Thank you, Mr. Keddy.
One of the things about being chair of the committee is that usually I don't get to ask many questions, so I'm going to take the chairman's privilege, if that's okay. I have two or three quick questions.
Kerry, in your opening, you talked about the ability to share the experience. I have to think that this has to be one of the strongest things that can happen in the involvement, the building up, and the encouragement to one another as farmers. Do you do that in any sort of formal way, where you will take it regionally and sit down with different organizations, and not all grain farmers and not all chicken farmers? If you do, how do you build that confidence and trust among each other so that you're not just sharing the general stuff? A group that I know started out and have it right down to where they actually share all the fine details of their operations, because they've built this incredible trust among each other. They share the good things and the bad. Is there any part of the program that does this?
Succession planning I think is likely one of the most critical aspects in terms of the industry itself. How do we move that generational asset from one to the next? It hasn't changed in 40 or 50 years; the numbers have. They're the same issues. Mr. Dreeshen talked about land values, and he's absolutely right. With regard to that, do you set up a sort of professional direction and seminars around that to invite not just your own but to reach out through the commodity organizations and other farm organizations for them to come in? What I'm finding when I talk to some of the succession planners is that it's a huge issue, and if you don't start your succession planning until you are 50 or 60 years old—and many don't—it becomes a huge financial quandary.
The last question I would ask is in terms of agriculture and the opening of markets. I think that in Canada we've recognized this in terms of our growth and our strength in many things, but I'm going to talk about agriculture, because I believe that agriculture is the foundation on which every free trade agreement is built; I really do. That said, do you have some thoughts about it? One of the things is open markets. I think that we as a government also have an obligation to help access those markets. I'm wondering if you have any thoughts about what we might do to help improve that and to help you as the coming-on farmers who are our next generation. Some of you may be in this position of making regulations or legislation some day, but you could help us in terms of some of your thoughts in getting better access. I know there's the transportation issue out west. I guess I'm trying to work around taking up all the time on that one.
I'll leave those quick three questions out there, and anyone can jump in, please.