HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1973-04-25, Page 2BRUM A.S
ONTAR IO
Sugar and Spice
By Bill Smiley
-ow
•••••••••,••*.•••••••••
ITS THE FARMER WHO SHOULD BEEF
It's a long time since I read as much
misdirected garbage AS I have in the past
weeks, concerning meat prices. Directed
garbage is when you hit the target. Most
of this hit the wrong target - the farmer.
For some mysterious reason, a lot of
people look on the farmer as a flinty,
money-grubbing character who takes a
Particular ' sadistic pleasure in gouging
the poor Working-man, not to mention the
downtrodden executive, professional man,
' or school teacher.
It's just the opposite. For years,
generations ,in this country, the farmer
has been gouged by the rest of us i and
here's one consumer who not only be-
lieVes, but knows, that the average farmer
has had a tinier share of our twentieth
century affluence than any other segment
of our community, including these on
welfare, proportionately.
There are a few exceptions. There
are a few wealthy farmers. Just as
there are a few wealthy school teachers.'
In the case of the farmer ; it is the man
whose forefathers were lucky enough to
clear a farm near a big city-to-be. His
land has becofne valuable for building
and he can sit on it and watch the valUe
appreciate. But he's not a real farmer
any more.
The real farmer is the fellow who
Works hotIrs-perweek that would have
an .,induStrial worker screaming for the
Union, owns one suit, hasn't had a holi-
day in years, owes money at the bank,
arid has a net income Of about $4,000 a
year.
Re's got to be a gambler, a fatalist,
and a man in whom hope springS eternal.
Ile ganibles on the Weather and the Market,
must accept digester with a shrug, and
must begin each new season With opti-
mism,
More and more, in regions of marginal
farming and small, mixed farthing, WO
See that the farmer intigt have a job in town
if he is to 'enjoy more than a. frugal
More and more We see that it is
only the 'big farther or the specialist who
can meet the bills and make a decent
living.
Mere and Mere we see .that farming
has become industry in which the
vestment in land, machinery, supplies and
labour is inordinate in comparison to the
returns.
it an average farther charged himself
wages for his own work, he'd thOW a net
Boss. He'd be better to put hit money,
Into a hoWog stand.
Let's take an atierage beef farilier.
He has no sock of gold under tne oed. He
must borrow money to buy stock, mach-
inery, feed, fertilizer. He must pay
interest on this money to our established
banks, which are no less greedy than
they were in the depression: They
merely have a better "image" because
they have a big public relations pro-
gramme.
While his beef is becoming beef, this
farmer has nothing coming in, except
interest charges on his loan. When his
beef is ready, does he set the price? He
does not. He sells it at auction. Who
drives up the price? The beef-hungry
consumer, that's who.
Marie Antoinette, of ill-fated fame,
said of the peasantS who protested that
they had no bread, "Let them eat cake."
I'd reverse that a bit and say of people
who say they can't afford beef, "Let
them eat barley." It's very nutritious.
Perhaps I'm prejudiced, I grew up
during the depression. If we had beef
once a week, it was probably hamburg.
As a kid, I was Sometimes- sent to the
store for some "dog bones." These were
beef bones with some meat on theM, and
they were free. The butcher knew darn
well what they were for a good pot of
soup but he winked at it.
. Many a time our tidinner' was pea
soup arid homemade bread, with some pre-
serves - wild berries picked by our-
selves - fOr dessert. NdbOdy suffered
Malnutrition in that faintly,
Sometimes our "meat" was the
ground-up 'skins of baked potatoes, mixed
in with onions and fried potatoes. They '
gave it the appearance and roughage of
Meat, if not the flavour. Jelly good stuff.
In prison camp., Meat was merely
something you thought about, like going to
heaven.. But a bowl of sweetened barleyr -
NOW, that Wag heaVen.
afraid it rather irks me to listen
to. a working -man who will buy a case
of beer and a bade Of liquor on Friday
night for WA whining in the tither-
Market on saturday afternothi about the
OtOrbitarit price of Meat:
And even more disgusting is the s ek,
eetitivetype. He's Stitt finished regaling:
yeti with the details of his $1,606 holiday
in the south; snorkelling, , ptirielidttic.4
tail parties, the wetke, *hen hit wife
starts howling like a hyena because their
food bill is up thte6 bucks a week,
There are Seine holes in the chain of
food prices. But do&t: blame' the fanner.
!lets the last to benefit When prices go up,
the hitt to Stiffer when they go deft
ShOW me a rich farmer and thew
you a riche weekly editot, or a rich. "school
teacher.
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F.STABILISHEO
107?
Brussels pos
Wednesday, April 25, 1973
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community
published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels; Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited,
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Tom. Haley - Advertising.
Member Canadian Community Ne*wspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association.
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $4.00 a year, Qth.ers
$5.00 a year, Single Copies 10 cents each.
Second class mail Registration No. 0562.
Telephone 887-6641.
Things Looking Up
on the Farm
Although farmers as usual are
worrying about how long the good
times may last, the lean years, it
seems, are over for now, The Finan-
cial Post says. Because of strong
demand and high prices, Canada's
farmers can grow "damm near anything
they want this-year." This comment
from a top governmental agriculture
economist explains exactly why signs
of optimism are sprouting on the
farm.
Statistics' Canada shows that by
November prices paid to farmers
averaged nearly 15 per cent higher
than a year before. Grains, live-
stock and cash crops all show signs
of doing at least as well as last
year. The hard figures on crop
growing intentions won't be known
for a couple of months, but the basic
reasons for all-out farming efforts
are already plain:
The long-standing Canadian wheat
surplus finally evaporated With last
year's heavy buying by the Soviet
Union after its disastrous crop fail-
ures. Poor snow cover this year for
fall-sown wheat in the U.S.S.R.means
even more pressure ahead on the
international market from the Rus-
sians.
The official "grow all yob can"
line from Ottawa comes with a re-
minder to increase acreage of oil-
seeds and feed grain such as oats
and barley. Production of, high pro-
tein feeds such as corn and soybeans
may likely increase because of con-
tinuing high feed grain costs.
A's a result, the outlook for
livestock is less clear than for
other sectors. Prices are strong for
beef but pork may dip in the second
half as supplies increase. The
dairy industry is looking for in-
creased production, but is still un-
certain about Whether it will really
happen. A very poor summer' last
year cut back milk supplies, and
high feeding costs will curb expan-
sion plans.
On the poultry front, egg,peo-
ducers may be in for steadier - and
higher - prices now that supplies
are controlled by a national System
of quotas. Fruits and vegetables,
pighly Sensitive to seasonal con-
UitiOht, can be counted on for
moderate grosithe
(the St{ Maryt Journal Argus)
Rideri enjoy spring