Thank you to all of those who have been supportive of my experimentation into new forms of content. To the few of you who seem to be offended by my libertarian leaning views, don't worry, I still plan on making lots of the same kind of content as you know me for. Creating content every day is no easy task. I work very hard every single day, even Sunday's to bring value to the most amount of farmers as I can, because I want to inspire a revolution of change in sustainable farming. As a creative person, I need to try new things to keep things fresh for me and to try and communicate a slightly different message, because I can only make so many videos about washing salad greens and harvesting carrots. But as I said, I have no plans on changing the whole direction of my channel, just please allow me to experiment a little bit to keep things fresh. Thank you for your continuing support. Much love. Curtis.
I understand not everyone shares the same views but surely a genuine interest in small scale agriculture goes hand in hand with an interest in changing the problems with the current system.
Keep it up, Curtis. It is a nice idea to keep things fresh, especially with important issues facing food producers. These types of Ag policies aren't just a problem in Canada, but all over the globe. Thanks for taking the time to offer your view on the subject.
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone there's a lot more to farming and growing food than just growing it. If there's a rigged system then it needs to be spoken about. Governments should be for the people but over countless years it's gone too far the other way. Government and other such governing bodies are disconnected from what I see as 'reality'. Keep posting these videos and making people aware. Often those who are upset at these things are the ones who are worried about them but fear the apple cart being rocked.
The US has had a policy for the last century to reduce the number of farms and farmers. The farm programs are not to preserve family farms but to produce cheap food. By subsidizing production of commodities the government causes surplus production which causes low prices.
1000 thumbs up for the vid. I need to send this to my senator, to give him something serious to do, instead of lobbying to rename roads. Northern NJ, the "garden state", is dying when it comes to farming.
I am in awe of your ability to talk at such length and with such passion, and seemingly in one take. To take such a complicated and far reaching subject and boil it down to this easy to grasp video with precision, examples, and a specific call to action is truly a gift. I have enjoyed your videos (gardening and otherwise) but wanted to take a minute to let you know that your skill as a communicator is at least as equal to your farming skill. All the best.
In our area, that tax break is called a Greenbelt Exemption and I have seen such abuse of it! Property owners will claim it by borrowing other people's cows, like 4 or 5, to put on their VACANT property on Jan 1 of each year. They take a picture of them and send the cows back home a couple weeks later. The Greenbelt policy states that you "must be an actual livestock operation" to claim this tax. Well, rich property owners and real estate investors who own plots all over the county/state haul a few cows here and there and then take the tax credit. Meanwhile, we raise cows, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, and pigs as well as a small CSA and live on the property and we are made to fill out surveys and have in-person visits from the property appraisers office! It's everywhere my friend....
This can be changed by consumer education in part. Cargill, Kraft, and ADM are not going to be at the front of the line... but small and urban agriculture is very much a consumer driven movement. That is its lifeblood. People flock to farmer's markets. More and more restaurants, grocery stores want local, sustainable, and organic produce. If that trend continues small farmers will have more opportunity. But everyone who has ever tasted the difference needs to vote with their purse. In the end, the market will win. Even if we have to sell products illegally! Great post Curtis!
perfect example in the U.S. is the Farm Bill. Regulating industry to the point of mass production and low quality with farmers living life in debt to corporate interests and subsidized by tax payers. Thanks for sharing, I am a beginning small farmer and you provide the best content out there imo.
I'm glad you bring this kind of thing to light. It takes constant vigilance to slow, stop, or reverse government over-reach. Wealth can pay for policy that favors themselves or hinders their smaller competitors.--Brenda
Curtis, thanks for being brave and getting your voice out there. Not many young people think the way you do, so it gives me some hope. I'm older than you so I've seen a lot of things change for the worse in BC. When I was younger the ALR didn't exist, GST didn't exist, property transfer tax didn't exist, capital gains on property didn't exist (even second cabins), foreign "investment" didn't exist, hospitals didn't have long wait times, new roads and bridges didn't cost billions to build and require tolls, and it goes on and on. Things worked quite well then and ordinary people lived well and got wealthy if they worked hard. It's why most young people's parents are better off than they are. Back then most politicians weren't career politicians. We had people get into politics with other skills later in life do their time and then leave. None of them got big pensions like they do today. It's sad to say but I know most young people have never experienced politicians like this or a free market like this, so they don't know how it was and the benefits. All they've ever seen is crony socialism or crony capitalism depending on who wins a particular election. The crony socialists will tell stories about how we need "regulation" to create social benefit, safety regulation, etc. The crony capitalists don't sound much different most of the time. They both know that regulation gives them the power they desire not to do good for the electorate but for them and those around them... regulation creates room for a lot of "appointments". Appointments are needed by rulers... see: ua-cam.com/video/rStL7niR7gs/v-deo.html I hope some younger people wake up and start realising that all politicians have an external image they create that is completely different than their true intentions or reason to be there. Just look at the Mayor of Vancouver... you'd think he's about being green, etc. (his external, well crafted image)... I'll leave it up to the reader to figure out what his real goal is (e.g. hint listen to his last press conference.) Left vs. right doesn't matter. Crony vs. non-crony does. Follow the money and the power. Like all things in life, moderation is the key. A moderate amount of government is a good thing but so is a good amount of real capitalism. Good capitalism/free market is when any individual can take a chance and build a business and thrive based on their hard work and not on requiring permission or facing barriers from incumbents or governments. P.S. I've worked in a Children's Hospital. A place where you'd think people would have a strong altruistic drive. Nope. It's was all politics and money. So my tolerance for the argument that we need government to protect the weakest in society has waned. I think it could be done better if people knew the government was not there to help and they had to give more to charities that they believed in. I think in those circumstances people would step up and be more responsible. With government there, I don't believe people take responsibility to be good people like they should. Big government makes people too removed from society. There is no good in this world... just occasionally a few good people not supported by the systems and people around them. Those few good people give you hope, but the rest leave you crushed.
My experience has been that "bad people" (or just indifferent people) in government can do much more damage to individuals than businesses can. In general if a business screws you, you can vote with your feet (e.g. never shop there again and/or quit your job and get another.) (Assuming no crony capitalism where the government has handed out a monopoly.) Or if they've really harmed you there are criminal laws, class action lawsuits, etc. Courts don't like their power being challenged so, often the courts will side with little old you if you have a valid case that shows a company challenged the power of the state. However, when the government wrongs you, you cannot vote with your feet, etc. Also, courts are full of people that gained their power from a government appointment so they are part of the government and don't like to be challenged. So, most of the time, there is nothing you can do... they have infinite power and resources relative to you. Also, in general the court system is inaccessible to all but the 1% today. Nobody can afford a good lawyer today... which often cost $800/hr. So laws and courts are not about right and wrong they are about money. Also the relative scale/size of government dwarfs even the top 1%. For example, Bill Gates is the richest person in the world with $85 billion (acquired over about 40 years or about $2.2 billion/year.) By comparison Canada alone collects $618 billion in taxes in just one year. The US collected $4500 billion in just one year. (OECD numbers.) So the 1% argument has never worked for me. They're nothing compared to the resources of governments. I disagree with you that there is a trend toward deregulation. In my lifetime, I would say without doubt there are way more regulations today than when I was younger. There are also many more forms of taxation than when I was younger. From experience, I truly believe this is why this generation is poor relative to their parents. Anyway, I started life as a social democrat. My family has largely always been left of centre. Around late 20's I started having doubts based on my life experiences. In my 30's I read more and more about history and looked at the numbers. I looked at the tax revenue that governments collected vs. the numbers of jobs they generate. Then I looked at the private sector for the number of jobs they generate. I eventually accepted that true capitalism (not crony capitalism) as the least evil system because it has the least possibility to be co-oped by bad people because people get to vote with their feet every day. The key that capitalism needs is competition, transparency and the ability for people to vote with their feet when someone or a company does wrong. I reject socialism because it concentrates power with too few and therefore I believe that socialism is an unstable system that once in place with be co-op'ed and turned into crony socialism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism or even crony capitalism. In modern times you can look to to Venezuela, Brazil to see this happening. In history it's happened with Myanmar or even Germany. As I've got older I've wondered why some people like socialism so much and some like capitalism so much. I think it comes down to risk tolerance. Some people value certainty and order above everything else and others value freedom and opportunity above everything and don't care about certainty. My own life experience has been that rich people have given me more in life than my government ever has. With their help I made something of myself. I used to generate a good amount of wealth, generate jobs and paid a huge amount in taxes. (My lifetime taxes paid is huge so nobody can call me a freeloader.) Then my own government effectively told me to stop. So in frustration I did. Now I am poor ($20k/yr if I'm lucky) and generate little taxes. However, I've accepted my circumstance and try to live a good but poor life with friends.The good thing is, with them I'm still happy for the most part. I'm scared at what the future brings. I will soon be forced out of my home that I own because foreign buyers have bought up properties on my street for large sums, that in turn made property taxes shoot up. Soon I will have to choose between paying property taxes or food or losing my house. Selling is not a viable option because I still won't be able to afford a different house (and I'll loose money to transfer taxes, real estate fees, etc.) and with my low income I can't get another mortgage. The government doesn't care... they'd rather have someone richer move in that can pay them more taxes. I'm tossed to the side now. Homelessness is likely in my future at some point. (Ironic considering that I've probably already paid more in taxes in my life than most 90% of Canadians ever will.) However, when it comes to politics I've given up and will leave it for younger people to figure out what future they want to fight for. If you've read this far. Thanks. It will mean my life experience wasn't 100% wasted. :-)
Our mechanism for reducing urban sprawl is called transfer development rights (TDR). The concept worked well initially until the TDR became an expensive speculation instrument. No worries on your recent content. Your concerns are as relevant as washing carrots or fighting aphids. Small business owners have to wear all the hats to be successful...liked!
Hi Curtis, I live in Quebec and we have here many problems like that with the MAPAQ and the UPA. Imagine that we are force to join the UPA who are syndicate union in agriculture that have the monopole in syndicate union in Quebec. Thats a big shame because at the basic we are contractor in agriculture so we dont need to be syndicate. I think that ''THE BIG PROBLEM'' in agriculture in Canada is the Supply Management settlement. Its repress small farm in many point.
The whole system is slanted in favor of the wealthy. That's not to say that the little guy will never get ahead, it just means that his odds are 10,000 to 1 or worse. No worries though- we're about due for a serious reset, just be ready for it.
Are there instruments available to private landowners, smaller organizations, and even corporate landowners, that could band together to create land trusts and agricultural enterprise areas? These could, in turn, provide short and long term leases to startup farms and small farmers. This is admittedly a somewhat medieval solution, but at least it would return the opportunity to farm to many more young farmers. Its really a tragic outcome that all over North America young people struggle so much to find meaningful work and opportunity. Yet the post industrial world actually offers tremendous opportunity, precisely because of the efficiencies that these new techniques can bring to small-scale intensive agriculture!
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone let's get together and do it! I spent 8 years as union ironworker, we had a saying "we govern ourselves". We need to govern ourselves guys. Curtis, you rock man! Let's start talking and sharing information in regards to some kind of north American agricultural alliance, We gotta counter "The Man" and band together. Tyler
Curtis, thanks for putting out this type of content. I have very different political and policy views but appreciate hearing another viewpoint from someone I respect. Keep it up!
Hi Curtis, Shared this video I think you doing great job with highlighting problems like this and being from IT background I fully agree that without innovation and experimentation so basically without taking a risks it is hard to stay ahead and progress.
Greetings from Ukraine, the land of Post Soviet Bureaucracy and no rule of law. We are doing the same things as you but in two different industries. We are market gardening SPIN organically and providing psychological therapy in a way unheard of here but common in the west.. No one here, young or old wants to farm and fewer know how. No one here wants to work with addicts or soldiers with PTSD and fewer know how. We are doing both and teaching both. I had an organic farm in the States years ago and "Everything I wanted to do was illegal". Here, not so much. Good Luck, come visit and Peace.
Preach it brother Curtis. We have similar issues here in the United States. The government needs to get out of controlling agriculture and let free market rule.
Hi, Curtis. I live in Dublin, Ireland, and love your work. I came to your channel last year via your interview with John Kohler, was drawn in by the intelligence, passion and expertise displayed in your videos, have gone on to view everything you have done, and have observed with interest the increasingly politicized nature of your content. I'm all for a robust critique of the prevailing social contract, but at some point could you please explain where you draw the line? Where does government (or "tax thievery") legitimately begin and entrepreneurial freedom end? In other words, where do the "culture of dependence" and the "culture of innovation" interface? Governments cannot create value without "theft"? Go to any emergency room and see that question at its sharpest. Societies, I humbly submit, need structures, and structures are necessarily inefficient, but that, alas, is that. You go from one urban plot to another via roads, and you use other infrastructure, not always necessarily at the market cost. You are plugged into a social grid - even if your dependence on the electricity grid will be diminished as your solar panels feed into your usage. We all live as part of a matrix. Where does individual freedom end and even vestigial social obligation begin? In a Trump-shaped world, what (monetary) capital obligation do we have to each other?
Thanks for your support. It's a big question there friend. I don't have all the answers, all I can tell you is that I'd like to help shift culture back to one of less dependance on the state. Even though I would like to live in a world without the state, I'll grant you the roads and basic infrastructure for the sake of finding common ground. If we could leave the states involvement at those things, it'd be a great step in the right direction.
I was going to write a message similar to Parnel just also adding stuff like airports that you use to fly all over the world, the hospital where your wife will give birth (she might give birth at home but is it not reassuring to know that if something goes wrong you can just go straight to the hospital in emergency?). I know someone who, like you, is an independent worker and use to be a big conservative, he had a daughter who was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder and now his 3 year old son has leukemia. Let me tell you that he's no longer conservative and very glad to be a Canadian, living in a country where we can all help each other through the redistribution of wealth. The libertarian rhetoric is all nice and cool as long has you are (or feel like) super rich, healthy and all is well in your life and the people close to you. I would love to be a libertarian because I hate the government inefficiency but I can't help to think of those that were born with handicap, those who are struggling with addiction, those who were born in the wrong neighborhood, those who are working insane hours at minimum wage and still can't make ends meet. I do have a heart and can't be a libertarian because I feel for these poor people and I'm sure glad we have a social system that help each other. Could this be done better? Hell YES!! Do I love to pay taxes and see corrupt politicians spending it on stupid things? Of course not! But at least at the end of the day, I'm still glad to live in a society where anyone who just got hit by a car will be treated at the closest hospital and won't dye just because his/her insurance doesn't cover this or that. I know that libertarians say that we don't need the government to help each other, again, that is all nice on paper but sorry, that doesn't work in the real world. We are all more or less greedy and busy with our lives, most people will just keep there money for themselves and buy more crap before they go help someone from across the street that they barely know.
The Postal Service has to go to every mailbox every day to see if there is any mail to be sent and deliver any first class mail anywhere in the U.S. for what, 49 cents? They wanted to cut back to five day delivery, congress wouldn't let them. UPS doesn't come to my house everyday to see if I have anything for them.
I agree with your last sentence but I think that's the role of the government that we see differently. I see the huge advantage of having a government that collect taxes and the fact that this money can be used to provide services that no business could make a good profit off. The post is a good example, what kind of business will want to distribute letters to each farmer in a rural area? The government can do it because it doesn't need to make a profit. Of course things could be improved and there is no need to go door to door or even bringing the mail every single day. We could find a balance so it doesn't cost so much but I really don't think that it will make enough money for any company to want to do that, unless they charge an insane fee to the people living in rural areas. Then, there again, we stumble into the "you must be rich to afford to be a libertarian and not care if other people around you can't benefit from the same basic services that you can afford". Is it wrong to want a society where everybody can contribute then benefit from the same basic services at an affordable price, obviously health care comes first to mind. Of course there is a looooooot of things that need to be cleaned up and changed in the government but becoming selfish and only caring for myself because I can afford it is not the solution in my opinion. We should also not forget that wealth comes and also goes sometimes and when it goes then you don't want to be a libertarian anymore...
Bruno Kieffer taxes is just another word for theft, ESPECIALLY double tax we endure here in united States of America, which is a direct slap in the face and a violation of constitution of the united States. so if the government doesn't play by the rules . Neither will I!!! We just need to grow a pair and tell these CROOKS TO KICK ROCKS !!
This makes me so frustrated as a wannabe upcoming farmer I hope, as you do, to see this change for the better in my lifetime. After all it only took one lifetime to turn it into the train wreck it is today.
I hear you, but don't let it get you down. Learn what you can to better adapt to the world around you, then correct your behaviour to follow the most logical corse of action and spread the awareness. A man wiser than me once said, "I'm not in a hurry to worry about things I can't change".
Very informative once again. Unfortunately, the greed of man's heart can never be changed. No matter what new policies come into place, the few will always find a way to extract the fruits from the many in every area of life...
This new content is very good. It might be good to reach out to some folks that have made documentaries like the market gardener and see if they or someone they know could make a documentary along these lines.
I'm a young farmer too...most people take the easy way out 9 out 10 times a day...if the government say's here's some money to get into farming a lot of people are going to take the check...Example: if I walk in front of you and drop $100 bills are you going to pick them up after a while are you going to ask if they're another person's money? I like these new videos talking about these issues keep up the good work...And the ALR is corrupt if it can be bought no matter how good the people that work there are...I agree about the medical field and being burned out in a few years...keep these videos coming...what do you think about the three row jang seeder?
These videos are great! Government has its place, but government has no business in these type of things. Let them regulate property rights, and protect individuals.
Hey man. Its crazy to hear these stories. I'm hoping this year will be my first year bringing in a profit, after 3 years of falling on my face learning how to grow, and how to make farming a way for me to actually pay my bills and support myself. Hoping to buy land of my own as a residence/ home lot at the end of this season. But really, big farm doesnt want us to succeed. They have so much power over laws that are passed and enforced that even the few of us that still are willing to sweat our asses off and give it everything we have, hit roadblocks every step of the way. Im not one to give up easily, but it has been hard to keep going sometimes. Where are the solutions? Brickwall politics leaves very few options. Quick side note to all farmers!!!!!.... Money can go up and down, or disappear.... but all people need to eat. And more.... now the typical person needs people like us, who know how to grow the food they eat, in order to be able... to eat ;)
right on!!! nothing worse then having good people who want to do something positive and then you have some corporate pig sitting in an office without a care
Hey Curtis, where do you stand on the use of old school methods of resistance against corrupt government agents? for example the old "tar and feather" treatments commonly used in colonial times? I feel like people are all about that retro-chic nowadays, I say we revive that old trend...
Interesting video, it definitely spurred my interest since I am looking to buy land in the near future on vancouver island and build a market garden on my property. Here's my question for you, does this mean I should avoid buying ALR land or should I farm/buy ARL land ? Kinda simple I know, it's just I get confused easily with all the government documents. I rather ask you in simple terms. :-) I think it's great that you are doing different things with the content. You have the ability to change things and that change must happen in a lot of areas of human societal structures.
It depends. I'm looking to buy land myself in the near future and I think non-ALR would be better in the long term if you wanted to stack other kinds of enterprises on it. But, you pay more taxes. It's a cost/benefit analysis.
I believe in your point of view. Liberty before all. The government should only be used to prevent the use of force, fraud, and theft, between members of a society. Taxation, particularly of property should not be allowed. Once you buy something, your should own it. You should not be leasing it from the government. In reality all land owner in the US and Canada only lease their land from the government. If you don't think so just try not paying your property tax and see how long you keep your property. Keep up the good work, enjoyed this political rant, it was right on target. But don't do them too often, I watch your video for the information and ideas you generate. It is interesting and gives me a different point of view and ideas on what I can do with my home garden.
Farmers should be able to do anything they want to their land? Does that include spray any pesticide they want? Corporations can’t be relied on to regulate themselves. I think a lot of regulations that are set up for the big players aren’t appropriate for small farmers and businesses but I do believe government regulations have a place.
I know excatly what you video is all about. in Pennsylvania we have a program that started many decade's ago called "clean and green" and for ppl like myself who want to farm I can't afford the high property prices for a clean and green but these developers have tons of money to pay for all the back taxes some going back to the 70s and they are developing farm land that was supposed to be preserved for future farmers of all scales and develop ing that land for Walmart supercenters like I am seeing in my area right now.
Certainly a lot needs to change with the rules on how people can use their own land. What good sense is there in preventing someone from opening a restaurant on a veg farm and yet allowing a winery privileges above the rest? But slashing the whole lot, ALR and Ministry of Agriculture, is not the answer. Sure they're these big obstacles at the edge of our realm, preventing a natural shape and function. But they provide protection from the other realms. Tragedy of the Commons and such. Pesticide residues, water potability, a clear view of the sun, access to foreign markets, pest management programs, food safety. Money will always be the driver. It sure can manipulate regulation towards wherever the money came from. But that's more a fault of the rich guy lobbying. Money has also prevented somone like me from having a career like yours. I've gotten in the the game late, i'm in the Fraser Valley, and I'll probably never own land here. If the free market becomes truly free then the ultra rich will buy everything else (especially the pretty Fraser Valley farm land) and my few thousand dollars is toilet paper. Discussion is the start and thank you for speaking yourself. Your videos have me concerned for how we all use our land, and you're doing proper work.
TheBonerjam I have to disagree with government telling me or a rich Assholes etc. what they can or can't do with their OWN property, I'm not supporting millionaires with more land than anyone needs either . but to say government should be able to tell people what to do with land that's not theirs that undermines our true freedom ya know.
Bravo! I frequently find myself trying to convince people their energies would be better severed trying to find success and happiness by legally working around the system then constantly spending all of their energy railing against it. I don't know how things work in Canada but in the states our founding fathers were wise enough to create a document dictating a restriction of government overreach, we just choose not to follow that document as it was written and intended. I enjoy these offshoot videos, though I won't lie I enjoy the educational videos more but that's largely because that's how I first came across your channel. On a side note is there any way you could touch upon expected germination time frames for the direct seed crops you grow in the early part of the season in a coming video? I"m starting to become concerned with mine.
hanginhillbilly too bad the politicians give a rats ass about the constitution, Bush called it "a stupid piece of paper". sad. not to mention it says clear as day "NO DOUBLE TAX " YET. we get taxed on money we make and takes on money we SPEND!! HMMMM......ID CALL THAT A DOUBLE TAX!!!!! TO HELL WITH THEIR LAWS AND REGULATION!! IM outlaw farming then and any government officials that don't like it, can come to my face and try to shut me down!!
it's your laws. there are better ways. it's up to us to change them, in my area , "seattle " they buy up development rights to ag land, it freezes farm land because the land can no longer be developed. since you can't develop, the tax is lower..
A lot of "broad brush" statements! I respect your gardening videos because they are rational, well-researched and considered. However, this latest piece seems to be rather shallow ... in fact, something I would expect to view on the extremist right and left vlogs. I have to admit though, after reading many of the comments, your viewers seem to be (for the the most part and so far) reasonably thoughtful and respectful individuals.
Like you said it is free market. If you have the money to invest you can make money. Life is not fair, deal with it. Or band together and lobby for what you want. Government wheels need to be greased.
If anyone needs to read captions in order to understand your communication, they will think you are illiterate. You should let me do your captions, whoever did this video for you showed no effort.
Closed captions. It is what enables deaf people to read what you speak in your videos. It is next to the video settings and labeled CC inside the video player..
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone If I understood you correctly, your argument seemed to break down about halfway through the video. If the ALR program hadn't existed, your friends and many other farmers long ago would have been priced out of their agricultural land. Developers would have purchased and developed much more of the land. Perhaps you're right that the ALR program isn't as effective as intended, but your solution seems worse. You seem to start with your libertarian view and then try to cram the story into that view.
Curtis what you say about the regulator/regulated problem and the lack of incentives of the regulated to give feedback it's a problem I can't imagine the solution! I agree with you, but in the real world, given what you say about how the industry works, there's no Nash Equilibrium (how people same in game theory), that is no stable state in which government and producers can both win. In simple words, it seems that you're trying to suggest the best way to get the ball at the top of the pyramid... I'm with you man, but as things are now, there's no solution. The only way would be to change how the actual political system works...
Keep it up Curtis. Real entrepreneurial business is libertarian in nature. Everything else is clutter. And to borrow a little Heinlein TNSTAAFL (There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)
Pykes Place Acres True blue In point of fact Freedom from government is known as Volunteerism, I think this is an even BETTER system than libertarian BY FAR and it's tailor made to small agricultural industry in my opinion. Basic principles is that people are nor forced by ANY FORM of government or authoritarian police mop to steal our money they call that tax I call it theft because that's exactly what it's is. With no ruling party forcing compliance, this society simply does everything voluntarily, no one being forced, . A grocery store is perfect example.
ty b Agreed. Please feel free to substitute "volunteerism" or even "anarchy" for "libertarian" in my comment. I admittedly used the word "libertarian" because use of the other words mentioned, especially "anarchy" evokes, in lots of folks, visions of mad max and lawless hordes. There is no need for government except for individual self-government. That does nor excuse the exercise of any and all decisions and behaviors as equally valid or permissible. Actions/behaviors have consequences. "Double plus goodness" on your statement regarding taxes. They are theft. I have no choice in whether I want to pay them or not. If I resist enough, I will ultimately be killed, no murdered for wanting to keep what is mine. Anyone who wants any form of government is merely committing violence by proxy. That is, having someone else do your dirty work for you because you're to cowardly/lazy and inhuman to go out, sully your seemingly clean hands, and personally face your victims!
Pykes Place Acres YES ! THANKYOU!! It's SO refreshing to hear from someone that has a brain lol. It boggles my mind how words like anarchy are perverted intentional to create an atmosphere of fear and resentment towards them. Anarchy simply means - no ruling class, period, end of story. Yet you mention it and instantly your mind conjures up images of absolute chaos. It's obvious to me it's a result of social manipulation and some form or another of brainwashing to make the masses believe that without government stealing our money , we would all go to hell in a hand basket, it's completely LUDICROUS in my opinion lol. As though we're in capable of forming a successful community centered society that takes care of itself with out a authoritarian power forcing it's supposed"god given right " to rule over us with fear of physical harm or incarceration for disobedience. it's a big joke ... scam of the century and nearly nobody has a clue about it and where,why and how we got to the mess were in today. The fluoride in the water is really working it's magic... :/
Overly simplistic political theory your touting, not all wrong by any means, but government and regulation are not bad they are necessary. They can be bad, but if you do away with regulation well you end up with an anarcho capitalist nightmare that quickly turns into tyranny of the wealthy. Though I will agree that if you look to big brother for a simple life, for easy security you'll find yourselves more enthralled as time goes on and increasing dependent. If you want effective regulation and effective governance you need motivated and informed voters and you need a manageable enough group that people can actually participate a fair amount in the discussions. Besides that you're right that the wealth create systems that benefit them, that why you need to design your local system to be resistant to the influence of money, but power imbalances will likely always exist so you need to design systems such that majority of people not wealth have the greater influence it won't protect you from everything, but it's a step in the right direction.
Nope, a centralized, exclusive two party "democracy" is the cruel and selfish monster and is dangerously close to more oppressive one party rule. The free market is just human nature, consenting people trading with each other. Government/religion taking control of all the land and making all the decisions about what is grown and who grows it has been tried countless times in human history and always fails with mass starvation. The free market is the only solution to feeding the world.
If it pleases the rulers, may I please grow this tomato plant in the front yard of my assigned living quarters? We can't all grow all of our own food, that is not the solution.
Curtis, do you realize that if you get rid of the ALR, it's not going to take more than a decade before the Fraser valley turns into a gigantic construction zone? What is going to happen to all the farmers in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope etc... ? Some are going to cash in and become millionaires in an instant, then their land is going to be covered with enormous houses. But, since you say you want to help the new farmers, where do you put the new farmers in this context? There won't be any land left for them. Once again, is the ALR ideal, no. But it's way better than what you propose. You don't live there so you don't care, as you say YOU have no skin in the game. The whole valley can be destroyed, you won't live with the consequences, I will! and I don't want to see all these farms and their produces disappear. It is way more complicated than what you make it sound like and you know it, what you're doing is very hypocritical.
We'll see. My hope is they get rid of it. I know you don't like it, but I am doing my best with my influence to make that happen. Sorry, we can't all agree on everything. I want what's best for farmers, we just disagree on how to get there. I can live with that.
I can leave with that too and don't get me wrong I signed the petition in favor of the Persephone Brewery over a month ago. The thing is that when the promoters pour the concrete all over the Fraser valley there is no come back, this land will be gone for ever. I feel that getting rid of the ALR is like decapitating yourself when you have a headache, it's way to radical and will cause even more harm than the ALR itself.
I am not convinced. The arguments you use seem to make the opposite case from what you are claiming For example, you claim that farmers can not get fair market value for their land. If farmers cant get what the so-called fair market value for their land, then their asking price is NOT fair market value. What is really happening is that young people who want to farm can not afford to pay fair market value while developers can. That is not a problem caused by the govt. It is the free market that causes that problem. Another example is your inability to get a credit for one of your clients. You used that as an example of how such regulations keep people from farming on a small scale. Yet,in the very example you gave, your client WAS farming on a small scale. Granted it is an unfair travesty that govt policies favor large scale agriculture over smal scale ag, but your example doesnt support your argument of how govt policies shut out small scale farmers. I also reject your Robin Hood analogy. You dont live in Nottingham. You live in Canada and the last time I checked, Canada is a democracy while Nottingham was in a monarchical system. I suggest you base your claims on better thought out principals and facts and leave the anecdotes and analogies for the polemicists.
You were wrong on the first point you made. I didn't say farmers can't get fair market value. I said they can't sell it because they can't sell below fair market value and that fair market value is valued as development land. Ag land should not be valued as industrial or development land, but because of the ALR, it is. So this means farmers can't sell it, because it would mean they'd have to go below fair market value. If you misunderstand that point, you're missing the whole message.
Ok, I did misunderstand what you said. If I am reading you correctly know, there is a govt reg that says farmers can not sell ALR land at below fair market value. But again, though that reg could be improved upon, the basis of the problem stems from the free market, where economic activities other than farming (namely development) are more economically efficient (ie more profitable) In other words, the free market is not the solution; It is the problem. While imperfect, the solution lies with better regulations and not no regulations.
You're not understanding the problem. You must not be from BC. The problem is not the free market, the problem is free market forces having the ability to influence policy. This is why these policies shouldn't exist in the first place.
If the government did not regulate it, the rich would all have thousand acre 'farms' that produce nothing because farm land sells for less than $1,000 an acre. Every bit of farmland we looked at before buying ours was $500 to $1,000 an acre and that is how it should be. But rich assholes who are always surfing through loopholes buy up the good farmland just so they can impress their friends with how much land they own. Rock stars and actors are notorious for doing that, have 500 acres with 10 peacocks on it and claim it is still farm land and pay no taxes. You can't buy or sell lots of less than 35 acres in agricultural land because developers would gobble it all up and we would all stave to death because there would be no farms. So if you can't buy 35 acres on your own, get a group together and start an intentional community. Or if your credit is good then buy it and rent out plots to new farmers or market farmers like Curtis and farm half of it. The anger is directed in the wrong direction, it should be directed to the rich who are destroying the planet with their greed.
Though I dont live in BC, as an american, I am well aware of the problems caused by monied interests having an influence on public policy. However, the existence of public policies is not what causes these problems. In a free market economy, small scale farmers will always get shut out because they are an economically inefficient enterprise compared to other potential uses for that land, particularly development. Removing public policies will not change that.
Thank you to all of those who have been supportive of my experimentation into new forms of content. To the few of you who seem to be offended by my libertarian leaning views, don't worry, I still plan on making lots of the same kind of content as you know me for. Creating content every day is no easy task. I work very hard every single day, even Sunday's to bring value to the most amount of farmers as I can, because I want to inspire a revolution of change in sustainable farming. As a creative person, I need to try new things to keep things fresh for me and to try and communicate a slightly different message, because I can only make so many videos about washing salad greens and harvesting carrots. But as I said, I have no plans on changing the whole direction of my channel, just please allow me to experiment a little bit to keep things fresh. Thank you for your continuing support. Much love. Curtis.
I understand not everyone shares the same views but surely a genuine interest in small scale agriculture goes hand in hand with an interest in changing the problems with the current system.
Tax Payer: eh, my government is not working.
Tech Support: have you tried turning it off and on again.
Keep it up, Curtis. It is a nice idea to keep things fresh, especially with important issues facing food producers. These types of Ag policies aren't just a problem in Canada, but all over the globe. Thanks for taking the time to offer your view on the subject.
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone there's a lot more to farming and growing food than just growing it. If there's a rigged system then it needs to be spoken about. Governments should be for the people but over countless years it's gone too far the other way. Government and other such governing bodies are disconnected from what I see as 'reality'. Keep posting these videos and making people aware. Often those who are upset at these things are the ones who are worried about them but fear the apple cart being rocked.
I'm a bigger fan, knowing you share the same values I have.
The US has had a policy for the last century to reduce the number of farms and farmers. The farm programs are not to preserve family farms but to produce cheap food. By subsidizing production of commodities the government causes surplus production which causes low prices.
1000 thumbs up for the vid. I need to send this to my senator, to give him something serious to do, instead of lobbying to rename roads. Northern NJ, the "garden state", is dying when it comes to farming.
Dave Wygonowski
Good job, sir,
Please do send it .
I am in awe of your ability to talk at such length and with such passion, and seemingly in one take. To take such a complicated and far reaching subject and boil it down to this easy to grasp video with precision, examples, and a specific call to action is truly a gift. I have enjoyed your videos (gardening and otherwise) but wanted to take a minute to let you know that your skill as a communicator is at least as equal to your farming skill. All the best.
Thank you for those kind words. Made my day! ;)
In our area, that tax break is called a Greenbelt Exemption and I have seen such abuse of it! Property owners will claim it by borrowing other people's cows, like 4 or 5, to put on their VACANT property on Jan 1 of each year. They take a picture of them and send the cows back home a couple weeks later. The Greenbelt policy states that you "must be an actual livestock operation" to claim this tax. Well, rich property owners and real estate investors who own plots all over the county/state haul a few cows here and there and then take the tax credit. Meanwhile, we raise cows, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, and pigs as well as a small CSA and live on the property and we are made to fill out surveys and have in-person visits from the property appraisers office! It's everywhere my friend....
thank-you for shedding light on this big problem that British Columbia plus the lower 48 states are dealing with.
This can be changed by consumer education in part. Cargill, Kraft, and ADM are not going to be at the front of the line... but small and urban agriculture is very much a consumer driven movement. That is its lifeblood. People flock to farmer's markets. More and more restaurants, grocery stores want local, sustainable, and organic produce. If that trend continues small farmers will have more opportunity. But everyone who has ever tasted the difference needs to vote with their purse. In the end, the market will win. Even if we have to sell products illegally! Great post Curtis!
perfect example in the U.S. is the Farm Bill. Regulating industry to the point of mass production and low quality with farmers living life in debt to corporate interests and subsidized by tax payers. Thanks for sharing, I am a beginning small farmer and you provide the best content out there imo.
I'm glad you bring this kind of thing to light. It takes constant vigilance to slow, stop, or reverse government over-reach. Wealth can pay for policy that favors themselves or hinders their smaller competitors.--Brenda
I (we) really needed this thank you Curtis
Curtis, thanks for being brave and getting your voice out there. Not many young people think the way you do, so it gives me some hope. I'm older than you so I've seen a lot of things change for the worse in BC. When I was younger the ALR didn't exist, GST didn't exist, property transfer tax didn't exist, capital gains on property didn't exist (even second cabins), foreign "investment" didn't exist, hospitals didn't have long wait times, new roads and bridges didn't cost billions to build and require tolls, and it goes on and on. Things worked quite well then and ordinary people lived well and got wealthy if they worked hard. It's why most young people's parents are better off than they are.
Back then most politicians weren't career politicians. We had people get into politics with other skills later in life do their time and then leave. None of them got big pensions like they do today.
It's sad to say but I know most young people have never experienced politicians like this or a free market like this, so they don't know how it was and the benefits. All they've ever seen is crony socialism or crony capitalism depending on who wins a particular election.
The crony socialists will tell stories about how we need "regulation" to create social benefit, safety regulation, etc. The crony capitalists don't sound much different most of the time. They both know that regulation gives them the power they desire not to do good for the electorate but for them and those around them... regulation creates room for a lot of "appointments". Appointments are needed by rulers... see: ua-cam.com/video/rStL7niR7gs/v-deo.html
I hope some younger people wake up and start realising that all politicians have an external image they create that is completely different than their true intentions or reason to be there. Just look at the Mayor of Vancouver... you'd think he's about being green, etc. (his external, well crafted image)... I'll leave it up to the reader to figure out what his real goal is (e.g. hint listen to his last press conference.) Left vs. right doesn't matter. Crony vs. non-crony does. Follow the money and the power.
Like all things in life, moderation is the key. A moderate amount of government is a good thing but so is a good amount of real capitalism. Good capitalism/free market is when any individual can take a chance and build a business and thrive based on their hard work and not on requiring permission or facing barriers from incumbents or governments.
P.S. I've worked in a Children's Hospital. A place where you'd think people would have a strong altruistic drive. Nope. It's was all politics and money. So my tolerance for the argument that we need government to protect the weakest in society has waned. I think it could be done better if people knew the government was not there to help and they had to give more to charities that they believed in. I think in those circumstances people would step up and be more responsible. With government there, I don't believe people take responsibility to be good people like they should. Big government makes people too removed from society.
There is no good in this world... just occasionally a few good people not supported by the systems and people around them. Those few good people give you hope, but the rest leave you crushed.
My experience has been that "bad people" (or just indifferent people) in government can do much more damage to individuals than businesses can. In general if a business screws you, you can vote with your feet (e.g. never shop there again and/or quit your job and get another.) (Assuming no crony capitalism where the government has handed out a monopoly.) Or if they've really harmed you there are criminal laws, class action lawsuits, etc. Courts don't like their power being challenged so, often the courts will side with little old you if you have a valid case that shows a company challenged the power of the state.
However, when the government wrongs you, you cannot vote with your feet, etc. Also, courts are full of people that gained their power from a government appointment so they are part of the government and don't like to be challenged. So, most of the time, there is nothing you can do... they have infinite power and resources relative to you.
Also, in general the court system is inaccessible to all but the 1% today. Nobody can afford a good lawyer today... which often cost $800/hr. So laws and courts are not about right and wrong they are about money.
Also the relative scale/size of government dwarfs even the top 1%. For example, Bill Gates is the richest person in the world with $85 billion (acquired over about 40 years or about $2.2 billion/year.) By comparison Canada alone collects $618 billion in taxes in just one year. The US collected $4500 billion in just one year. (OECD numbers.)
So the 1% argument has never worked for me. They're nothing compared to the resources of governments.
I disagree with you that there is a trend toward deregulation. In my lifetime, I would say without doubt there are way more regulations today than when I was younger. There are also many more forms of taxation than when I was younger. From experience, I truly believe this is why this generation is poor relative to their parents.
Anyway, I started life as a social democrat. My family has largely always been left of centre. Around late 20's I started having doubts based on my life experiences. In my 30's I read more and more about history and looked at the numbers. I looked at the tax revenue that governments collected vs. the numbers of jobs they generate. Then I looked at the private sector for the number of jobs they generate. I eventually accepted that true capitalism (not crony capitalism) as the least evil system because it has the least possibility to be co-oped by bad people because people get to vote with their feet every day. The key that capitalism needs is competition, transparency and the ability for people to vote with their feet when someone or a company does wrong. I reject socialism because it concentrates power with too few and therefore I believe that socialism is an unstable system that once in place with be co-op'ed and turned into crony socialism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism or even crony capitalism. In modern times you can look to to Venezuela, Brazil to see this happening. In history it's happened with Myanmar or even Germany.
As I've got older I've wondered why some people like socialism so much and some like capitalism so much. I think it comes down to risk tolerance. Some people value certainty and order above everything else and others value freedom and opportunity above everything and don't care about certainty.
My own life experience has been that rich people have given me more in life than my government ever has. With their help I made something of myself. I used to generate a good amount of wealth, generate jobs and paid a huge amount in taxes. (My lifetime taxes paid is huge so nobody can call me a freeloader.) Then my own government effectively told me to stop. So in frustration I did. Now I am poor ($20k/yr if I'm lucky) and generate little taxes. However, I've accepted my circumstance and try to live a good but poor life with friends.The good thing is, with them I'm still happy for the most part.
I'm scared at what the future brings. I will soon be forced out of my home that I own because foreign buyers have bought up properties on my street for large sums, that in turn made property taxes shoot up. Soon I will have to choose between paying property taxes or food or losing my house. Selling is not a viable option because I still won't be able to afford a different house (and I'll loose money to transfer taxes, real estate fees, etc.) and with my low income I can't get another mortgage. The government doesn't care... they'd rather have someone richer move in that can pay them more taxes. I'm tossed to the side now. Homelessness is likely in my future at some point. (Ironic considering that I've probably already paid more in taxes in my life than most 90% of Canadians ever will.)
However, when it comes to politics I've given up and will leave it for younger people to figure out what future they want to fight for.
If you've read this far. Thanks. It will mean my life experience wasn't 100% wasted. :-)
Our mechanism for reducing urban sprawl is called transfer development rights (TDR). The concept worked well initially until the TDR became an expensive speculation instrument. No worries on your recent content. Your concerns are as relevant as washing carrots or fighting aphids. Small business owners have to wear all the hats to be successful...liked!
Hi Curtis,
I live in Quebec and we have here many problems like that with the MAPAQ and the UPA.
Imagine that we are force to join the UPA who are syndicate union in agriculture that have the monopole in syndicate union in Quebec.
Thats a big shame because at the basic we are contractor in agriculture so we dont need to be syndicate.
I think that ''THE BIG PROBLEM'' in agriculture in Canada is the Supply Management settlement.
Its repress small farm in many point.
+Samuel lépine yes for sure. Hopefully Maxime Bernier sorts that out.
The whole system is slanted in favor of the wealthy. That's not to say that the little guy will never get ahead, it just means that his odds are 10,000 to 1 or worse.
No worries though- we're about due for a serious reset, just be ready for it.
Are there instruments available to private landowners, smaller organizations, and even corporate landowners, that could band together to create land trusts and agricultural enterprise areas? These could, in turn, provide short and long term leases to startup farms and small farmers. This is admittedly a somewhat medieval solution, but at least it would return the opportunity to farm to many more young farmers. Its really a tragic outcome that all over North America young people struggle so much to find meaningful work and opportunity. Yet the post industrial world actually offers tremendous opportunity, precisely because of the efficiencies that these new techniques can bring to small-scale intensive agriculture!
Not that I'm aware of, but what you're talking about there would be a far better alternative in my opinion.
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone let's get together and do it! I spent 8 years as union ironworker, we had a saying "we govern ourselves". We need to govern ourselves guys. Curtis, you rock man! Let's start talking and sharing information in regards to some kind of north American agricultural alliance, We gotta counter "The Man" and band together.
Tyler
Have a look at the Ecological Land Cooperative website in the UK. Is this what you're talking about?
trump just blew that out of the water LOL.
similar issue in uk. Thanks for doing the right things. Its a battle we should not have to fight! So glad to see yor video. Thanks!
Curtis, thanks for putting out this type of content. I have very different political and policy views but appreciate hearing another viewpoint from someone I respect. Keep it up!
Hi Curtis, Shared this video I think you doing great job with highlighting problems like this and being from IT background I fully agree that without innovation and experimentation so basically without taking a risks it is hard to stay ahead and progress.
thanks curtis... dont stop!
Greetings from Ukraine, the land of Post Soviet Bureaucracy and no rule of law. We are doing the same things as you but in two different industries. We are market gardening SPIN organically and providing psychological therapy in a way unheard of here but common in the west.. No one here, young or old wants to farm and fewer know how. No one here wants to work with addicts or soldiers with PTSD and fewer know how. We are doing both and teaching both. I had an organic farm in the States years ago and "Everything I wanted to do was illegal". Here, not so much. Good Luck, come visit and Peace.
Preach it brother Curtis. We have similar issues here in the United States. The government needs to get out of controlling agriculture and let free market rule.
Hi, Curtis. I live in Dublin, Ireland, and love your work. I came to your channel last year via your interview with John Kohler, was drawn in by the intelligence, passion and expertise displayed in your videos, have gone on to view everything you have done, and have observed with interest the increasingly politicized nature of your content. I'm all for a robust critique of the prevailing social contract, but at some point could you please explain where you draw the line? Where does government (or "tax thievery") legitimately begin and entrepreneurial freedom end? In other words, where do the "culture of dependence" and the "culture of innovation" interface? Governments cannot create value without "theft"? Go to any emergency room and see that question at its sharpest. Societies, I humbly submit, need structures, and structures are necessarily inefficient, but that, alas, is that. You go from one urban plot to another via roads, and you use other infrastructure, not always necessarily at the market cost. You are plugged into a social grid - even if your dependence on the electricity grid will be diminished as your solar panels feed into your usage. We all live as part of a matrix. Where does individual freedom end and even vestigial social obligation begin? In a Trump-shaped world, what (monetary) capital obligation do we have to each other?
Thanks for your support. It's a big question there friend. I don't have all the answers, all I can tell you is that I'd like to help shift culture back to one of less dependance on the state. Even though I would like to live in a world without the state, I'll grant you the roads and basic infrastructure for the sake of finding common ground. If we could leave the states involvement at those things, it'd be a great step in the right direction.
I was going to write a message similar to Parnel just also adding stuff like airports that you use to fly all over the world, the hospital where your wife will give birth (she might give birth at home but is it not reassuring to know that if something goes wrong you can just go straight to the hospital in emergency?). I know someone who, like you, is an independent worker and use to be a big conservative, he had a daughter who was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder and now his 3 year old son has leukemia. Let me tell you that he's no longer conservative and very glad to be a Canadian, living in a country where we can all help each other through the redistribution of wealth. The libertarian rhetoric is all nice and cool as long has you are (or feel like) super rich, healthy and all is well in your life and the people close to you. I would love to be a libertarian because I hate the government inefficiency but I can't help to think of those that were born with handicap, those who are struggling with addiction, those who were born in the wrong neighborhood, those who are working insane hours at minimum wage and still can't make ends meet. I do have a heart and can't be a libertarian because I feel for these poor people and I'm sure glad we have a social system that help each other. Could this be done better? Hell YES!! Do I love to pay taxes and see corrupt politicians spending it on stupid things? Of course not! But at least at the end of the day, I'm still glad to live in a society where anyone who just got hit by a car will be treated at the closest hospital and won't dye just because his/her insurance doesn't cover this or that. I know that libertarians say that we don't need the government to help each other, again, that is all nice on paper but sorry, that doesn't work in the real world. We are all more or less greedy and busy with our lives, most people will just keep there money for themselves and buy more crap before they go help someone from across the street that they barely know.
The Postal Service has to go to every mailbox every day to see if there is any mail to be sent and deliver any first class mail anywhere in the U.S. for what, 49 cents? They wanted to cut back to five day delivery, congress wouldn't let them. UPS doesn't come to my house everyday to see if I have anything for them.
I agree with your last sentence but I think that's the role of the government that we see differently. I see the huge advantage of having a government that collect taxes and the fact that this money can be used to provide services that no business could make a good profit off. The post is a good example, what kind of business will want to distribute letters to each farmer in a rural area? The government can do it because it doesn't need to make a profit. Of course things could be improved and there is no need to go door to door or even bringing the mail every single day. We could find a balance so it doesn't cost so much but I really don't think that it will make enough money for any company to want to do that, unless they charge an insane fee to the people living in rural areas. Then, there again, we stumble into the "you must be rich to afford to be a libertarian and not care if other people around you can't benefit from the same basic services that you can afford".
Is it wrong to want a society where everybody can contribute then benefit from the same basic services at an affordable price, obviously health care comes first to mind. Of course there is a looooooot of things that need to be cleaned up and changed in the government but becoming selfish and only caring for myself because I can afford it is not the solution in my opinion. We should also not forget that wealth comes and also goes sometimes and when it goes then you don't want to be a libertarian anymore...
Bruno Kieffer taxes is just another word for theft, ESPECIALLY double tax we endure here in united States of America, which is a direct slap in the face and a violation of constitution of the united States. so if the government doesn't play by the rules . Neither will I!!! We just need to grow a pair and tell these CROOKS TO KICK ROCKS !!
This makes me so frustrated as a wannabe upcoming farmer I hope, as you do, to see this change for the better in my lifetime. After all it only took one lifetime to turn it into the train wreck it is today.
I hear you, but don't let it get you down. Learn what you can to better adapt to the world around you, then correct your behaviour to follow the most logical corse of action and spread the awareness. A man wiser than me once said, "I'm not in a hurry to worry about things I can't change".
Very informative once again. Unfortunately, the greed of man's heart can never be changed. No matter what new policies come into place, the few will always find a way to extract the fruits from the many in every area of life...
This new content is very good. It might be good to reach out to some folks that have made documentaries like the market gardener and see if they or someone they know could make a documentary along these lines.
Ascension will never be subsidized!
Thank you for making these videos!!!
I love all your videos
I'm a young farmer too...most people take the easy way out 9 out 10 times a day...if the government say's here's some money to get into farming a lot of people are going to take the check...Example: if I walk in front of you and drop $100 bills are you going to pick them up after a while are you going to ask if they're another person's money? I like these new videos talking about these issues keep up the good work...And the ALR is corrupt if it can be bought no matter how good the people that work there are...I agree about the medical field and being burned out in a few years...keep these videos coming...what do you think about the three row jang seeder?
+Clyde Roberts the three row jang is pretty cool.
These videos are great! Government has its place, but government has no business in these type of things. Let them regulate property rights, and protect individuals.
Right on My Man.
I highly recommend "Sustainable" from Netflix, you would surely enjoy the documentary
That happens almost everywhere....
Hey man. Its crazy to hear these stories. I'm hoping this year will be my first year bringing in a profit, after 3 years of falling on my face learning how to grow, and how to make farming a way for me to actually pay my bills and support myself. Hoping to buy land of my own as a residence/ home lot at the end of this season. But really, big farm doesnt want us to succeed. They have so much power over laws that are passed and enforced that even the few of us that still are willing to sweat our asses off and give it everything we have, hit roadblocks every step of the way. Im not one to give up easily, but it has been hard to keep going sometimes. Where are the solutions? Brickwall politics leaves very few options. Quick side note to all farmers!!!!!.... Money can go up and down, or disappear.... but all people need to eat. And more.... now the typical person needs people like us, who know how to grow the food they eat, in order to be able... to eat ;)
unless you can oust the bureaucrats not much will change, because people with power don't want to give it up.
"Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth."
~Lucy Parsons
right on!!! nothing worse then having good people who want to do something positive and then you have some corporate pig sitting in an office without a care
Hey Curtis, where do you stand on the use of old school methods of resistance against corrupt government agents? for example the old "tar and feather" treatments commonly used in colonial times? I feel like people are all about that retro-chic nowadays, I say we revive that old trend...
Curtis, I think the negative comments are probably government employees, and if you did less videos, don't worry about it, we will be here. great job
Interesting video, it definitely spurred my interest since I am looking to buy land in the near future on vancouver island and build a market garden on my property. Here's my question for you, does this mean I should avoid buying ALR land or should I farm/buy ARL land ? Kinda simple I know, it's just I get confused easily with all the government documents. I rather ask you in simple terms. :-) I think it's great that you are doing different things with the content. You have the ability to change things and that change must happen in a lot of areas of human societal structures.
It depends. I'm looking to buy land myself in the near future and I think non-ALR would be better in the long term if you wanted to stack other kinds of enterprises on it. But, you pay more taxes. It's a cost/benefit analysis.
I understand, yes there would definitely be another enterprise on the same land base. So it would be best to do the non ALR then.
I believe in your point of view. Liberty before all. The government should only be used to prevent the use of force, fraud, and theft, between members of a society. Taxation, particularly of property should not be allowed. Once you buy something, your should own it. You should not be leasing it from the government. In reality all land owner in the US and Canada only lease their land from the government. If you don't think so just try not paying your property tax and see how long you keep your property.
Keep up the good work, enjoyed this political rant, it was right on target. But don't do them too often, I watch your video for the information and ideas you generate. It is interesting and gives me a different point of view and ideas on what I can do with my home garden.
True even in diffrent country (i'm from Poland). Best of luck.
It sounds like you read The Law by Frederic Bastiat
Farmers should be able to do anything they want to their land? Does that include spray any pesticide they want? Corporations can’t be relied on to regulate themselves. I think a lot of regulations that are set up for the big players aren’t appropriate for small farmers and businesses but I do believe government regulations have a place.
I know excatly what you video is all about. in Pennsylvania we have a program that started many decade's ago called "clean and green" and for ppl like myself who want to farm I can't afford the high property prices for a clean and green but these developers have tons of money to pay for all the back taxes some going back to the 70s and they are developing farm land that was supposed to be preserved for future farmers of all scales and develop ing that land for Walmart supercenters like I am seeing in my area right now.
Certainly a lot needs to change with the rules on how people can use their own land. What good sense is there in preventing someone from opening a restaurant on a veg farm and yet allowing a winery privileges above the rest?
But slashing the whole lot, ALR and Ministry of Agriculture, is not the answer. Sure they're these big obstacles at the edge of our realm, preventing a natural shape and function. But they provide protection from the other realms. Tragedy of the Commons and such. Pesticide residues, water potability, a clear view of the sun, access to foreign markets, pest management programs, food safety.
Money will always be the driver. It sure can manipulate regulation towards wherever the money came from. But that's more a fault of the rich guy lobbying. Money has also prevented somone like me from having a career like yours. I've gotten in the the game late, i'm in the Fraser Valley, and I'll probably never own land here. If the free market becomes truly free then the ultra rich will buy everything else (especially the pretty Fraser Valley farm land) and my few thousand dollars is toilet paper.
Discussion is the start and thank you for speaking yourself. Your videos have me concerned for how we all use our land, and you're doing proper work.
TheBonerjam I have to disagree with government telling me or a rich Assholes etc. what they can or can't do with their OWN property, I'm not supporting millionaires with more land than anyone needs either . but to say government should be able to tell people what to do with land that's not theirs that undermines our true freedom ya know.
Spot on!
Bravo! I frequently find myself trying to convince people their energies would be better severed trying to find success and happiness by legally working around the system then constantly spending all of their energy railing against it. I don't know how things work in Canada but in the states our founding fathers were wise enough to create a document dictating a restriction of government overreach, we just choose not to follow that document as it was written and intended. I enjoy these offshoot videos, though I won't lie I enjoy the educational videos more but that's largely because that's how I first came across your channel.
On a side note is there any way you could touch upon expected germination time frames for the direct seed crops you grow in the early part of the season in a coming video? I"m starting to become concerned with mine.
hanginhillbilly too bad the politicians give a rats ass about the constitution, Bush called it "a stupid piece of paper". sad. not to mention it says clear as day "NO DOUBLE TAX " YET. we get taxed on money we make and takes on money we SPEND!! HMMMM......ID CALL THAT A DOUBLE TAX!!!!! TO HELL WITH THEIR LAWS AND REGULATION!! IM outlaw farming then and any government officials that don't like it, can come to my face and try to shut me down!!
"The designers of life..your life". No one is connect to the land or food/animals ..or hunting.
Love it
Don't give up your freedom for free stuff.
it's your laws.
there are better ways.
it's up to us to change them,
in my area , "seattle " they buy up development rights to ag land,
it freezes farm land because the land can no longer be developed.
since you can't develop, the tax is lower..
Tom Robertson I'm in kitsap area myself
Government means mind control. need I say more. Govern meaning control. Ment meaning mind.
A lot of "broad brush" statements! I respect your gardening videos because they are rational, well-researched and considered. However, this latest piece seems to be rather shallow ... in fact, something I would expect to view on the extremist right and left vlogs.
I have to admit though, after reading many of the comments, your viewers seem to be (for the the most part and so far) reasonably thoughtful and respectful individuals.
Sounds like a bass akwards cluster*uck.
Like you said it is free market. If you have the money to invest you can make money. Life is not fair, deal with it. Or band together and lobby for what you want. Government wheels need to be greased.
If anyone needs to read captions in order to understand your communication, they will think you are illiterate. You should let me do your captions, whoever did this video for you showed no effort.
+LUIDA93 I have no idea what you're talking about? Captions?
Closed captions. It is what enables deaf people to read what you speak in your videos. It is next to the video settings and labeled CC inside the video player..
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone If I understood you correctly, your argument seemed to break down about halfway through the video. If the ALR program hadn't existed, your friends and many other farmers long ago would have been priced out of their agricultural land. Developers would have purchased and developed much more of the land. Perhaps you're right that the ALR program isn't as effective as intended, but your solution seems worse. You seem to start with your libertarian view and then try to cram the story into that view.
Curtis what you say about the regulator/regulated problem and the lack of incentives of the regulated to give feedback it's a problem I can't imagine the solution!
I agree with you, but in the real world, given what you say about how the industry works, there's no Nash Equilibrium (how people same in game theory), that is no stable state in which government and producers can both win.
In simple words, it seems that you're trying to suggest the best way to get the ball at the top of the pyramid... I'm with you man, but as things are now, there's no solution. The only way would be to change how the actual political system works...
If you haven't been able to figure out how Trump won, listen to Curtis. People are fed up with government strangulation and nepotism.
Taxation is theft! Glad you adressed this :)
Keep it up Curtis. Real entrepreneurial business is libertarian in nature. Everything else is clutter.
And to borrow a little Heinlein TNSTAAFL (There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)
Pykes Place Acres True blue In point of fact Freedom from government is known as Volunteerism, I think this is an even BETTER system than libertarian BY FAR and it's tailor made to small agricultural industry in my opinion. Basic principles is that people are nor forced by ANY FORM of government or authoritarian police mop to steal our money they call that tax I call it theft because that's exactly what it's is. With no ruling party forcing compliance, this society simply does everything voluntarily, no one being forced, .
A grocery store is perfect example.
ty b
Agreed. Please feel free to substitute "volunteerism" or even "anarchy" for "libertarian" in my comment. I admittedly used the word "libertarian" because use of the other words mentioned, especially "anarchy" evokes, in lots of folks, visions of mad max and lawless hordes. There is no need for government except for individual self-government. That does nor excuse the exercise of any and all decisions and behaviors as equally valid or permissible. Actions/behaviors have consequences.
"Double plus goodness" on your statement regarding taxes. They are theft. I have no choice in whether I want to pay them or not. If I resist enough, I will ultimately be killed, no murdered for wanting to keep what is mine.
Anyone who wants any form of government is merely committing violence by proxy. That is, having someone else do your dirty work for you because you're to cowardly/lazy and inhuman to go out, sully your seemingly clean hands, and personally face your victims!
Pykes Place Acres YES ! THANKYOU!! It's SO refreshing to hear from someone that has a brain lol. It boggles my mind how words like anarchy are perverted intentional to create an atmosphere of fear and resentment towards them. Anarchy simply means - no ruling class, period, end of story. Yet you mention it and instantly your mind conjures up images of absolute chaos. It's obvious to me it's a result of social manipulation and some form or another of brainwashing to make the masses believe that without government stealing our money , we would all go to hell in a hand basket, it's completely LUDICROUS in my opinion lol. As though we're in capable of forming a successful community centered society that takes care of itself with out a authoritarian power forcing it's supposed"god given right " to rule over us with fear of physical harm or incarceration for disobedience. it's a big joke ... scam of the century and nearly nobody has a clue about it and where,why and how we got to the mess were in today. The fluoride in the water is really working it's magic... :/
Pykes Place Acres you follow Larken Rose too ? :)
Overly simplistic political theory your touting, not all wrong by any means, but government and regulation are not bad they are necessary. They can be bad, but if you do away with regulation well you end up with an anarcho capitalist nightmare that quickly turns into tyranny of the wealthy. Though I will agree that if you look to big brother for a simple life, for easy security you'll find yourselves more enthralled as time goes on and increasing dependent. If you want effective regulation and effective governance you need motivated and informed voters and you need a manageable enough group that people can actually participate a fair amount in the discussions.
Besides that you're right that the wealth create systems that benefit them, that why you need to design your local system to be resistant to the influence of money, but power imbalances will likely always exist so you need to design systems such that majority of people not wealth have the greater influence it won't protect you from everything, but it's a step in the right direction.
Free market is a cruel and selfish monster, your blindness is scary
Nope, a centralized, exclusive two party "democracy" is the cruel and selfish monster and is dangerously close to more oppressive one party rule. The free market is just human nature, consenting people trading with each other. Government/religion taking control of all the land and making all the decisions about what is grown and who grows it has been tried countless times in human history and always fails with mass starvation. The free market is the only solution to feeding the world.
The only solution to feeding the world is growing your own food. Yes, a two party "democracy" is bad, you did some serious thinking there
If it pleases the rulers, may I please grow this tomato plant in the front yard of my assigned living quarters? We can't all grow all of our own food, that is not the solution.
gettin red pilled ;)
Red Pill or Blue Pill ? ... Here in the Stoke-on-Trent we double drop !!! Get things done ;-D
2nd and you rock
Curtis Stone Rocks
Curtis, do you realize that if you get rid of the ALR, it's not going to take more than a decade before the Fraser valley turns into a gigantic construction zone? What is going to happen to all the farmers in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope etc... ? Some are going to cash in and become millionaires in an instant, then their land is going to be covered with enormous houses.
But, since you say you want to help the new farmers, where do you put the new farmers in this context? There won't be any land left for them.
Once again, is the ALR ideal, no. But it's way better than what you propose. You don't live there so you don't care, as you say YOU have no skin in the game. The whole valley can be destroyed, you won't live with the consequences, I will! and I don't want to see all these farms and their produces disappear. It is way more complicated than what you make it sound like and you know it, what you're doing is very hypocritical.
That's been the fear for 40 years. I don't buy it.
It has only been a fear for 40 years because the ALR is/was there to prevent it. Take the ALR out and it's going be a reality.
We'll see. My hope is they get rid of it. I know you don't like it, but I am doing my best with my influence to make that happen. Sorry, we can't all agree on everything. I want what's best for farmers, we just disagree on how to get there. I can live with that.
I can leave with that too and don't get me wrong I signed the petition in favor of the Persephone Brewery over a month ago. The thing is that when the promoters pour the concrete all over the Fraser valley there is no come back, this land will be gone for ever. I feel that getting rid of the ALR is like decapitating yourself when you have a headache, it's way to radical and will cause even more harm than the ALR itself.
Sorry for the typos, I don't seem to be able to edit my post.
I am not convinced. The arguments you use seem to make the opposite case from what you are claiming
For example, you claim that farmers can not get fair market value for their land. If farmers cant get what the so-called fair market value for their land, then their asking price is NOT fair market value.
What is really happening is that young people who want to farm can not afford to pay fair market value while developers can. That is not a problem caused by the govt. It is the free market that causes that problem.
Another example is your inability to get a credit for one of your clients. You used that as an example of how such regulations keep people from farming on a small scale. Yet,in the very example you gave, your client WAS farming on a small scale. Granted it is an unfair travesty that govt policies favor large scale agriculture over smal scale ag, but your example doesnt support your argument of how govt policies shut out small scale farmers.
I also reject your Robin Hood analogy. You dont live in Nottingham. You live in Canada and the last time I checked, Canada is a democracy while Nottingham was in a monarchical system.
I suggest you base your claims on better thought out principals and facts and leave the anecdotes and analogies for the polemicists.
You were wrong on the first point you made. I didn't say farmers can't get fair market value. I said they can't sell it because they can't sell below fair market value and that fair market value is valued as development land. Ag land should not be valued as industrial or development land, but because of the ALR, it is. So this means farmers can't sell it, because it would mean they'd have to go below fair market value. If you misunderstand that point, you're missing the whole message.
Ok, I did misunderstand what you said. If I am reading you correctly know, there is a govt reg that says farmers can not sell ALR land at below fair market value. But again, though that reg could be improved upon, the basis of the problem stems from the free market, where economic activities other than farming (namely development) are more economically efficient (ie more profitable)
In other words, the free market is not the solution; It is the problem. While imperfect, the solution lies with better regulations and not no regulations.
You're not understanding the problem. You must not be from BC. The problem is not the free market, the problem is free market forces having the ability to influence policy. This is why these policies shouldn't exist in the first place.
If the government did not regulate it, the rich would all have thousand acre 'farms' that produce nothing because farm land sells for less than $1,000 an acre. Every bit of farmland we looked at before buying ours was $500 to $1,000 an acre and that is how it should be.
But rich assholes who are always surfing through loopholes buy up the good farmland just so they can impress their friends with how much land they own. Rock stars and actors are notorious for doing that, have 500 acres with 10 peacocks on it and claim it is still farm land and pay no taxes. You can't buy or sell lots of less than 35 acres in agricultural land because developers would gobble it all up and we would all stave to death because there would be no farms. So if you can't buy 35 acres on your own, get a group together and start an intentional community. Or if your credit is good then buy it and rent out plots to new farmers or market farmers like Curtis and farm half of it.
The anger is directed in the wrong direction, it should be directed to the rich who are destroying the planet with their greed.
Though I dont live in BC, as an american, I am well aware of the problems caused by monied interests having an influence on public policy. However, the existence of public policies is not what causes these problems.
In a free market economy, small scale farmers will always get shut out because they are an economically inefficient enterprise compared to other potential uses for that land, particularly development. Removing public policies will not change that.