Farmers are earning huge profits on their wheat, soybeans, cotton and other crops; strong demand for (and relatively tight
supplies of) grain,
oilseeds and other key food inputs encouraged them to use large volumes of fertilizer (notably potash, phosphate and nitrogen) to boost their crop yields.
We've seen how
supply management for dairy, poultry and eggs hurts a) consumers through artificially high prices; b) food processors (and the jobs they could be creating in Canada) because of their inability to compete internationally; c) exporters of all kinds looking for more international trade access, but which Canada is denied because of
supply management; d) the majority of Canadian farmers (over 90 per cent)-- those who grow and produce beef, pork, grains,
oilseeds, pulses, and who are not
supply managed — who would also benefit from more international trade access; and finally e) most ironically, dairy farmers themselves, also prevented from exploiting international growth opportunities.