Roy Robinson spent $250 to buy a membership in Focus on Sabbatical this spring.
The Nesbitt, Man., farmer regards it as a modest investment compared to what he spends on inputs to grow a crop each year.
If Focus on Sabbatical Inc. can convince enough farmers to take their land out of production for a year, Robinson thinks grain prices could rise.
On the other hand, if the effort is unsuccessful, he will be out $250.
It is a risk Robinson is willing to take, even though he sees it as a long shot.
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“I basically look at it as an investment in high tech stock that is very risky. If it works it will be a damn good investment.”
The man promoting the benefits of a year-long sabbatical from farming was in Brandon last week drumming up support for the concept.
Ken Goudy wants to convince 150,000 farmers in Canada and the American Midwest to take part.
He said Focus on Sabbatical now has about 1,000 farm members in Canada and 70 in the United States. Goudy spent three of the past four months in the U.S. talking with producers there.
His message is the same on both sides of the border – co-operate, drive down the world supply of grains and reap the benefits of higher prices.
“We’re all going to profit together or we’re going to sink,” he told an audience of farmers in Brandon on Oct. 12.
“This thing (farm crisis) is very serious. Even the best of the best are suffering.”
Goudy came up with the idea for Focus on Sabbatical last October. He is gradually refining the idea as he gathers farmers’ input.
He is not the only person with an idea to help farmers overcome poor grain prices. The difference is that he shuns the notion of government support. He wants Focus on Sabbatical to be entirely farmer driven.
Government programs may help farmers break even, he said, but they do not allow producers to prosper.
“You need a program that takes you higher than break even. You need to make a profit,” said Goudy, who hopes to take his message to 400 communities in Western Canada this winter.
He wants farmers to commit to not growing nine billion bushels of grain, the amount he thinks it will take to sway world markets in favor of farmers.
He speculates that wheat prices could double if those kinds of volumes were kept out of the market.
“I don’t think there’s a farmer in the world who hasn’t wished that someone else in the world would have a crop failure so you could get a better price,” he said.
“If the only thing that will give us a decent price is a crop failure, then let’s execute a crop failure.”
During the sabbatical, participating farmers would be paid for leaving their fields unplanted. The payments would come from an investment company set up and supported by producers wanting the sabbatical.
Dennis Heeney, who farms north of Brandon, was intrigued by Goudy’s ideas. He bought a $250 membership last week to show his support, but does not see it as the only option farmers should be looking at.
“We’re losing money every year,” Heeney said, sporting a ball cap with the words Focus on Sabbatical printed across the front.
“The more (grain) we produce, the less we earn.”
Heeney said his farm’s future is in limbo. He doesn’t see how his son can take over and make a go of it in today’s farming economy.
“We had good crops this year and we got them off in good condition but we’re still not making anything.”
Heeney said he thinks other efforts are also needed to improve the future of farming. As an example, he said more emphasis should be put on using grain as a fuel component.
He plans to share the Focus on Sabbatical idea with his neighbors, but knows it will take coaxing to get them onside.
“It’s hard to convince the farmer … not to go to the field. How do you get a farmer to hibernate? It goes against everything he believes in.”
