Egos versus economics… have created a lot of financial woe for livestock producers. COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) has proven to be a ‘big farce!’ What is most amusing, is the fact that R-CALF supporters who lobbied to close borders and shut down trade, are now buying forage from Canadian producers… the same producers they tried to exclude or shut out. The past four hot and dry months in the United States and Eastern Canada have put a different light on the agricultural picture and its markets. The lack of rainfall will undoubtedly put pressure on markets, as grain prices have spiked. The shortage of livestock inventories coupled with high feed prices will be felt in consumer spending. The price of beef over the counter has risen and will continue to rise, but the average consumer does not realize that the drought in the Corn Belt will push the price of Coke and a box of Frosted Flakes much higher, in comparison, to a pound of ground beef. Most areas of Eastern Canada look like Roundup was sprayed from the sky; yet Western Canada enjoys a rosy picture with abundant rain fall and very promising crops and forage. During my travels this past summer, the only grasshopper I’ve seen was west of Renfrew, Ontario. The change in climatic conditions throughout Canada is very distinct. These changes are short term and in all cases affect supply and demand, the factor which has determined economics dating back to the age of the caveman. The change that stirred my interest the most, while attending a major livestock event, was the societal structure of generations in the livestock industry, from the Silent generation down to Generation Y or what is called by many, the Millennial generation. The Silent generation or often referred to as the Crisis generation, are/were the people born in the 1920’s through the first half of the 1940’s. They were mostly sons and daughters of pioneers who immigrated to North America from Europe. They were an adaptive generation formed by necessity; they lived through a volatile era surviving the Great Depression, the Dirty Thirties and World War II. In the purebred livestock industry, they were the builders and pioneers, establishing their herds and founding associations. County fairs were the mode for marketing, while advertising and all communication was done in print or by word of mouth. The generation to follow is the Baby Boomers, born after World War II and up to the early 1960’s. Baby Boomers lived to work and their job, was their life. As a group, they are the wealthiest, most active and physically fit generation today. They were the TV generation growing up with Ed Sullivan, Andy Griffith, and Lucy, Dennis the Menace, Gunsmoke and Bonanza. Baby Boomers control over 80% of personal financial assets and are responsible for more than half of all consumers spending which includes 80% of all leisure travel. Baby Boomers grew and financed the purebred livestock industry. To them it was fashionable to be a breeder, events were always well attended and “white shirt” pre sale dinners were commonplace the evening prior a sale. Baby Boomers were loyal to the breed they chose to work with and in most cases, very voluntary in breed and community activities.
Limousin Voice Summer 2012 16