HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1997-03-19, Page 46P$9030 -form Program "97 .
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Where you can trade
with confidence!
en he:speaks; people
by Ralph Pearce . •
'hen Brian. Doidge
speaks, people gener-
ally listen. During the
4th . Annual Southwest
Agricultural Conference in
Ridgetown earlier in the year,
Doidge had plenty to say and
producers in the audience had,
plenty to think about, as the
instructor from Ridgetowu.
College of Agricultural
Technology (RCAT) brought his
views on 'The New Marketing
Era.' For some, the subject
offered new- opportunities;. for
others, it was a signal of bad
things to come.
What's coming, said Doidge,
isa,fundamental shift in reason-
ing and policy, sparked by three
key influences: the 1995 U.S.
Farm Bill, GATT'(now the
World Trade Organization
(WTO) and NAFTA. Anda the
revelation of the 1990s that
soc#alisrn simply does not' work
- is; -the fuel that will send this,
rocketing into the future.
Govern:ment,cuts .may. be
nothing new but the fact ,
remains,. producers must
become increasingly. self-suffi-
cient and put more thought,
time and effort into honing their
management skills. Queen's
Park and Parliament Hill simply
cannot afford to keep in place
the wealth of social safety nets,
that have existed for the past 50
years. Couple that with' the fact
that producers, in Doidge's
regard, do not carry . the same
The New
Marketing Era
more
conservative
but more risky
voter clout and producers will'
he increasingly left alone to
identify market opportunities.
If there's a positive to be
found hi' decreased government
spending, it's .in a ;decrease in;
government regulation. That
could be a double-edged-swordi.
for some, said Doidge. Some
producers will see increased'
BUILD YOUR FARM BUILDINGS TO LAST WITH
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market potentialas the province
begins to lean towards, greater.
competition - and not between
neighbors or with the producer
from two concessions over. -
Ontario is pail of'the Great
Lakes Basin, reminded Doidge,.
and it has to start thinking in
those terms. Nolonger is a pork
producer competing with anoth-
er pork producer in Ontario. A
pork chop in Ontario is eight
hours closer to New York City,
than a pork chop in Iowa - a sig-
nificant geographical advantage
that mustn't be ignored.••Greater.
competition will. also place a
premium on management skills
as a. result of learning to better,
manage risk:
on the horizon is the.
move towards greater industrial-
ization in agriculture. In the
next few years,cost reduction.
will be a concern, especially in
transportation. A .shift in self
perception wilt berequired as
produc rs begin ,to 'think of
themselves 'as fo 1' producers,
'instead 'of farmers.
'Commodities, ; commonly
referred to by Doidge as 'indus-
trial raw .materials,' will no
longer be grown generically.
corn for corn, isObeans for soy` -
beans.: Processors. will begin: to
°ca11.I+.Prr or. Ioe tit*-Prese ed.
crops; With specific attributes'
and genetic traits, tailoredto the
processors needs: On the upside,
of this :arrangement, processors
(and indirectlyy the end ' users)
will gladly pay :a premium for
these comrriodities. But. the
challenge Will come with main-
taining the specific. properties"to
earn the prertuuin: Doidge also
warned that premiums 'ean'easi=
ly turn to discounts if quality
isn't maintained.
Producers will also•see more,
volatility in•:price, a• response: to'
supply and demand The''best,.
most -recent example was seen
with; last' year's . corn , and soy-
bean. crops. There has ,never:
been the same scale of fluctua=
tion before but 'Doidge. insisted
they'll come.again:. The .New Marketing Era' will,
• be a lot more conservative, but
it Will' also- bring a lot More risk;
•
Foodland (,wick Fact
•Cabbage season begins in late
, June for red and green summer:
varieties (for immediate conb: '
surnption ) and`: runs to early
November,. when the +“.Winter”
varieties are' harvested, Stored'
winter, cabbage isavailable all
winter. ' •