The Huron Expositor, 1981-07-29, Page 15"or dr co-opeatoe
insufent• that yOuts truly
-BRUCE SMITH
Sales Representative
Mitchell Co-op Store
Ilk
130 Georgina Street ill Mitchell, Ont. NOK 'Ng
BIM 348-9915
Res: 348-9975
‘01)
. • :the— co, - •
INSURANCE AND fINANCIAL SERVICES
,
DIRECTIONS
Conference for Women 'Living in Rural Areas
Friday, August 28, 1981
and
Saturday, August 29, 1981 EC.
OlvIAF offices and. of course.
there's the old standby. word
of mouth-
Shobbrooks discovered the
program through a blend of
several sources of koftlfetlt-
thin. gneaa from. 9ther
treat farmers',"eikpletho
gutric$.*stbact.040itywho
had Pilifir; agricultural....
tell us about jobs from
school."
This year the coordinator
fOr Huron. Perth, Wellington
Waterloo counties .
$h 'whose, office 14
t 'the Se7,ien
provincial fns; hers
i#010K...* .nc
Ift49.0.
1'4 ttepilstli<k.,
sttifilsr, tyin4Js,
b ye r 9 a lied! science
in iiultuke-ttig
thresiyearkitz*ad* ',„
Iriend$1.4iOVal.)OnjOr tiek,
"C.4ittitaliSAS; seYeTnt years,
41,4>T: ,too: because1 Otte'.
daughter AettS,1_00kAtjt. for a
'summer job *rid she*rid%
THE HURON- EX trOa, 4c1-y go. 1 A15
at area fa
SUMMER STUDENT — Martha Robertson (left) is spending the summer
working as a juhior agriculturalist at the farm of Charles and Shirley
Shobbrook near Blyth.
BY HERB SHOVELLER
"I don't think we could
have gotten any better girl,"
says Lorraine Cook. "She's
concerned and she can follow
the routine. Lots of things
she just watched and theft
"canted...
Like• Mrs., Cook. Shir.lei
0.0.b.reek, •also :WOO
tier slitrigter
'"MarOva .(earior- her
V.Ve !IV ,gpllit 10. try.iio.kv.P,'
her. bere ft eiteriai •the
v!ratltt:i ..•• • , • • • -
Guests: •act-P.Oht, May. be
the wrung 'deseriptiowof. the
two. visitors: 'Mrs. Coek and
Mrs. Shobbrook are referring' -
to eMployees at their farths,
but even employees may be
the wrong description. Good
friendS who happen to work
for you may be the best way
to put it.
At the farm of Eldon and
Lorraine Cook, the friend is •"
Heather Speakman. a 16-
year-old high school student
from Toronto who is working
this summerin'a'rural set-
ting as a junior agricult ualist.
(Photo by Shoveller) The Cook farm is northwest '
of Blyth.
Martha Robertson is the
junior agriculturalist at the
"VVe might be able to make -it one more year...7--..
The beef farmer. young and bronzed, looked wistfully at
his grazing herd and then stared into the distance. His
attractive wife stood at his side, a worried frown creasing
her concerned brows.
These are friends •of mine. They inherited a run-down
farm eight years ago and have been slowly building it up,
repairing buildings and adding modern machinery.
Because of the major expense of bringing their farm up to •
date, he has worked part time all those years.
They were anticipating some relief. They were hoping
he could quit his second job and make it full- time• on the
farm.
. Not now, Not today..
High interest rates and inflation are slowly, inexorably
shattering their dreams. When they wentto their bank this
spring for the annual accounting, they could not get quite
enough money to carry them through the year. In fact,
they figured it mit on paper and both of ihem worked the
year for nothing. No r eturn for labodf.
Their banker, sympathetic as most bankers are, was
simply unable to extend their loan to the point where they
could get through .the entire year. Their farm, although
worth much more now than when they took it over, has for
them, actually depreciated in limn dollars because of the
inflated dollar and the high interest rates. The Money to
make it through last year is not enough for this year but
the banker, also restricted in the amount of cash he can
reasonably loan, can't give them' a penny more.
"One more year and then...?"
This beef farmer is not alone in his predicament. Grain- -
fiirmers, hog farmers, even chicken and egg producers are
in the same quandary.
Lamm, aporactated Dab 7tottat Rims Ad Elm.) Ord N3D 2C 7
tknow of one-pork producer who needed more money to
keep going. His banker could not advance the money. The
farmer three/the keys to the barn, on the banker's desk and
walked out.
"You feed the hogs then" he said as he left the bank,
Too much blame has been thrown at local bankers in this
mess in whichagriculture finds itself. Some heartless tales
are being told. Much criticism is available for some cases
against bankers. But it is not all the fault of the banks.
• Too ratty farmers have over-extended 'themselves.
They have bought too much on time and banks have been
forced -fo foreclose.
It is a product of the times in which we live.
Many' other businesses have taken a beating but it
seems to be hitting agriculture harder than others.
I worry about these people. There are not enough young
people you are eager to get into farming these days. This
country 'needs every one of them, especially 'those who
have tried and love the land. When they are forced out of
business, where are the people coming from who will take
their place? Nobody but a damn fool would get into such a
precarious business. Until farmers can get a better return
on their labour and investment, it is lunacy to work your
heart out only to be forced into bankruptcy in a few years.
I'm sure you have all heard the story of the farmer who
won a million dollars in a lottery.
He was asked what he was going to do with all the
money.
He looked around his fields and, at his big, beautiful
barn.
He watched his cattle grazing peacefully in front of him.
He turned to the questioner and said, with his honest
face beaming: "Guess I'll just keep on farming 'till she's
all gone.'
RI an an story but the truth in it is scary.
Shobbrook farm, east of
Blyth, also a lb-year-old high
school student, is from Cam
bridge.
The aim of the junior
agriculuralist
which falls Veer ther gteaainci
ingof Experience 8,1i and is
funded through the OntariP
VOAth.1.c-rewiat.. isle 4.7
41.10.41t'YOuti0090,0 from an,
urban back ground With, mat
life.
Pid.stUd-
. egos to seven different leg-
loaS, have left the city fel,
farm this"Su ;inner; Of the Si
' each summer employee
earns in' i.day. $6 is paid by-
the host farmer. S6 is contri-
buted by Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Food (OMAF) and
56 is the daily credit for room
-and board.
The take-home pay of $12
a day won't make them
mil lionaires, l deotwere in but, really,
for
ally
the
. 'ifa
student
money he'd be niissieg•the
real point of the exercise.
That's because what most of
them get is a valuable,
practical learning experience
in their nine-week stay on the
fairn. and for that there is a
price which can't be calcUlat-
yd. . '
DESIRE TO LEARN
At least in the cases of
Heather and Martha. know-
ledge was their intent when
they Signed up for the pro.
ject.
"I wanted to see what the
farming life was like, be-
cause I had no idea," Heath-
er explained last week at an
interview at the Cook farrii:
"I might have a career in
agriculture when I get mit of
school." and she is currently
considering environmental,
science.
• "We did a course on that
thiS yeariiihioTeiy, and it
just interested me." she
continued. "I wanted to see,
what I could do."
Learni nd the need to
satisfy h own curiously.
was Martha's reason as well.
"It's. because I always want-
ed to live on a farm. and to
see what it was, like," she
said, "arid I've always loved
animals, . so I- was interested
in farming."
Experience, then, really, is
the key to the summer pro-
gram, and the two junior
agriculturalists are learning.,
both by doing and by watch,
ing practically all there is to
•
tha continued. "Outdoors. I
like to be outdoors."
For the Shobbrooks. who
have two teenage children
of their own, the Experience
81 program is mutually bene-
ficial for both the host and
t. ,very'successful,
're very pleased,. Ault
,
thinlv cOntione skiing it,.
" said Charles ShebbroOk:
Theri'are liariety orvayt
for. farmer's to find tntfitboitt '
the kg'grAm., thgre are ` pro..
Mntiliot the'SettoOls.and
information 011460 the local
FROM THE CITY TO THE COUNTRY — Heather Speakman, left, is the
junior agriculturalist this summer 'on the farm of_ Eldon. and Lorraine
Cook, northwest of Blyth. (Photo by Shoveller)
aluitualuriminiumuniumututunumuuninuinuntiminiumuuntiminuintuutuilinannutitutuumunimintunitiniumnitiniumunt
-71
and
ra•
Conestoga College
Of
Applied Arts and Technology g-
Presents
r.-
--3. a- ..
E--.-
.-1
k.-.
at
t...- ' Huron Park, Ontario
1-. Centralia College of Agricultural. TechnologY
E7 :....,-. s . GUEST SPEAKERS-
= Laura Sabia Dianne Harkin ==
c-...- ..-,..'
COST , 1
$20:00 F.:. E
=- .
:I Register Early: Numbers Limited t..
--a
Because of the Postal StAkeANe are
1 - Accepting Registrations-by leleiihone .1
I Contact;
Conestoga College - I ' 12. Centralia College 228-6691 or Onion Campus 482-3.458.2
BionummiloolsommiwommtwomomummotoomiummommuimmounnowilimumonmsumumnssusSommimuit
High interest shatters dreams
Know on the tarm.
Well, not quite everything.
"We taught(ffeather) every-
thing there is to knew, about
farming except chewing tob-
acco." said Mr. Cook. "She
won't cheW tobacco."
$oitoon shoOters' pastime
aside. though Heather Val
iittiktl4,11r Pl.ttch,gf_tk,
summer ktiiity Cie the kook
farm- Her dOesc.include
chorek,.. gleaning, our thg
angers, paintit}tt the hutch-
,
-es fOr the:Stowts*Iss,00,A
Eldon raise*, and helping,
with thebaling.
Of the baling. Heather
.said.. "I like that a lot,
be cause everybody worked
hard together. It was a group
effort. and it felt good when
it was done."
For her, too, a life style
_different from what she's
accustomed-, is a source of
learning as well. "I like it in
the' rural setting." Heather
explained. ",It's different.
Your neighbours seem so far
away. The community feel-
ing is so different. In the city
you don't' have that much
contact with your neigh-
bours. Here you do."
While both teenagers
chose farm work this year
to a great extent for its
education value. Martha is
also maintaining a family
tradition.
"My one sister was a
junior agrieulturaliit three
years ago." said' Martha. "
and my brother was a junior
agriculturalist two years ago.
They just like the program."
Her older siblings like the
farm work' so much that each
is currently working in agri-
culture. The sister is working
in the Yukon on a pig farm
and her brother is on a dairy
operation..
Given the work she is
performing this summer.
Martha will be well-equipped
to follow in their footsteps.
She does chores, haying,
cuts the lawn and helped pick
strawberries, and raspberr-
ies.
LIKES TO-BE OUTDOORS
Although she says she is
not sure yet exactly what She
wants to do' she is looking for
something related to agricul-
ture and her summer exper-
ience seems to have reinforc-
ed that desire.
"It's a nice farm. nice
country. It's ou :doors.
That's another thing," Mar-
Centralia College
Of
Agricultural Technology
ES
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Lome Henderson; Minister
William Davis. Premfer
The Ontario Government—
working to help' people