2/6/2018 0 Comments Taking the ReinsGrowing up, we raised Purebred Black Clydes, something my Dad still does on the farm, as do my brother and nephews. It is a tremendous source of pride, and a hell of a pile of work. Growing up, when we had enough time on the farm over the summer we would show them at summer fairs, both on the halter and hitched to a show wagon. It took a lot of work and training to get ready for a show. Hours of practice, a lot of dedication and teamwork. To drive a 6-horse hitch without causing a wreck is an extra special skill, few people on the planet possess. It requires the driver to be able to control all 6 horses independently, at the same time. Each horse has a set of reins running back up to the drivers hands, so the proper way to hold them is to lace each rein through the fingers separate and apart from all of the other reins. Control is exerted by turning your wrists upward and downward, while at the same time pulling back or leaning forward as well as side to side.
One summer evening, as we were practicing driving a six-horse hitch down a quiet dusty rode my Dad asked me if I wanted to try driving. I had been watching him handle the reins so adeptly an untold number of times, he had patiently described just how to lace the reins between your fingers ad nauseum and I had already mastered a 2 and 4 horse hitch, so I said, “Sure, I think I’m ready.” Without stopping the horses he began to transfer the reins to me, one by one. I could tell instantly this was not the cakewalk driving 2 horses was, the horses could sense a shaky hand on the reins as well. They began to wander, from one side of the road to the other and the more I tried to exert control, the more chaotic things became. My Dad sensed we were likely seconds away from a run away and swiftly took the reins back, slowly getting the horses back under control. I was relieved and embarrassed at the same time. I thought I had failed miserably. My Dad wasn’t angry, but he didn’t say much either. The lessons had been learned. It takes patience, dedication, humility and experience to learn to do something as complex and chaotic as drive a 6-horse hitch. When I was ready to take the reins for real, it would be obvious, I would know it, my Dad would know it and the horses would know it. The point here is the generation handing over the reins and the generation grasping the reins must have a sufficient level of trust in one another. We seemed to have gotten away from this more recently. The generation coming up wants to take reins of life, so to speak, with all the power and authority it comes with, without putting in the time to learn and listen to enough life lessons to keep it all out of the ditch so to speak. This to is causing the generation currently holding the reins to lose trust, to be reluctant to hand the reins over to younger folks who they feel are clearly demonstrating they are not yet ready and seem unwilling to accept the advice, wisdom and experience of those who have come before them. With all the divisions being placed in front of people based on gender, belief and ethnicity it would be really good if we could avoid the same trap based on age. After all, as long as we live, each one of us gets a whole day older, each and every day, day after day, all together. Maybe by talking with each other from a place of respect, we can figure out how to best get the reins handed over without putting it in the ditch.
0 Comments
Recently Statistics Canada released the 2016 annual Net Farm Income statistics for the country, broken down on a provincial level. To no one’s surprise Saskatchewan again led the country, as it has for the last five years running, accounting for $4.2 billion of the total $9.6 billion in realized net farm income. That is 44 percent of all the farm income in the country. Not too shabby for a province that contains three percent of the country's population, but perhaps to be expected when we enjoy jurisdiction over 40 percent of all the arable land in the country.
It is important to realize that numbers like this do not come about by accident, nor are they the result of fortuitous commodity prices alone, or the sometimes-smiling face of Mother Nature. No; consistent and stable net farm incomes only happen when supported by careful planning, excellent agronomic and business management on the part of producers and value chains that are intelligently designed and executed, and governed within a trade policy and regulatory environment that lends itself to predictability and a high probability of success. There is more to it though than even all of these necessary ingredients imply. I would argue that the underpinnings of our success lie in the long and impressive history of innovative agri science research and development carried out in the province and across the country that sets the table for both past and continuing success. One only has to look at the recent record of achievement in the ongoing development of public and private institutional research, development and commercialization capacity to understand from where our success has arisen, and where we will find our competitive and comparative advantages in the future. The following is by no means exhaustive (but by every measure impressive) as an indicator over the past few years of the seriousness and willingness of various actors and funders in ensuring our continued success:
In addition, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture consistently invests on average $30 each year for every man, woman and child in this province (over $30 million annually) towards ag research and development opportunities including the continued support of organizations such as PAMI, VIDO-InterVac, Ag-West Bio and others. Saskatchewan leads the country by far per capita in ag bioscience R&D investment support on a provincial basis. Finally, none of this happens with the producers themselves making substantial investments every year through check off support to the tune of an additional $30 million annually. All told, Ag-West Bio has measured ag bioscience public and private research and development investment in our province in the range of $300 million annually. These are indeed impressive numbers, that have yielded impressive results, in an industry that every citizen of Saskatchewan (and indeed the entire country) can be rightfully proud to call their own. To answer the initial question: "Are we entering a golden era of ag innovation and advancement?" I might argue we continue to be in the midst of a golden era of ag innovation and advancement, one that we have been collectively supporting and celebrating for well over 100 years, one that we have proactively and deliberately placed on a solid footing for the next 100 years! The collective dedication and passion of all of the participants in this great industry is both awe inspiring and humbling. I remain ever grateful to be able to continue to play some small role in helping secure our future. 2/2/2018 0 Comments TPP an OpportunityMuch has been made recently about the ongoing negotiations of the TPP among the 12 participating countries and the creation of the world’s largest freetrade zone encompassing 40 per cent of the global GDP, accounting for some $30 trillion on an annual basis. Canada is in danger of being left on the side of the road, literally crying in our milk. Granted, there is grave concern among our domestic supply-managed dairy and poultry industries that they will be wiped out in the face of low-cost international competition. To that I say poppycock. Do not underestimate your own powers to adapt, innovate, compete and dominate.
I would ask those industries to look to Saskatchewan for guidance and inspiration in envisioning a world dominated by a tariff-free TPP. Saskatchewan leads this country in agri-food exports, totalling some $14 billion in 2014. Indeed, the vast majority of our GDP is derived from exporting those things we produce, largely in sectors that offer no protection from the market forces of global competition. We compete and we win. We understand what we do best and strive every day to become better. No one ever promised that change comes easy, but to bury our heads in the sand by protecting supply management does a disservice to us all. Canada must not be pushed to the sidelines of global trade activity, condemning future generations to an otherwise lower standard of living ruled by an irrational fear of our inability to compete. I urge Canadian negotiators to work in the best interests of this great nation and get serious about the give and take required to conclude a meaningful deal. |
I grew up as part of a big family on a big mixed farm on the Prairies of Canada. All my opinions are my own. I have an Ag degree from Saskatoon and an MBA from New Brunswick. I am happily married with four children. I love my work, my family and my community and will guard them all ferociously. I try to bring critical thought to all I do and all I say. Leadership through example is the best way forward. |