The 10% number we use is what we experience at CCGA, the data that we have for the farmers we serve in western Canada. I suspect the minister is using the national averages, which would be a different set of numbers. But yes indeed, the number of farmers who are hitting the limit at $400,000 is increasing, and we hear from them. When you look to the future, farm sizes are getting bigger. Input prices keep going up, and $400,000 doesn't go nearly as far as it used to. So that's one thing.
The second point I want to make is that it may look like only 10% of the farmers are hitting the lid, but what we're not capturing are those farmers who are walking away from the program and not utilizing it because $400,000 isn't worth their time. They're not even using the program. We think there are a lot of farmers who would use it if they could come and get more money, because their input costs are $600,000 or $700,000 or $800,000 and they have to go to the bank anyway. That's what's not being captured here, and we think an expanded limit would capture those farmers and serve farmers large and small equally.
Is there a middle ground? Absolutely. We put the number $800,000 out there, but any increase, I think, would be very much appreciated by the farmers. It would make it more useful to them and it is a very valuable tool for them. It's very cheap financing for them in the balance.