The tree is took down, there’s no more left of the turkey
It’s a new year in farming, and for many, the future’s quite murky
But not for our readers, who know that from time immemorial
That we clearly predict the future in the new year’s editorial
But first we look back at the past year, and do a review
And as a bonus to readers, we do it in rhyme too
Some will be sad that he’s gone, but others will be merry
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After 12 years of being put on the Ritz, we no longer have Gerry
Any news of parting gifts he received, I didn’t quite catch it
But I think a good one would have been an ax or a hatchet
I don’t know if he gave it some thought, or just a glance cursory
But he chopped all the trees from the Indian Head nursery
“Shelterbelts are just at relic of the ’30s,” said Gerry, “And by the way,
“The same goes for community pastures run by the PFRA”
If you want CWRS for bread, or durum for pasta you’re cookin’
Ritz dumped KVD, so which is which now, you can’t tell by lookin’
You could see a grain commission employee and ask for their view
But Gerry got rid of a whole bunch of them too
Those weren’t the only ones that he didn’t think we’d be needing
He chopped a whole pile of the staff for plant breeding
To get rid of the wheat board Ritz was particularly hungry
What’s left of it is now owned by Saudi sheiks and by Bunge
Just before leaving, Ritz and colleagues said it was terrific
That they’d signed TPP — a trade deal Trans-Pacific
That could be the case, and maybe I’ll soon find that it’s true
But it’s 6,000 pages, and so far I’ve just made it to page 3,022
Farm organization leaders must read more quickly, I find
Most issued glowing releases in favour the day TPP was signed
Except supply-management leaders in dairy and chicken
They said that under TPP they’re going to take quite a lickin’
It seems that if it’s into the TPP that Canada wants in
We’ll have to buy all our milk from New Zealand or Wisconsin
Now call it an error in judgment, or a slight mental hiccup
But I thought an El Nino was a Chevy, with a back like a pickup
But after hearing so much talk of it lately, it finely came through
That it’s actually a big slug of warm water off the coast of Peru
That’s a long way away, but apparently the effect of it carries
To weather everywhere else, including here on the Prairies
Now I find that a stretch, but I suppose that as most farmers do
I’ll accept that what the scientists say on El Nino is true
But on climate change it seems some farmers are sure
That those same scientists are spouting a bunch of manure
That’s a contradiction on which the scientists can catch you on
Especially if you’re a farmer seeding soybeans in Saskatchewan
It was just a couple of years ago now, I seem to recall
That the world was going to run out of food, and the sky soon to fall
Everyone told all the farmers that it was definitely proven
That the world needed more grain, and they’d better get movin’
So they did, but once again, there was something to foil it
When farmers grow more, the price always goes into the toilet
As cattle producers will now very well understand
You’re better off to have supply slightly less than demand
Farmers are used to markets being a little bit manic
But just one slow year seems to make chemical companies panic
I guess it’s because of their shareholders’ urging
But all of those big chem firms, they just keep on merging
We’ve now got DowPont, and I hear what’s next on the agenda
Is Synganto, or maybe they’ll call it Mongenta
But enough of the last year, enough of past history
You want to know of the future, for it to be less of a mystery
You’ll be pleased to know that this year my advice is even wiser
I took an Internet course on how to be an ag market adviser
The outlook for wheat prices, could we see them recover?
Definitely, depending on weather, and U.S. winter snow cover
How about feed grain prices, do I see them surging?
Maybe, if there’s problem with winter wheat emerging
Prices for canola and oilseeds, do I see some gains?
Absolutely, depending on what happens to wheat and feed grains
Cattle prices, can we expect them to stay quite so hot?
I can say with some certainty that probably not
Come late February or March, I’m sure you’ll be having
Some warm gentle breezes just in time for spring calving
For April and May, I’m pretty certain what I sees is
Enough moisture for growing, but not too much for diseases
Then inch a week after that is pretty much what I’ve seen
Until it stops when you pull out the swather around August 15
Or at least that’s what I hope for all of our readers
Good luck with your calves, and good luck with your seeders
That’s our best wishes to you from all of us here
For good crops and good prices, and Happy New Year!
