Wake up Vanclief!!!!!!!!!!!

[bmj182]

You can't blame the government for
everything. Reducing subsidies is a
two way thing, why do you think the
Americans raised theirs? So they
have something to bargain with!
Canada refuses to end supply
management (which is hugely
subsidized) and CWB monopoly.
These organizations had their place
but now it is time for them to go.
Focusong on the negative aspects
always brings you down, there are
still lots of oppurtunities, but they
don't fall in your lap.

[carebear300]

I have been quite optimistic over my thirty years of farming up until now. I haven't just stayed doing the same things I have diversified mainly into the production of pulse crops and have a few beef cattle. I just find that the more I work to become more efficent and better able to compete with the rest of the farmers of the world the more this government in this country makes it more expensive to do business. The tax load on farm land to fund education is getting ridiculous for one thing. The extra enviornmental regulations that I will have to comply with to saftisy government regulations compared to our neighbours to the south will be quite bothersome over the coming years. I think it is unfair to condemn and try to eliminate dairy subsidies because they are the one seegment of agriculture that is able to cope with these extra costs of doing business in this country due to these subsidies. As for the Canadian Wheat Board it isn't perfect and will have to become more efficent in the coming years to survive. Sooner or later there will have to be vote amongst grain producers to allow dual marketing or not. If we as canadian grain farmers have to sell onto a highly subsidized international foreign market then this government had better work considerablely harder towards decreasing our costs of production down to that of our lowest cost competititors. For what it is worth that is my opinion and maybe I am in the minority.

[bmj182]

I agree, land tax is a serious issue,
and one that needs to be addressed
immediately! Supply management
however is ridiculous. How can you
support one sector of agriculture and
tell the rest to compete, or go broke?
Do you like paying twice as much for
dairy, chicken and eggs? At the
supermarket chicken is damn near
the same price as beef! As a person
who finishes feeder cattle I find this
ridiculous, where's my "supply
management"? As a grain farmer its
the Canadian Wheat Board, not the
western Canadian wheat board,
apply it equally across Canada or
don't have it at all!

[flatbroke]

...just my 2 cents worth... the problem with govt. programs thus far is that they punish diversification. In my operation when grain is in the toilet, my cows (usually) make up most of the shortfall & vice-versa. (present year excluded!) By being "whole farm programs" they richly reward specialists that have higher margins from the good years with huge payments in the poor years. By being balanced, our margins are consistently mediocre thereby disqualifying us. Basically, they encourage diversification but reward just the opposite! I realize production-specific payments are against WTO rules, but how the heck did we get signed up for this while the Americans can use their EEP, for example, which IS clearly commodity specific? anyway, just my humble opinion... ;-)

[bmj182]

Flatbroke, Iknow what you mean! I
guess you can have the pride of not
having to take the bastards money!

[flatbroke]

I guess that's true... however that's small comfort considering "their" money is our taxes...