When you have beginning farmers coming in and they're talking about a business plan and the background, I understand the discussions that go on with that. Is there a particular focus on competitiveness? That's really what we're talking about. We just finished a report on competitiveness. This is actually the follow-up to that to help us understand the beginning farmers and to make sure we have an industry that will be competitive and viable not just for the future but for the short term, medium term, and long term.
With that, do you have farmers who come in who are focused on concerns of competitiveness in the regulatory aspect of government policy? We can't compete, because the regulations we have in Canada are different from those we have with our major competing consumers. I have a motion that was just passed on Friday that deals with that. It seemed to be a big issue, and certainly had the support of all the industry across the country on that.
Or is there an issue that talks about, “Well, we don't get enough dollars in the mailbox to be viable”? Or is there a discussion that agriculture is about the innovation that we see, the light at the tunnel--it's not the train coming, by way--and that we have an opportunity in agriculture.
I just see a growth in it. I see a growth because...and I don't know, but we used to grow crops for food. It's interesting; now we grow it for energy. We grow it for industry. You know, I've met with farmers that I've sat down with at round tables that have never mentioned about dollars in the mailbox; very exciting.
Do you hear any of that in your discussion, or is there a priority with the young farmers, when they're talking to you, about those any of those issues?