Who ploughs an Agricultural vision for our young?

[agstar77]

They are capable, they just don't want to. I have talked to many sons and daughters of existing farmers. The majority don't want to take on the risk. It's a shame because there is a future, but at a price not many are willing to pay. P , changes have been coming at a greater rate than ever, yet the number of farmers decrease every year and the median age goes up.

[northfarmer]

The next generation of farmers will be more educated. The management skills of the next generation will be the same as the CEO of a small to mid size company that might operated in any industry.

Some of this edcuation may not even be of a formal nature, it may come from desire and experience, under the tutelage of someone who has the skills required.

After getting my post secondary education, not in ag but business/finance I am now a full time farmer operating a large modern family owned corporate farm (20 years of professional income help provide the capital to get there).

My father, now watching from above, thought I was crazy to want to farm 20 years ago when I started with one qtr. He said all that education, you are crazy to not stay in the city.

I will maintain my positive attitude about farming, adopting and changing with the times. This I hope will create the kind of environment that will want my children to partake and invest their time and energy in the industry when they are adults.

The economic barriers have all ways been there. Small business, whether it is farming, mfging, etc requires capital. Unless your start with a bunch that is given to you it will take time, sweat and good mgmt to get things rolling.

Give us an industry less dependent on the govt, that is commecially viable with properly operating commerical markets that allow for proper risk magmt strategies to take place.

Lweber has a good vision of what is needed. I would hope submissions like his to the standing committe on agriculture are not lost on deaf ears.

[parsley]

The maddening part is we are able to identify, even agstar is, what one major problem is and LW said it well:


"We have allowed farmers to become risk takers with government the risk manager."

The CWB is managing farmers' risk and how much cash do FARMERS jingle with Board crops?

Agstar knows what young people are thinking:

"The majority don't want to take on the risk."

Ahhhhh.....There you have it.

Young people want to MANAGE THEIR OWN RISK.

So.............


(and excuse me charliep, as I want to be dramatic here, and I know you understand this Swedish dialect,and it's been acceptably cleansed.)

Whats the //o..>>',.;'' problem?


Parsley

[agstar77]

"Young people want to manage their own risk". They don't want to take the risk period. How would you have managed the risk if you were a cattle farmer when BSE hit? Are you telling me that the individual entrepreneur could manage that type of risk? Why was there such a clamor from all groups for programs such as CAIS?

[AdamSmith]

Parsley is right, and

Agstar is right, as well.

We must above all, remember we are dealing with individuals, not cattle.

The fact has always existed that there are some people for whom, whatever their individual reasons are, just have no interest in farming.

Their dreams and desires lie elsewhere.

Our focus should not be about them our focus must be on those who DO choose to farm.

Thirty, fourty years ago, farming was chosen because it was an easy decision to make and it was easy to get into.

That isn't the case anymore is it.

Young people who choose to farm are extremly motivated and eternally optimistic.

Our goal must be to forster and feed that energy and optimism.

And you don't do that by tieing them up in shackles and telling them you can't do this or you can't do that because back in 1920 great grandpappy, had a bee in his bonnet about the way things were in 1920.

Or telling him that well that's a nice idea but it just can't be done because Ol Fred over there in the nursing home or Bill over there who's 72 and still farming wouldn't understand and might be uncomfortable about it.

You get kids interested in things that are exciting, but today asking a kid to farm is like asking him play suffleboard instead of GuitarHero.

Rural Healthcare is in the same crisis, and instead of recriting youth and courting youth, their recruiting and couting 40 and 50 year olds.

[parsley]

How did the CWB manage the risk when fusarium hit?

duh.

[parsley]

Burn the crop was the CWB's solution.

duh.

At least the farmers who decided to manage their risk trucked their bloody grain across the border to buyers paying good cash for fusarium wheat.

Until the CWB had them put in jail.

duh

Reasoning with a stone is so bloody futile.

Parsley

[parsley]

For gawd's sake, agstar, read Weber one more time.

Try reading slowly, following with your finger, until you can understand the concept.

Farmers need to manage their risk.

[agstar77]

Yes LW got into farming 20 years ago , much the same way most of us have. That was then now is now. Hedge funds didn't rule the commodity markets then ,Farmers received a bigger share of a box of corn flakes etc. etc. Well welcome to the real world LW , governments are not going to decrease their role in agriculture as long it affects the food supply to their voters. China is about to hit the wall when its' citzens demands for a higher standard of living, including more meat, are not met. Notice how quickly embargoes are placed on exports when domestic supplies are threatened. Less government intervention is a nice dream but it isn't going to happen. You might want to look at the organic industry. What we have to do is make Agriculture a more respectable option, in other words sell it as a profession , a career and a valuable business opportunity. Increase rewards and decrease risks.

[northfarmer]

agstar, obviously you do not read you rant.......I was the one that started farming 20 years ago...larry is not a farmer, he has worked in the grain industry for 26 years....

Govt have always and will continue to have a role in agriculture, there will always be trade, infrastrucure, food health and safely, safety net/risk management issues, security of food supply (some countries), etc.etc....

I am not going to get into the whole SM5 debate here, but quite frankly on my mixed farming operation there are a lot of things that the govt feels they are in a lot better position to do for me because they some how think it is in my best interests...specifically from my perspective are the means by which I may market and use risk management related to pricing for my wheat and barley production.

the fact that the wheat market is on fire, finally....and we cannot sell our wheat for what it is worth may preclude a lot of smart and capable young people from wanting to enter an industry that restricts their freedoms....

"increase rewards and decrease risks".....agstar these two statements directly contradict each other....

I was attracted to farming because of the risk, managing risk is the ultimate challenge of the crops business....every year, season and crop is different....show young people that rewards of managing the diverse risks of grain farming can be lucrative and this will attract their investment of time and money!

what percentage of young people today go on to be owners and managers of small cap companies and small business?

[agstar77]

My apologies to LW . Too many posts to read . It's all a blur after a while ,but the thoughts are valid. Just sub NF for LW.

[parsley]

agstar,

You need someone to manage your thought-risk!

Parsley