Hey Canadians, Aussies

[hardnox]

Has it occurred to you that there's a sort of unpleasant deja' vu, all over again descending on you guys?

Maybe I've got it wrong but looks like rather than propping world markets and lifting all boats we're returning to paying US producers to over produce, flood world markets and then making up the difference with subsidies.

Although the fact that we're cleverly laundering it through "private insurers" means it can probably be slowed down another year or two in WTO deliberations, at which point the 5 year bill will be about over anyway.

[hardnox]

Brazilians, Ukranians, Chinese Government Corporations Farming Half of The Ukraine and all of Tanzania, etc.

[WCMO]

And, short-sighted policies for most American farmers, along with the gravy train just following a different set of tracks, at least in my opinion.

[hardnox]

Yes, in mine also.

But you gotta admit that it is pretty darn generous.

[sw363535]

Is Nox the old Nox??

Did ya have to change emails or just starting over??

Or are ya just fighting your way around Jeff?

[hardnox]

Yeah, got kicked off or something.

Had kinda decided to stay away but got a little lit up when I got to pondering the extraordinary social and economic engineering implied by this farm bill. Or actually more of the same of something that we don't need to be engineered into any further.

[sw363535]

Glad your back.

I missed ya.

[WCMO]

Was just thinking a day or so ago that we hadn't heard from Hardnox for awhile.

[wglassfo]

Yes: We canadians have always been aware of all your farm bills

I remember way back when your farm bill was going to make us obsolete

Even the bankers were thinking the world had come to an end

However, as all farmers, land is the primary give and take thing

We don't and never have paid 300-400 to rent land, in our area.

We grow 160-200 bu/acre corn and sometimes a bit more

We don't have to wait 2 yrs or more to put tile in the ground

We can clear out old bldgs. or severe the bldgs for 150k

That severance is a bit 50-50 thing

What if the new owner thinks they still live in town, but on average we can tell em to go to heck and back if the bean dust blows over their front patiio

Within reason, the law favours standard and established practices and the town guy has to suck it up

We do have regs for manure applications

We don't have the duck folks or wet lands people on our butt

We can kick em off the farm

Thus no planting aroud pot holes, replanting

We just put a bunch of tile in the ground, usually as soon as we can get a contractor

We drive back and forth in our fields, in a sraight line

Homesteads or severed land is or only obsticle

Our land price varies according to demand, we have a quota system for much of our livestock except beef and hogs

We grow corn, wheat and beans on our farm. No livestock

We have a plus grain basis, due to the currency thing

So long as we sell more than we buy, that works

But, yes: Your farm bill does seem to be a bit over the top, but you got to play the game to collect those dolllars and some of it i ssomething we could never live with [wetlands and replanting is a thing of the past with us]

Haven't replated an acre in more than [can't remember] probably if early frost killed it]

We don't have the devasttating drought

Have never had a crop failure in my entire career

We don't buy crop isur. on uor corn, beans etc.

No need, we would never colect on the insur. unless we had every farm within 10 mile radius get wiped out with hail

that has never happened in anybodies life time

So there are pluses and minus

I farm in Ontario and the wife is after me to end this rant

[farmerinontaro]

Have not studied the details, but if it is as you describe hardknox; then it is disappointing to say the least.

If it is the case, the true price of growing grain would once again obscured.  It looks cheap to the market place, yet with subsidies, the real cost to americans is really not any cheaper.  Perhaps it is Obama's mode of operation?

If it is true, the question that comes to mind: Why do countries sign trade agreements if they really have no intention of actually carrying them out?