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: 184

▶ 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

Choosing Malting Barley for 2027? Market Demand Could Be Key

Canadian malting barley acres are shifting toward newer varieties. CDC Churchill reached 13.7 per cent of Western Canadian acres in 2026, while AAC Synergy retained the top spot at 37.6 per cent. Recommended Varieties

China extends tariff relief for peas, canola meal

China has extended significant tariff reductions on Canadian peas, canola meal, lobster and crabs for another two years after a meeting in Beijing between Chinese officials and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. The announcement, part of a deal struck recently, removes a cloud of uncertainty that had been hanging over Canada’s agriculture and seafood sector. The tariff reductions, set to expire on Dec. 31, have been extended to the end of 2028, Sidhu said in a statement from Beijing. The suspended tariffs include 100-per-cent levies on peas and canola meal and 25-per-cent on lobster and crab. Shipments of these products for the first eight months of the year reached $1-billion, according to Sidhu’s office. “This extension gives farmers, producers and harvesters predictable access to the Chinese market, and it’s how we will grow our exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030 to create good-paying jobs and new opportunities for businesses across Canada,” Sidhu said.

Cyclists in another Ontario town worried they’ll lose some bike lanes

The Great Bike Lane Battle of Ontario™ isn’t just happening in Toronto. We’ve already seen several places in the province who are fearful that some of the Toronto removals, and plans to remove more or kibosh future lanes, might affect them. It began over two years ago when Premier Doug Ford’s government passed legislation that changed the way municipalities can create bike lanes. Essentially, the province can now dictate the way towns or cities can create cycling infrastructure that may reduce car lanes. The bill also quite specifically targeted several sections in the city which it planned to remove lanes. After a long legal battle—which included a Charter challenge put forth by cycling advocates, which was ultimately appealed and won by the province—the first round of lane removals began. The Ontario bike lane brouhaha In early October, crews set out to get rid of a 1.2-km section of protected bike lanes on Bloor Street West in the west part of the city. For days, cyclists and s

Eggs of invasive moth detected for the first time in Great Lakes region in Detroit, U.S. says

The eggs of an invasive moth known to be a voracious consumer of trees have been discovered for the first time in the Great Lakes region on a vessel in the Port of Detroit, according to U.S. Customers and Border Protection. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the specimens came from two distinct subspecies of the flighted spongy moth complex native to Asia. The steel-carrying cargo ship had arrived in Detroit from South Korea via Hamilton. “It's very concerning because … spongy moth is one of those moths whose caterpillars feed on the foliage of a large number of tree species,” said Richard Hamelin, a professor of forestry at the University of British Columbia. He worked with the USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on a DNA test to differentiate the Asian and European varieties of the moth. “My guess is that this [is] being an alarm … bell … because … if there's one ship that had eggs, then … there was … some kind of a breakdown in the inspection or maybe t

Lambton County farmers near end of harvest thanks to favourable weather

Ideal fall conditions have allowed Lambton County producers to bring a smooth and successful harvest near the finish line. Lambton Federation of Agriculture President Mike Belan said the soybean harvest and winter wheat planting finished really well thanks to a long stretch of nice weather. He said area farmers, including himself, have made good progress harvesting corn since with average to above average yields being recorded. "We just finished up last week and I think probably, if you went around the county, we'd be probably 85 to 90 per cent wrapped up on corn harvest," said Belan. "The first part of November has been exceptionally well weather wise." Belan said everyone he talks to has been eager to collect their crops. "November's notorious for having a large snowfall or getting wet and staying wet for the rest of the month," he said. "So, you take advantage of the nice weather when you can." With flurries starting to show in local forecasts, Belan said extra effort is being

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service