Prices tell farmers what customers want. Prices tell farmers what should be grown. Prices tell stores what to sell and customers what to buy. I am not saying things are perfect here in Canada. There is still far too much government involvement in our industry, there is no doubt about that.
Governments have too much say in marketing boards.
There are too many interprovincial trade barriers and too many bureaucratic hoops for farmers to jump through in order to make a decent living. Here where people are free food is abundant. Throughout the world there is a large discrepancy between what is being produced and what is needed. Unfair trade practices, for example the export enhancement program in the United States and the common agriculture policies in the European Union, prevent free markets from operating as they should. It is because they are still suffering from the effects of a centrally planned economy.