Canada not the solution to dairy woes in Wisconsin

If anything, U.S. needs supply management, writes Miranda Verhoef.

I farm with my family near Olds and the milk from my farm goes to one of the Calgary milk processing plants, which ends up on local grocery stores.

My industry has become the target in the NAFTA renegotiations as Americans want more access to our market because they have a serious milk oversupply problem. However, the state of Wisconsin produces more milk than all of Canada, so it wouldn’t take long before they would just fill up Canada too and be back to their original problem. To me, it’s like trying to save a drowning person by making the pool bigger; it just doesn’t make sense.

Much of that milk is then wasted and I sympathize with the hard times my American fellow farmers are experiencing.

I see more and more American dairy farmers asking for a solution like supply management. Our farms have quota and only produce what Canadians need. It leads to a predictable market, less wasted food, and small sustainable family farms.

However, if President Donald Trump gets his way and is able to ship his milk into Canada, the story behind our two litres will tell a very different tale.

The milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream that Calgarians currently enjoy every day must pass Canadian standards, and, quite frankly, American milk doesn’t compare to our Canadian milk quality. They allow added hormones in their milk (which is illegal in Canada) and allow nearly double the count

We need to put our foot down, stop being bullied by Mr. Trump.

of somatic cells (it’s the total number of cells per millilitre in milk), which are two main indicators of milk quality.

Not to mention you’ll never be able to match the freshness that farms like mine can provide only being about an hour away.

But quality doesn’t stop at the milk. Canada has a mandatory program that all farms across Canada must comply with to produce milk called proAction. It sets the standards on animal care and environment, for example. In the U.S., that similar program is voluntary, without penalties, and just doesn’t have the same high standards that we do.

Canadian milk also means less for your wallet. In the U.S., you pay more for your milk. One litre of milk in Canada is $1.51 and in the U.S. it’s $1.63. Don’t be deceived by cross-border sales: although they might be rock bottom near Montana, that’s not consistent across all states.

Another good number to know is $0. That’s how much farms like mine receive in subsidies from the government. Compare that to the $20 billion American dairy farmers receive. Americans pay twice for their milk: once at the till, then again through their taxes. Even vegans pay for milk in the U.S.! In Canada, our taxes should go toward roads so we get home safely, hospitals that care for our ill, and good schools that inspire our future. They shouldn’t go toward bailing dairy farmers out.

Small Canadian family dairy farms would also be bowled over by mega American farms which would lead to a very different landscape. If we could exist at all, they would potentially need to grow to the 5,000-plus cow industrial farms that commonly exist across the border. Currently, the average Canadian dairy farm has 85 cows; in the U.S., the average farm has about triple that.

I’m an entrepreneur for my family business like so many other Albertans. We already allow 10 per cent access from the U.S., tariff-free and about five per cent from other countries. NAFTA presents the opportunity for more. We need to put our foot down, stop being bullied by Mr. Trump and stand up for local food, local jobs, and local businesses.