HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-04-20, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1988.
Free trade victory may prove hollow : Ferguson
The victory for Canada’s supply
managed commodity marketing
boards in getting protection in Free
Trade negotiations may prove a
hollow one if negotiations through
the General Agreement on Tarriffs
andTrade(GATT)goahead, Ralph
Ferguson, Lambton farmer and
former federal agriculture mini
ster told Huron Farmers Thursday
night.
Mr. Ferguson told the Huron
County Federation of Agricul
ture’s monthly meeting in Clinton
that while the U.S. gave in to
Canadian government demands
that our marketing boards not be
touched by free trade, the U.S.
position in pushing the GATT talks
is that all import controls on
Farm
agricultural products should be
eliminated.
Already, he said, Canadian
farmers have lost the two-price
system for wheat which will
probably cost farmers about $2 per
bushel on the 1987 crop.
Under free trade where would
farming be done on a wide open
North American market? He point
ed out that the horticulture indus
try in Michigan has moved to the
southern U.S. Farmers in the
south and California can grow
three crops a year on land they pay
$1,000 an acre for, he said. “Stop
and think of the impact it (free
trade) will have on Canadian
agriculture,” he told people.
Ontario already had a $100 million
deficit in beef, he said. Sixty per
cent of Lambton county beef
feedlots are empty or bankrupt.
Meanwhile big companies in the
U.S. own huge tracts of land and
hugefeedlots. With that agree
ment ‘‘we’ve lost our rights to
determine our own laws,” he said.
He also attacked the free trade
provisions on energy saying while
Canada has given up rights to
control its own energy industry the
U.S. energy reserve board has all
its powers intact. Canada can’t
charge higher prices to the Ameri
cans than we charge ourselves, he
said. Canada can’t limit quantities
of oil and gas to the U. S. in times of
shortage unless we also cut
supplies to ourselves. “How can
we cut back with climate,” he
asked. A recent article in an oil
trade publication said that there is
only 12 years of supply of oil left in
Alberta,' he said. “We’re giving
the U.S. unrestricted access when
we only have 12 years of cheap oil
left,” he said. There are only three
oil rigs drillings in the arctic and
one off the east coast, he said.
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The Huron County 4-H Sodbusters Club held an organizational meeting in Winthrop on April 12, with a
number of old members and several new ones signed up, ranging in age from 12 to 20. The Sodbusters
Club is the county’s traditional training ground for competitive plowmen [and women], and club leader
Brian McGavin says that most of this year’s members will be plowing at the Huron County Plowing Match
next September, while some will qualify for competition at the International Plowing Match near
Stratford. Members include [front, from left] Sean Melady, Ken Bettles and Dennis Hallahan; [centre]
Paul Pentland, Mary Anne Hallahan, Matt Townsend and leader Brian McGavin; [back] leader Ross
Gordon, Chris Maloney, Paul Dodds, Mike Pentland, Brian Fear and leader Peter Hallahan. The first
meeting of the club will be held at McGavin’s in Walton on April 27, and new members can still join, says
McGavin, adding that he’d like to see more girls turn out to learn competitive plowing.
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Brussels Stockyards
Trade steady at strong prices
The market at Brussels Stock-
yards on Friday traded fully steady
at strong prices on the choice
quality cattle, with heavy and
overfinished cattle selling under
pressure. Cows and pigs sold
steady. There were 937 cattle and
494 pigs on offer.
Choice steers sold from $95 to
$98 with sales to $103.50. Good
steers were $92 to $95.
Two steers consigned by Mi-
chiels Farms Ltd. of RR 1,
Sebringville, averaging 1335 lbs.
sold for $103.50 and were purchas
ed by Norwich Packers of Norwich,
while their total offering of 12
steers sold for an overall price of
$96.19 and averaged 1210 lbs. A
steer consigned by Lome Eadie of
RR 1, Holyrood, weighing 1180 lbs.
sold for $103 with his total lot of 17
steers averaging 1254 lbs. and
selling for an average price of
$95.34. A Charolais steer consign
ed by Ralph Dickson of RR 5,
Stratford weighing 1280 lbs. sold
for $100.25 with his total offering of
12 steers averaging 1201 lbs. in
weight and selling for an overall
price of $95.15.
A spotted steer consigned by
Gordon Daer of RR 1, Auburn,
weighing 1330 lbs. sold for $100.
Six steers consigned by Bob Rice of
RR 2, Staffa, averaging 1217 lbs.
sold for an average price of $95.90
with sales to $99.25. A steer
consigned by Glen Haldenby of RR
1, Holyrood, weighing 12101bs.
sold for $98.75.
Thirteen steers consigned by
Maple Emblem Farms of RR 1,
Dungannon, averaging 1274 lbs.
sold for $96.47 with sales to $98.50.
Six steers consigned by Keith
Johnston of RR 2, Bluevale
averaging 1215 lbs. sold for an
overall price of $93.18, with sales to
$98.25. Fifteen steers consigned
by Maple Ridge Farms of RR 5,
Brussels averaging 1333 lbs. sold
for an average price of $94.75 with
sales to $98. Fourteen steers
consigned by Wm. Bennett and
Sons of RR 1, Gorrie, averaging
1231 lbs. sold for an overall price of
$96.04, and they had sales to
$97.75.
Continued on page 16
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