Agriculture committee  For us, we do have our cost of production. Last year it varied quite a bit, because the fertilizer prices were up quite a bit. Still, when you're going to the bank, whatever you're going to grow, whether it be flax, canola, or soybeans, you're growing on a negative margin. It makes it hard for the bank to want to lend you money.

Agriculture committee  Yes. It kind of hit a nerve when I heard you with regard to getting courses for better management. It's hard for me to tell a farmer, if they're always selling their product on a negative margin.... How much better can you be? It's almost impossible; you can be the best manager you want, but if you buy a farm as a young farmer, and you have all that debt and you have a disaster in a crop or whatever, you have nothing else to fall back on.

Agriculture committee  I'll let our executive director answer that. I have a personal view on that one.

Agriculture committee  Sure. The thing is that we're relying on research right now that's coming out of western Canada or even Ontario. We have a special climate here that would need to be addressed as far as varieties or climate. That's why, with research coming out of Ontario, I don't think we can adapt it over here.

Agriculture committee  I agree with you 100% that we need to get the research going. As I said, it has been depleted over the years. Unless we do that now, we're going to lose the grain industry, as far as I see it.

Agriculture committee  On the clusters, I'll let you talk to the executive who look after that program.

Agriculture committee  Well, it's been a challenge. I had the comment from the dairy farmers just a while ago that grain prices are very high, which I was surprised to hear, because we're still selling below 1982 prices. We're only 45% self-sufficient, and my concern is that if we don't stabilize the system, we're going to lose more grain producers.

Agriculture committee  Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of Parliament, and fellow guests. My name is Robert Godbout. I'm a grain and oilseeds producer from Grand Falls, New Brunswick. I'm also the director of the Atlantic Grains Council. With me today is Monique McTiernan, our executive director.