Perhaps I could go first. I'm sure Karl has a lot of good points as well.
I'm going to start backwards on your list. I'm going to start with succession planning, and I'm going to work the way up a little bit there.
Succession planning is essential, because we're dealing with multi-million dollar farms. I've seen it where a farmer has died at 70 or 75 years of age. Their kid is 55 years of age, and still, at 55, they weren't allowed to make any decisions. So the dad passes away within a year or two of the grandfather, and now the son, who wasn't even allowed to sell a Bobcat, now has a multi-million dollar operation. That farm's done. There was improper training. So communication is essential there.
We have, in Fredericton, the capital of our province, 14 dairy farmers who get together and we share our books 100%. We actually have a guy in a department who takes all the numbers for everything. We break everything down; we each are given a letter and our farm stands for that letter. Therefore, I do not need to know who my partner is, which one of the 14 is “A,“ which one of the 14 is “B”. I know which letter I am.
We've gotten to the point that we have shared which letters we are; so we're to the point now where we have shared all the information. I sat down with one of those guys and we compared our insurance bill the other day, and there's $2,500 difference for the same coverage. I got my insurance adjusted by $2,500, and the insurance agent said, “Don't tell anybody else.” That's $2,500 in the bottom line; that's $2,500 in my pocket because the insurance stayed the same.
Succession and planning is important. Farmers getting together is important. We started with three dairy farmers. We started growing corn silage because the cost of grain has skyrocketed in the last five years. It's gone up $100 a tonne. The average farm in New Brunswick is about $30,000, which is what a lot of people take home. For a lot of farmers, what they used to take home, they're now paying for grain. We got together with three dairy farmers and one of us plants, one of us sprays, and one of us harvests. Therefore, only one person has to buy a planter, one person is responsible for spraying.
Not only is the capital nice that you don't have to purchase everything, it's nice that you don't have to be in the field during those times of the year when you know someone else can take care of it, and you can concentrate on something else. You get that stress lifted off you, too, and working together you get that stress lifted off.
Imports and standards--that is going to be a battle. That's a good one to fight, but it's going to be a battle. If you have the UPA, you have 50,000 votes right there behind you, out of Quebec. I haven't heard a farmer yet say that they don't agree that the standards should be changed.
As far as credit is concerned, I'm very thankful the Farm Credit Corporation is around. I wish they would do day-to-day banking. I guess they're having a fight with the banks to do day-to-day banking, because I would do my day-to-do banking with them as well. They have been fantastic. They know that they're not going to hang you out to dry. They're there to support you as well, as a farmer. That is going to be a constant thing, credit and how you get it.