Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Your three options: One in 84000?
I have been meaning to comment on the plebiscite itself for some time, so here goes. The three option ballot was the right way to go for reasons I mentioned here. But in issuing ballots to 84000 producers, the government abandoned some of the fundamental principles that ought to guide it in dealing with the CWB. The most important of these is that consultations should be conducted with farmers who have a continuing commercial stake in growing wheat and barley. Translation: You have to make your living as a farmer. There is simply no way that 84000 people in Western Canada make their living as farmers, considering that there are only approximately 8000 grain farms with revenues of more than $250000 according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. In the end, it is the result of the plebiscite and not who voted that will carry the most weight, but it would be a shame to have the process marred because farmers did not have their voices heard.
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that would be a question I would have asked if I were strahl what is the minimum threshhold to call yourself a farmer. I would say to have a vote you have to be a primary producer( no landlords, retiries) could alow for non CAIS participants but count them as a separate demographic. Use CAIS numbers to tell what kind of production you had I propose a minimum threshold of 320 acres production of Barley over 2 years, thinking that any farm that might have a legitimate stake in barley would grow it once every second year.
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