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: 165

▶ 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

U.S. Farmer Sentiment Erodes Further in June

Farmer sentiment declined again in June, as producers became less optimistic about both current conditions and the year ahead, according to the latest Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer on Tuesday. The barometer fell to 113 points in June, down from 119 in May. Both major components of the index weakened, with the Index of Current Conditions dropping five points and the Index of Future Expectations falling seven points. The current conditions measure was 26 points below its December 2025 level and reached its lowest point since December 2024. The June survey, conducted from June 15 to 19 among 400 farmers across the U.S., showed high input costs remain the dominant concern. Of the respondents, 47% listed high input costs as their biggest worry, well ahead of low crop and livestock prices at 23%. In a related question, 42% of farmers said high input costs were the main factor limiting improvement in their farm’s financial situation this year. Low output prices were c

Alberta Crops Continue to Improve, But Too Much Rain Is Becoming the Bigger Concern

Alberta crops are generally in better shape than they were a year ago, but for many producers the conversation has shifted from needing rain to finding a break in it. The latest Alberta Crop Report, covering conditions as of June 23, shows provincial crop ratings edged up to 69 per cent good-to-excellent, comfortably ahead of last year’s 50 per cent and above the five-year average of 64 per cent. While that’s encouraging, excessive moisture is beginning to create a different set of challenges across parts of the province. Frequent rainfall has delayed herbicide applications, slowed crop development and left some low-lying fields saturated. Producers in central and northern Alberta continue to report standing water and uneven emergence, while cooler-than-normal temperatures have limited crop growth despite generally favourable soil moisture. The regional picture remains mixed. Southern Alberta continues to post some of the province’s strongest crop ratings, with timely rainfall sup

Alberta Crops Are Primed for a Big Year—If Farmers Can Get Into Their Fields

By the time the calendar turns to July, Alberta farmers usually have a pretty good sense of what kind of crop they’re growing. This year, the answer depends largely on where you farm. The latest Alberta Crop Report shows much of the province heading into July with excellent yield potential thanks to abundant soil moisture. Provincial crop conditions remain well above long-term averages, and hay and pasture are responding to the moisture. But there is another side to the story. Frequent rainfall, saturated fields and limited spraying opportunities are creating mounting concerns over disease pressure, weed control and delayed crop development in several regions. While moisture has largely replaced drought as the dominant concern, too much water is becoming its own production challenge. Moisture Is No Longer the Limiting Factor Across much of Alberta, crops have access to plenty of water heading into one of the most important months of the growing season. Surface and sub-surface mo

Deere partners with ASW Distillery on spirits

Fiddler Combine Bourbon and Fiddler Steel Plow Rye helps celebrate American ag

Global Oil Output Rebound Expected as EIA Forecasts Lower Fuel Prices Through 2027

The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration outlook points to increased global oil production and lower energy prices over the next two years.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service