Bob Seguin, executive director of the George Morris Centre, is timid and tentative in his third of four papers posted today to comment on the federal-provincial risk-management programs that are heavily subsidized to help farmers.
He hints at why governments should consider dropping or reducing support for risks that could be handled by farmers who take the time and effort to become better managers of business risks, such as price volatility.
But he declined to simply say there is no reason for taxpayers to underwrite these risks which are normal for all other business sectors of the Canadian economy.
He also notes that as technology and markets change, support programs ought to be adjusted to reflect the improved profits available through the adoption of new technologies or the loss of markets because consumer desires are changing or they're more interested in what competitors are offering.
And then there's the risk that programs can encourage farmers to keep on doing things the same old way, even though factors such as the local climate or a new disease or pest make it foolish to persist.
In fact, it's hard to justify taxpayer support to offset risks other than catastrophic weather, pest or market conditions that are totally outside the ability of farmers to handle.
