rural community

[ValueChainFX]

Enjoy the discussion on rural community and think it deserves a top of the page spot in today's agri-issues. The agri-community and points of view on this issue are as diverse as the industry itself. With the corp. shadow hanging over all who love the life style how do you still maintain the integrity of that life style and survive. Last year I had the opportunity to visit many farms and ranches in B.C., Alberta and Sask. I have also talked with industry participants in Ontario, man. and the U.S. This subject of community has come up often and everyone has their thoughts. The common thread I have seen is that with out exception everyone has indicated that we are in changing times and you either change or die! Well we don't want to change so what is the alternative. Since I have been working in the industry supply chain for 35 years I have seen many changes. Have worked with many large and small business people that in one way or the other been a part of the building or destruction of the community links. To be frank I think now more then ever before we need to look at the people before us and recognize their contributions to our industry including the tight communities they built and what we have done to break them down. Remember the barn building bees, the threshing, the community pulling together to help a sick member get his crop off and chores done. Where is that?? I personally have chosen to do what I can to try to keep some of this around. My efforts and goals have been to find a way in today's economy and many issues to align myself and as many agri-industry participants as wish to take part in pulling together in both a collaborative effort and marketing perspective. You can call the effort anything you like to but I call it building Value Chains. This term is simply a term that government and other supporting agencies recognize as a marketing structure with added value. Well I view the term as a way to ensure the survival of those willing to build their futures on a community foundation, by aligning their needs wants and desires, with the communities, the industries, the governments the new market we are in and the future market we are heading for. My vision is simple! Provide a foundation and tool that draws individuals together, allowing them to maintain their personal identity, yet be a part of a diverse marketing structure which maintains consistency, integrity, collaboration, stability and equability of income while aligning themselves to meet and exceed expectations of the future! Am going to be interested on seeing your thoughts? Doug

[plowjockey]

I admire your ideals however in the real world yesterday I lost 2 more neighbours who cannot make enough off the land to take care of there families. What do you think as a neighbour we can do to achieve Rural harmony once again? Who will change the trend?

[ValueChainFX]

You will change the Trend. If you do not change the trend you will be next, or the other family down the road. But it is your business,to do nothing is not like the people that went before us, but to identify the root cause of the problem and then either work it out of the system or work it into the solution is my thoughts. I personally believe, that the only long term solution is the creation or development of Value Chains which will lock in long term components, add and create value, and ensure each participant (YOU) is locked in to the long term goals! Doug

[cakadu]

I like to hear the promotion of Value Chains, being part of the group that worked on the Value Chain Initiative through the Agriculture and Food Council. The initiative has turned into a partnership amongst the Council, AAFRD, AVAC and several others here in the province and has resulted in CARD (Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development) funding being made available for value chain projects. There are a number of criteria that must be met in order to receive funding, but for a true value chain, funding can be available. Check out: www.agfoodcouncil.com for more info. I would point out that value chains do not work in every situation, but are a tool that can be used in certain circumstances. One of the difficulties with forming a value chain is creating trust between all of the players and that takes time. It doesn't happen over night and can take a great deal of time and effort. I recently returned from Quebec where I saw something more than a value chain in operation and am attempting to find out more about it. They have what they call roundtables, that encompass the whole of a sector and the sector works together to enhance market share etc. etc. There are about 15 of them that are in various stages at present. They are not without their problems either, but all involved have recognized the need to work together in order to advance everyone. In Quebec they also have a strong organization called the UPA that works for all producers. That is something else I am trying to find out more about. Value Chains have come along way in Alberta and in the West and have been useful in several situations. However, we have a long way to go to see them working well and in more sectors. We have become proficient at working independently, what we need to do now is work interdependently. Linda

[ValueChainFX]

Very Well Put LINDA: You have supplied us with some very useful information. I have also seen the roundtable's work as well as the the linear value chain. However, as you pointed out the trust issue is probably the biggest issue of all, the second issue is the ability of relationships in other sectors to be formed which would in the long run become beneficial to all members of the Value Chain. It has always been one of my major concerns that these issues would have to be looked at by an independent assigned as an integration assurance coordinator. I make no bones about it, that I have developed my proposals, visited industry participants and have taken and am taking several technology and educational upgrades to facility a workable vision of a complete value chain from farm to fork, which represents not only a supply chain and suppliers to the supply chain. But a force stronger then any business in itself can be, which is true community and agriculture industry not overrun with politics and corporate takeovers, but a community that has pride in their product and that is not afraid to put their name on it, because their name still means something to them. We may have people in the government or associations telling us that the issues in the agriculture industry are important to them, and they may very well be, however, they are by far more important to the individuals that I spoke with that have seen their family farms go from honest work to honest wages, to a system that is at the core of there own demise if they do not change there direction! Enjoy the feed back, please share your thoughts?

[ianben]

I farm in the UK where the problems you have sound familiar. It seems to be worldwide and no wonder at todays prices. Assurance diversifcation retirement you name it we should try it.The answer to me seems simple we just need realistic prices for what we produce. We need OPEC type bodies to set comodity prices and more importantly the percentage of production we market. It is ridiculous the way we let small amounts of over supply crash markets. Surely we can use this amazing medium to work together globally and beat the system and the multi-nationals. What a dream. ianben

[ValueChainFX]

This dream you are talking about is more of a reality then you may think. We are very very close to having available to use the technology to tie many of the marketing issues and cost cutting measures together. Measurable are much easier to deal with then the things we can not measure, such as the foundations of what builds our community. Well Ian you do, and I do and bob does and many of our friends that have lost their operations because they heard someone tell them it would be OK, and like the land we put our faith in our brothers word. Well if you farm ya gotta have some kinda of faith, but you also should be able to put your operation on a foundation based on sound business principals so you do not have to have to use so much faith. Anyway, I do believe we know that as individuals and 'the little guy' we have to do something and do it soon! Or we shall all be working for the man!

[nakodo]

I am enjoying the discussions and have seen similar challenges in some recent papers the Western Agri-Food Institute posted on their web site (www.westernagrifood.org) from the US, Can, UK, Aust and NZ. Rural communities are under pressure from a number of things including globalization and how they survive is going to be a matter of how the community reacts and or does not react early on. Once the local stores are gone it is very hard to get them back.

[ValueChainFX]

I know this time of year the holiday and festive time, seem to help us forget some of our challenges or in some cases magnify them. I hope that we can keep this topic alive and together pull some bunnies from the hat. I would be interested to hear some ideas on what we can collectively do to address this issue with out depending on government or associations, but on each other. We have discussion now let's have some ideas and thoughts! Doug

[ValueChainFX]

Hope you have not forgot your the many challenges in our rural communities! Should would like to see more discussions on this issue!

Your thoughs?

[allspice]

We as farmers can do everything possible to maximize our returns, and carefully scrutinize every expense, but if agriculture shows a profit the huge corporations that produce our inputs are there like vultures with increased prices. I fear that any effort to increase world commodity prices will just starve a few more poor folks and fatten a few corporations' profit margins, while farm net income stays the same. It appears the only possibility of increasing farm profit is in purchasing collectively in numbers that can seriously affect the profitability of these large corporations, thus forcing them to be competitive in their pricing, rather than extracting whatever the market will bear. I am considering becoming a FNA member (www.fna.ca). I would really like to know what others think of this concept.

[chas]

Valuechain. I believe there is a solution to the farming crises, if your interested in it go to Commodity Marketing under the topic life after CWB and read what Chas has to say.

[ValueChainFX]

Well chas thank you for sending me to the other forum I did leave a short note there as well, but again, I state that we can point fingers around at niche markets, governments, associations where ever we like but when we point a finger we got more coming back pointing at us then we have pointing at the other groups. In the global market place a good strong product on a foundation built with some old fashioned values and some new technologies will out perform anything else out there!

As far as the fna is concerned I have dropped them a line! Hope to hear from them soon! If the technology and marketing strategies are in alignment with the future and they can do what they say! YAHOO we have someone on our side!

Have a good day!

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[chas]

Valuechainfx
I think you missed my meaning on niche markets and value added markets but yes I do aggree the the FNA is the direction we should be headed. Chas.

[ValueChainFX]

Chas:

I tend to agree with a few minor exceptions to what I have seen so far. I still do believe that a body needs to have the proper checks and balances in place throughout any structured organization. Those checks and balances must be observed, maintained and the information made available to all the levels, it must be independent so there is no undue influence and must for sure be looking out for each and every members best interests.
The biggest challenge I have seen in our agri-industry in the export markets is the ability to supply the same product every time. The Value Added products especially are hard for the big guys to achieve time after time!
You seem to be full of the spirit that can make it work, would love to hear your vision of the system that you would like to see?