It may be the most wonderful time of the year, for the kid in all of us, and it has apparently been a pretty good year to be a primary Christmas tree producer.
[audio wav="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Comm-Sat-Dec-19.wav"][/audio]
From the Count Your Blessings file it is probably a pretty good time generally to be a farmer.
It is usually more common to list thier grievences than count thier blessings, but if you are ever going to do it, now is as good a time as any.
I know there are always issues, high land prices are driving up property taxes for example, there will be the joint challenges of land use issues and environmental factors but there are some things that are going well.
Yields in Ontario are said to be variable, but for the most part pretty good. The world is awash in grain and prices are low but the dropping Canadian Dollar has offset that to a degree, even while it has made it impossible to really take advantage of declinging fuel prices.
And if cash crop farmers have reason to be thankful so do the meat producers who seem to have finally won better access to the American market with the changes announced just this week to the Country Of Origin Labeling laws.
At the same time here at home the trend to want to buy that strawberry, apple, or pork chop from your neighbour is still growing strong.
While there are challenges, there always are, and while there may be the threat of darker clouds on the horizon there are opportunities to prepare for them.
Perhaps the best thing that makes it a good time to be a farmer. For the most part your neighbour respects what you do. Not everyone to be sure, and to be sure it would be nice if a few more politicians got it.
But Agriculture is taking it's rightful place as a respected profession. A profession that feeds us all.
That may be the biggest reason of all for farmers to feel happy, to be farmers.
