Report shows Alberta farmers struggling

CANADA – Alberta farmers’ incomes have dropped 50 per cent in the last year, leaving some questioning whether they can afford to stay in business.

…Alberta farmers blame a litany of problems, including high fuel prices and foreign subsidies.

Rod Scarlett, executive director of Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, says the family farm is in jeopardy and there is no relief in sight, especially for grain farmers.

“Smaller operations are under increasing pressure to either expand or get out.”

Murray Marsh, who has a mixed cattle and grain farm near Carstairs, says his income was cut in half over the last year.

The weather is often on his side and the bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis is behind him. But he says Canadian farmers can’t compete with foreign subsidies, low grain prices, and skyrocketing fertilizer and fuel costs.

CBC