EDITORIAL: Public Policy Making 101

Gib Drury

QFA President

There are two accepted ways to develop the laws and regulations that govern us all. The first and simplest is to elect politicians who then debate and decide on a complete range of public policy. This tends to be a hit-and-miss approach. As the electoral process does not lend itself to precise positions by politicians, there are no guarantees that they will follow through with their promises, and there is little if any input from you or me.

The second way for developing public policy is when a government appoints a commission on a specific issue. The beauty of the commission approach is that anybody who has an interest in the subject has an opportunity to have their say. The public hearings are followed by deliberation amongst the commissioners who separate the wheat from the chaff and decide what is relevant and which policies best respond to the needs identified. The commissioners, who are selected for their intelligence and competence, are entrusted with the analysis and synthesis of all the submissions received. They should be provided the freedom to make their recommendations independently of political influence.

On August 27, the QFA had an opportunity to make a presentation to the Commission on the Future of Quebec Agriculture and Agri-food in Quebec City. (This followed an exhaustive consultation of all English-speaking farmers in the province.) Our points were well received. The commissioners were well prepared, having read our submission in advance. They were respectful and responded with good questions.

Quebec’s English-speaking farmers have had their kick at the can. We are prepared to accept and abide by the recommendations that the commission will present to the government next January. Let’s hope that the ruling politicians don’t delay or shortcut the implementation of the new public policy that should set the direction of Quebec’s agriculture for the next five to ten years.

QFA urges CAAAQ to pave the way for a bright er future

Ivan Hale

QFA Executive Director

“Quebec is on the right track for sustainable agriculture and healthy food for its people,” stated QFA President Gib Drury at a recent hearing before the Commission on the Future of Quebec Agriculture and Agri-food (CAAAQ) in Quebec City. Invited by the commission to share the QFA’s vision on Quebec agriculture at the August 27 meeting, Drury and I appeared as witnesses for producers’ groups with province-wide representation.

Speaking on behalf of all English farmers, Drury emphasized that Quebec has shown remarkable leadership in areas such as traceability and called upon the CAAAQ to stay on course. “Let’s preserve our values that have guided us and let’s strengthen the tools that we have put in place,” he said.

The QFA President went on to say that Quebec has a history of family-farm based agriculture that produces some of the finest food in the world. He added, “Quebec society has adopted a legal framework that allows its agricultural producers to receive a fair return for their investments and efforts.”

Drury also commented that the province’s agriculture is admired the world over for its communal approach, still largely based on farms having a human dimension. “The values that define Quebec’s agriculture make it unique in Canada, if not in the whole world. They are based on a collective, co-operative model with agricultural producers having control. It benefits everyone and we don’t want that to change.”

One of the defining features of Quebec’s agricultural industry is La Financière Agricole, a partnership between government, bureaucrats and agricultural producers. The organization was created in 2001 after a consensus was reached between the government and the agricultural community. Its mandate is to stimulate investments and protect income with the aim of promoting the success and longevity of Quebec's farm businesses. Mandated as the unique Quebec government agency responsible for managing financial tools for agricultural needs, it plays a primary role in the development of the agricultural and agri-food sector.

In introducing this final round of consultations, CAAAQ chair Jean Pronovost said that since its launch in October 2006 the commission had received 582 briefs and 635 presentations—impressive results to be sure considering there was an interruption during the provincial election.

During the hearing, Drury also presented three recommendations that QFA considers essential for a bright future in Quebec’s agricultural sector:

Identification of Quebec products (origin and processing)

Recognition of the many roles and multiple benefits of agriculture beyond food production

Promotion of local consumption and developing niche markets

Drury urged the Commission to recommend that the government preserve the values that have guided us to where we are presently, and also to strengthen the agricultural laws and maintain the programs that have evolved over the years.

I continued the QFA’s presentation by thanking the CAAAQ for having produced its discussion document in both languages, and for inviting presentations and briefs in either language. I explained that QFA had written to all 2,110 English farmers in the province soliciting their comments and input. All responses had been studied and summarized, and the subject was discussed on several occasions by the QFA’s board of directors.

The Commission will sunset in January 2006 at which time it will submit its final report to the Minister of Agriculture. It is expected that the Commission will produce a very thorough and detailed report containing a wide range of specific recommendations. Although the government is not bound to act on the many ideas that will be presented, there is a good chance the recommendations will not be ignored. Many stakeholders including especially the UPA and QFA invested much time and effort to participate actively in the public consultation exercise. Quebec governments have a track record of taking their commissions seriously and for accepting and acting on their recommendations.

Harper stands up for supply management

Andrew McClelland

Advocate Staff Reporter

Agricultural leaders from across Canada are singing the praises of the Conservative government this month as Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made good on his promise to defend supply management at the recent North American Leaders’ Summit in Montebello.

The two-day conference, which saw the Canadian Prime Minister meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and U.S. President George W. Bush, proved to be a watershed for the tough issue of supply management in agriculture. According to a high-ranking Canadian government official, Harper became livid with a group of senior American civil servants when it was discovered that the U.S. had secretly made several important changes to the section of the Summit’s agreement on supply management. The news of the Prime Minister’s alleged temper tantrum was leaked to the French-language daily La Presse and Conservative officials are not denying its truth.

The unnamed government official stated that the U.S. “applied a lot of pressure that could have compromised Canada’s stance on supply management. Needless to say, Prime Minister Harper didn’t appreciate the gesture in the least. The position of the Government of Canada on supply management is clear—we are firmly supporting it and we will continue to support it.”

The details of what actually happened at the Summit are unclear. Some reports state that American officials tried to slip a few extra paragraphs into the first draft of the closing remarks of Harper’s meeting with Bush and Calderon. Luckily, the Prime Minister noticed the amendments when reading a copy of the agreement. While it is unknown what those extra paragraphs said precisely, all key players in the affair say that the changes would have severely undermined Canada’s rights to defend its current supply management system at the World Trade Organization.

Witnesses also claim that the enraged Prime Minister confronted those responsible and demanded that the paragraphs be removed from the second draft. After talking with top members of the Mexican and American governments, President Bush finally complied with Canada’s request.

Industry gets its way

Industry leaders from Quebec have repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining the country’s supply management system, which allows the province’s farmers to guarantee the price of products like eggs, poultry and milk. Supply management also ensures that the quality and quantity of agricultural products meet consumer demand.

Dairy Farmers of Canada have been heavily active in drumming up support for the program, citing that supply management’s major success has been to ensure “farmers receive stable income in exchange for producing high-quality food while not costing taxpayers a penny.”

In preparing for the Summit in Montebello, the Conservatives knew that the stakes were high. All four key parties in the House of Commons have unanimously supported supply management since 2004, when former prime minister Paul Martin tabled the Declaration of Support. As opposition leader at the time, Harper voted for supply management along with 130 other MPs.

Later, in 2006, a letter to Alberta Premier Ralph Klein sent to all of Canada’s premiers shows Harper repeating the Conservative stance that “it is in the best interest of Canada and Canadian agriculture that the industries under the protection of supply management remain viable.”

A little more agriculture

The only other issue directly affecting agriculture discussed at the Montebello Summit was the leaders’ decision to unveil the North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza. Giving themselves a deadline in 2009, Harper, Bush and Calderón hope to fully prepare the continent for the deadly H5N1 virus that is yet to reach North America.

“The plan allows the three countries to define the zones that contain the infected areas, thus permitting the other regions to continue their international trade,” explained François Caya, a veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the country’s top authority on matters concerning exotic animal disease management. “There is not yet an official trilateral agreement with regard to the sharing of avian flu vaccines, as is the case for foot-and-mouth disease,” Caya added, although he is convinced that Canada could count on its partners if its inventory of ten million doses against the H5 and H7 strains of avian flu were to be insufficient.

New agriculture minister knows the field

Barry Wilson

Special to the Advocate

By all accounts, the first meeting in late August between new federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and leaders of Canada’s supply managed sectors went well.

The 57-year-old Saskatchewan farmer was no stranger to SM5 leaders when they trooped into his office. They knew him when he was chair of the House of Commons agriculture committee last year when he typically gave them a courteous and generous reception.

“Many of us knew him from his previous role so he wasn’t an unknown quantity,” said Dairy Farmers of Canada vice-chair Bruce Saunders after the meeting. “The bottom line is he certainly was up to speed on our file as we expected he would be and he gave us every indication that he is open to ongoing dialogue with us on issues affecting our industry and that is what we wanted to hear.”

Ritz, appointed Canada’s 32nd federal agriculture minister August 14 when previous minister Chuck Strahl was moved to the Indian Affairs and Northern Development portfolio, sat on the committee through hearings on butter oil imports, world trade talks and dairy compositional standards.

On November 22, 2005, he rose with all other MPs in the House of Commons to support a Bloc Québécois motion that Canadian negotiators at World Trade Organization talks in Geneva accept no deal that involved undermining the tariff and tariff rate quota import protections now available to supply managed sectors.

So the dairy, poultry and egg sectors expect little change in tone or policy from the new minister.

Of course, the Ritz style and stance only will emerge over the next months as he asserts himself in helping set Canada’s WTO policy, negotiates with the provinces over the shape of the next generation of agriculture policy and stickhandles his way through the myriad issues that always face a national agriculture minister.

That the former grain and ostrich farmer from west central Saskatchewan comes into the job with an understanding of at least the fundamental issues, including how to grow a crop and balance the farm books, is a bonus.

For the industry, meeting the new agriculture minister has become almost an annual ritual.

In less than four years, Canada has had five agriculture ministers, a revolving door that is unprecedented in the 140-year history of the agriculture department.

In late 2003, Liberal Lyle Vanclief was dropped from cabinet by new Prime Minister Paul Martin. His choice for minister, Bob Speller, was promptly defeated by voters in southwest Ontario.

His next pick, Andy Mitchell, suffered the same political fate in 2006. Strahl, a former British Columbia forestry contractor, was the surprise pick as the first Conservative agriculture minister in more than 13 years.

Now, it is Ritz’s turn.

At least he won’t have Strahl’s initial problem of trying for a second time to make a first impression.

When Strahl, Ritz and the rest of the Reform Party caucus arrived in Ottawa in the 1990s, they were western free traders with a skeptical view of protectionist supply management.

As the party morphed into the Alliance and then finally the Conservative Party, its leaders began to change policy on supply management, embracing it as a successful system.

Cynics saw it as a political manoeuvre to appeal to needed rural votes in Ontario and Quebec.

Strahl proved through 18 months that he and his government were prepared to walk the talk, to support supply management at home and in Geneva.

Ritz inherits that record.

It is unlikely he will tarnish it.

Barry Wilson grew up on a West Quebec farm and has spent more than a quarter century covering agricultural, rural and trade issues on Parliament Hill as National Correspondent for The Western Producer newspaper.

Don’t skimp on the first meal!

Paul Meldrum

Dairy Supervisor

Macdonald Campus Farm

We have all been told of the importance of getting that first colostrum into the calf within an hour or two of birth, but how many of us actually place a lot of importance on this? If the calf is born in the middle of the day, will you take the time to milk the cow by hand and feed the calf or will you wait until chore time? If you’re attending to a calving in the middle of the night, will you head for the house the moment the calf is out or will you make sure it gets its first meal before you get some shut-eye?

While we may feel jubilant and somewhat relieved that we have delivered a live calf, the job is only half done. What we do for that new calf in the next hour will have a big impact on its chances of survival, its growth rate and the amount of doctoring and treating we will have to do.

It starts with that first meal. The calf’s ability to absorb the immunoglobulins from the colostrum diminishes quickly. Think of it as a wide open door that starts to shut the moment the calf is born. After two hours, the door is still mostly open. After 12 hours, it is half shut, so the benefit of the colostrum is only half of what it would have been right after calving. After 24 hours, the door is completely shut so any benefit from the colostrum is purely nutritional—the opportunity to introduce passive immunity has passed.

Some calves will be able to suck from the cow soon after birth; others will not, for a host of reasons: a deep udder, a nervous first-calf heifer, a clumsy stupid calf (usually a bull!), and sometimes you just won’t know for sure if the calf had anything to eat.

I like to take two bottles of colostrum from the cow about a half hour after birth (giving the cow time to lick the calf) and give the calf as much of that two litres as it will drink. If for some reason it won’t suck, I will tube feed the calf. At the same time, I will snip the navel, leaving about two inches, and dip it in a mild disinfectant soap (we use Endure 400). For years producers have been dipping navels in a one per cent iodine solution, but while killing bacteria, it also burns the soft young tissue, and can actually prevent the navel from closing, leading to a higher incidence of hernias. If it’s a heifer, we will give one half cc of Muse vaccine and one cc of Vitamin A & D, because calves are deficient in selenium and vitamins A,D and E at birth. We give the same attention to bull calves as we do to heifers, (with the exception of the injections due to withdrawal times before slaughter), because a healthy bull calf is money in your pocket.

If for some reason the calf’s mouth or navel came into contact with manure during or immediately after birth, or if it was a difficult birth, I find that 2cc of Excenel gives the calf some added ammunition to fight off infection. This may need to be repeated in two days. I will also do this for bull calves and wait the extra days before shipping them to the sale barn. If you’re selling your bull calves directly to a veal grower, he or she will appreciate this attention to health and will often pay a premium for your calves. By keeping every bull calf alive and healthy, you gain an additional $100 to $200 per calf. Every heifer calf that you don’t lose is another opportunity to cull two years down the road, or bring in extra income.

I simply don’t like to lose calves, be they bulls or heifers. It has always been a source of pride for me, as it now is for my staff at the college, to have a zero per cent calf mortality. The extra time and effort pays financial dividends but the satisfaction derived from a job well done is priceless. Next month, I will discuss how to keep that calf healthy from the time it is taken from its mother until weaning, including tips on how to get the calf eating grain within the first week.

Paul Meldrum is Dairy Supervisor at McGill University’s Macdonald Campus Farm. In the past, he has run successful dairy operations in both Ontario and New York state, hosted and produced CJOH TV’s “Valley Farmer,” and has been heard on agriculture reports for CBC Radio Noon in Ottawa.

EDITORIAL: An outstretched hand

Laurent Pellerin

UPA President

There is a changing of the guard at the head of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada: Gerry Ritz, the Conservative member for Battlefords-Lloydminster in Saskatchewan, has succeeded Chuck Strahl who held the reins of the department during the past year and a half.

Representing a rural riding along the Alberta border, the new minister was himself a farmer, a grain producer to be exact. He comes to the cabinet after having served as president of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food (SCAA), which means he is already up to speed on the needs of the agricultural sector. Furthermore, his predecessor paved the way for him through several important accomplishments, during a period where expectations were extremely high. Chuck Strahl did, in fact, succeed in establishing a closer relationship and understanding of the concerns of the country’s major agricultural organizations. At the WTO, Strahl spoke up about American subsidies, undertook to defend the milk ingredients issue and stood up in favour of supply management. He also started to fix the mess in the CAIS program by introducing an element of individual risk management and adding a principle of flexibility in the Agricultural Policy Framework.

Gerry Ritz, however, will have to change the course taken in the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) file. It is unbelievable how the government so stubbornly tried to take away the rights producers have to group together in order to balance the market forces and re-establish a level playing field. It is even more abnormal in the context of a generalized decline in farm revenues! Who are they trying to please by acting this way? The large multinationals that are more and more present in the West? The Americans, who take pot shots at the CWB every chance they can get? To undermine the Wheat Board is to call into question the foundation of our collective marketing itself. It is inadmissible! In fact, the Federal Court recently disallowed the process on legal grounds.

In the same vein, Mr. Ritz would be well advised to think carefully about “the differences in perception that exist between farmers and civil servants regarding the future of agriculture in Canada,” as stated recently by the committee that he presided over. He must act on the issues that the country’s agricultural organizations have been demanding: a new Agricultural Policy Framework, which would create a predictable future for farmers, similar to the American Farm Bill; a Canada that is more proactive in the WTO negotiations, capable of gaining acceptance for its interests, notably on supply management as the number one priority; and a good clean-up in the jumble of current regulations regarding the identification of products. Well, all of these among other things, of course…

Must we remind him also that time is of the essence? The most recent data from Statistics Canada again confirms that farm debt continues to increase in Canada, while it continues to decrease for our neighbours to the South. One thing is certain; this is not the time for consultations, but rather for a vigorous farm policy to reverse this tendency. If he can speak out for our demands, Mr. Ritz will find us to be strong partners. As was stated by the SCAA, the best way that “the new agriculture and agri-food policy framework can put farmers and farm production in the forefront” is to accept the hand that the country’s agricultural organizations are stretching out.

LTCN 2007-08-23

In a report tabled in the House of Commons last June by the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food, after conducting consultations across the country.

Tag readers—and getting rid of paperwork!

Sylvie Boutin

Information officer

Agri-Traçabilité Québec

Perhaps you are a beef farmer and you need to take a complete inventory of your cattle. Or you may be a sheep producer who must do numerous weighing and you own an electronic scale.

ATQ can suggest various models of tag readers that will enable you to read your animals’ electronic ear tags. These readers can store hundreds of tag numbers, which can then be transferred directly into your computer forms or to your management software. In addition to eliminating paper, this procedure can also save you a lot of time!

Would you like to try one of these tag readers before making your choice to buy one? Contact us for information on our tag reader loan program for a month, which is available for the low cost of $25 (this fee covers the cost of shipping and handling).

Free software

In order to make your traceability reports easier, we recommend that you use the free software available on our website at www.agri-tracabilite.qc.ca, which will permit you to complete the forms directly on the computer and send the results directly to ATQ with a simple click of the mouse. This software is compatible with most tag readers and allows you to save all your data on your computer. Do away with paperwork!

This software also has some new features of particular interest to sheep producers, including real time readings that allow direct recordings of animal weights and the use of Bluetooth (wireless) technology.

ATQ Direct

You may also make your reports via ATQ Direct, which allows you to access your ATQ file over the internet. In this way, you can consult your file whenever you wish and make any necessary updates—and you don’t need a high-speed connection to do it. All you need is a password that you can obtain by phoning the ATQ customer service department at 1-866-270-4319.

Happy Traceability!

Important message to cow-calf producers

This is a reminder that you only have until November 15, 2007 to update your ATQ file, in order to be ready to make your January 2008 declaration of insurable animals to the Financière agricole du Québec.

Do you need an electronic tag reader in order to complete your herd inventory? Contact us!

Information – ATQ: 1-866-270-4319

Sweet pearl millet for ethanol and fodder

Marc F. Clément, agronome

MAPAQ

Outaouais sector

Since it was first cultivated in 1997, pearl millet has constantly amazed us. A strain that produces highly sweet sap now heralds a significant change in farming methods in the sandy soils of Quebec, as it provides not only fodder but also ethanol. It’s like having your cake and eating it, too!

Introduced in the late 1990s by AERC Inc., fodder pearl millet is known for its ability to reduce lesion nematode ( Pratylenchus penetrans) populations and adapt to light and acidic soils like potato soils. Fodder pearl millet occupies approximately 1,500 hectares in Quebec and 2,650 hectares in Eastern Canada; it is primarily used as green manure and also provides a backup fodder supply. The potential yield is eight to ten tonnes per hectare (t/ha) for a base consisting of 100 per cent dry matter. Given that pearl millet provides no direct income as a rotation crop, many potato producers still choose rye and oats, even though these grains offer no protection against the lesion nematode—different from the golden nematode discovered recently in Quebec.

Introduced in the early 2000s, grain pearl millet has an estimated seed yield of 2.5 t/ha. It could be sold on both human and feed grade food markets. In addition, since the grain is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, poultry and hog producers are very interested in the animal nutrition testing underway in Guelph, Ontario, and Macdonald College in Quebec. Grain pearl millet cultivars provide the same nematicidal properties with respect to crop rotation as fodder pearl millet. However, this plant suffers from competition with annual grasses, as it is short and allows light to penetrate down to the ground. For this reason, herbicide is needed for the plant to grow. Despite this major difficulty, grain pearl millet is cultivated on some 60 hectares in Eastern Canada, including 20 hectares in Quebec. On March 26 at the Canadian Minor Use Pesticide Priority Setting Workshop organized by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Pest Management Centre, this problem (lack of a graminicide) was chosen from a long list of registration applications. Work begun three years ago by Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ) and Centre de recherche et de développement technologique agricole de l’Outaouais (CREDETAO) will continue with a view to securing graminicide registration.

More recently, new data has shown that selected fodder pearl millet produces highly sweet sap, consisting of over 20 per cent sugar. This sap could be used for ethanol production, while the fodder itself could be used to feed cattle. Ethanol production using this plant is akin to production from sugarcane, with one major difference: once pressed, foliage and stems can be used as fodder. CREDETAO and MAPAQ are working on this project in the Outaouais region by calling on area producers and community organizations to help finalize the financing package required to carry out scientific research. According to preliminary studies conducted in the Outaouais, sweet pearl millet could produce 6 to 8 t/ha of fodder (100 per cent dry matter base) of equivalent quality to grass silage, as well as over 3,000 litres of ethanol.

There are many benefits for the Outaouais region. Pearl millet cultivation would double the fodder yield of sandy and acidic soils, and strengthen cattle production in the area. Additional revenue from sap sales would increase and diversify the income of farmers. Although pearl millet is an annual crop, it is grown in narrow rows and yields a significant amount of stable humus. While the objective is not to do away with perennial crops in favor of an annual crop, increased crop rotation in the Outaouais would be highly beneficial.

The area currently occupied by all forms of pearl millet represents only a tiny portion of what Quebec and Eastern Canada farmland could become in terms of crop rotation. With its considerable adaptability to sandy and acidic soils, as well as excessive drainage, pearl millet could be the key crop for all rotations across hundreds of thousands of hectares.

For more information contact Marc F. Clément, Agronomist, Large Scale Farming and Agroenvironmental Consultant, MAPAQ, Outaouais Sector, tel. 819-986-8544, ext. 225

Resilience

or the capacity to do well in life despite difficult conditions

Vincent McConnell, agronome

Farm succession and environmental advisor

MAPAQ, Outaouais sector

During a recent year-long work exchange program I participated in between Agriculture and Agrifood Canada (AAC) and the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ), I had the opportunity to see first-hand how things happen in the other Canadian provinces. As I am particularly interested in family farm succession and the establishment of young farmers in agriculture, I was able to observe some of the major difficulties that the younger generation must overcome in order to establish themselves on the farm, even when their families have made significant sacrifices on their behalf. But in spite of this, I also saw many success stories among them.

One of the highlights of my experience with AAC was the honour of participating as a judge for Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer National Recognition Event, which was held in Saskatoon in December 2006. There, I met young farmers who were unbelievably positive, along with about 200 other guests, most of them former participants themselves, who meet every year at the event. They come to discuss and share their ideas, as well as to have a good time together. Here is what the winners of the 2006 competition, Christoph and Erika Weder of Rycroft , Alberta had to say about it:

“Contrary to what many people think, there are so many possibilities in agriculture. Producers must keep an open mind, try to build alliances and have a long-term vision for their business. We are convinced of the immense potential for young people in agriculture and hope that our example will encourage others.”

The eight finalists who won in their respective provinces or territories this year are indeed examples to follow. I invite you to visit the website http://www.oyfcanada.com to learn more about this competition.

I also attended a conference where an economist from the Coop fédérée described, in his opinion, how agriculture in Canada is headed towards a “brick wall,” due mainly to the rapid development of countries like Brazil, Russia, India and China. The competition that these countries will bring to the market place will be intense. Another participant added that not only are we driving towards a brick wall, but there will also be a fight to see who will be driving the vehicle! Perhaps not the smartest thing to do! However, in their conclusion, they presented the qualities that young farmers must have in order to succeed in agriculture. Most of all, the ability to adapt rapidly, to have resilience and to maintain a sense of hope. Not surprisingly, these same qualities were apparent in the group of participants for Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer National Recognition Event.

Adaptation, that which governs our survival. (Charles Darwin)

Many of these young farmers try new technologies intelligently, while continuing to conserve the best of the traditional techniques. For instance, after recognizing the low profit margin associated with the sale of their new products, some took it one step further to produce value-added products, sometimes joining with other farmers for the marketing aspect or for direct sales to consumers, in spite of the challenges that this often poses. Others took a new look at their management practices in order to squeeze maximum profits from their traditional productions.

Resilience: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (Stefan Vanistendael)

Some of them are not on their first attempt, but when they try something new, they are smart enough to not risk everything. They learn from their errors and do not repeat them. They go and get their information from the source (find the best and learn from them!). They have also learned that when they venture out into this competitive world, it is often better to associate with partners who will not end up working against them, even if that means finding them in another province or in another country.

Hope: the hopeful person sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadows and storms. (O.S. Marden)

Paradoxically, during the BSE crisis, some beef producers saw their profits increase. They had the ability to separate themselves from the pack and create a recognizable trademark, like ECO beef (which stands for ecological and economical), which is produced as naturally as possible, following specific guidelines and which proved to be profitable by adhering to certain ‘fundamental values.’ These producers take the time to convince consumers, by some non-traditional means, of the right to receive a fair price for their work and to be able to make a decent living from farming. These farmers often project a certain exuberance toward life and a remarkable inner strength!

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer competition also allowed me to meet many people who, having gone through difficult times, were able to emerge all the stronger for it. A good number of them were stimulated by ideas that could just as easily be applied here in our own region. Often, they benefited from relationships that they built with entrepreneurs and business leaders in other sectors than their own. They were also receptive to ideas from members of their families and from their partners. Understanding and respecting the objectives or goals of others, and genuinely helping each other to attain them, can create an excellent atmosphere between family members and partners. By relying on a sense of solidarity and mutual support, these young farmers succeeded in making their projects a reality. This new generation of entrepreneurs have also developed their ability to adapt, as well as their resilience and their solid confidence in the future.

I am now convinced, more than ever, that it is possible for young farmers to establish themselves in agriculture and to fulfill their dreams.