Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

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: 106

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

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
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.
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.

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.

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

Tariffs, Greenbelt and food security: Farmers share what's important to them as Ontario election nears

Shawn Brenn, a farmer near Millgrove outside of Waterdown, Ont., spends a lot of time thinking about how U.S. tariffs will affect Ontario farms. As the chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and owner of Brenn-B Farms, he fears produce prices will see a huge hit in the likely case that American buyers aren't willing to pay an extra 25 per cent after proposed tariffs are enacted March 4. "Eighty per cent of our fruits and vegetables get exported," Brenn told CBC Hamilton last week. "It will affect everyone hugely, but especially our greenhouse sector." Brenn knows that negotiating tariffs is a federal issue, but says there are things the province can do to buffer their effects, such as programs that invest in farms and help them mitigate risk. The province committed an additional $100 million in such funding in January, but it's not enough when compared to farm subsidies in the United States, said Brenn, 46. Leaders of Ontario's major parties have all pitched

Agricultural focus for all-candidates meeting in Teeswater, Feb. 20

Agriculture should be a top priority for provincial election candidates, says the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). “The OFA encourages all provincial election candidates to take clear and decisive stances on critical issues that affect agriculture, food security, and rural development,” said Sara Wood, OFA vice-president. “Protecting our domestic food supply and ensuring the sustainability and prosperity of Ontario’s farming businesses impacts all Ontarians.” On Feb. 20, an all-candidates meeting for the riding of Huron-Bruce is being hosted by the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture, the local branch of the OFA, ahead of the Feb. 27 provincial election. From 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., Huron-Bruce candidates will answer questions submitted by the public at the Teeswater Community Centre, located at 21 Marcy St. E. “We believe candidates must show leadership in three priority areas to best support food, farming and rural development in Ontario: Protecting farmland through re

Ken Forth of Lynden to be inducted into agricultural hall of fame

Ken Forth is a fifth-generation Lynden farmer, leader and storyteller who will soon be entering the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. “When I was young, I remember the time I was cutting asparagus with my parents and grandparents and someone was lamenting the weather,” Forth, 72, said. “My grandfather said ‘it’s nothing to with the weather, it’s the government you have to worry about. “That was 60 years ago and compared to the government of that day, to the government of today there’s a lot to worry about it.” Agriculture isn’t treated the way it should be within government, mostly because many of those in government don’t understand farming, Forth said. “We want them to understand so we’re always telling and sharing the story of agriculture,” Forth said. “That’s been my job for 40 years now, explaining agriculture to those who don’t know or understand it.” Forth doesn’t cast aspersions on those who don’t understand. It’s just that these days more people in leadership positions c

Beef Farmers of Ontario asking members to support checkoff increase

BFO members will vote on a checkoff increase this week

Proposed Changes to the Milk Act to Include Adding Sheep Milk

The government is proposing changes to the Milk Act that will include adding sheep milk under the Act and developing new regulations for sheep milk production, transport and processing. Today, sheep milk producers are regulated under the Public Health Act, which does not have an extensive regulatory or inspection regime. The changes proposed by the government will address, “inconsistent regulatory oversight of milk in Ontario”. The full language of the proposed changes to the legislation can be found here: Proposal to amend the Milk Act and the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 with more detail in the included PDF. Ontario Sheep Farmers is working with the Dairy Sheep Co-operative to coordinate a response from sheep milk producers to the proposed changes to the Milk Act. OSF would also like to hear from producers who are milking sheep and have questions or concerns about the proposed changes to the regulatory environment. OSF will be holding a meeting to discuss the proposed change

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service