TÉMOIGNAGES

IN THE '80S, with interest skyrocketing and commodity prices bottoming out, it was all we could do to stay afloat. We were able to restructure our debt load and manage to survive that period of time.

In 1997, corn leapt briefly to $7, due largely to a drought that crippled supply, before it crashed back down. That's what history teaches us.

The head of one of the big investment firms in New York City was talking about gold going to $1,000 an ounce. And then he talked about Chicago corn going to $6. And that is the first time I ever, in 32 years, have ever, ever heard a stock broker talk about corn in the same breath as gold. So there's some frenzy in the marketplace.

I am optimistic, with a side note of caution. Fertilizer prices (a major farm input) have doubled since October of 2007 at the same time as the price of corn has gone up. To continue providing food to Canadians we need price stability to remain in business. That has to come from a partnership with the federal government and so far they aren't listening.

Larry Cowan, who farms near Melbourne, ON and is a director on the Corn Board.