Squeezing the golden goose only promises goose droppings all around.

They've had their foot on the golden goose's throat for quite some time but in the last few years they've squeezed just that little bit harder. Will they finally, ultimately, unconscionably choke off its life in their shortsightedness? It's not like they're starving; on the contrary, they're doing quite well. Will they really do it?

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Sorry to say, but if you're reading this, 'they' may be you. In fact, it probably is you. You own shares in a railroad or you work for an oil company or you're the CEO of a potash giant or your spouse works in a bank or you rely on a government program of any kind for anything. Or--not to shirk the blame--you get paid to write an article describing the unfolding tragedy.

The principal players in this gruesome allegory, if you hadn't already deduced, are the Saskatchewan farmer in the role of the golden goose and everyone who makes a buck off the agriculture industry as 'they'.

"It's time 'they' started treating the golden goose with a little more respect," says Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture and Food Mark Wartman, citing monster profits reported by industry and--yes--monster surpluses reported by governments. "Some how, some way the primary producers need to get their share."

If the golden goose analogy sounds overly dramatic, a lead economist specializing in Canadian agriculture policy assures it is an accurate picture. University of Saskatchewan professor Ken Rosaasen says there is a rusty link in an otherwise strong agri-food chain.

"We have to figure out how to pay the producer," Rosaasen says. "Farming is not a volunteer profession."

Rosaasen pegs realized net farm income over the last three years at about $800 per year, equivalent to about three weeks work at minimum wage for the not-quite 50,000-strong contingent of farmers. Simply put, when it comes to grains and oilseeds, input costs are too high and commodity prices are too low.

"It's a sector that is definitely in crisis right now," says Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) president Ken McBride. "A lot of our other sectors are reliant on grains and oilseeds. How do you promote ethanol and bio-diesel, how do you promote feed stock without it? We are all tied together. We need a healthy grains and oilseeds sector."

The biggest problem coast-to-coast, McBride insists, is lack of support for producers. They need a return on their investment in the same way rail companies, banks, fuel and fertilizer companies, grain handlers and every other agriculture-related company demand profit.

"We are enabling these people to make money but we haven't talked about how producers can get a fair return on their investment," he says. While not begrudging profit in other sectors, McBride believes every shareholder of an agriculture-related company should be made to understand the ruination of a primary producer is not good for anyone's business.

Rosaasen has faint compassion for predatory companies along the agri-food value chain. Banks and oil companies have proven themselves to be less-than-perfectly competitive. When other industries find themselves in a bind they simply add a surtax to their product.

"Are the railways taking too much? Absolutely, in my opinion, they are taking too much," Rosaasen says. He is no fan of Agriculture Canada, either, and their litany of policies, legislative changes and programs that have too often transferred purse-string power to agriculture-related companies at the expense of farmers.

"Sixty/forty is not the way to fund an agricultural subsidy program," he says, referring to the federal-provincial share of the current CAIS program. The federal government's historical 100 per cent share was too high, Rosaasen says, but their share should still be 90 per cent.

Wartman estimates the federal government has pulled $1.5 billion out of Saskatchewan agriculture over the last few years, substantial dollars that helped Ottawa balance its books. A functional subsidy plan and $575 million would be a good start at making amends.

"People need this deep level of help right now," Wartman says. "I'm hearing the new federal government does want to do more for agriculture and that there may be a transforming change on the horizon."

McBride holds out hope for a fully funded CAIS and a topped-up crop insurance program, developments that would help stop the exodus of Saskatchewan farmers. We have fewer farmers today and the average age of those remaining is climbing well into the 60s.

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"All you have to do is look at the number of farm auctions in Saskatchewan. When you see auction books the size of the Sears catalogue and you know what's happening," McBride says. "It's at the point where you've got to have larger acreages to survive, but even with that some of the big farmers are deciding enough is enough."

Some farmers still ask themselves why they can't 'make a go of it' when generations past managed a living on the farm, he says, The prevailing sentiment, however, is for farmers to take out their investment and put it to better use elsewhere.

"The people who talk about farming as a way of life have fallen by the wayside," McBride says. Compounding the problem, money spent on agricultural education often leaves the province on two feet.

"Getting young people to stay here is hard, but we've got to give them a reason to stay."

Close to 10 per cent of new spending in the recent provincial budget was directly earmarked for agriculture, Wartman offers, evidence the province is doing its part. Reduced education property taxes and rural-related initiatives such as increased spending on highways and more money for health care are measures designed in part to help the industry, he says.

The province's well-supported meat strategy has seen aggressive plays in pork production while new feedlots are being built for beef production. Packers reinvested profits in the industry, Wartman says, and there has been a province-wide increase in food and drink manufacturing along with significant investment in plant research and ethanol production.

"The investments in ethanol combined with worldwide developments in bio-fuels will open up new markets for Saskatchewan wheat," Wartman predicts. "For the broader grains and oilseeds sector we think there are substantial markets out there when you look at the whole mix of opportunities."

"Higher demand should put us into a position where farmers are getting a good price for their product."

Even with higher prices, Rosaasen contends, farmers will still be caught in the middle unless there is a fundamental change in agricultural policy. A model solution could come from south of the border, where the United States government directly supports producer target prices and where farmers have enjoyed three straight years of excellent returns.

"They support their producers through strategic spending," McBride explains. "The producer knows he's going to be compensated fairly so he stays in the program and produces."

Systems in other countries level the field against international agriculture subsidies. McBride believes Canadian farmers will be competitive once conditions are equitable.

"We were called upon to diversify and we did that, showing we are adaptable," he says. "I'm an optimist. I still think there are opportunities in agriculture but we need some recognition on the part of our governments to become the economic driver I know we can be."

Consider the alternative, Rosaasen urges.

"What happens to our economic system if primary production shuts down?" he asks, recommending an immediate $3-billion injection into agriculture. "The need right now is survival, but long term there is lots of potential. First, we need to change the rules to make sure some of the gains accrue to the primary producer."

"Everyone else is making a profit. The inequity is far too severe."

If the situation is resolved poorly the golden goose will soon provide its last meal. If another half-baked solution is cooked up, the bird may simply retire to a quiet pasture while the barnyard falls to ruin. If visionary thinking and decisive action begets a lasting solution there promises to be golden eggs aplenty.

Written by Jeff Arthur