HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1989-03-08, Page 68Page 24A -m farm Edition cS9
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Guest comment
The 0"Aver
an 'lam
by Ted Zettel,
Second Vice -President,
Bruce County Federation
of Agriculture
In the space of the last three months I've
heard two almost identical predictions as
to the future of agriculture from two very
different sources. These comments came
about in the course of casual conversation
and it was not until later that it clicked in
,my consciousness; "This is a profound
revelation, one that will likely come true."
My first source was Hubert Earl, a
farmer -philosopher from the Ottawa area
who taught for many years at the Kemp-
tville College of Agriculture and
Technology and is now back to dairy farm-
ing full time with his three young school
age sons. Ile told me that the traditional,
middle-sized farm where one family earns
their living is an endangered species.
"Farms are getting either bigger or
smaller," he said. "Not too long from now
you'll have only the big corporate holdings
where the owners just manage, and the
small, after -work farms where the owner
makes a living from something else."
Just a few weeks ago this vision was
echoed by one of the most highly respected
thinkers in Ontario's agricultural
establishment. Elbert van Dongersgoed,
the policy and research director for the
Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario,
a man who prides himself on "dealing with
reality" told me the same thing. "The ones
in the middle are being squeezed. For a
-variety-of-reasons-they are moi ggone
extreme or the other in terms of size.
No more farms where one family works
the land. and earns their living? Can this be
true? I made .a quick study of the farms -on
my line. Of the fourteen original
homesteads, six have changed hands since
I started farming in 1977 and another three
probably will in the next year or so. Of the
six that were transferred, only two of the
new owners make their living on that land.
One of these is myself. "The other four
farms were either added to the holdings of
expanding neighbors or bought by in-
dividuals Who make their living working
out and probably always will.
The scenario proposed by my
distinguished friends Hubert and Elbert
stands confirmed, in my mind at least.
Farmers are much more than just pro-
ducers of food. They are, among other
things, the ones who by some apparent
defect in the design of the universe have
been entrusted with the care and
maintenance of mankind's most 'vital life
sustaining resource, the soil. While our
record in honouring this trust leaves a lot
to be desired, it seems to me that one of the
best safeguards preventing blatant misuse
of the soil has been the family farm.
Historically, the men and women who
managed the land, owned it and made
their living from it. They hoped their sons
and daughters would be able to do
likewise.
This fragile, miraculous stuff that
covers only a small and rapidly decreasing
portion of the globe, is all that stands bet-
ween the human race and extinction. Now
guardians are handing it over either to the
corporate sector, where it will undoubted-
ly be viewed as a raw material to be ex-
ploited for the fastest profit, or to people
whose interest in it is secondary to another
profession.
These changes affect us all. It is a great
mystery to my why we, the masses, accept
change fatalistically, as if there were no
way to stop it or direct it's course. The
wordst n R-- lex-Sim in his hook, _
", Land and Community", come to mind : "I
see the rural community, not as a quiet
haven taescape.a turbulent world, butes a
battered raft drifting downstream on a
river of change. It hits a rock and part of it
breaks off carrying away some of its oc-
cupants, while those that remain grapple
with other bits of debris in a frantic effort
to reconstruct the raft. As others try to
scramble aboard this rural raft, those
already en.boarriere undecided whether to
welcome them or cast them adrift."
Fund raising dinner to benefit
conservation education
The Maitland Conservation Foundation
will hold a fund raising dinner on Satur-
day, April 15 at the Brussels, Morris and
Grey. Community Centre in Brussels, to
benefit the development of improved con-
servation education facilities at the
Wawanosh Nature Centre.
Proceeds from the event will be put
towards .improvements to classroom
facilities at the Wawanosh Nature Centre,
a conservation education facility located
in East Wawanosh Township.
"These .facilities are being .expanded to
meet the .need for conservation education
in our area",noted Vince Judge Chairman
•of the Conservation Foundation, "unfor-
tunately grants from the Provincial
Government do not cover all of the
development costs."
The Centre has been operating for four
years and now attracts a total -of 5#000
students annually from Huron, Perth,
Bruce and Wellington Counties.The centre
provides the opportunity for students to
learn .about the natural environment .and
the need tomanage natural resources such
. as soil, water, forests and wildlife.
'Wawanosh is located ona 400 acre,proper-
ty along the Maitland River on , concession
six -seven of East Wawanosh Township.
Two instructors work at the centre and
provide programs to grades kindergarten
through ten. The nature centreproperty is
also open to the public for hiking, fig
and -cross-country skiing.
Approximately $13,000, is needed to
finish the improvements currently being
completed at the centre by the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority. The Con-
- servation Foundation hopes to raise
several thousand dollars through the fund
raising dinner.
Tickets to the dinner and information on
how local businesses can support this
event are available by calling 335-3557.
Future of
Ethanal -Plus
uncertain
• from page 22A
higher than the typical refined regular
unleaded gasoline.
"Most of Ontario's farmers are members
of the Co-op," Perschbacher said. "Wide-
spread use of .ethanol -gasoline blends would
open up a sizeable new market for their
corn. And distillers' grains, a by-product of
the ethanol production, can be used as
livestock feed supplements."
i.JCO is the largest farm supply and
mark nng� co-operative in Ontario, with
revenues1aat fiscal year ,of 4018 alien-