Getting milked

First, let’s clarify the kind of folks we’re dealing with.

Marlin Stutzman is a devout Baptist, proud NRA member, serial agrarian entrepreneur, beef farmer and currently serving his fifth term in Washington as a Congressman from Indiana. He’s Republican. MAGA. An on-your-knees Trump supporter. He’s running in the midterms to keep his seat.

And he just posted this:

Add that to the body-shaming of a young female Canadian cadet by the US Secretary of War, the mocking of our military by the American Treasury Secretary plus the Lake America aggression, name-calling and obscene tariffs from the president. These people have lost it. They act, write, speak and post like pre-teens who just downed four Red Bulls.

When they get serious, Carney said this week, we can have discussions.

Well, boss, fuhgeddaboudit. They’d rather mock, lie and insult. It’s now the American way.

This brings us to cows. And Cow Man.

The anti-Canada squad argues Canada is grossly unfair to American dairy producers, this being a marquee reason we should be squished. Without logic, the Americans have therefore targeted cars, steel, lumber and aluminum exports – even when this hurts US businesses and consumers.

Trump can’t get past milk. He thinks our supply management system is a form of commie control and Canada is ripping off the US. Over and again. Guys like Stutzman parrot it all. They vote against us. They support 51st statehood.

Is it true?

I asked our resident dairy expert, Cow Man (Murray Harris) to weigh in on the latest trade dispute, the new tariffs and the milk-&-cheese dispute at the heart of it. Let blog readers know the facts, I asked. It seems to matter now more than ever.

Alas, I received this reply.

“Honoured to be asked, but facts no longer matter,” he said.

“In two social interactions with diamond strewn 70ish females this past week, I stated I was a retired dairy farmers. The first stated she owned a condo in Fort Lauderdale, and no one was going to tell her not to go back for the winter. The second stated her family was going to Clearwater for Christmas and she and husband were staying until March. Again, I stated I was a retired dairy farmer.

Both responded by referring to “rich dairy farmers”. I asked if they knew the average debt per Ontario Dairy farmer was $40,000 per cow according to Lactenate.  They were speechless and changed the subject. I could have told them that most farms have negative P/Es and survive due to depreciation schedules, and loans based on equity not cash flow. As if they would have understood that.

50 years ago I discovered one cannot win fighting a newspaper. Now one cannot win fighting the Internet.

The Dairy Sector is a spec on the wall, of both US and Canadian economies. The issue is a red herring. As stated in one of the post 75% of US milk is purchased by the US Government at the base price and then marketed by that Government sector, to subsidize the food processing sector.

Seventeen dairy herds the size of the one started in 2024 outside of Rome NY can replace all of Ontario’s milk production.

Either we want an independent Canadian Dairy sector or we don’t. Trump is demonstrating why we need one. If Canadians cannot see that, then there is nothing I can write to change that.

Canada imports 35 times more processed US dairy products than we export to US. How can that be a disadvantage to US dairy farmers? People only read information that supports their personal bias, fed by algorithms.

Thank you for providing the venue and publishing my seven blog posts.  Someday if I regain some perseverance and inspiration I will submit a potential post for your perusal.

In a week I resume my school bus route where I will interact with children and try to erase the stain of entitlement of my peer group.”

Yes, Canada protects its food production and supply system. That makes sense. We all eat. And relying on another country to feed us, especially America, looks like a really bad idea now. In any case, US producers are not cut off. They export over $1 billion in product to us annually, up from $400 million seven years ago. Most of it comers in tariff-free, since they don’t even fill the quotas allotted. The US dairy industry is massively subsidized by its own government, which has led to overproduction. They want somewhere to dump it. Like here.

In trade nothing is simple. But food matters. Milk matters. Do we really want to be reliant for our health and existence on folks like Marlin Stutzman?

Cow Man. Come home.

About the picture: “This is General Swartzkoff,” writes Pete from Hornby Island, BC, “a young male Bernese Mountain Dog, who is wondering what that camera pointing at him is all about. Love your blog.”

To be in touch or send a picture of your beast, email to ‘garth@garth.ca’.

Source: https://www.greaterfool.ca/2026/09/03/getting-milked/