Some people don't know their arse from a hole in the ground

Don't you just love those old, country sayings. I do. They make me laugh. What makes me weep is the MSM reporting on agriculture. They confuse their illusions of a simple life down on the farm with the realities of actually farming. To be fair, the average urban reporter can't possibly understand the complexities of what is taking shape on the family farm right now. Most farmers have a hard time getting their heads around it.

From an Ottawa Citizen editorial Extortionists on tractors, here's a guy who really doesn't know if his ass is punched or bored.

Making sure every Canadian can be fed is a legitimate goal for the government, but maintaining small family farms isn't necessarily in the broad Canadian interest any more than keeping independent gas-station operators working would be.

Gas-station operators? Kind of a dumb comparison in that they aren't the ones pulling raw crude out of the ground. And, I'm sure that those price wars can be troubling but no one expects them to sell gas for less than they paid for it - several years running. Farmers are price takers not price makers.

I won't even get into what makes him think family farms aren't necessary in the broad Canadian interest. Given that family farms are one hell of a lot bigger than they were even 25 years ago I can only surmise that this guy thinks maybe corporate farms are in Canada's best interest.

It's true that Canadian farmers have to compete against heavily subsidized Americans and Europeans and until we can convince foreign politicians to stop distorting the market, we can level the field either through trade barriers or with matching subsidy programs. However, we must not confuse this damage control with support for inefficient or unnecessary farms.

Nobody has a right to make a profit in any field. Farmers who insist they do are irrational. When that irrationality intrudes on other people's right to make livings and otherwise act freely, those people's rights must be protected. By the police, if necessary.

That there's the clincher. Matching subsidies? Clearly this guy knows nothing about countervail. Trade barriers? Tempting as that may be, it's exactly what Canadian farmers have been trying to eliminate for the past decade or more. Inefficient farmers on their unnecessary farms gave it up long ago. This problem didn't happen over night and it's viable farmers who depend on export markets who are in trouble now.

When the spin- off of a failed agriculture industry begins to trickle down - and it will - do you suppose they'll still be blaming irrational, unnecessary and inefficient farmers?

The Ottawa Sun does a much better job in this editorial, but I'll hazard a guess it's written by a local reporter who spends a good deal of time writing ag news.

This government has begun to mend relations between our two countries and should move agricultural subsidies to the top of the bilateral agenda. Wasn't the removal of trade irritants the main purpose of the North American Free Trade Agreement?

Truth is I have not one ounce of optimism for the future of agriculture in this country. There isn't enough money to bail them out in the short term. One can only hope that there is now both the political will and the astuteness needed to level the playing field in the long term.

I think this civil disobedience thing will continue to be as ugly as a windrow of assholes racked up before sundown. Trust me, this is even funnier if you know anything about makin' hay. Trouble is, very few people do.

( I should point out that when I say MSM I mean the non- agricultural media. Though hard to find on the internet decent ag reporting can be found at AgriNews and Ontario Farmer.)

H/t Jack's Newswatch