of the original founding members of Greenpeace who left a few years ago to go and join the forestry people. He is now known as the "eco judas", but that is a whole other story.

During his speech, he was asked about how agriculture could be taken seriously and the gist of what he said is that it would not happen until such time as the agriculture industry could speak with one voice. I believe there is truth to that as we have so many small groups each with their own interests that they want to have served (and who can blame them?), but we need to get past the fiecely independent nature of producers and learn to co-operate where it serves our best interest.

[cowman]

cakadu: This is always a problem. The grain sector wants one thing...the cattle and other livestock another. Organic versus conventional. Dairy and poultry against everyone! So we fight each other and the government sits back and does nothing.
One thing we could probably agree on is that we all want to lower our input costs? I do believe that could be an achievable goal! A buyers union if you will? I remember back in the 70's there was some guys going around trying to do just that. I think it was called "Farmers and Ranchers purchasing group" or something like that. I think the yearly fee was something like $300. My Dad joined and immediately bought a bunch of insulation, for a shop, for a $500 saving. It went bust shortly after that; I don't know why. The idea was a good one though.