The Rural Voice, 1979-04, Page 33now control 48 per cent of the food retail
business in Canada.
The solution to the problem, Mr. Hill
said, is for producers to band together and
form a common voice.
He said single producers are reluctant to
testify before the Royal Commission hear-
ings investigating the matter because
they're afraid they will lose their contracts
with the major chains in retaliation.
"There's no doubt that in unity there's
strength," Mr. Hill said.
The speaker also called on farmers to
band together to fight the price-fixing he
accused the large supermarkets of taking
part in.
Mr. Hill said the cut-rate prices charged
consumers in supermarkets aren't based
on real fluctuations in wholesale prices. As
an example, he cited the price of chicken
last fall. When producers lowered their
prices to retailers, the retailers' prices
remained the same per pound regardless.
Mr. Hill said the supermarkets in cases
like this band together to create a
"common" pricing system rather than a
"competitive" pricing system.
OBPMB predicts more soybean acreage
This year, soybean crops away up are
expected to be from 1978, according to
Gordon Anderson, chairman of the Ontario
Bean Growers Co-operative.
Mr. Anderson was interviewed following
a soybean information meeting held in
Seaforth
Mr. Anderson said the story the co-
operative is hearing from producers is that
they are cutting back on their white bean
crop due to poorer prices and problems
with weather during the harvesting season.
Soybeans are now the largest American
cash crop and the U.S. supplies much
of the world demand for the crop. Mr.
Anderson said Canada is way down in
soybean production and our country still
imports U.S. soybeans to meet Canadian
domestic market demand
Included in the information meeting was
a film advocating the solid seeding
technique for soybeans, rather than
leaving space between the rows.
The film, which focused on an Illinois
soybean grower, said the solid seeding
technique could produce a yield increase of
up to 10 per cent. Advantages of the
technique include eliminating the need for
cultivation and better weed control.
The Illinois farmer experimented with
:he solid seeding technique on a 90 acre
field and increased his yield from 40
bushels per acre to 54 bushels per acre
with the new technique.
The grower treated his field with a
grass -prevention herbicide first and then
used an old grain drill to provide solid
planting. In order to ensure the seed in the
tractor tire tracks was covered, the grower
added a tillage device between the drill and
his tractor.
Once the soybeans have started to
mature, in about 30 to 35 days, the plants
will form a solid canopy on the field which
should prevent weed growth.
Carl Van Hove, a salesman with King
Grains in Paincourt, told the soybean
growers that in Dover Township, most
growers leave room between their soybean
rows so they can get in and scuffle if their
chemical weed control practices fail.
Local women at Rural Learning seminar
Brenda McIntosh from R.R.#4, Seaforth
was recently sponsored by the OFA to
participate in the Rural Learning
Association Provincial Seminar held at
Geneva Park Conference Centre at Orillia.
Louise Marritt, R.R.#1, Wingham was
sponsored by R.D.O.P.; Sheila Gunby,
R.R.1, Dungannon acted as a group leader
for the Rural Learning Association.
Approximately fifty people from across
Ontario gathered to discuss "Personal
Power - Organizational Strength". They
discussed methods of solving problems
relating to rural people and their or-
ganizations as well as interpersonal blocks
that created problems.
Dr. Wallace Clement, McMaster Univ.,
author of "The Canadian Corporate Elite"
discussed the critical conflict areas con-
fronting the farming community.
He stated that the farmer has "an
illusion of independence" but they are
dependent on supply, distribution and
capital.
Despite this fact, Dr. Clement was
basically optimistic saying that one of the
positive strategies farmers could imple-
HOW IT WORKS:
20" disc. blades, mounted on individual pivots, are
rotated by hydraulic motors to cut bean plants off
below ground surface. Each pivot -mounted section
rests on two depth wheels. Two or three windrows
are produced, depending on the number of blades.
The Smyth Bean Cutter can be mounted on the front
or on the rear of a tractor. This compact machine is
not bothered by mud or trash.
Canada's first rotary bean cutter is a product of the
George Smyth Welding and Machine Shop.
THE FIRST NEW IDEA IN BEAN
PULLING IN 70 YEARS.
SMYTN
Welding and
Machine Shop
RR 2, Auburn, Ontario (519) 529-7212
THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1979 PG. 31