Where to from here?

[cakadu]

I guess it comes down to your definition of "small". We would need to know what the original intent was back when it was brought in. By small, I mean 30 to 60 cow dairies. You don't see many of them anymore and very few in the west. It was at one time realistic to make money with them, but not anymore, even with the quota system.

I don't have a problem with anyone making a decent living.

How is the larger 120 cow dairy edging out the 20 cow dairy any different than the 4,000 acre grain producer edging out the 640 acre grain producer? If we took that line of reasoning out a little farther, if there were only 25 large grain producers in Alberta and all the rest were forced to go and do something else, would that be better? Shouldn't they all be happier because they're forced to go and do something else?

[Steve]

Why cry over spilled milk, because you can still make a living on a small farm if you lower your standard of living and revert back to hard labour, then you will know how we lived in the good old days. You choice go backwards and dream or go with the flow and enjoy life.

[carebear300]

Cowman were you making fun of your poor farmer friends from Saskatchewan. I hope if they come to take over Saskatchewan they have lots of money, cause it just might take a buck or two to buy the last of us stubborn fools out HAHAHAHA

[cowman]

I guess Steve hit it right on the head. Farm small/live poor. And for some people that works okay. But if you want all the toys you gotta hustle and make a buck. The fact is there are easier ways to make that buck than farming.
Care bear: I guess I was poking fun at Saskatchewan! It seems like about half the people in Alberta are from Sask. and Manitoba. In the oil patch about 3/4! Good people! Albertas' gain!

[cowman]

Linda: Unfortunately that is the way of the world. The 40 cow dairy is like the 6 cow dairy 40 years ago. The small grain farmer is gone...just a few very old farmers living out their days.
There is nothing really very noble about poverty. And change is not something most of us like. But yes I think in the end it would be good for the small farmer.
It's sort of like my mother...lived on the farm all her life except when she went to university. Was very insistant that she was never going to leave. Then one day she just up and told me she had bought a condo in town. I kept her house on the farm but she isn't coming back. She just loves it! A new condo down by the river in a retirement neighborhood. Lots of new and old friends. She's having a ball!
Never knew what she was missing you see? Sort of like a lot of small farmers?

[carebear300]

Just heard that Vanclief was going to give the american agriculture secretary a piece of his mind. He had better be careful I don't think he has a whole lot to spare. I am sure she will be cringing in her boots(will laugh him out of the room likely) The Americans will do what they want no matter how much belly aching Vanclief does. Maybe he will actually wake up and come forth with additional funding for agriculture.

[cowman]

Carebear: And then that other brilliant farm spokesman, Ralph Goodale, comes out swinging calling the American farm bill "obscene"! Guess he hates to see farmers make a living, whether American or Canadian.! After all he knows all about farming, right? Learned it right there in law school! Lets see we have one lawyer and one clown who went broke, representing us??? Yep, that sounds like the Kanada I love!!