Canada West Foundation

[r.reid]

I agree that subsidies are wrong.....BUT....I'm not going to blame the U.S. or the EU, for looking after their farmers (agree with them or not). People better wake up and realize, that we in Canada are not going to dictate our views to them...BUT...if we can't beat em, join em. Let's push for subsidies here. How do we expect compete if we aren't even on the same playing field. If they aren't going to change, then we have too. Like it or not!

Hey SASKFARMER3, What radio show was it? Who was the guest? Who was the host?

[cowman]

I guess a good part of the problem is this: How much clout does the farm vote have? Probably very little although if you look at the election the Conservatives were almost exclusively elected in rural areas!
People in the cities really don't care about what is happening down on the farm.
When you have a government that continues to see the farmer as nothing more than a peasant to be exploited...what can you expect? The cost of food has continually fallen to the point where it really isn't much of an expense at all for the average Canadian consumer. There have been huge increases in utilities, housing, transportation costs and hardly a whimper...but just let the price of food go up...and you have a major problem?
When the government scrapped the CROW they set a whole bunch of stuff in motion? Rather than stand up for the farmer and replace the CROW with something more acceptable to the WTO they folded and left the farmer at the mercy of the grain wars. The farmers saw the writing on the wall and did what they had to do to survive. They started to find a market for that grain at home. This created an immense livestock industry that could out compete the Americans? Thus we have all these games to keep our hogs and beef out of that market?
Before the CROW went Canada was a net importer of beef...now we are a major exporter!
carebear states the problem very correctly? The US farmer is moving ahead due to government policy...the Canadian farmer is slipping further behind every day. Somewhere down the road he becomes obsolete.

[cowman]

In our own province rural caucus isn't really made up of rural MLA's. About eight of them can be considered really rural and the rest represent mainly urbanized constituencies. My MLA has told me time and time again that issues that come forward regarding support for agricluture with the exception of the BSE crisis are in for a very rough ride, in both rural caucus and the caucus as a whole.

[SASKFARMER3]

Simple John Gormley Live 650 news talk out of regina and Saskatoon.
Canada West Foundation Guy I didnt get his name but every year he comes on with the Same stats how wonderful Oil Gas Mining and Ipsco is doing and how poor farmers are doing.
THey never Learn.
Also one bit of news Most Old Saskatchewan FArmers who are fed up with It are selling out but first they buy a condo in Medicine Hat then sell farm they are a resident of Alberta so Only pay Alberta tax.
Also heard of two home builders leaving regina and one in moosejaw leaving to move to Calgary and start their company up their .
Wont this NDP govt in Sask wake up and see the smart ones are just leaving and the Union and Gov workers are staying.
Sooner or later it will end.

[SASKFARMER3]

As a 25 year plus farmer I see that my lifestyle has deteriorated in the last 10 years, We have changed to Direct seeding and 10 different crops, cut back every where possible from equipment to land that wasn't producing etc.
I look at our Cousins By Fargo ND and see that they are increasing their farm Have top notch machinery, latest technology etc. Life style that is second to none.
Years ago when I was a young boy it was the other way around. About the Same time the US Farm Bill Came in and our Government started looking at Us as Second Class industry.
Iam sorry but maybe we have to do like the French farmers and then something will be done.
Also one note Big money backing a farm has a short life span.
Investment banker from New York bought buy us a few years back money no option he had every thing. Told me that since he was from a farm he wanted one when he was older and wealther. Well he got the best ones around and guess what after (frost drought frost no prices) he is selling out and gone.
Also Europeon farmers who sell out over their and move here guess what same senario their heading home after 5 years.
Wonder why Because their is no money in it at all and No Support at all.
Hey One more check out Richie Bros sale spring 06 Large 83 Quarter farm for sale in Saskatchewan. He sold out in Alberta for big bucks and is Quiting after 7 years.
Amazing.

[cowman]

I have often wondered how come Saskatchewan keeps voting in these inept NDP governments(or Manitoba, BC for that matter)?
Now I like Saskatchewan. I like how friendly the people are there. It sometimes seems like three quarters of the people in the oil patch are former Saskatchewan farm boys!
But when I visit Saskatchewan I am always amazed at how many government buildings are in every city and how they roll up the streets at 5 PM!
Right now there is a group from Yorkton trying to get Alberta farmers to move out to that area and raise cattle? I attended this groups presentation about 3 years ago and though I had no intention of moving I was intrigued by their presentation, so took a little trip to see how it was? The area was in east central Saskatchewan and it did look like a cattlemans paradise! Very similar to central Alberta...just a lot less people! I'm not sure how many people they have attracted, but the price was certainly right!

[SASKFARMER3]

If I had a ranch in Alberta I would move to Eastern Saskatchewan and Buy up thousands of Acres. But If I was a grain farmer from alberta I wouldnt.
The land produces big yields in Eastern Sasktachewan compared to rest of the province. Because in a normal year it rains their. In a wet cool year look out the season usually ends with frost.
Land is cheaper in eastern Sasktachewan than in Brazil.
Go figure.

Yes the City folk who most came from the Country vote NDP the Rural goes Conservative.
Guess what the citys run saskatchewan.

[SASKFARMER3]

Alberta is no different. Urban MLA's outnumber the real rural ones by a huge majority and the urban centres throughout the province have a very large collective lobby for infrastructure projects, social projects etc.

[SASKFARMER3]

Saskfarmer, you took my question right out of my mouth. I was going to ask you if this was the sale I saw on Ritchie Bros. Do you know the guy personally? What happened?

[SASKFARMER3]

No I dont but he is east of us and someone with that many quarters of owned land you hear of.
Looks like he was a speculator that thought he would be able to buy cheap and then sell when farming turned around again this area land values have collapsed. No buyers left.
But after 4 bad years even a speculator realizes that he is eating away equity and maybe he should get out.
Thats what I heard.