“Attitude is a huge factor,” said Saskatoon area farmer Dennis Wiebe in a speech during Crop Production Week. The chair of the Crop Production Show was batting cleanup in a session on the future of the prairie grain industry, and his bullish approach scored points with the audience.
Wiebe said farming success, as he sees it, depends on four factors.
- Education. Farmers must learn more about end uses for their crops. That might mean education about grading, baking characteristics, biodiesel or any number of value-added avenues. That knowledge will help farmers deliver what the markets want.
- Marketing. Wiebe said only 10 percent of farmers use simple marketing tactics such as fixed price contracts. Yet this and other low risk tools can make a difference to the bottom line.
- Relationships. “It’s still a people business,” said Wiebe. Maintaining relationships with suppliers, buyers, neighbours and others in the industry can alert farmers to opportunities as they arise.
- Record keeping. Identity preservation and traceback demands put more onus on farmers to keep accurate records. Doing so can be a marketing advantage, said Wiebe.
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Attitude wasn’t on his list, but it was in his talk – and he walks that talk. Wiebe is clearly positive about the future of agriculture and he sees potential ahead.
How many other farmers feel the same way – and say so?
Yes, it’s going to take more than attitude to bring farmers back into profitability. Wiebe, other speakers and many in the audience acknowledged that.
But surely it can be part of the game plan.
As speakers pointed out in various sessions last week, the Canadian agriculture industry as a whole is in great shape. It contributes billions annually to the federal economy. It has breadth and depth and impact on virtually every other industry.
But its deep flaw is its failure to generate adequate returns for primary producers.
Crop Production Week itself illustrates the knowledge, resources, manpower and focus that can be brought to bear in tackling this flaw.
Consider that thousands of people talked of little else but agriculture over a six-day span, and were happy to do it.
They wouldn’t be if they didn’t believe in the future of farming. So there must be more of a positive attitude out there than complaints on coffee row would indicate.
Is an optimistic attitude like weather – everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it?
Both will determine the future of agriculture, but we can control only one of them.
