The Rural Voice, 1980-03, Page 3This month
Special features
Computers on the farm P. 4
CANFARM's computers P. 7
Match making by computer P 8
Farming in Europe P 12
Trapping, income or cruelty P. 9
Farm wives in winter P. 10
Specializing in goats P 15
Making maple syrup P 31
What shall I wear? P 32
Regular features
Guest Column
Wm. McEachern P 13
Keith Roulston P 14
J. Carl Hemingway P 17
Rural news in brief P 21
Advice on farming P. 27
Mailbox of the month P. 28
The Rural Family P 30
The Young Farmer P 34
Perth Pork Producers P. 38
Bruce Federation P 39
Huron Federation P. 40
Cover Photo
Robert Roney's Saw Mill in McKillop
Twp., Huron County 1906 by Burgess of
Mitchell. Photo courtesy of Edith Roney
Bell, Seaforth.
the rural
Voice
Published monthly by McLean Bros. Publishers Ltd., Box 10, Blyth,
Ontario, NOM 1H0. Telephone 523-9646 or 527-0240. Subscription
rates: Canada $3; Single copy 50c. Editorial Board: Bev Brown, Sheila
Gunby, Alice Gibb, Rhea Hamilton, Adrian Vos and Susan White.
Bruce Correspondent: Gisele Ireland. Advertising representative:
Barbara Consitt, Telephone 527-0240. Staff reporter: Debbie Ranney.
Authorized as second class mail by Canada Post Office. Registration
number 3560.
Inside the Rural Voice
This is farm coverage?
Reading the daily newspapers is part of our job. And we
always keep an eye out for agricultural items that can be followed
up and localized for Rural Voice readaers.
Often pickings are pretty slim. But recently we cut out a catchy
little Canadian Press story that outlined the fact that Canadian
dairy producers are considering the Australian approach to
selling milk...one that involves a lot of skin and frolic (not unlike
Ontario's beer commercials) instead of stressing milk's healthy
benefits.
Light and amusing, we thought, and were about to move on to
something more important to the readers of Rural Voice. Then
we had second thoughts.
Why is it that just about anything to do with farming that
makes the national press is either "cute" or a disaster story?
We'd heard about a county Federation president who'd gotten
a call from one of Canada's biggest daily papers, seeking the
name of a farmer who was really in financial trouble and about to
go bankrupt. Presumably the paper's reporter was to stand
around and record this farm family's defeat.
Then another farmer told us about an approach by a big daily
to a neighbour who had an unusual personal history, a farmer
who'd "made it" against great odds. Undeniably that's news
and a feature on this guy probably would have educated a few
city readers on what farmers are up against.
But the answer the daily paper got was "when your paper has
a farm editor or even a full time farm reporter and makes an
effort to cover agriculture's serious stories, then we'll talk."
Even though we need people to take to this publication, we
understand the man's frustration. Careful, consistent coverage
of agriculture...even a couple of stories a week...in the daily
press is much more helpful to farmers, and in the end.
consumers, than occasional flashy features.
There's not much evidence though that the major dailies are
interested, probably because of the mistaken impression that
agricultural stories have no impact, ever, on their urban readers.
For a couple of months now Rural Voice has been mailed each
month to a variety of city journalists who work on papers, radio
and tv.
We've heard via the grapevine that some find it interesting
and have gotten leads or ideas from our coverage of agriculture.
That's great, because (and we're not blaming reporters for their
employers' policies) farm coverage in the national media has no
place to go but up.
All about computers
This month Rural Voice looks at the use of computers on the
farm and comes up with more questions than answers. The most
interesting thing about the Targe number of interviews Alice
Gibb did on the subject was the lack of agreement on how
computers fit into farming in the future. Some people hate'em,
some praise 'em and you can read both sides.
Also this month Rural Voice welcomes 2,000 extra readers in
the large towns of Bruce County. Their rural neighbours, the
members of the Bruce Federation of Agriculture, are distric+tting
the March Rural Voice in Kincardine, Southampton and
Kincardine in an effort to open up farm -town communications in
the county. We hope at least a few Bruce urban readers will like
Rural Voice well enough to stay with us.
Next month Rural Voice looks at the beef industry in Bruce,
Huron and Perth.