Surprise ... surprise!!!!

I just received my monthly Macleans for March 2008. Now, I have been hard on Macleans on occasion, because, frankly, some of the articles deserved to be left unwritten, as they were so unbalanced and biased, it was a dis-service to all, including their urban audience, that they ever saw the light of day.

This month is a surprise, though and not a bad thing in my mind at all. Front and centre on the cover:

Rampant demand. Sudden shortages. Riots over prices. The world food crisis is starting to hit home.

YOUR GROCERY BILL IS ABOUT TO HURT

The article is written by Charlie Gillis and is a very in depth and thoughtful look into a number of issues. I'll leave it to you to decide on the level of importance you can attach to them. One very big surprise is the credit Gillis gives to the National Farmers Union. The Union did write to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and for that they should get major kudos. It was a piece of far sightedness we all could use.

Gillis also goes into some surprising statistics that our own farmers and farm organizations should be looking at and thinking about. Earlier this week reports from some interesting sources (prisonplanet.com) were speculating on similar announcements from the FAO. I am a bit surprised that the Macleans article even saw the light of day.

As well, this week CTV's Pat Foran reported at length about the increasing cost of wheat for pasta, although he used the term, food inflation.

As a consumer and parent the issues can be chilling. How many can grow their own food? What about preserving it yourself? If we are in fact, teetering on the edge ........ what is our own government doing to protect our people from such possible, frightening outcomes?

Many of us in agriculture are aware of the history around farming and food production. Society as a whole is not. It was only the efficiency and productiveness on the nations farms that freed society to pursue other avenues of wealth and built the societies we have to-day.

I hope you all take a long hard look at the article and use this profile to urge our government to take real Food Sovereignty very seriously. Perhaps you will have willing voices to help spread the word.-CG

Canadain Wheat Board Wins ..... NOW What!!!

Consider the latest headlines about the Canadian government's blatant campaign to flout parliament and destroy farmer's bargaining power in these recent headlines:

Conservatives lose court battle over wheat board, showdown in Parliament looming

or

Battle over barley resumes

or

RULING CONFIRMS FARMERS’ RIGHT TO DETERMINE CWB FUTURE the National Farmers Union Press Release

or

MPs say time for feds to abandon barley campaign from CTV news .

So just what is propelling, compelling the government to push so hard to destroy farmer's marketing power? Free trade dogma or just the Alberta connection? Regardless, it is making them look a little ridiculous as they announce their latest salvo in response to the news above:

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON COURT DECISION ON MARKETING CHOICE FOR BARLEY

OTTAWA, Ontario, February 26 2008

The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today issued the following statement in response to a Federal Court of Appeal decision on the Government of Canada's appeal of the Federal Court ruling which maintained that the Canadian Wheat Board Regulations must be changed through legislation.

"I am disappointed with the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal. We will carefully review the decision and decide on our next steps accordingly. "

This Government understands that farmers work hard to grow the grain they sell and they should get the best price possible for that work. As a matter of fact, over 62 per cent of Western Canadian farmers voted in support of barley marketing freedom last year.

We are committed to providing the marketing choice Western Canada's grain producers have demanded and deserve. Producers need market certainty and we will continue working to provide it to them.

This Government is committed to pursuing all avenues to deliver market freedom to Western barley producers. We will be moving ahead quickly with legislation to give them this freedom.

1-866-345-7972
613-759-1059

The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz

So, is it possible the next battle will be in the legislature? If so, farmers and supporters of collective marketing had better sharpen their swords.-CG

Don't they have Better Things To DO??

I am completely fed up with the high jinks from the current 'new government' . Among a list of stupidities they have gone after the Canadian Wheat Board again. At least it appears that way.

This past weeks offerings include:

Opposition parties see interference in firing of agency official

Wheat Board fires official who criticized government

PM makes 'em gag-Harperites muzzle opposition beyond Parliament Hill


WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Ian White, a veteran of Australia's grain trade, will become the next head of the Canadian Wheat Board, one of the world's largest grain exporters, Canada's agriculture minister said on Wednesday.

I also found this article published last fall in the Western Dairy Farmer by Wendy R. Holm called 'Beware a Conservative Majority'. It is an issue dairy farmers need to monitor closely.

And if the PM has his way it looks like we will be forced into an election by hook or by crook. If it isn't Afghanistan ... they will make sure it's the Crime Bill or the Budget or...........-CG

The Silence is Deafening!!!

One reader recently asked the question: "Which consumer groups would best represent the feelings of the consumer?"

So I decided that, I would do a little bit of research into our consumer associations, to see what popped up. Imagine my surprise when on the main page of the Consumers Association of Canada, I found a ridiculous article slamming the "extra fat" one may find in cheese once the new regulations come into force. This title may give you a clue: Federal Government Moves to Fatten up Canadians

It seems to me they should be far more concerned about the 'source' of Canadian food, the complete irrelavence of the "Product of Canada" label, the need for Canadians to retain their food producers and their processors (Did we learn nothing from BSE?) , among a few of the pressing issues about food that consumers want answers for.

Instead the CAC spent their time slamming Canadian dairy farmers for demanding regulations that will ensure the quality and components in cheese manufactured or shipped into this country. This means the label on cheese will actually mean something to consumers and that cheese that says it's cheese will taste like cheese and cook like cheese. How can that be a bad thing?

I don't think they are in much of a position to give us any help. Consumer associations do not seem interested in rounding out the public education at all. They are more likely to be attacking agriculture.

The whole issue of new regulations for cheese also has sparked some more nasty articles in our favourite national news rag (the Globe and Mail). Conveniently included is Mr. Reynolds e-mail so you can fire off a missive.

Entitled:

Sacred cows: Guess who's getting milked

NEIL REYNOLDS
nreynolds@xplornet.com

February 1, 2008

OTTAWA -- Except for nuclear power, Canada's dairy industry is perhaps the most intensely regulated industry in the country - and perhaps the most discreetly regulated, too. When the federal government quietly promulgated radical new restrictions on Canada's cheese makers in the Canada Gazette last month, it did so on Boxing Day.

At the heart of the new edict is a requirement that cheese contain a higher proportion of whole milk - as opposed to milk byproducts - a change that cheese makers say would increase the cost of production. In its commentary on these protectionist regulations, the government noted in passing that the dairy industry has been getting smaller, "with typically static or declining growth," for 15 years. The only significant exception, it observed, was cheese. From 307,000 tonnes in 1994 to 379,000 tonnes in 2005, Canadian cheese production has increased by almost 25 per cent -- most of it in the form of innovative "specialty" cheeses that give consumers the illusion of access to the cheeses of the world. read more...

If you want real information about cheese and the new regulations, check my post 'Campaign to Keep Cheese Real' and the Real Cheese website.

Oh, and don't forget to speak to Mr. Reynolds.

Local Milk ??

The Canadian consumer is upset but they are not screaming at their MP's or sending volumes of letters. This would be a helpful response for the farm industry in this county. It might wake legislators up. However, don't hold your breath.

Instead, busy consumers are doing other things to protect themselves from the onslaught of imported foods. They are freezing fresh vegetables they bought this season from markets and stores, that they know are local/regionally sourced. Fruit cellars and root cellars are topics of interest again. The Local food movement is growing by leaps and bounds.

So what about milk?

In discussion with just about anyone who supports local food movements it becomes very clear they have no idea how milk and milk products are supplied to plants in this province. They also don't seem to realize that the farm down the road is the supplier of their product and his milk could go to any of those plants.

According to Dairy Farmers of Ontario, this province has 76 milk processors. They list 10 of the largest and most well know on their links page. Why not on their "Comsumer page" too?

Somehow though, the dis-connect between even dairy farmers and consumers remains. The average guy is just not going to go looking for this info. They assume 'organic' is local, because for decades it was!

For the rest of the ag industry, less well funded and less focused on this issue, virtually NO information is getting to THEIR consumers about the issues in their industry that they need the buying public to understand.

Farmers are in despair and consumers are looking for local solutions. Meanwhile the largest, most efficient distributor of food products (the food retailers), is bringing food into their stores that I and many other consumers do not want!!!

It is in with-in the power of farmers to act. It will not be cheap. The buying public MUST find out what is going on. For many of them the major source of their information is the local media.

If newspapers and television will not provide the public with the information they need, then farmers and their organizations need to do much, much more to solve this problem.

A 'Grown in Canada' label is a good thing for us all. However, without pressure from the public, this is a slow road to salvation and I don't believe we have the luxury of time on our side.

Farmers and their organizations have all the information the public needs. They need to share it.

'Tis the Season.....

Sigh .... Christmas IS over and here we are barely into the new year and the attacks have already begun.

Dairy farmers have attracted some very powerful enemies, as I have mentioned before. Take the recent article in The Toronto Sun .

Land of milk and money

Canadians are paying more while drinking less of it, as other nations clamour for a sip -- so why aren't we exporting any?
By THANE BURNETT, NATIONAL BUREAU

The world is skimming the bottom of the milk bottle.
But, to the disappointment of some Canadians, we're not about to sell full glasses to others.
In countries such as Canada and Australia, the most natural drink next to water is fighting hard for dwindling fridge space.

Canadians are drinking less milk and eating far less butter than they did two decades ago, while in the land Down Under, the drop in dairy sales is almost three times as much.

Our market gets smaller, while beyond our borders a thirst grows, leading some to wonder why Canada is not following Australia's lead and changing its protected system to meet a global demand -- something which could cut prices here at home. read more....

This one has quite a twist in it as of course Canadian dairy farmers could send more milk out there into the world IF the World Trade Organization (WTO) and certain other countries would let them.

The article , of course fails to point this out, leaving ordinary Canadians think that Canadian dairy farmers don't get it. We don't have to look too far for the slanted source of this doggerel.

The writer quotes the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association(CRFA). Committed enemies of Canadian dairy farmers, they even have a plan they would like the government to follow.

Of course this would benefit them and recent events have shown, would not benefit dairy farmers at all. Continued reliance on the dollar and exports have nearly destroyed the beef and pork sectors.

Retail prices have nothing to do with farmers and everything to do with the strangle hold our food retailers have on the industry. I am disappointed that the writer pays lip service to dairy representatives and only puts forward those statistics in favour of his view.

I would not be surprised if those had been given to him by the CRFA, too!

The article is full of stats which have been successfully countered many times. Just good enough to leave people wondering. A rather unique twist though on the "shortage" side.

These people are just not going to let up. I checked their web page just to see what they are up to and dairy figures prominently on their website.

Under Menu Price Parity they have a number of beefs. Here is one:

Canadian consumers and restaurant owners pay among the world’s highest prices for supply-managed dairy and poultry products.

Canadian restaurant owners report paying up to 40% more than their U.S. counterparts do for supply managed dairy and poultry products.

Dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream are among the most widely used food items in a typical restaurant, but Canadian restaurateurs are forced to pay some of the world’s highest prices. They are prohibited from buying these products outside of Canada, with import tariffs of up to 300%. Similar restrictions are in place for chicken, turkey and eggs.

This antiquated supply management system doesn’t exist in the U.S., where restaurant operators are free to source their products from their supplier of choice and negotiate a price that’s fair to both parties. It’s important to note that Canadian restaurateurs rely on fresh, high quality Canadian food products, and they want to work with producers to expand their markets. But they also need those products to be competitively priced.

You can also check out their slanted complaints about milk prices here...

Hmmmm... they might even have this claptrap posted in their restaurants.

The dairy industry needs to pull up it's bootstraps and plan a serious long term counter attack! Time to call in the experts, boys.

Rickets?!? In 21st Century North America?!!!!

This just popped up on my computer! I am stunned! In this day and age how something we had conquered so many years ago is again appearing in our society is mind boggling. It shows me that the more we think we know in our society, the less we really do know. How can society lose the lessons so hard won from the recent past?

Every action has an equal and opposite re-action.... should always be front and centre in our governments mind. If parents have lost the knowledge, it has to be up to public health and the government of the day to get it RIGHT!!!

In my mind this also calls into question the new Health Canada Guidelines. I have always been concerned they are relying less on valid science and far too much on something else.

Too little milk, exercise, sunshine hurting kids
Updated Mon. Nov. 26 2007 2:49 PM ET
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Too little milk, sunshine and exercise: It's an anti-bone trifecta. And for some kids, shockingly, it's leading to rickets, the soft-bone scourge of the 19th century.
But cases of full-blown rickets are just the red flag: Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children aren't building as much strong bone as they should -- a gap that may leave them more vulnerable to bone-cracking osteoporosis later in life than their grandparents are.

"This potentially is a time-bomb," says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone health chief at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.

Now scientists are taking the first steps to track kids' bone quality and learn just how big a problem the anti-bone trio is causing, thanks to new research that finally shows just what "normal" bone density is for children of different ages. more.......