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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1978-08-09, Page 8DID YOU HEAR `"���+'�► ,,, that the MAZDA GLC is one of the best equipped and lowest priced economy cars on the market today. THE MAZDA GLC -TRY ONE, OR TWO, OR FIVE— All models in stock and available at... First Volvo and Mazda tool Page a'--Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, August 9, 1978 Bean Board won't sell beans in advance this year Investment Opportunity Lucknow Co-op Members Airr♦ r ,r . -. .i P .r r w Special Member Loans For new building projects 410P 414' 4P IP •dilP 41111. 40, 411P 41. diP 4111P 41. 411P dr 5 year member .loan 91/2 %o annually 10 year member loan 10% annually 15 year- member loan 101/2% annually 20 year member loan 11% annually Information available from your directors or Co-op office Lucknow District Co-op Phone 528.3024 MW MOTORS Volvo -Mazda SALES & SERVICE LTD. 184 East St. 524-7212 Goderich A BY ALICE GIBE This year, the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board won't be .selling any. white beans until they have them in hand. Bob Allen, a Huron County director of the board, told members of the Huron County Federation of Agri- culture at their monthly meeting in Crediton that the board won't be able to make any advance sales of the 1978 bean crop. In the past, the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board have made advance committments to supply dealers with 25 per cent, of the year's expected harvest of No. 1 Ontario white beans. Last year, heavy rains in September created problems for growers trying to harvest their beans, and much of the crop was lost. When the poor weather wiped out much of Ont- ario's bean crop, the board was able to supply the dealers with only about one-quarter of the 800,000 bags of No. 1 white beans they had promised to deliver. The dealers in turn had to fill European orders from canning factories with poorer quality beans, beans purch- ased from American growers or had to buy back the orders from factories with cash, The two largest dealers which the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board sell to: the Ontario Bean Growers Co-operative in Lon- don and W. G. Thompson's and Sons, blame the farmers for not meeting their commit- tments and so they are holding back the final pay- ment for the beans, Mr. Allen said. Since the dealer's haven't made the final payment to the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board, they can't make the payment to grow- ers. The board is now suing the dealers for the final $5 to $7 million dollar payment and the two dealers are countersuing the board for a payment for the beans they had purchased, but weren't able to deliver. Mr. Allen told federation members he expects the litigation will be tied up in court for some time, which means it will likely be at least another year before growers receive their final payment for the 1977 crop. Wlien Mr. Allen, a com- cercial bean seed grower from Brucefield, said he would try and explain "why the bean board is in the mess it is. In tracing the background of the agency, Mr. Allen said when his father started growing beans, in the early 1900's, the barter system was the rule of the thumb. If his father wanted a bag of .sugar, he took a bag of beans into town, and made a trade. ONLY A YEAR Gradually marketing board sprang up to handle beans for growers, including a 1935 board which was empowered to buy and sell all the beans for the growers. This .board year. Mr. Allen said the boards for the next 20 year period were "negotiating boards". For every bag of beans growers delivered to the mill, the board would take 77 cents of the purchase price. Then, every few years when there was a five to .10 per cent surplus of white beans, the board would buy this up and dispose of it, so the surplus didn't bring down prices. But improved insect sprays and the use of combines allowed bean growers to double their acreage and the board soon faced annual surpluses. In the late 1960's, the board decided to build a mill in Exeter, and suggested taking 10 cents from every bag of beans brought in by growers. The growers voted lasted only the down the suggestion, and the government took this as a vote of no -confidence in the board. Mr. Allen said some dealers wanted to be rid of the board anyway, so "trumped up false charges" against the agency which was put out of office by the government. The board member said the only other marketing board which supported the Bean Producers was the hog producers agency. In 1969, the Ontario Feder- ation of Agriculture sent down a troubleshooter from Toronto to investigate the situation and he decided the charges were false and alerted farmers. The direct- ors were re-elected and the ' Ontario Bean Producers Board was back in business. Mr. Allen said the board still faced . the same old problem - "what to do with the surplus beang.'! WORLD PRICE He said the board has to sell beans when the market wants to buy them. Since 80 per cent of the Ontario white bean crop is exported, the agency has to accept the world price that's being offered. Mr. Allen said for the three years before the agen- cy marketed beans, the CTINTINITP l CIN AAay n LAST NIGHT THURS., AUG. 10 ONE SHOWING 8 P.M. STARTS FRI., AUG. 11 Please note showtimes John Travotta FRIDAY -THURSDAY TWO SHOWING 7 & 9 P.M. Olivia Newton -John 4 GODERICH 30 THE SQUARE . Program PHONE 524.7811 subject AtRCQNDti'IONED to change