Evidence of meeting #13 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was dairy.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
You've got a monthly publication, and in there you might have something.... I've seen supply-managed farms go under because of bad business decisions. They've extended their debt load when they shouldn't have, and the bank is demanding payment and they're unable to pay--there goes the land, and the quota is next.
So even in that way, I'd be encouraging....
5:15 p.m.
Chair, Turkey Farmers of Canada
I'll just let Phil make a couple of comments, if he would.
November 22nd, 2011 / 5:15 p.m.
Phil Boyd Executive Director, Turkey Farmers of Canada
Thank you.
Mr. Lemieux, I think if we go back to Mark's opening comments, that our organization is one that is there to facilitate and provide, it's consistent with your question. But in terms of our role, we think and we hope that the turkey farmers in this country are among the best-informed farmers in terms of what's going on around them and in terms of the kinds of things they have to consider when they do their own risk profiles, for example.
We hope they're well informed in terms of society's demands on their farm enterprise so they know what they're dealing with in terms of the variables out there, whether it's in terms of latest research, animal husbandry, increasing feed efficiency, all those kinds of things.
We have a farmers-only website where we have research bulletins and fact sheets and those kinds of things. We think from that perspective we offer a service to our farmers in terms of their knowledge base and then they are well equipped to make decisions on their own enterprise.
That's the only piece I wanted to add. Thank you very much.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Perhaps I'll just jump to the organics, because I think we're going to run out of time. That was a supply-managed-based answer, and then perhaps we'll have something that's not supply-managed.
5:15 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
Yes, we're different. That's one of our primary issues. Especially with so many new entrants, profitability is absolutely essential and is one of the main things many of our organizations are focusing on.
With cost-of-production tools we actually have a business transition pathway--not just the agronomic side of it, but the business side of it--that's over 100 pages based on interviews with organic farmers, including actuals. We have books on record-keeping and crop profitability and budgeting that are recent, in the last year, that are flying off the shelves, as much as something on that can fly off the shelf. We also use those as the basis for magazine articles and webinars in the conference. Actually, at the conference that I referenced earlier we had a full business profitability stream as well as another marketing stream, which attracted people who drove from Ontario to Dartmouth to access it. That included actual start-up budgets of three different farms going through. We worked with a business development officer in the Department of Agriculture.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
That's very good. That kind of information I think farmers would find very useful.
Thank you.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Thank you very much.
There was a report, Mr. Hoback, that you indicated you would like Beth to table.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
Could you find that report, Beth, and table it or get a copy to us?
5:15 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
That's right, on corn. Yes, sure.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Thank you.
Ms. McMahon, at the start of the meeting--I think it might have been in response to the first questioner--you talked about GM alfalfa and what have you. Unless I heard you wrong, you implied that it was already in Canada and that it could be basically.... Okay, you're shaking your head.
5:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
No. It's approved, so if it goes to the point where a commercialized alfalfa is registered then it can be used.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
5:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
GM alfalfa is approved, just not the specific commercial type.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
I just wanted to clarify that, and I have one comment on it. Even if it was never approved here or never applied for and approved, given the fact that it's been approved and applied in the United States, inevitably it's probably going to get here anyway. It's like the emerald ash borer, which started in the United States. It's now in southern Ontario and I hear it has started to reach the Ottawa area. Some things happen whether they're planned or not.
5:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
Agreed. But even on the LLP, when we asked if there had been any incidents in Canada that would qualify for LLP we were told last week there had been none. Right now we have a pretty good record in Canada.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Sure.
Very good. With that, I'd like to thank all the witnesses for being here today. Thanks again for coming.
The meeting is adjourned. See you all on Thursday.