Alberta Prosperity?

[cowman]

There is a good write up in the Western Producer about the so-called prosperity of Albertans. It would seem if you live in the boondocks things aren't all that rosy! And if you are involved in Agriculture things are definitely not sweet! Now if you live in Fort MacMurray or Zama and work in the oil and gas sector you are doing okay!
The area around Letbridge-Medicine Hat has seen a 39% reduction in Agriculture employment from 1991-2000. Now if the next 10 years bring another 39% reduction how far are we from a total collapse of our rural life(as we know it)? And I bet the reduction will be at least 39% because so many farmers are in the age group where they will retire soon. Not many young ones coming back to the "desert" these days? Once they've seen the bright lights of Calgary no way are you going to keep them down on the farm!

[ValueChainFX]

What are the rural towns doing. I see many of them are just kinda closing their eyes on their rural roots.

I have had the pleasure of talking to several of the rural towns as we scout out locations for our producer venture and my goodness some sound like they took lessons from our prime minister. Non the less it would be nice if they at least kept up with rural issues most of these rural town reps really have no idea what the producers challenges are and don't really want to! Go figure.

But we have found that producers themselves are willing to let their town guys off the hook and take the task on themselves. I guess they figure most of these town guys don't know which end of the bull the milk comes from????

Anyway. We make our prosperity even through adversity.

[cowman]

In this day and age a lot of the people in the rural type towns are a couple of generations removed from the farm. Even on the farms people have become so specialized that they have no clue about how other areas of agriculture work.
I mean for the specialized grain farmer...what does he know about the hog business?
In a lot of rural towns in Alberta it is the oil and gas business that makes it go. In the strictly agricultural areas the little towns are drying up and blowing away. The people living there are all old people just living out their days. And for me that is a sad thing because I can remember when they were bustling little towns where everybody knew everybody else. When I was a boy one of my sisters lived in a little town about 30 miles away. They had a general store,two gas stations,a lumberyard/hardware store, poolhall,four elevators, a school up to grade nine, a big community hall with four ball diamonds and an outdoor rink,two churches. Today there are no businesses, no school,elevators all tore down, baseball diamonds and rink all falling apart, one church left and it sure could use a coat of paint! About the only growth there seems to have been is in the graveyard as it looks like it is almost full! I believe we have lost something very important somewhere along the way. For me personally I cannot stand a big city. I can barely tolerate spending a few hours in one. I guess I'm just an old country bumpkin!

[ValueChainFX]

Well cowman you may be the country bumkin but at least you can enjoy the real country. I feel sad to see some of these small towns today. I remember as well the old days when going into town was a big deal. I think of the things that a town could do to bring back the rural pride and yet it seems they would rather try to act like the big city folks. Go figure!

Anyway I do believe that we have some good plans to pull producers together and see some of that old rural pride come back into our lives. If the elected folks from town want to sit on board ain't it great!

In Alberta I do believe that we have everything we need to make it happen in agricultural. Enjoy all