Ten months ago we sold our eastern Ontario dairy farm and relocated on another dairy operation 20 miles away as the crow flies, in northern New York. Money and freedom were the reasons for our decision.
Agriculture
Small Farm Perspective on Policy
As an operator of a small livestock and forage farm, I keep an eye on policy developments in the broader agricultural sector. For the most part, I have an opinion that small farmers would be better off with less government intervention and direct assistance in the agriculture sector. I am not a fan of farm subsidies, intrusive regulations, or single desk marketing boards.
A post at GRIST presents a American “progressive perspective” on how current farm policy discussions are moving in the United States. It is interesting that the message in the article is small farms will benefit from functioning competitive markets and reduced direct subsidies.
CWB Kills Wheat Acreage: Single desk prairie provinces lose wheat acreage while open market Ontario gains.
Canada is losing its status as a wheat super power with acreages steadily falling over the past fifteen years. Acreage is falling in all Prairie provinces but not in Ontario. This may be because the Prairie farmers are bound to the Canadian Wheat Board, but Ontario farmers have marketing freedom.
Oat Farms Blossom Without Wheat Board: Oat farmers formerly had to sell to the government monopoly
“This past harvest season, a lot of Western Canadian farmers who grew oats, myself included, took something for granted. That was the ability to sell and deliver our crop to market at a time of our own choosing. Not so long ago, this was not the case. We have one man in particular to thank for this: Charlie Mayer.”
Featured News
Why University?
In this essay, I explain that young people should come to university to be educated, and not to become credentialed; the public should support universities because universities educate young people, not because they produce credentialled workers. Why should a...
A Lamentable Tale of Two Colonies
During the whole of recorded history, the empire has been the most constant and common form of political organization. A basic, self-evident feature of all empire-building has been the successful occupation of the lands of the local, Indigenous inhabitants by outside...
Wheat Board Monopoly Unjustified:
Last week, federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl suggested there was increasing support for taking away the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly over prairie wheat and barley sales, for letting grain growers choose whether to sell their grain to the federal government...
Freeing the Farmers
If you've never heard the old folk tale about the Wild Hogs of Horseshoe Bend, just get Rolf Penner started on farming subsidies. The hog and grain producer from Morris, Man., loves to tell the story of how a clever farmer was able to pen a group of feral pigs by...
Farmers fear $1-billion Property Value Loss from New Water Protection Law Financial run-off
Manitoba farm leaders are frantically trying to convince the province to change new legislation designed to save Lake Winnipeg that could cost farmers over $1 billion, according to some estimates
The Multiplier Effect
The elimination of trade barriers like subsidies and tariffs could increase the world’s wealth by as much a $2 trillion.
Subsidies at Root of Farm-Income Crisis
In the last nineteen years, OECD countries transferred a combined $US 4.79 trillion in subsidies to farmers. These payments have distorted incentives to growers and encouraged them to produce more than they otherwise would or produce what they otherwise wouldn’t.
Manitoba’s Water Protection Act
Everybody wants to restore the health of Lake Winnipeg, but the province’s means of doing that is flawed. It may not solve the problem even as it imposes heavy costs on the agricultural sector.
The Subsidy Snare Powerpoint Slides
Powerpoint slides from Frontier Policy Briefing discussing how subsidies hurt farmers by Ag Policy Fellow Rolf Penner
Dr. Andrew Sharpley, soil scientist, et al.
Are experts and regulators on the same track when it comes to writing laws for water protection? Side-by-side interviews indicate a problem.
The Potential for Grass Biofuel Pellets
A crop that grows naturally on the North American prairies could help solve our energy problems while providing farmers with an important new source of revenue.