Oliver farms near Rivercourse, Alta.
(Regarding the story) “Que. report takes shot at supply management,” WP, Aug. 30.
What the report is saying is that farmers operating under supply management are being paid too much.
I grow grain and raise beef cattle. I do not farm under supply management.
The entire problem in agriculture today is consumers are not paying enough to the farmers. If supply management is forcing consumers to pay farmers a fair price, that is good.
I am also a consumer. Unfortunately, reports like this one have the belief that farms should compete like any other business. Farms are not like any other business.
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No other business has the amount of variables outside the control of that business.
Farms must make a lot of money in the good years to be able to weather the bad years. This has not been possible for the last few decades.ÂÂ
Governments had to start subsidizing their farms in the bad years to keep them going. Consumers keep paying less to the farmers.
Now governments all over the world subsidize their farms, even in the good years, to keep them going.
It is an endless cycle and not a healthy one.
Consumers pay one way or another. We pay the farmer at the grocery store or we pay the taxman to give it to the farmer.
To say that supply managed farming should be stopped is stupid.
