The dirty thirites

[cowman]

Was talking to an old farmer the other day who was a boy in the thirties. He said that if they'd had chemicals, fertilizers and no till in the thirties it wouldn't have been such a dissaster. He figures even 1937 wasn't as bad as this year. He also said the damned government wouldn't do a thing to help them out then and things haven't changed much! But he also pointed out that they couldn't...they were broke! However when WWII came along there didn't seem to be a problem with money! No more talk of being broke then! Spend, Spend, Spend.
He said prices started to rise on farm products but the government soon put a stop to that! The war effort, don't you know? The Americans did not put price controls on their ag products and the price for their cattle was double the price in Canada. He volunteered and got sent overseas. He said he was amazed that the German trucks were Fords, built in Ontario! I guess the "war effort" didn't extend to the Canadian industrial heartland! Business as usual, I guess!

[Muttley]

I've heard from my father and grandfather over the years that a war will get the economy working better than anything.

As for the thirties, many in my area say the same thing. One thing about now is the cost of everything is so great. I've had "oldtimers" tell me if it costs so much go without. When it comes to power and such that's hard to do.
My dad told me in the fifties he wintered the family for a 100.00. Now my phone costs me that per month and that's one of my smallest bills.

[rodbradshaw]

There are not many people who can crawl back under the rock and live like our parents or grandparents did in the thirties and early forties. If you have a couple of young kids in hockey you can kiss the good part of a thousand goodbye. Most people don't have the gardens or the time to do all the preserving that it entails to put food up.

In Central Alberta it could be fairly scarey to see how many farmers are going to hit the bricks to try and find winter employment to keep the dream alive for next year. One fellow I know agreed as he workes at a service business and knows how things can slow down when farmers are having it rough.

[cowman]

I've got to agree with you on that Rod. No shortage of rig workers this winter. You would be amazed how many of the drillers, engineers, consultants have a farm back in Saskatchewan or Manitoba. One guy I talked to this spring, who was drilling on a champion rig had 600 cows in the interlake region in Manitoba. His wife and a couple of hired men were calving them out. He was impatiently waiting for spring breakup so he could get a month off to go home.
I wonder how much of a hit machinery dealerships will take. Or the truck dealerships?
My sister owns some land in KneeHill county and they have delayed the payment of land taxes until Oct. with a slight decrease also. This county relies heavily on farm land for their taxes as they have little industry(other than a steady reliable oil field). She is sort of disgusted by how high the taxes are on her land in Red Deer county although she realizes it is much more valuable land in terms of assessment than the land in Kneehill. Not more productive.