Just got our share of Federal Money

[dalek]

We never signed up for CAIS, just filling out the forms for GOPP this week and it looks like about $3000 for a payment. Not bad for 3-4 hours work but I'd rather see RMP in place.

[cakadu]

Didn't Alberta make some changes to the CAIS program a while back? How did that work for Alberta producers? Haven't heard anything about whether the change was good or bad.

If the CAIS and NISA before it were intended to stabilize income, then based on what these examples show, CAIS didn't do very much for anyone.

As an aside, how in heaven's name do they expect someone to pay back $70 K just like that? If a person had that kind of money they wouldn't likely need to go to any program.

[Ron]

I have had some really good years, followed by a couple horrible years and CAIS did nothing for me. But FIDP paid out a bit in the good years, I have no idea why but I cashed the cheque (I will NEVER take an advance on govt money though, they dont play nice). Good luck Tooghgoofit (not being a smartass but oilpatch can make some nice numbers in the winter).

[Ron]

Toughgoofit: did you fill out the forms or your accountant? The people at CAIS are very nice people but its not there money and they make mistakes, ask why the change and get some advice from a good accountant. If it doesnt help it will still be the best money you ever waste (you will know you got screwed fair and square?)

[SASKFARMER3]

Yes I have the Same question, Did any one ever get a decent check from CASIP and get to keep it.
In our area we have high margins due to good years then the shit hit the fan and we had frost of 2002 the drought of 2003 and frost of 2004 and finally no prices in 2005 and my accountant still says their is no way we will get any thing from CASIP. They will come out with final prices and change the program on a daily basis.
I am sorry but I Put the blame for this Agriculture mess in one departments hands not the politicians but the Bureaucrats at Ag Canada that create all these programs.
After some 10 years of programs that were suppose to be green we have farmers in worse situation than before and the only winners are the thousands of Ag Canada Bureaucrats that Got Jobs in Regina, Winnipeg etc.
The US and Europe have killed western Canada agriculture and on the other hand having a country that has a superior program in Quebec to help their farmers wile the Province runs a huge deficit and the rest of Canada is suffering, Some thing is wrong.

[SASKFARMER3]

Ron, my accountant filled out all my papers. They are just as suprised as me that I'm now not qualifying. To bad that them being suprised isn't going to help my financial situation. What do you do when you are expecting that money and it doesn't show. I'm scared stiff to go in to the bank Monday morning

[wmoebis]

We have a change in govn't but nothing changes. They come in saying this or that program isn't working, but they leave the same people that have no idea how to change it in charge. Evey upper and middle managers job should be on the line when we change parties.
If they have screwed up and pit out a program that isn't working SKID them.

[northfarmer]

make sure you look at an appeal toughgoofit, if your acct thought you were entitled by the rules, challenge them....

we had to appeal when we were in payout position and were told we did not qualify...not once but twice, and it took over a year to get paid out for a wreck we had...they sometimes take unilateral positions on items in your submission that make no sense given the rules.....not to give you false hopes, but make sure you review to see what they did to change the outcome

the use of either the best the three last years avg or the olympic avg in calulating ref margins has resulted in considerable improvement to the payouts in Alberta, in our we got a cheque recently in this regard for our payout year.....

i hate the program crap, it is a shameful means of survival, but a necessary evil of the business...

[cowman]

Quite a few of these programs really don't filter down to the guys that really need them. What kind of a deal is it when you have to pay into something before you might get something back? Especially when you are wondering how the hell you are going to pay the power bill that month?
Wasn't NISA basically like that? If you could afford to put money in you did very well...if you couldn't...well you got nothing! So the rich got richer...and the poor got nothing!
Maybe some sort of income guarantee would make more sense, if the government thinks they have to do something to keep the peasants down on the farm? Or how about some meaningful transition support as the peasants escape agriculture?
If the government has basically come to the conclusion agriculture is a dead industry, then how about targetting subsidies to getting rid of the excess farmers? Less farmers...less subsidies draining the public purse?

[FarmRanger]

I'm taking the money, "I'm entitled to my entitlements" ;-)