Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AgVisionTV: Steven Blank discusses the End of Agriculture. What do you think?

I wanted to see what people thought of Steven Blank's thoughts and opinions.

Thanks,

Kevin


Click on the Play button to watch the video.


Views: 137

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joann on April 29, 2010 at 4:38am
I have not read any of Mr. Blanks' book, so I am gleaning personal opinions solely on his interview.

In my opinion, there were some serious omissions in his observations. He did not touch on the USA Farm Bill and the guaranteed support American farmers receive.. not to mention the Parity Clause farmers entrenched in the 1937(?) Farm Bill. The Canada Farm support system changed in 1998 from COP to a welfare system based on whole farm income.

He speaks of profit margins being squeezed with price fluctuations but neglects the relationship between farmers that capitalize their operations vs farmers with capital stagnation. Farmers with less/no debt have a far better survival rate. It is no small wonder the average age of Canadian farmers is well into the 60's.

The food versus ethanol point he extracts, in my opinion, is not totally relevant in his conclusions. He completely avoids mention of profit taking through derivatives in the financial sectors those 2 critical years when commodity prices spiked and sank. Wall Street greed had more to do with setting agriculture commodity prices those years than the CBT.

Is it ethical for financial institutions to manipulate agricultural commodity prices solely for corporate profit outside the agricultural arena? Mr. Blank avoids mention of political policies that affect Canadian farmers' ability to guarantee at least cost of production.
Permalink Reply by Joann on April 29, 2010 at 7:20am
Sorry, I should have added that I thought he had some other very astute observations about the evolution of agriculture of which I agreed with.

Joann said:
I have not read any of Mr. Blanks' book, so I am gleaning personal opinions solely on his interview.

In my opinion, there were some serious omissions in his observations. He did not touch on the USA Farm Bill and the guaranteed support American farmers receive.. not to mention the Parity Clause farmers entrenched in the 1937(?) Farm Bill. The Canada Farm support system changed in 1998 from COP to a welfare system based on whole farm income.

He speaks of profit margins being squeezed with price fluctuations but neglects the relationship between farmers that capitalize their operations vs farmers with capital stagnation. Farmers with less/no debt have a far better survival rate. It is no small wonder the average age of Canadian farmers is well into the 60's.

The food versus ethanol point he extracts, in my opinion, is not totally relevant in his conclusions. He completely avoids mention of profit taking through derivatives in the financial sectors those 2 critical years when commodity prices spiked and sank. Wall Street greed had more to do with setting agriculture commodity prices those years than the CBT.

Is it ethical for financial institutions to manipulate agricultural commodity prices solely for corporate profit outside the agricultural arena? Mr. Blank avoids mention of political policies that affect Canadian farmers' ability to guarantee at least cost of production.
Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on May 8, 2010 at 2:54am
Joann, while he does not make direct mention of the points you raise, I would say he covers them in general by saying that our control over the return on our production is eclipsed by global influences.

U.S. farm policy, for example, is just one more part (albeit a large one) of the global structure within which we must try to produce and survive.

Mainstream or conventional agriculture, which simply produces bountiful supplies of bulk commodities at insufficient prices for a nameless, faceless buyer will eventually collapse under the weight of it own "efficiency" because of the factors which Mr. Blank outlines.

I am reminded of the story of farmer who tried get his cow to eat less hay. Every day he gave her less than the day before. Since she continued to live, he thought, "Yes, this is working"!

She became thinner with each passing week, but still she lived on a decreasing amount of hay each day.

Eventually, the cow was a mere skeleton, but the farmer was happy because she was down to only one handful of hay per day.

One morning he was most remorseful to find her dead in her stall. "Why did you have to die now"? he said. "Because today I would have had you down to no feed at all and I would have proven to the world that a cow can live on nothing!"

I wish I were less pessimistic. But in view of what agriculture has become in my lifetime, do I have any reason to be?
Permalink Reply by Bristow on May 8, 2010 at 10:18am
Smart man, knows his stuff. I have notice this trend in all developed countries. In Australia in the 80s it was get big or get out, 90s sell the farm its not worth it, 2000 your too old and over supply. O well its back to being peasant farmers again. Small may better, find your local market, sell at the farm gate to indivual consumer or form co ops, to compete with mult nationals. Cut out the middle man, let him find his product some where else, two or three years down the track, he will be back, because the consumer don't like the new ingredance in the product.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

*Webinars* Strategies for Reducing Calf Losses: Veterinary Insights from Across Canada

Are calf losses cutting into your beef operation’s productivity and profitability? You are not alone! The BCRC is hosting two 90-minute webinars featuring veterinarians from across Canada who work directly with cow-calf operations like yours. A March 18 webinar will feature veterinarians who work with Eastern Canadian cow-calf operations, sharing insights on practical prevention strategies to implement before, during and after calving to increase calf survivability. During the March 25 webinar, Western Canadian veterinarians will outline regionally relevant approaches for reducing calf losses, highlighting essential pre-calving strategies and practical management techniques to use during calving to help ensure healthier outcomes for both cows and calves.   Both webinars will include an extended Q&A session, giving you plenty of time to ask questions. Each webinar will also be available for?one continuing education (CE) credit for veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists

China halts tariffs on some Canadian ag

Some Canadian ag products will have tariff-free access to China as of March 1

Farmers Face Harsh Truths While Refusing to Abandon Their Way of Life

A recent post on social media by a friend asked to add a line from a movie that fans of it would instantly recognize. One of my contributions was, “You can’t handle the truth.” While that line came in a courtroom scene from one of my favorite movies with Jack Nicholson yelling it at Tom Cruise, it actually got me thinking about farming. Many of us who grew up on a farm have seen both good and tough times. That is the truth. But what are we currently experiencing and can we handle these truths? American Farm Bureau recently said there was a 46% increase in farm bankruptcies in 2025. That’s pretty sobering. Those of us who grew up during the farm crisis in the 1980s, when more than 250,000 farmers filed for bankruptcy, never want to hear about someone losing a farm. For a few years I’ve personally been concerned about what’s happening in our farming communities. Interest rates have been plenty high; input costs don’t seem to come down when market prices do. Farmers have always been pr

As US agriculture flails, farmers see big corn acres as best bet to break even

U.S. farmers, though punished by slumping prices after last year’s monster corn harvest, are expected to cut back only slightly on their plantings of the grain in 2026 as they brace for a fourth straight year of narrow profit margins or even losses. Farmers expect corn, the most widely grown U.S. crop, to hew close to break-even levels this year, supported by strong usage. Some see soybeans as riskier, given rising competition from Brazil and a volatile U.S. trade relationship with top buyer China. “Right now, you absolutely cannot make money on beans,” said Tim Gregerson, who farms in eastern Nebraska. “You can probably break even on corn, but you are going to have to have an extraordinary yield, or a price increase,” Gregerson said. Most growers in America’s Midwest farm belt grow both crops, alternating what gets planted on each field from year to year to boost soil health. Many add wheat, sorghum, cotton or other crops to their rotations. But among farmers who have some flexible

This is Agriculture: Producer, advocate, industry leader

Jill Verwey lives and breathes agriculture. Her roots growing up on a mixed grain and cattle operation in rural Manitoba lend themselves well to her current roles – the office manager for Verwey Farms Ltd., president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), and first vice president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). Jill’s pride in Canadian agriculture is unmistakable. Learn more about her career and advocacy journey below. Describe your job or product in one sentence. My role includes managing the day-to-day administration and financial operations of our family farm, overseeing food and animal safety and human resources, and representing agricultural producers provincially and nationally through leadership roles with KAP, CFA, and various boards and advisory groups. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in rural Manitoba on a mixed grain and cattle operation. I have been married for 32 years, and my husband and I are involved in

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service