Another case for CAIS

[rkaiser]

This program is the biggest joke on the planet.Still have our 2003 application on the desk of the review folks. But don't expect much anyway after talking with others who are in a similar boat.

Don't anyone dare be innovative here in Canada and expect to get anything out of this joke of a program. It simply rewards lemer like behavior for those who follow the rules of the cheap food policy hand shaken by our dear government and the multinationals of this continent.

Those who hung on and worked hard on marketing purebred stock, and especially bulls, after the plug was pulled on a lucrative American market will see nothing from CAIS nor any other government program. Those who added value to their stock by trying to avoid the conventional (Pad the multinational packer pocket) program will see nothing from CAIS.

And now call me paranoid for thinking that this corporate welfare system we have in place to keep these pirates in control is not some kind of control game to keep the rancher as a serf and avoid a situation where food may actually become an important part of the $100,000 wage earners budget.

And once again folks - DISPITE this ridiculous system direct marketing and retained ownership continue to grow. Congratulations to those that forge ahead - without this pathetic government handout if they don't get it.

I truly wish that if I do get a cheque, I would still have the guts to tell the administrator what I told them in my younger years. Funny thing was, after telling them where I thought they should put it that time, they sent the cheque out fairly quickly.

[mb_rancher]

Randy,


You are daed on the money as you usually are. The big grain farmers around here who are slaves to the fertilizer companies are getting huge cheques some as big as $250,000. The poor ole cattleman that struggled through BSE and tried new things to make some $$$ got nothing. CAIS is a joke and we need a straight old income stabilization prgram, for livestock and grain.

[cowman]

I am quite disgusted that Mr. Strahl did not honor the promise to replace CAIS. I think generally most people were unhappy with this complicated program that in many cases never did what it was intended to do! However it did keep a lot of people employed, running around shuffling paper and trying to figure out how not to pay out a lot of money!
I hope the Conservatives can get their act together and come up with a safety net system that actually works... someday? They aren't really accomplishing very much for the farmers of this country right now? Hopefully they don't forget who got them to where they are?

[ddniak]

You have it right boys.Cais is a joke. Myself alonf with several neighbours I have talked to received nothing. All cattle farmers. If you can't get a payout during BSE you can forget about it.

[dfarms11]

I got nothing for 03 either, in fact 03 came out with my 2nd highest margin in the last 3 years, What a Joke.

[WRAPper]

Try being diversified then CAIS really kicks you in the a--.
Not a nickle here, maybe a better program would be a lottery every year where the only way you get entered is by not qualifying for CAIS or any other of these programs, therefore costing the government nothing. I'd say a million dollars a year split evenly between the different levels of govt. Being all the millions we save them . Give it to one producer a year, it would be better. Reward someone for doing it right(or wrong) for a change.

[PureCountry]

We never applied. I thought the program was horse $h!t right from the first time I read their propaganda pamphlets, so we never applied. Our accountant phoned us every day up until the deadline, urging us to do it, and I finally told him where to go.

If I don't believe in it, I'm not going to throw my name in. I'm not saying I foresaw all of this happeneing, but I figured it would just be another gov't boon-doggle.

[smcgrath76]

Personal opinion. I am not an accountant.
I think the concept behind CAIS was reasonably solid. Money goes in in good years and is taken out in bad. I see the real problem being our ag policy in general that doesn't foster value added, enhanced and fair trade, etc.
Then the problem becomes continually shrinking margins and no CAIS payout to those going under, or conversely no payout to those doing things different in spite of policy.

[grassfarmer]

I have no problem accepting Government money whether from CAIS, EFP or any other stupid program. I maybe look at it differently having grown up in a highly subsidised agricultural system. The way I see it most governments in the developed world have allowed multinational monopolies to dominate every link of the Ag production chain. They have failed to enforce anti competition laws with the result that peasants everywhere are struggling to get by. As compensation we have subsidies - whether it be farm payments in the EU or the US or farm fuel benefits, EFP and CAIS in Canada.
So I feel we are "entitled to our entitlements", sure I'd like to see a fairer return from the marketplace and no need for subsidies but I can't see it happening. Let's face it the Corporations hold more sway with Governments than farmers so we will be fed enough peanuts to get by and keep us producing at, or below, cost the raw products Corporate America needs.

And we haven't helped ourselves on this issue - look at last years report by Wayne Easter to the Cdn minister of agriculture, probably the most enlightened look into what's wrong with Canadian agriculture post WW2. Did we lobby to ensure Government took notice of it? How many Canadian producers are even aware of it? This was a big missed opportunity. Hard to believe but we tried to pass a resolution at our local ABP meeting asking them to lobby Government to act on the report - of course it was resoundingly defeated. How any commodity producer group in Canada could fail to back Easters report is beyond me - yet as far as I know the NFU was the only one to do so.

[cowman]

I think you have pretty well got it right grassfarmer(This is getting scary...me always ageeing with you of late!). The only thing I might add is when the "corporate takeover" took place the EU and the USA stepped up to the plate while our wonderful Canadian government didn't, instead pleading poverty? Of course that "poverty" was mostly self induced by inept and crooked federal governments and a great desire for politicians to keep their place at the trough? Thus we got all these wonderful programs like bilingualism for the whole country...well except for Quebec...so maybe we should really call it Frenchification?
Another winner was metrification, which is fine and dandy, the only problem is we trade about 85% of all our products with a country that didn't go metric!
The list could be practically endless with one screwup after another as well as outright graft and theft? Doesn't leave much pennies to support the peasants down on the farm! Oh well peasants are peasants and if they leave the land who cares?

[sjc]

CAIS = Chartered Accountant Income Stabilization.

[wd40]

We all need to get on the hay train back haul and immigrate to Qubec where they take care of their farmers. lol :-(

[grefer]

I too will be discusted if the new federal government doesn't scrap CAIS.What good is a program that no one can predict what, if any ,payment the producer will receive until CAIS adjusts all the info submited to them.Why would Strahl listen to the provincial Ag. ministers opinion?Are they the ones who have to put up with dealing with the program?Anyway guys,I don't think any amount of money thrown at farmers will solve this problem.Producers need to get mad at companies selling us seed for 6.50 a pound and chemicals to spay on the same plants,we need to do something about not beeing able to save our own seed,and many other things that we all just seem to accept.Instead we get angry at government because they won't give us enouph money to support our habit.

[ddniak]

Yes Grefer, just imagine if ranchers, farmers for one year farmed without any inputs at all. That means no pesticides, no fertilzers, no chemicals, no purchased seed, no new equipment. What would be the outcome. Never happen of course. We are all to dam independent. Right, independent to the poor house.

[madcow]

You guys have all made your points, and we do all have one thing in common,( I find my self agreeing with cowman allot lately ! ) CAIS doesn't work anywhere in the country. The Fed's better make good on their promise to get rid of it . None of us can last long enough for them to fix it.Many farmers down here (NS) took advantage of the CAIS Special Advance payment ($100 per cow) in /04 and nearly all of us have been notified that it was an overpayment and must pay it all back. It has been especially ineffective if you were diversified and to ice the cake ,the provincial govt. refused further support here because the feds had this $ available. The Fed's have patted themselves on the back for the "tremendous ' support they bragged about in the media, think they will make a big media event about the claw-backs ?
Another point to ponder: Strahl said it again on Cpac from the meeting in Manitoba last week.And they always present it this way One in 8 jobs is connected to the food industry and that accounts for 8% of the GDP(mixed terms, 1 in 8 and 8%).Lets commonize it ,12.5% of the population account for 8%of the GDP, we are disadvantaged by 33% from the rest of society before you even factor in the fact that many in the processing end of it DO make a descent wage. The primary producer is way down the ladder and we are the ones who produce the stuff for the rest of society to value add in the first place. Without us the rest will grind to a halt