Discouraged

[cowman]

I sense that a lot of farmers are coming to the end of the road. Not because they can't survive another year, but because they are just getting sick of the whole thing?
They are not a very cheery group? Drought, mad cow, the cost/price squeeze have all taken their toll, but it almost seems the lack of government will to do anything is the biggest problem. And I don't necessarily mean more money! Our governments attitude of letting everyone walk all over us. Our federal government babbles away but does nothing. Lets Bush and his outfit ruin our grain, cattle, and lumber industries and does nothing?
Now I've heard a lot of talk about shutting off the oil, gas and electricity. Maybe a better solution would be to let Al-quada or the Taliban set up shop along the border? That might get their attention?
Or cuddle right up to France and Germany? America doesn't have so many friends that they can afford to lose many! Especially their yes-man, Canada?

[carebear300]

I know what you mean cowman was sort of thinking the same thing this afternoon when I was combining. Things are kind of sick when you are combining a nice crop on a beautiful day in October and I am worrying about what is going to happen to not just my farm but agriculture as an industry. All we seem to do in this country is talk about the problems nobody wants to get out and try and solve them. My full time cattleman(300 cows) neighbour was over this morning wondering the same thing. The future looks discouraging to say the least. I guess they will carry me off this place feet first and the government will have to pay to dispose of my carcass.

[cowman]

Well Carebear, I hope they don't turn you into cement!
You know there is nothing better than a nice day in the fall combining! When everything is running well, no wind and a bright sun! Meals on the tailgate of the pickup...did food ever taste so good? Do you think the city slickers have a clue about what they are missing?

[tersta]

You bet we do, cowman! Any of us city slickers who stop the rat race long enough to think about it want out. When you're out on the field combining you have time to think deep and long about things. When you're a nine-to-fiver, or more often a nine-to-niner, you don't have a whole lot of time to think about much. You just keep going, just like a hamster on a wheel that's going too fast to jump off.

That tailgate lunch in the field is worth more than a tonne of grain, you know. Package it up and sell it, man!

[cowman]

Well hello testra! Actually my combine days are over so I'm mainly being nostalgic, which means I remember the good things not the bad ones! And there was a lot that was not very nice in grain farming!
I still have a cow herd and put up all my own feed but I rent out the grain. I also have some oil interests that keep me busy.
Nice to have you here and I hope you find your little piece of heaven in the country!

[tersta]

Hey! After what you said in the last thread, I can't tell if you're wishing me well or misery.

You have time to remember. That's worth a fortune right there. We have Task Manager on the computer to pop up and tell us when it's time to stop what we're doing and do the thing we're supposed to do at that moment.

I think of it this way. We all have 24 hrs a day and a lifetime to live. It isn't so much what we do for a living, or who we work for, but the reasons why we work. The further away you are from the finished product, the less satisfaction you get from the work of your hand. When you see a crop grow and then harvest it, you've accomplished something. When you work like a cog in a multi-national, you never finish anything. You contribute to something that never yields to you directly.

I'm glad that the goodness of farming comes strongest to mind when you wax nostalgic. What I'm afraid of is that farmers, like you. will forget and pack it in. When that happens, there will be Walmarts cropping up in pastures across the nation!

[cakadu]

I was talking to a fellow earlier this week and a couple of the points he made got me to thinking.

The policy makers of today are dealing with things as though the beef, grain, pork, dairy, etc. industries were always as large as they are. They weren't - they had to grow and back 40 or 50 years ago, they threw all kinds of money, incentives etc. at those industries in order to help them grow - kind of picking the winners I guess.

When supply management in the dairy industry came in during the 60's, there was quota being given away and there was a real push to have people take on dairying. It wasn't all that many years ago that there was an abundance of money for the cattle industry for a number of things.

Now we hear about diversification and all the ideas that there are, yet there isn't the same amount of money being given to these industries to try and help them to grow. When programs are announced, the lions share of the money goes to the well established industries and those that are on the cusp are not given anywhere near a proportionate share. Granted, it is much harder to pick the winners these days, but how about giving them a chance?

While any help to the producer is welcome these days, what I would really like to see is a reversal of how things are done, with the lions share of a program going to the smaller, more innovative producers. What if some of these industries just need that little extra boost to get them in line for bigger things?

From a strictly observational standpoint, watching what happened this year has shown that we cannot rely on any one thing to be the mainstay of the agriculture industry - particularly here in Alberta. We need to look to other things beyond beef and barley if we are going to continue to be sustainable into the future.

How would we most effectively accomplish that?

[cowman]

Linda: Barley,canola, beef. These are the crops that grow well here. Maybe better than anywhere else. Just like wheat is the crop for the drier prairies. We all knew that 30 years ago, but now things are a little different.
I have to agree with you about the lack of support for the "new" agricultural products. But maybe that is a good thing? If the government was to support say carrot production there would be a stampede into that area and the whole thing would collapse.
In reality it was government that pushed the build up of the cow herd that has resulted in the wreck we have today. First by encouraging a huge feeding industry and then scrapping the Crow. There were lots of other little goodies like government backed feeder associations, forage incentives and a revised tax structure that took away five year averaging. Why just about every doctor and lawyer in the country
were feeding cattle in a custom lot!
We don't need the government to give us money! We do need them to regulate trade, have food inspection,keep up the infrastructure(roads/bridges etc.)and make sure businesses and other countries are playing fair. This is the role of government and we do pay them very well to do this.

[tersta]

The more I look at farming, the more I think that 'functional foods' and 'nutraceuticals' are the way to go. Here, the idea is to farm with intent -- a decided means to an end. For instance, if you can grow flax, grow high oil flax and work the Omega-3 buyer market. If you grow soyabean, grow it for tofu and miso markets. As for crop diversification, here is a winner: Purslane - the weed. It's the highest source of Omega-3 of any leafy green vegetable. Check out this Sask farmer's website:
http://www.purslanesask.com/ . He's building the market for a very promising alternative crop. Here's another zinger, CoQ10 extracted from tobacco! A cheaper synthetic alternative source, which involves partial fermentation and then synthesis using “solanesol” a chemical extracted from the tobacco leaf, is processed into CoQ10. This nutrient has been studied extensively, and has proven to support heart health. Here's another: Apricot pits are showing promise as a cancer fighter. The lumber companies have stopped sending their bark to landfill and started bagging it as mulch. There are many similar opportunites waiting to happen in agriculture.

The crops aren't new. It's the intended use and markets that are new. In fact, it first appears that we're missing a big part of the chain between farmer and consumer on these opportunities. Processors That's not a bad thing, because it means opportunity for the farmer who wants to diversify. The cheapest option is purlane. I've thought to grow flax and purslane together. It shades the ground. Harvest it before the flax and sell it in bundles, like spinach. I think good labeling, with nutrient analysis, would move this product. It can also be frozen or freeze-dried as a functional food. I expect it can be processed into a nutraceutical grade oil through cold-press extraction.

I suppose it can work in the reverse too. Whatever happens to the mash from whiskey and beer production? Is it possible to use it as organic matter in soil? Are processing plants paying to have this stuff put into landfill? Is it possible to strike up a deal with grocery chains to dispose of old produce?

It comes down to this: when you have land you can build markets. Some with very little investment.

[cowman]

Tersta: Those are all very exciting ideas and for those entrepreneurs who want to try it I wish them lots of luck.
Out here berry production is the "new" thing and it is really taking off. I hope these guys make it!
We all make our choices in life and I made mine a long time ago when I decided to "diversify" out of grain and cattle into the oil service industry. I kept the cows(which I enjoyed)and got rid of the grain. The oil business has treated me real well and I enjoy it. I am in constant contact with people and for me that is a good thing because I am a people person.
In your own case I would advise you to not jump in with both feet. Buy a small place and start out slow. Find your markets and gain production experience before you quit your day job.

[tersta]

It seems you've made the right choices by getting into oil. I agree with you totally about keeping the day job. I don't think small scale farming, without diversified income is feasible, no matter where you are.

[cakadu]

Cowman, I'm not saying that we should forget about the commodities that have gotten big and still need some support. What I would like to see is similar opportunities afforded to the smaller player so that they too could feasibly get off the ground. No one wants hand outs - it doesn't really solve anything.

For me, it would be great if we could put infrastructure in place that would allow for things to happen i.e. a plant that wasn't geared up to do 1,000 of gallons, pounds whatever in a day - something that could handle smaller volumes.

What would also make a lot of sense is beneficial practices for these groups and not regulations that tie your hands beyond belief. How about organizations that will help the smaller player instead of being focused on the bigger guy? How is someone operating a market garden any less important than the fellow who is growing vegetables for export? Both are trying to make a living as best they can.

Some of those crops you mention do grow well here. Shouldn't we be looking at alternative crops, given the climactic changes we've been witnessing over the past 3 or 4 years? Would you have ever dreamt that corn would grow up in these parts (central Alberta)?

There have been significant changes in crops over the past several years so maybe there are enough heat units to grow things we never even thought of before. If the drought conditions continue, we'll have to take a look at growing other things.

A fellow once told me that you're not a true grazier until you can get through a drought. It seems to me that we are going to have to shift our thinking and work towards the extremes we are seeing versus planning for the average.

Prodcuts that have value are the future - we just have to work towards it. Is it going to be easy - probably not - are we going to have to take risks - quite likely - will it take beyond the short term - I have no doubt. I do see a brighter future, when we make the shift.

[tersta]

Cakadu, here's a link that might interest you: http://www.agr.gc.ca/progser/card_e.phtml

The Celebrating the Successes of CARD page gives a bit more detail:
http://www.agr.gc.ca/policy/adapt/success_stories/success_stories.phtml

Down at the bottom there are links to previously supported projects.

I think that if you can come up with The Plan for a small-scale processing plant, you can make it happen. Check out the 'Alberta Value Chain Strategic Initiative' outline on the Regional Success Stories page. That group is on its way. You could either tap into what they're doing, or get their advice on preparing your own proposal.

[cowman]

Linda: I agree that more needs to be done to kick start our growing ag industries. And maybe that doesn't mean direct government money but some legislation to promote and protect fledgling industries. Tough to do now that we have NAFTA!
Maybe some seed money to get a grower owned co-op manufacturing plant up and running for things like berries, veggies, herbs etc.? I suspect that with a fairly secure market these industries could flourish?
The US seems to have no trouble violating the spirit of NAFTA if not the law and so I see no reason we can't do the same.
And of course we all need to do our part...buy the local produce over the imported! Ask your local supermarket manager what is grown here and what isn't. Tell him you prefer local produce.