CBC story
I note with great concern that in your story about a Saskatchewan horse meat plant (“Horse plant denies mistreatment,” March 13), a quote appears, unattributed and unchallenged, suggesting that CBC News was “hired” by an animal rights group to document activities at the plant in question.
The suggestion is, frankly, preposterous.
CBC News has a well-earned and internationally respected reputation for independence, fairness and accuracy. We pursue news stories and documentaries that are in the public interest (this frequently in the face of opposition and pressure from outside interests, something we accept as a normal part of the job).
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Agriculture needs to prepare for government spending cuts
As government makes necessary cuts to spending, what can be reduced or restructured in the budgets for agriculture?
CBC reporter Mellissa Fung and producer Lynn Burgess are working on a documentary for CBC’s The National on the significant increase in horse meat processing in Canada that has occurred primarily as a result of legislative changes in the United States. We believe this is a story that will be of interest to Canadians and invite your readers to watch and judge its quality for themselves.
– John Cruickshank,
Publisher, CBC News,
Toronto, Ont.
RR alfalfa
The Manitoba Forage Seed Association (MFSA) is concerned that the commercialization of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed could have serious economic consequences for the Canadian forage seed industry.
In 2006-07 the value of Canadian alfalfa seed exports was approximately $45.9 million; one-third of that, by value, was exported to countries that have not approved the Roundup Ready trait in alfalfa seed.
The alfalfa seed market in countries of the European Union has been expanding. Adger Banken, manager export and procurement for DLF Trifoium, Netherlands, made it very clear at the Canadian Forage Seed Conference that the EU will not allow the import of seed product with any Roundup Ready seed.
The United States is not allowing the import of Roundup Ready alfalfa until after an environmental impact statement has been completed, released and assessed, eliminating the U.S. as an acceptable market for seed containing the RR gene.
Monsanto Canada has announced plans to establish small, field trial Roundup Ready alfalfa research plots in Western Canada. Their stated goal is to initiate crop tolerance and residue work on these same trials in 2009. This research will bring Forage Genetics International closer to commercialization.
It is possible that data generated from these trials could be submitted to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency in the spring of 2010. Following review and approval by PMRA, the required product label for the use of Roundup on Roundup Ready alfalfa could be granted in 2011.
Forage Genetics International has stated that in time they foresee developing variety registration plans to support possible commercialization in Canada.
The MFSA, a producer organization, is extremely concerned that the testing and commercialization of Roundup Ready alfalfa may jeopardize lucrative foreign market access as a result of possible cross contamination between it and conventional varieties.
The MFSA recognizes that the future of biotechnology in agriculture is based on consumer acceptance.
Many of the export markets will not allow import of alfalfa seed contaminated with the Roundup Ready gene.
Therefore the MFSA cannot support either testing or the commercialization of RR alfalfa in Canada until such time as:
1. Regulatory approval of Roundup Ready alfalfa is obtained in all of the following export markets: United States, European Union, China, Japan, Mexico and South America.
2. An environmental impact study must be completed before any further field testing is done with Roundup Ready alfalfa….
The MFSA is encouraging alfalfa seed producers to clearly communicate any concerns they may have regarding the commercialization of Roundup Ready alfalfa.
– Leslie Jacobson,
MFSA president
Arborg, Man.
Grain prices
With the federal Conservative party’s intention of western Canadian farmers being able to market wheat or barley directly into U.S. open markets, how will Canadian and U.S. farmers’ grain prices be affected?
With an open market system, U.S. grain buyers will be able to access any U.S. grain shortages through open market systems, from Canadian farmers. Most Canadian farmers will be selling grain at the same prices as U.S. farmers, in order to get a share of the U.S. open markets.
With an open or dual market system, grain prices for U.S. farmers will be similar to years when the U.S. has over supplies of wheat or barley or feed crops. …
The U.S. grain shortages and high grain prices would not have existed, and will never exist again, unless there is a grain shortage for both Canadian and U.S. markets, similar to present conditions.
The “Canadian only” open market feed grain prices will drop, unless there is also a short supply in U.S. markets.
High priced U.S. wheat markets, which the CWB has been able to tap into, would not have existed with an open market system. Even if we were able to retain the CWB as a dual marketer, CWB wheat and barley grain prices will be lower than what they would be with single desk CWB marketing.
Over the past five years only an average of 25 percent of Canadian malt barley produced, has been exported to U.S. markets. The remaining 75 percent went to overseas and Canadian markets.
The average “actual” grain prices which most U.S. farmers received in the past five years are less than the final CWB prices received by western Canadian farmers during the same period.
Any Canadian farmer selling directly into U.S. markets will have to compete at the same time U.S. farmers are selling their grain, or lose the market….
Records for malt barley prices from the past five years indicate that western Canadian farmers received (as much as) 25 percent higher prices, by malt barley being marketed through the CWB, than U.S. farmers received by marketing through U.S. open market systems and/or by contracting.
Since only an average of 25 percent of the malt barley produced by western Canadian farmers actually goes to U.S. markets, an open or dual market system for all malt barley will result in a continual surplus of malt barley for U.S. open markets. This will result in lower malt barley prices for both Canadian and U.S. farmers.
Annual surpluses of malt barley will be put into feed barley markets, lowering prices received for feed barley.
With an open market system, U.S. farmers will be able to fill the present open marketed Canadian feed markets with other feed grains, resulting in lower open market feed grain prices for Canadian and U.S. farmers. …
The exporting of western Canadian wheat or barley directly into U.S. open market systems will result in lower grain prices for both U.S. and Canadian grain producers. The CWB should be maintained as single desk marketer of all exported western Canadian wheat, feed barley and malt barley. …
– Fred G. Willis,
Saltcoats, Sask.
Insurance claims
Re: Act of God exclusion and Rick Danyliuk’s comments.
I take exception to Mr. Danyliuk’s comments (WP, April 17.) In the 45 years I’ve devoted to the claims adjustment business or sometimes referred to as a ‘racket’, I have not yet seen any reference in an insurance contract which may refer to God or specifically an act of God exclusion.
Claims are being paid based on policy coverage and policy exclusions. In fact, most claims are as a result of “natural forces” and are covered, even in the most basic insurance contracts; for example, wind damage or lightening damage or hail damage.
There may even be coverage for damages from water and flood, depending on the interpretation of water and flood damage and the events leading up to the damage.
This type of claim must be investigated (so) the insured is given all benefit of doubt.
The adjuster that uses the term “act of God” is either a rookie or an adjuster that wants to screw a policyholder out of fair compensation for a loss.
– Don D. Zavis-lake,
Sundre, Alta.
Smell coffee
Re: CWB brainwash (Open Forum April 17) … Does it matter how the Canadian Wheat Board got started? What matters is what it is today.
It is the best marketing tool for grain farmers and it is envied by farmers all around the world and you think that the internet will do your marketing? How naive, Bernice, and yes, Stephen Harper has the guts, but to destroy the family farm and line the pockets of the big corporations.
Wake up, Bernice. Smell the coffee.
– Daniel Ruest,
Admiral, Sask.
Half crop
We have finally come to a situation where I think farmers can unite and do some things to help control their future.
The big thing is how do you get the majority of farmers to co-operate?
My idea is quite simple. The majority of farmers must summerfallow half their cultivated acres. They will save money on chemicals, fuel, wear and tear of their machinery, etc.
Sure they will use more Roundup for chemical fallow but that is one of the cheaper chemicals. Money will be saved on fertilizer the first year and even more the second year.
If global grain stocks can be kept fairly low, prices will stay reasonably high. The biggest job might be talking some of the other grain growing countries into doing the same thing.
Now that I’m retired I have time to think up these crazy ideas.
– Robert Iverson,
Meota, Sask.
Forum a farce
I attended MP Gary Breitkreuz’s annual farm forum in Yorkton only to discover that it was just another farm meeting farce.
It was all planned and controlled by MP Breitkreuz and federal agriculture minister (Gerry) Ritz.
Both controlled and literately stalled to limit the question answer period by speaking at great length for hours, with Ritz telling and joking with the gathered crowd on what he already had done for agriculture, is doing, and wants to do, limiting the question answer period to just a couple of questions on the Canadian Wheat Board and the railways, which I also believe were hand picked from the questions requested by the MPs from people in attendance on written paper.
It was a disgrace and a waste of everyone’s time to attend a meeting that was controlled from the top down by MPs with Ritz literally running out the door to talk to cameras for a minute, only to disappear a few seconds later.
Meetings are not and should not be controlled that way, from the top down. I understood it was to be an open forum, with a complete exchange of info, questions, criticisms, and advice from we the people, from the bottom up.
If Ritz/Breitkreuz don’t want or can’t take any criticism or advice, then they both might as well just stay in Ottawa….
I refuse to sit back and let both of you ignore the farm crisis situation while the both of you balance Canada’s debt and deficit on the backs of purposely bankrupting more Canadian farmers, just like the Liberals did the last 13 years.
– Lloyd Pletz,
Regina, Sask.
Brown off base
Your April 17 edition carried an opinion by Rob Brown that was at best misleading and at worst fraudulent and I am very surprised that your paper, a farm paper, would print such utter nonsense.
First, any grocery store has bread on their shelves for about $1.25 to $1.50 through to $2.50. Only specialty bread has a price of $4, now supposedly risen to $5, as set out by Brown, and I wonder where he shops if he can find only $4 a loaf bread.
Secondly, Brown sets out or at least hints at the possibility of future food riots because of a 20 percent rise in the cost of a loaf of bread and that notion is absolute nonsense.
Of greater importance is the fact that our farmers still receive only a few cents of the cost of a loaf of bread. The farmer’s share of that $1.50 to $5 cost of a loaf of bread is about 10 cents, specialty bread or regular bread, and the cost to the consumers of the farmer’s input could double to 20 cents and the consumer would not be affected in any significant way.
The average consumer might eat a loaf of bread a week, specialty bread or regular bread, and an added 10 cents a week for 52 weeks a year is $5.20, an annual cost increase the consumers, rich or poor, would not notice yet our farmers’ income would double and they might show a profit.
I am far from an expert on the situation but even I know that Brown has set out nonsense for your readers and if your publication feels they must publish stuff such as that put out by Rob Brown, then I suggest that you have one of your agriculture experts set out the truth faced by our farming community along side of the nonsense set out by Brown.
– Ernest Robert Lee,
Regina, Sask.
Pricey bread
In his article “Pay attention to rising cost of food” (WP April 17), Rob Brown writes: “In Saskatoon the cost of a loaf of bread has risen from around $4 last fall to nearly $5 this spring.”
Where in Saskatoon is he buying his bread? Bread at Safeway, Sobeys, Co-op and Superstore sells for $1.50 per loaf, and specialty breads like Dempsters is only $2.50 per loaf.
Come on Rob, tell it as it is. Other cities in Canada must think that Saskatoon stores are a bunch of shysters charging $5 for a loaf of bread.
– John Capcara,
Saskatoon, Sask.
No open purse
Regarding the front page article of the April 10 issue, “Financial woes hit hog firms,” I get the feeling that corporate hog firms expect our governments to open their purses to an unlimited grab.
Questions should be asked not only from the media but also from all taxpayers. How much funds have the various corporate hog firms panhandled directly and indirectly from any and all of the three levels of governments in this country to get started?
Then how often and how much did the self same operations obtain from those same sources to continue operations?
The hog markets operate on a cycle system. Prices hit peaks and surely are followed by a valley.
This brings subsequent questions to mind. What did these firms do with the profits during the peak times so as to float through the valley? We were told that corporate hog firms had the lowest possible production cost per hog while at the same time would have the highest possible profit outlook than a small family hog farm.
I have seen young small family farms over the last 10 years get into a financial bind and faced a choice: go through bankruptcy or sell out and leave.
They got no help to start farming nor keep farming from any level of government and in the end did not blame any government for their decision. They sold out and left.
Governments’ meddlings with start up money and then constant bail out funds create and then perpetuate these corporate problems.
The farmers are told to be efficient. Governments should stick to their own advice and keep a cap on any and all support payments and thereby show some small amount of efficiency. No to unlimited open purses.
– Delwyn J. J. Jansen,
LeRoy, Sask.
Apology accepted
Regarding the Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski’s offensive anti-gay remarks: I can’t help but agree with (federal) government house leader Peter Van Loan that Lukiwski’s remarks, made some 16 years ago, were unacceptable, but sincere apologies were made publicly so I believe it should all end there.
Some opposition members may also have expressed certain undesirable views on certain issues as well in the many years past but we don’t really know because no videotape was made.
So let’s not beat this issue to death. A lot more urgent priorities need to be tended to in Parliament. In my opinion this incident does not lower our Conservative party’s standards.
– Hank Warunki,
Bon Accord, Alta.
Food costs
Rev. Joyce Sasse’s column, “Cost of feeding a family” on March 6 was most interesting.
In 2007 I kept records of what we spent on food, omitting anything that you could not eat or drink, paper products, soap, etc. and we spend an average of $75 a week.
We are three adults, we buy specials, clearance items, seldom any prepared foods, no pizzas, no steaks, occasionally a roast, but I do buy butter and whipping cream. We don’t throw food away, instead heat up leftovers or add some to the soup pot.
We have a garden but it didn’t produce very well last year because of the heat perhaps. All we had from it to put away for the winter was a good supply of beet pickles.
We never go to restaurants but we do order Chinese food once a month so you can add another $12 a week. This brings the total to $87 a week that is spent on the three of us for food. And we eat good…
Every time I see a grocery cart filled with junk food, and it is often, I wonder, “How are those people going to go home and make supper with that?”
Even the food banks cater to people who don’t cook from scratch. If they are aren’t working they can’t say they don’t have the time to do it.
– Margaret Anderson,
Medicine Hat, Alta.
Private info
… Over the time that we have been involved in organic farming, there have been four different ways for us to market our organic Canadian Wheat Board grain.
The first two ways – as conventional grain through the convention grain pools and as organic grain using the Producer Direct Sales Program – are still available to conventional farmers as well as organic farmers.
The second two options were developed as pilot programs by the CWB over the past two years, and specifically directed towards organic farmers because no organic pooling options existed.
Some anti-CWB folks might say “why would an organic farmer sell organic grain as conventional grain through the existing pools?”
Simply put, over the years it has happened that there has been a conventional market for some types or grades of organic grains in the absence of organic markets, and if you wanted to create some cash flow, your option was to sell through the conventional pools. …
Over the years , before and after becoming president of the NFU, I have attended various focus group meetings on marketing sponsored by the CWB, and I have always delivered the same message on behalf of our farm: we would prefer that the CWB offer a dedicated organic pool that would offer the same advantages as enjoyed by the conventional grain pools. …
When the CWB’s influence on keeping a lid on freight rates is included, the CWB is putting between $1 and $2 billion extra into farmers’ pockets each and every year. And through the pooling accounts, when the CWB sells some grain for $15 or $20 per bushel, all farmers in that pool are selling some grain for $15 or $20 per bushel….
Until the CWB offers a dedicated organic pool that farmers like us can use, however, we will continue to market board grains through the CWB using the options that are right for our farm.
If (MP David) Anderson took some time away from his anti-CWB rhetoric, he would discover that the newest option for marketing organic grain is sometimes a higher cost option than the original Producer Direct Sales Program that is available to organic and conventional farmers.ÂÂ
How can the parliamentary secretary responsible for the CWB know so little about CWB marketing programs?
David Anderson can continue to pretend that he knows which of the four marketing options we use on our farm, but he does not.ÂÂ
Anderson does not know, even though his minister, Gerry Ritz, revealed in the House of Commons that he has been asking the CWB to provide confidential lists of individual farmers’ names that use various options provided by the CWB.ÂÂ
By attempting to get private and confidential information about individual farmers from the CWB, Ritz has been trying to breach the Privacy Act of 1983.
Isn’t that a scary thought, Gerry Ritz and David Anderson with a list of farmers that use marketing options provided by the CWB?ÂÂ
When it comes to private information, what is the difference between marketing records, medical records, and tax records? No Canadian is safe from their tactics.
– Stewart Wells,
President, National Farmers Union,
Saskatoon, Sask.
Grow-ops
Not all grow-ops are treated equally. The marijuana grow-op on the Pasqua First Nation reserve has been singled out for public scrutiny and the operators have been charged with a criminal offence. This must be for the reason that society considers that marijuana is bad for us.
Ignored in the prosecution of grow-ops that produce products that are harmful to our health and well-being is the sugar beet grow-op in southern Alberta.
The product of the sugar beet grow-op is sugar. The consumption of sugar leads to all kinds of ills including diabetes and associated diseases such as heart attacks, stroke and kidney failure. Also sugar consumption leads to obesity, tooth cavities, hyperactivity and the list goes on.
Let us not ignore the barley and hops grow-ops all over western Canada leading to the disease and carnage caused by the consumption of alcohol, a product of these grow-ops. Furthermore, the grow-ops in Ontario, namely the tobacco grow-ops. The product, tobacco, is credited with lung cancers, heart attacks and more.
Will we soon see prosecution of other life threatening grow-ops? Canadian descendents of Eastern Europe beware, garlic grow-ops may be next.
– Michael Mowchenko,
Saskatoon, Sask.
