Mexico...what's this?

[Alberta farmer]

Mexico closed the border to one beef plant and 5 hog plants yesterday? They claim it was for "technical reasons" but was it? There is some opinion Mexico was retaliating for US COOL. Apparently COOL has dried up the importation of Mexican feeder/slaughter cattle...sort of the same thing happening on the northern border? Maybe Canada needs to get some balls and do the same as Mexico!
When you limit the number of cattle coming into the southern US, or the northern USA for that matter, what does that mean for US feedlots/packers who rely on imported cattle? Do they go out and pay more for US cattle or do they pack it in and go home?
The USA is a net importer of beef and cattle. Maybe we'd all be better off if we concentrated on our domestic markets and got our cattle numbers down to where we would only service those markets? Once we got in that position shut the door to any imports? It works pretty well in Canada for poultry and dairy...would it work for pork and beef? Seems kind of silly to produce a product that no other country wants!
There is a lot of talk out there that the US dollar will be going in the tank in the near future. It seems to me Canada has tied itself to a losing propostion by being such a large trading partner with the USA? Maybe it is time to get that pipeline built across the mountains to Prince Rupert so we can sell our oil to Asia and forget dealing with someone who doesn't want to honor her trade committments.
President elect Obama says he wants to renegotiate NAFTA. It seems to me that might be a good opportunity for Canada to escape? That will never happen as long as we have our current American lackey primeminister...but the new Liberal leader Ignatieff just might be a different story? We are probably about 6 months to a year from an election...and the majority of Canadians won't vote for Harper!
We are a trading nation and mostly we trade commodities...think oil, uranium, iron ore, nickel etc. The world is going to always need commodities, we don't have a lot of manufacturing. How about letting the highest bidder get our goods and forget about a trade deal with a partner that continually tries to beat us down?

 

[angie1]

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=53402

 

[Carlos D.]

you know what canada must be get down on cow numbers big time ---I counted up the number of cows that have gone in a 10 mile stretch down my rode --in the last five years-----the number comes to about 325---these were all small producers (except one) they just dissapear and don't make any noise doing it --but I do know that a pile of cows have been slaughtered this tear in manitoba

 

[Alberta farmer]

Carlos: I hear Manitoba has been cleaning out cows and I can tell you we sure have been here in central Alberta...not so sure in northern Alberta though.
I think around here people have had about enough. Six years of really poor prices. I think people just figure with COOL in the USA they might as well quit and do something else?
Our provincial government has tried to do something but the feds are pretty well useless? Harper has pretty well abandoned agriculture in my opinion? Too focussed on all the other garbage happening in Ontario....well what else is new!

 

[Carlos D.]

ya I was thinking the other day I got a lot more help from the liberals than I did the conservatives--but I sure didn't want another Quebec prime minister
I live 10 miles from camp shilo --we're well over the 100 mark for boys coming home dead from afganistan--Kind of burns my a$$ that they wouldn't of had to have been there if the americans hadn't pi$$ed the world off ---they took away our packing plants --and now COOL Sure have changed my opinion a lot of our nieghbours in the south this last year

 

[rockridgecattle]

We are in an area where the cows numbers are dropping fast. Some farms are selling all some like us, are selling 1/2, and some bought feed and are hoping for a better new year. The auction barn, I think is worried what the #'s will be like for next year.

 

[Alberta farmer]

Carlos: I sure hear you on the liberal versus tory thing. If the Liberals get their act together they can probably knock off Harper? What kind of idiots elected Dion for their leader? Ignatieff might be a whole different story.
Randialina: A young guy from here bought a pretty good farm near Verdun a couple of years ago. He was back last spring for a visit and said it was a pretty good cow country? Don't know if he got caught in that weather mess you guys had out there this summer or not. I thought I might take a trip out there to see his set up next summer if I can get away for a few days. An oilfield buddy of mine has a section of land near Verdun so maybe we'll try to go together.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Were you talking to Randilana, or rockridge. Randi is in Saskatchewn and i am in Manitoba. Verdun..do you mean Virden? That is by Brandon. We have some friends who sold their farms in and around Calgary and bought across the lake from us. Way better land deals out here right now than in Alberta, but here in Manitoba it depends on where you are planning to settle. Close to Winnipeg or Brandon, big bucks. Dauphin, or North interlake, land is cheaper.

 

[hillsdown]

If you think Canada especially Alberta will be better off with a liberal government you need to give your head a shake and that is putting it nicely.

They will strip this province dry and we will be as poor as the east is.

There never ever should have been any hand outs to begin with, those that can make it will and those that can't will have to find another way of life ,it happens all the time in every other sector why should agriculture be any different..Besides the only ones that really got huge hands outs and help were the big boys and they sure as h@ll did not deserve a single red cent of any Canadian taxpayers money..

The last thing we need for the west is a fricken liberal government because you and I will not mean sh@t to them..

 

[Nesikep]

I don't really think who we elect (in our options we had) would have made much difference to us here out west... I'm worried for the CWB if harper would ever get a majority.

I'd be all for a east and west canada, or failing that, a complete review of the way the parliament is elected...

 

[Angus Cowman]

well guys I guess we could adopt you also it seems like we have adopted Mexico or they have adopted us at least we sure do have alot of their native residents in thsi country now

we could call it the Nothern United States kinda like Texas is now Texico :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Alberta farmer]

Sorry rockridge I screwed up...I meant you.
Hillsdown: I sure wasn't saying I support the Liberals. In fact I am a member of the federal conservative party...although I sometimes wonder why? What have they done for me lately?
They sure haven't done anything to speak of for the cattle business...and I'm not talking subsidies!
How many of the promises they made to the west have they fulfilled? The CWB, the gun registry etc.?
At least the Alberta government has tried to move forward on the cattle thing...where have the feds been? Ag minister Ritz did finally take the COOL problem to the WTO but why didn't he take it to NAFTA...where he would have got some results?
Personally I think Harpers days are numbered...he is not a good leader. Just my opinion.