Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Farm Programs: What would you do to design something that works?

Tough Times for Farm Policy Designers.

When I graduated from university with a degree in agricultural economics, I was ready to take on the farm policy world. As a farm kid, I surmised that the government policy wonks at the top just needed a taste of my grassroots perspective and did I mention that I had a freshly printed degree in agricultural economics?

Yes, I was naïve, but I was also willing to pay my dues so I took a job as a policy researcher with a general farm lobby organization. It took two years, but it began to dawn on me that the life of a farm policy designer was not as glamorous as I originally thought. In fact, taking a farm policy gig means accepting the fact that you will please precisely no one. Regardless of how brilliantly you craft a new support program, your boss, the government, will say the program:

• gives too much money to farmers
• is not targeted properly
• has too many loopholes
• has high administration costs
• is not trade neutral
• is outdated even as it is released

On the other hand, farmers and their representative organizations will not be shy in letting you know that the program:

• does not provide enough money for farmers
• is not targeted properly
• is too inflexible
• requires too much paperwork
• is outdated even as it is released

The job is only getting tougher, because traditionally, farm support programs have dealt with commodity price dips and revenue erosion. We currently have volatile swings on the revenue side, but also crazy and fluctuating numbers on the expense side, whether it be feed, fertilizer, fuel, or other.

Twenty years after leaving university, I now know that farm policy design is not for the faint of heart, especially in the current environment. I’m happy to leave the job to others. The reality is, though, that traditional price or revenue support models are not going to be effective if the current environment persists. If you were given the task of designing farm support programs for tomorrow, where would you start? How would your program differ from what we see today?

Click here to join the discussion.

Peter Gredig
Farms.com


This commentary is for informational purposes only. The opinions and comments expressed herein represent the opinions of the author--they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Farms.com. This commentary is not intended to provide individual advice to anyone. Farms.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information, or for any damages or losses in any way related to this commentary.

Views: 47

▶ Reply to This

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

New USask poultry laying facility receives $6.2 million CFI funding boost

As a leading poultry researcher at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), Schwean-Lardner explores improved light, housing, and feed systems for better welfare, healthier chicken, and egg production in Canada — and she’s not afraid to feed the wild chickens she meets on holiday in Hawaii.  And nobody is more excited than Schwean-Lardner about what a new state-of-the-art poultry laying facility at USask would mean for her research field — and her birds.  “This will move us so far forward in poultry research,” she said. “This is causing me to push back my retirement because I want the first experiment in a system like this. This is so exciting.”  A proposed, cutting-edge poultry laying facility has received more than $6.2 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Innovation Fund, which supports developing infrastructure to further world-leading research in Canada. In addition, $3 million has been contributed to the new facility by Saskatchewan Egg Producers, an independ

Korey Peters, sunflower crop committee

Korey Peters farms near Randolph, MB, with his family at Herbsigwil Farms. Herb is his grandpa, Sig is his uncle and Will is his dad. Korey is a third-generation farmer, and the fourth generation is already on the farm full-time. Herbsigwil Farms grows wheat, canola, soybeans, corn and sunflowers. Korey lives on the farm with his wife and their two children, who enjoy spending lots of time in the yard. What motivated you to get into farming? I was always working on the farm in the summers. I came back full time in 2011 when my uncle had slowed down a little, and I just never left. What motivated you to get involved with Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA)? We started growing sunflowers when we were looking to add another crop in our rotation, and someone I know approached me because MCA was looking for committee members after some delegates had termed out. We chatted about it. It’s not a huge time commitment to be on a crop committee. I had been on a few boards not related to ag, so I h

More Control, Less Rush: Using Cash Advances to Strengthen Marketing Decisions

Farming is one of the most capital-intensive businesses in Canada. Seed, fuel, fertilizer and land costs go out months before crop revenue comes in. And while yields and markets can fluctuate, input costs are constant and high. That’s why cash flow strategy matters as much as production strategy. In the final presentation of our Roots to Results Webinar Series, Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) COO Darcelle Graham shared how an Advance Payments Program (APP) cash advance from MCA can serve as a practical, flexible tool to strengthen marketing power and reduce borrowing costs. Turn Cash Flow Pressure into Marketing Power The APP provides access to capital based on up to 50 per cent of your anticipated or stored production value. That means you don’t have to sell grain just to cover spring bills. Implementation Map out your 12- to 18-month cash flow needs. If input or rent payments are driving early sales, consider whether an advance could bridge the gap and let you market when prices im

Ag in the House: March 9 – 13

Conservatives continued their attacks on Liberal policies and the domino effects they have on farmers and food

Discover the future of leafy green farming with GoodLeaf’s Good For Life Tour

This spring, leafy greens are getting the pop-star treatment as GoodLeaf Farms and Sobeys Inc. take them on a mobile truck tour across Ontario and Atlantic Canada. The Good For Life Tour, made possible by the partnership between GoodLeaf Farms and Sobeys, will offer Canadians a unique opportunity to learn about vertical farming while sampling GoodLeaf greens. GoodLeaf Farms is proudly Canadian, and they are the country’s first and largest commercial indoor vertical farm operator. It launched in 2011 with the goal of improving Canadians’ access to fresh, locally grown produce, particularly during harsh winter months when traditional field farming isn’t possible. The company has farms across Canada to grow fresh local produce and to maximize freshness from farm to shelf. Article content How vertical farming works  Article content Vertical farming involves tall towers of stacked trays that use controlled air, light and water to provide nutrients in a controlled environment. This techniq

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service