Rural Renaissance

[ValueChainFX]

Renaissance is a new birth or revival of interest. A transitional movement.

Reading many of the threads in this area tells me many folks believe we should be into changing what is happening on the farms and the rural communities.

We are here? I am wondering what you are all doing out there to change things. How are you keeping the kids on the farm? What are the towns, county and hamlets doing to change?

More import what do you see as the Challenges? (Make a list) What do you see as solutions? Who is willing to take part in programs to make things better?

[karlevans]

Well, some people are doing things. As I travel around on both sides of the border, I frequently find many who are trying to make things work better for the rural communities. Trouble is, many of these are urban dwellers.

I see rural communities closing their schools and churches so they can go to the cities for more expensive education and worship.

I see rural communities closing their stores so they can go to cities for clothing and groceries.

I see rural communities closing their hospitals so they can go to the cities when then get sick.

I see our communities being populated by part time residents who just want to remember what life was like long ago.

But there are ways to help. Take advantage of the internet. If you have to purchase something out of the area, do it on the internet so you don't spend petrol money getting to it. You also won't be tempted to spend money for other stuff when you are in town ... you won't be that other pair of shoes just because you are driving by the store. ... you won't be tempted by that mega-church just because you drove past its casino-type building.

Stay home and spend your money. If you spend it out of your community, and your community dies, don't complain.
karl

[ValueChainFX]

karl, we all see these things and you are right keeping your community health means supporting those that are there to serve you!

Leaders in these communities also need to take some of the responsibilities in making things happen. There are innovative things happening and the farm is an imporatnat part of that. We make things happen.

[karlevans]

Value, I see all over Canada and the USA thousands of Canadian farmers, ranchers and small town business people headed south to spend their money. This is money that came from Canadian dollars and could be doing great work in Canadian communities building things. Instead it goes to southern US snowbird locations in Florida, Texas and Arizona where there is already a lot of money. I think it is shameful on the part of our people, and a crime against our nation.

If Canadians are proud of Canada, why do they reward Southern US big cities like Miama and Houston and Phoenix?

Pardon me. I just get ticked off sometimes.
karl

[lonewolf]

In this world of increasing costs my preference is to buy local but when comparing cost to other areas big savings have been realized. For example I have now been buying fuel in bulk and pricing it out both locally and in a urban center 400 km away. what is surprising is that the urban center can deliver my fuel regularly 10 % below local. Last year savings were $1200.00 and that does not factor in the price hike from 44.9 cents to 67.7 cents a litre during the iraqii conflict. The common wisdom is that you cannot make any more money just manage your costs effectively. Where is the point when you say I cannot do business with you any more. Gentlemen your thoughts?

[dalek]

We reached that point with our local co-ops about 3 years ago. They were gouging their customers by 10-15% across the board and if anybody complained, used the argument that if you left the co-op, you were letting down your neighbours and you'd make up the difference on dividends, even though in 10 years of doing at least $50,000 of business per year our largest yearly dividend check was less than $10. Now buy our fert and chemicals from Agrico and get better prices AND service, fuel from a local dealer, and feed from a private mill.

[karlevans]

The real issue here is much more c25omplex than most folks realize. For instance, it is critical to compare the total costs of purchases from various resellers. Here is a for instance.
Local distant.
Cost of petrol .. say, $1,000 $900
Dealer support of local kids ball team
-25 0
Dealer employees on vol fire dept
-25 0
dealer employees spend on local groceries -25 0
dealer spend on local advertising
-15 0
Dealer emp gift to local church
25 0
Cost of waiting for fuel arrive during harvest when you forgot to order it.
100 1000

I could go on, but you get the picture. Just be sure that when you figure the costs, be honest and accurate. What is the cost of a school closing because there are no more kids for the school? What is the cost of a car dealer or garage closing because there is no more business? This is not a matter of loyalty, or pride. It is just a matter of honest business. It has to include all the cost.

karl
Taxes paid to home town -50 0

[carebear300]

I have heard the arguement for supporting local businesses all my farming days, and have been dumb enough to do it. They have all went broke so may has well have saved the extra money I was paying to support them and might have had some extra money now. They all went out of business and have to drive half way across the country for most things now. I don't like it but that is the facts of life now. As for coops have had nothing but bad experience with them, have tried to support them but they don't give service and are always more expensive.

[ValueChainFX]

Out of adversity will rise the phoenix so they say. Here we have a very complex issue that will hit the nerve with most people that live rural.

Keep in mind, I said from the start "Leaders in these communities also need to take some of the responsibility"! Jumping up and down and making holes in the air with your finger does not change a thing!

Karl, you said you were ticked off, and you think it is shameful. You are right to be ticked off, but people from the rural areas have a right as well to be good stewards of their money and of there community foundations. If the community foundations are unable to be supported than we lose them. A business must be able to deliver a product or service at a price that makes sense. lonewolf has a preference to use the local services but do you do that by taking food out of his families mouths? dalek has pointed out that even their local coop (which I will touch on a bit)tried to do the support your coop and we give you dividends thing! We cannot let obvious deceptions continue in our own lives. (These deceptions are not always intentional, they are almost like a brainwashing, and the true coops were formed on the basis of providing those goods and services, now they don't seem to cut the mustard!) New Generation Cooperatives are providing a little hope for us in this area, but there is still some work to do in this area. (Wish they were called something other than a cooperative)

Yes karl, people in the local businesses do give to the community, volunteer in the community and support community infrastructure. But we all recognize some challenges here; the key question is how do we overcome the challenges?

carebear, thank you for joining nice to see you. As usual your information is right on the money and I am not surprised at all to hear you have done your best to support local business and being dumb is probably not the right word, belief in your community is probably more like it.

Solutions, well we know we need the schools, the doctors, the services etc. how do we do this in a cost effective manner.

Don't be kicking my tush carebear, and lonewolf, but cooperation is the only way to maintain services and keep costs in line! Having studied the rural challenges I understand the complexity involved. But the solutions are in your ability as a community to pull together and work to a common goal. Some communities will never do that have been in towns that think they are cities unto themselves and don't care for the agriculture community around them!!!! Go figure. For those that want to survive they will think outside the box.

My question is, are there any suggestions wild and crazy or simple that may be solutions?

PS, interested in knowing some of the New Generation Cooperative differences, if so let me know!