Alberta ranchers and farmers talk rising food costs and carbon tax

It is no secret that life isn’t getting any cheaper, and one of the places that we see costs continue to rise is the grocery store. While some of those price increases may arise from grocery stores or processors increasing their margins and inflation, a great deal of the costs come from rising input costs for farmers and ranchers, costs that are often out of their control.

Folks working in Alberta agriculture, raising cattle or farming eggs are resilient, they’ve grown used to coping with tough pest seasons or droughts and they understand that working in the prairies can be feast or famine, but beyond these natural obstacles there are ever increasing financial burdens being implemented by the federal government, such as the carbon tax, which for many are proving to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Whether it be cattle ranchers or pig farmers, the people we spoke with at the Calgary Stampede time and time again shared that they simply could not afford to keep feeding their animals the way things were going, and many shared that they have been forced to sell off livestock as a result.

For people who haven’t visited a farm or ranch, which you absolutely should do by the way, it bears keeping in mind that the people who rise early and go to bed late in order to ensure you have food on your table aren’t exactly getting rich off their work, they do it because they love it and because they know without them… people go hungry.

Feeding even a handful of kids in the economy can be a daunting task, now imagine instead of a few mouths you are trying to feed three-hundred cattle and hay prices have nearly double over a few years time.

Instead of coping with the rising fuel costs on a fifteen-minute minivan commute, you're paying those prices while hauling cattle in a semi for hundreds of miles. Even the vet has to bill just that little bit extra because it costs him that much more to get his rig out to your pasture. You quickly get an idea of exactly what food producers are dealing with in Canada.

Rebel News was humbled to be joined by many of the salt of the earth folks who make your breakfast, lunch and dinner possible and to share their side of the story and the shed a little light on the reason your grocery bills just keep on getting higher.

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