Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

EASTER CALLS OUT FARM LEADERS

Finally someone says it out loud in public! Wayne Easter says to the
press at last week's "Farmers Matter" meeting in Stratford Ontario, that
farm leaders need to grow a set of cajones (paraphrased a bit).

It seems like even at last week's "Farmers Matter" gathering in Stratford, we are content to sit around like a bunch of 19th century school girls at a pleasant afternoon tea party, politely discussing the benefits of a woodstove while the house is burning down.

I do not see ONE farm organization that is tackling the income crisis in livestock head on. For all the dues we've paid over the years to the OFA, OCA, CFFO, Corn Producers, we are getting further behind all the time. I sold butcher cattle in the '70s for the same money as we are seeing today.

What have the organizations done for us? And when I asked the OCA why they are not supporting us on our BSE suit mediation request, they duck out for the very reason that Easter gives in the link below - they are scared to ask for real help because they don't want to jeopardize their "working relationship" with the government.

Well guess what - the"help" they are working on is going to be too little too late for many of us. We do not need a RMP nearly as much as we need a big cash infusion NOW and then finds ways to extract more money from the marketplace.
 
The link is from today's Farm News on CKNX radio. Scroll down and click on the audio link. 
 
http://www.am920.ca/news.php?cat_id=6

Views: 176

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on December 2, 2010 at 5:10am
Hi John:
It's a terrible situation....
Keep working at this....I agree that everyone should try a little harder and show more urgency.
Joe

Here is the link to the Audio clip.

http://media.cknxradio.com/atk/uploads/farm/10-11-Nov/FM-Easter_1.mp3
Permalink Reply by That Guy on December 2, 2010 at 11:11am
Grant Robertson who was there representing the NDP sure ripped into the OCA, although not by name when he repeated 3 times captive supply. The past OCA president you might remember called Robertson a communist from the podim during the OCA convention when he was not there to defend himself for daring to suggest that maybe we don't actally have a free market in Canadain beef when just two players control 90% of the processing industry. Robertson might be a lot of things, but communist ain't one of them. S**t disturber, entrapenuer, hockey nut (talk to him sometime) and hopefully the next MP for Huron-Bruce, but the OCA attacks on him were ridiculous.

Easter is right that we are being failed by our farm organizations, but we are also being failed by the people we send to Ottawa who sit there and do nothing. Personally I think a few more s**t disturbers is exactly what we need so I will be voting for Robertson if we do have an election in the spring. Not NDP, but for Grant personally (and for the first time) to go do some s kicking in Ottawa.

I aslo heard that Ontario Pork and the OCA threatened to walk if Bill Jefferie, former Perth Beef Producer President was allowed to be on the panel. There's another s**t disturber we could do with hearing from more. Seems to me folks like Easter and Robertson are right when they say we should stop being so afraid of standing up for ourselves.
Permalink Reply by Colin Lundy on December 3, 2010 at 4:01pm
A friend of mine raises certified organic 100% grass fed beef - red poll, a rare breed. She just made over $1200 on one steer when me and three other friends split it four ways. And guess what, me and my friends got a deal because we bought the whole damn cow. That's right, when people just want some steaks or roasts, they pay a lot more (per pound). She sells everything she can produce. So do a lot of other beef producers I know. They sell it direct to the consumer. It is true for the few pastured pork producers I know too - getting about $5/pound when they sell the whole pig. I know direct marketing is not for everyone, but obviously something is wrong with the value chain as it currently exists. It is time for more livestock producers to think outside the box, not give their animals away to Tyson or Cargill or whoever. And dump OCA and OFA. People in Canada love eating beef and pork! Most probably eat some almost every day. Create a new channel to get it to them and maybe beef and pork production will stabilize somewhere profitable. Sure I am oversimplifying but the status quo is not doing anyone much good.
Permalink Reply by Bristow on December 15, 2010 at 7:05pm

Yes boards are very help to the people they serve, the government love them because they don't pay for them and all they are made up of are gentleman farmers with political or big commercial interests.  We all know the out come, because the agenda is aready set, some words and busness as usual.  If the Industry wants change first thing is to get rid of the whole board, that have political ties with government. Government departments can't run without produce or justify their existance without farmers. If the provence won't talk turkey by pass them, go to fedral legisation deal with them, refuse to pay any and obey their taxes on mass. Get the changes needed to operate a farm, no hinder it and any changes must go through with a majority vote not a back door one. Because if you don't one by one you will fall. Like the meat works.

Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on December 17, 2010 at 1:26pm

Good points everyone.

I have been on a couple of boards and it is a real challenge for part time participants to do much more than try to be positive and ask for help from the politicians.  You can play the mad guy and demand assistance for your farmers but in the end, the politicians have all the power.

I like the idea of selling directly to the consumer, but it just won't work for the large percentage of our agriculture production...we need large domestic and export markets.

 

I also agree with Easter, we all need to grow tougher cajones and get the job done.

 

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Canada Launches Carbon Market Working Group and Agriculture Watches for Opportunities

Federal, provincial and territorial governments have launched a new working group to explore greater cooperation among Canada's carbon markets, farmers and agricultural organizations may be watching closely for future opportunities.

Ag Canada Raises Durum Export Forecast; Lowers Ending Stocks

Agriculture Canada has reduced its forecast for Canadian durum ending stocks in 2026-27 amid stronger-than-expected exports, while raising its average price outlook. In its October supply-demand update released Tuesday, Ag Canada lowered projected durum ending stocks by 150,000 tonnes from September to 1.35 million, reflecting an upward revision in expected exports, partially offset by lower anticipated domestic use. Despite the reduction, ending stocks are still projected above the 1.102 million tonnes carried out of 2025-26 and the 512,000 tonnes remaining at the end of 2024-25. Ag Canada increased its 2026-27 durum export forecast by 250,000 tonnes to 5.3 million, down 9% from last year's record but 15% above the five-year average. Meanwhile, expected domestic feed, waste and dockage use was reduced by 100,000 tonnes to 433,000 tonnes, partly offsetting the impact of higher exports on ending stocks. Canadian durum exports have started the crop year strongly, with 787,000 ton

Higher Diesel Prices Put Further Squeeze on Canadian Farm Margins: FCC Report

Record-high diesel prices are putting additional pressure on Canadian farm profitability and transportation costs, with consumers potentially facing higher grocery bills later this year, according to a new report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC). The FCC Economics report examines how elevated diesel prices are affecting Canada's agricultural supply chain, from farm production and livestock operations to transportation, food processing and retail. Using an assumed 80% increase in diesel prices from pre-Iran war levels, FCC estimates Saskatchewan grain producers could see crop margins reduced by $14 to $21/acre, depending on soil zone. That scenario compares diesel at $1.18/litre before the war with $2.13 this autumn. For a 5,000-acre farm, the additional fuel expense would range from $68,000 to $106,000. In Ontario, FCC estimated that an equivalent increase in diesel prices, from $1.28 to $2.30, could reduce corn and soybean margins by $16 to $30/acre, depending on crop and tillage s

Saskatchewan Harvest Virtually Now Complete

Mostly dry weather this past week pushed the 2026 Saskatchewan harvest to near completion. The weekly crop report on Thursday pegged the provincewide harvest at 97% complete as of Monday, up 4 points from the previous week and slightly behind 99% last year. Favourable weather allowed producers to make good progress, leaving only a small number of acres of later-seeded crops still standing, the report said. Harvest is furthest advanced in the southwest and west-central regions, where 99% of crops have been combined. The northern regions are 97% complete, followed by the east-central region at 96% and the southeast at 95%. Most major crops are now almost entirely harvested. Spring wheat, durum, barley, lentils and field peas are all 99% complete, while oats are 98% finished and canola is 96% done. The harvest of fall rye, winter wheat, triticale, mustard and chickpeas is complete. However, some later-maturing crops remain further behind, including flax at 88%, canary seed at 92%,

Understanding and Applying Canola Disease Diagnostic Results

Disease testing through Canola Diagnostic Services can confirm which diseases are present in a field, but knowing how to act on them can be challenging. The real value of diagnostic testing is understanding what those results mean and using that information to make informed management decisions to protect future canola crops. Blackleg and Verticillium In Manitoba Canola Growers’ Diagnostic Testing, blackleg and verticillium stripe results are combined into a single report. For each stem analyzed, the report indicates whether blackleg and verticillium stripe were detected. For verticillium stripe, the report includes an estimated DNA load and an infection category. DNA load reflects the amount of pathogen DNA detected in the sample and can vary depending on plant maturity at sampling. The infection category provides a general indication of disease presence, but it cannot be linked directly to yield loss as the relationship between infection and yield loss is still being researched.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service