What To Do With All This Milk?

Yesterday I was speaking to a farmer.  I like talking to farmers and fishermen(please insert fisherpeople if your so inclined).  The reason I like to speak to farmers is because they are really easy to talk to.  They listen well and they aren’t afraid to tell you any of their problems….in fact it seems they like it.  When speaking to business people such as Presidents, Directors and Ceo’s I find it’s a challenge to get them to even admit they are in trouble, much less to get details out of them.  But no, not the farmers, they will tell it all in the first call.  I have helped quite a few farmers and fishermen with their financial problems and specifically civil suits.  I always feel good about solving their problems, saving them money and helping them move on in a positive way.  In yesterday’s call the farmer proudly explained his business to me and then the financial challenges he was facing.  He eventually stated that he’d be paying his creditor in full and I agreed that intervention on my part would be unnecessary.   Another thing I like about farmers is that they have integrity, are very honest and almost always seem to be quite humble people.  Furthermore they are very hard working people.  Some of us complain (or brag) if we have to put in a 10 or 12 hour day two or three times a week, or that we might have to work on Saturday or Sunday to get caught up on something.  Oh and we always take our week off down south.  Not farmers!  No, they work 12 hour days routinely….and on Saturdays and Sundays doing easy chores we would call major home projects.  They almost never take vacations down south because the money’s just not there.  They’d also feel silly sitting around doing nothing when so much is waiting for them back at the farm.  So what makes these people work so hard for so little?  Working the land or in this farmers case, raising pigs is not easy work.  In raising pigs the costs of feeds has escalated while the price per pound has dropped.  They are dealing in the volatile world of commodities….of supply and demand which is riskier and more volatile than stocks.  The costs of raising animals is constantly on the rise as fuel prices, feed, animal welfare costs etc. are constantly rising.  Then on top of all that there’s the bureaucratic bumbling of regulatory bodies that make sure farmers humanely manage their stocks and keep their premises clean and tidy.  As an example recently I was speaking with a dairy farmer who temporarily lost is license to sell milk to the milk board because his barns needed a fresh coat of paint and some cobwebs in the corners of his barn needed cleaning according to an inspector.  He lost $117,000 in revenues due to this revocation of his selling quota.  Granted he did admit that he took too long to clean the cobwebs etc and took full ownership of the oversight.  I wondered where all that milk went during this period of not being able to take his milk to market? (I have a strange mind)  After all, the cows are still producing milk daily.  Turns out he actually donated the milk to a neighbouring farmer to feed his hogs. (for awhile some just got dumped out, what a waste!) Okay, so where am I going with all of this.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that I’ve come to admire the hard working, quiet dedication of these farmers and fishermen in Nova Scotia and beyond.  They humbly go about their chores and endure financial  hardships that often result in them losing land, houses, boats and farms that have been in their families for many generations.  I think it’s time that the Federal and Provincial governments did more to protect the livelihoods of these people.  Correct me if I’m wrong but  I think these two professions are two of the oldest professions (I won’t comment on the oldest, that could be another blog later) out there and we cannot operate our world without them.  I believe these two professions should be ”protected”  the same way we protect nature reserves, wildlife and indigenous peoples.  We need farmers and fisherman to not only exist but to succeed economically.  There has to be a way to give them preferrential treatment when it comes to access to funding both in grants and loans.  There has to be protections for them against losing their land and farms.  There has to be less bureaucracy for them to function and a farmer or fisherman should have special status that gives them rights to the land and the sea.  These are noble people, noble professions that have existed since the beginning of mankind.  We need these guys! They should never be wanting for funding.  They should have the right to be just as wealthy as our highest paid physicians, politicians or athletes.  Yet, they are so humble and gentle, they anonymously go about their days asking no one for help…..and getting none.   Thank you to farmers and fishermen everywhere who toil endlessly without thanks.  I know my little rant will not likley make a difference for you but I want you to know that I like talking to farmers!  I will help in any way I can.    If you know a farmer or a fisherman and want to say thank you to them….just leave a post!  Maybe  you have a story about a farmer or fisherman, leave a post.  Maybe you disagree with my rant and think they get too much assistance now……leave a post!  Thanks.