Well, that was well said. The agribusiness in Canada and the US is way out of whack, just because of the myth of some poor overworked soul sacrificing himself so the rest of us can eat.

Strange that most farmers' kids have better cars than I can afford to drive!

I liked your comments on the farm-to-table movement. Something to think about.

I would just add these three points:

1) There is a connection between subsidies and other distortions of the free market, like tax-free housing, that lead to the price of land. The subsidies become a source of income, so that justifies the increase in the land price. If a subsidy is reduced, the farmer's cash-flow can be such as no longer meet operating expenses, especially if the land is under a mortgage.

2) Farmers used to have multiple agri-streams of income to be flexible with markets. But today they have become specialists. A grain farmer would be unable to milk a cow or raise some hogs or plant carrots if market conditions changed. If there is a garden on a farm, it more likely a hobby than a source of food for the farming family. The supermarket is just too convinient.

3) Farmers are very dependent on diesel fuel. It's impossible that they could somehow survive an economic collapse. And many farmers these days can't fix their own equipment.