Thank you very much.
Thank you all for being here today. I know some of you have come quite a long way across the province. I think it's a good representative panel here of various viewpoints from across Alberta, and we sure appreciate you being here.
A question I've asked all our young farmers who have come before us who are going to study is really trying to get a sense of what's different across different generations, whether it be your father's or grandfather's generation, not as young farmers but what's the difference between your generation and your kids. That's been a very interesting question to ask, and I've had a range of different answers.
One of the common threads there certainly seems to be that while the input costs are going up, the price received at the farm is not, and I've certainly heard that again here today. Actually, though, I'll put a little bit of a different twist on that question for this panel, because I heard a few examples of farmers who probably are going against the grain a little bit.
Mr. Buckman, and Mr. Brecka in particular, you both mentioned that while you previously had jobs off the farm, over the last few years you've come to the point where you are now able to farm full-time without the income off the farm. That's certainly not a story we're hearing very commonly. Farmers are telling us, and I think it's no surprise to any of us, that a full-time job off the farm sort of pays for the other full-time hobby on the farm. Unfortunately, this is really what it all too often comes to for too many guys: it's not really an income and a way to make a living. So I want to get a sense from you as to how you have been able to go against the grain.
Actually, Mr. Davis, you mentioned your nieces and nephews and how they've just bought in and bought a herd from a retiring farmer. So it sounds like to some degree they're going against the grain as well.
Mr. Brecka, I think you even mentioned that you haven't succeeded your father on the farm, that you've actually started your own farm. That's very unique in today's day and age, unfortunately.
I'd therefore like to hear from the three of you. How have you been able to go against the grain?