A Quiet Desperation

[cowman]

More and more I get the sense of pessimism among farmers and especially the cow/calf man and the grain grower. Sort of like they've given up on the idea of "next year". I believe in the last year or so many have for the first time seriously considered packing it in. Maybe these people are older and can afford to leave the business. I think many are disgusted with the lack of profitability and the governments absolute ignoring their plight. I think a lot of them have just had bloody well enough of a rigged and crooked system!
I don't think Canadian society can really understand the effect the drought has had on the morale of the western Canadian farmer. Maybe if there had been some concern from our federal Ag minister instead of berating farmers for not planting more trees and having more sommerfallow!! That utter clown!!
If Van Clief is serious about getting rid of farmers then bring out a decent transition package. The stampede to leave might just surprize him!! Unfortunately, I doubt that is in the cards. Why pay to get rid of farmers when you can just keep fiddling away while the farm sector goes under.Save that money so we can give it away to some murdering black bastard in Africa!

[wilagro]

Cowman...You sound downright bitter. Methinks that you will feel better once spring comes and duh bowds are a twittering.
Don't let things get you down. So the politicos are all nuts. Sooner or later they will resign, draw their nice cushey pensions and get out of our hair.
I know that I always feel better once the calves are running around in the sun and the grass starts to green.
Hang in their.

Best regards.

[cowman]

You could be right. I do get very disgusted with the clowns running our various governments.
Right now we are getting a very heavy snowfall...about 8 inches so far! The gophers have been out about a week and the starlings got back on March 31st. Which is about the latest I've ever seen them back...usually they get back around the 15th. I always know when they get back spring is almost here. We have quite a bit of snow this winter, probably more than we've had for several years. I sure hope this drought has broke and we all get lots of moisture this spring.

[pandiana]

I was just thinking along the same lines as Wilagro. Intensive winter calving, snow, cold, dark winter nights takes its toll on those of us that dare to take on mother nature. Even though you love to see these babies it gets to you. You never know what your going to find when you step out on your next check.

For example, I was just congratulating myself on my great breeding expertise with a young second calver that had the most perfect udder yet, teats the size of my little finger. A couple of hours later I walk out and find she has somehow ripped a 1 cm or so chunk off one teat. After a $280.00 vet bill (yes you read right) she now has to be milked out by hand, is on antibiotics and has gone on to have mastitis. But of course, we have very little else to do so it takes the boredom out of the day.
And couple this with the fact that we are embroiled in income and expense statements in which once more we are shocked at the bottom line as we assess our years activity, this is a tough time of year.

Nonetheless, as our world turns green and we can smell the ozone in the air you can feel your heartbeat quicken in anticipation of tall grass and happy cows munching. Hope springs eternal.

I just heard that we have had, on average, about 150% of average snowfall in AB this year but it is expected that there will be below averge precipitation this growing season i.e. adequate water in resevoirs, not enough for crops. This would be the third year of record-breaking drought conditions.

A guess time will tell.

[cakadu]

I suppose at times it's hard not to get down when things are looking as bleak as they are, we keep having lip service paid to an industry that is supposed to be such a big contributor to the GDP of both the provincial and federal governments and we have this strange weather to deal with.

It seems to me that producers are some of the biggest risk takers out there as everything we do involves risk of some sort - weather, prices, predators, markets, customers and the list goes on. We're also sitting on assets of several hundred thousand and in some cases millions of dollars. We're more than just "farmers" and should be looked upon with pride and feel a pride in what we're doing.


What will help to give producers their esteem back or rejuvenate it?

[countryguy]

One good year cakado.One good year is what it would take...