The Ridiculous Extravagance of Being Paid Fairly: In Defense of Supply Management

I read the most horrifying thing today.  I call it a “thing” because to call it what I want to call it would be crossing lines I would rather not cross.  For the sake of clarity, let us call it a “sentence.”  This sentence was the first in an opinion column written by Mr. Mark Bonokoski of the Edmonton Sun.  It appeared in today’s paper (August 30, 2018).

I am not familiar with Mr. Bonoski’s work, as I do not read his column on a regular basis.  The only reason I read it today is because I couldn’t find my copy of the Alberta Farmer, and I needed something to occupy me during my coffee break.  The large headline, “Dairy Dilemma,” caught my attention.

The following is the first sentence of an article written by someone who is either highly ignorant, or writing with such sarcasm that what he actually wants to say is obscured:

“If Justin Trudeau wants to finally be seen wearing his big boy pants, and not be seen through the lens of Donald Trump as being inherently “weak,” he will kill the supply management scheme that has dairy farmers unconcerned about ever having to downgrade their Cadillacs.”

By the time I got through that much of the article I was boiling mad.  The author went on to complain about artificially high milk prices that are produced by supply management.  I won’t waste my time trying to counter that argument.  Farmer Tim and Creekside Dairy on Facebook both do a far better job of explaining why supply management is key to keeping both supply and price stable, and how it allows farmers to get a fair and reasonable price for their product.

I’m not going to throw a bunch of statistics or anecdotes at you to illustrate the dire straits dairy farmers in other nations face because they don’t have or have dismantled a supply management system.  You can learn about that for yourselves. 

Today, I want to tell you the three reasons why that sentence matters to me.

1.       Mr. Bonokoski just attacked my friends without reason.

I have several friends and acquaintances who are dairy farmers, both in my home county, and from other Canadian provinces, east and west.  These people are decent, hardworking folks.  They do not provoke fights.  They are not mobsters or “toughs” in some “dairy cartel.”  They sacrifice their time, money, health, social lives, and even family time to produce nutritious milk for consumers.  They are not schemers.  They are not ridiculously wealthy.  They are not heroes.  They are ordinary people, who work hard to support their families and communities.  Mr. Bonokoski, how dare you attack them?

With news of rising farmer suicides across the country, and indeed the world, due to the insane amounts of stress we encounter, would our government put an additional burden on my friends in the dairy industry?  Will my friends be the next to crumble under the stress of consistently producing milk at a loss and requiring government subsidies to stay afloat?  Is it so wrong for my friends to want to be paid fairly?  Is it wrong for me to want my friends to do well in their chosen fields?

2.       My home county is directly affected by a supply-managed dairy system.

In my first semester of agricultural school, I was required to take a class that gave us a general overview of Canadian agriculture.  I remember almost nothing from that class, but I do remember that on the day we looked at the Alberta dairy industry I learned that my county, the County of Barrhead, is home to one of the major dairy centers in the province.  I always knew we had dairy farmers around, but I didn’t know we had so many of them!

Why does that matter?  I’ll tell you why.  I live in an area that has an economy based on agriculture.  Like it or not, when the farmers suffer, we all suffer.  Between wet springs that delayed planting, wet autumns that hindered harvest, and hailstorms in between, the past few years have been bad for the crop farmers.  This year, a drought and lack of feed are making things difficult for the beef farmers.  And now our dairy farmers are watching in horror as our neighbours to the south demand the dismantling of the one thing that ensures they get paid fairly. 

Is it selfish of me to want my home county to do well economically?  Probably.  But I’m not writing this post as a moral or informative piece.  I’m telling you why that sentence made me angry and this selfish reality is one reason.

3.       Dairy farmers don’t drive Cadillacs.

I’m sure there are a few dairy farmers out there who have a Cadillac.  Everyone saves to be able to have a little something nice.  Some people like nice cars and there is nothing inherently wrong with owning a Cadillac.  That said, I personally do not know of any dairy farmer who drives a Cadillac (or anything remotely close).  Mr. Bonokoski is perpetuating the lie that dairy farmers are some big fat cats who are only in it for the profit, as if dismantling the supply management system would immediately cut the price of milk in half and put those uppity so-and-so’s in their place.  

That is not the case.  Just like all farmers, dairy farmers work hard for everything they have.  All they ask, all any of us in a production industry ask, is to be paid fairly for the product we produce.  Supply management allows dairy and poultry farmers the ridiculous extravagance of being paid fairly.  Other producers are not always so fortunate.

Mr. Bonokoski, I know we need a reasonable trade deal with the United States, but is it really necessary to take away the luxury of a fair paycheck from any portion of the population, no matter how small?

Do dairy farmers care?  I think they do.
https://picryl.com/media/more-milk-for-victory-a-filmstrip-prepared-by-the-fsa-farm-security-administration-16