You can always count on Lyle!

[cowman]

Mr. Vanclief is very predictable in his responses to the problems in agriculture. He always says no!
Now if I was running the country I would definitely want him running the show! At least in the short turn!
Seems to be able to fiddle around and seem like he's doing something, when in fact he's doing nothing! I mean this guy is a master! Allows me to take care of business without those pesky peasants giving me a hard time!
And when it gets a little hot he can be very righteous and blame the farmers or the Americans! I mean those dumb Saskatchewan farmers should have known to summerfallow and grow trees, right? And the nerve of those evil Americans....IMAGINE ACTUALLY WANTING THEIR FARMERS TO MAKE A PROFIT AND SURVIVE?!!!
It sure is good to know in a rapidly changing world we can always count on old Lyle to stay the course!

[carebear300]

Yes good old Lyle isn't much good for anything is he? He is a great free trader or talks that way anyway. He should get into a business where he has to compete or has to produce or he doesn't survive. Oh my goodness he tried once, and went broke. Now he hopes that every other farmer in Canada goes broke as well so he won't have to feel so inferior because he wasn't able to survive as long as some of the rest of us. Just thinking about this man puts me into a grumpy mood.

[nakodo]

I for one was pleased to see him get involved in arguing about the US Trade Bill last week....especially when it has been in Senate and Congress for nearly 2 years or so.....well better politics to show up late than never I guess, too bad about the Cdn farmers though..

[carebear300]

Surprise, surprise our old buddy Lyle is up to his old tricks once again today. He concedes that farmers may need some interim help from governments to help them temporarily till they get this american subsidy thing cleared up. He doesn't know how much help and can't figure out why the provinces don't want to cost share. I wonder if the province of Quebec cost shared the 2 billion dollars of aid that Bombardier got? Oh I am just a grouchy old farmer that should get back to my tractor and not listen to the radio. Seeding is important but a decent return would be kind of nice for a change. Too bad that agriculture didn't have the same high profile in cabinet that Bombardier has!!!!

[cowman]

Consider this: If we had the same sort of program that the U.S. has in regards to support prices we would all be thinking we had arrived in the promised land. Now I'm not 100% sure of these figures but I think they are in the ballpark. Barley-$4.67 Corn-$5.02 Don't know about wheat, canola etc. but probably just as good. So say you grow barley, say 90 bu./acre. Take it down to your local feedlot or hog barn and get $3.10/bu. The government makes up the difference...$1.57. Now I don't know about you but if I could get $4.67/bu or 90 times $4.67= $420/acre I would be happy as a lark! This is the program the American farmer had last year when all the cheap corn was coming into feedlot alley.
Now is this a bad deal? For the farmer? For the American public? I mean it costs them a pittance? And they get a healthy rural community, a secure food supply, a revitalized agri-business industry.
I guess they just have a different vision than our people.

[carebear300]

Friday in Saskatoon our illustrious federal agriculture minister Lyle and and our equally inept federal representative in the cabinet Ralph Goodale,who couldn't make it in the real world as a lawyer are going to meet with our western politicians to try and figure this whole situation out. I hope I am wrong but their past track record leaves me with the sickening feeling that in the end if there is any money it will be all ate up by the hiring of extra government employees to administer the plan and high priced accountants to fill out the complex forms. It is a great country we live in, isn't it?