The Rural Voice, 1980-05, Page 3This month
Special features
Continuous cropping
P 2
Mission: Marketing the white beanP. 8
Turnips and potatoes P. 10
Problems in the pork industry P 12
R.D.O.P. and foreign ownership. . . P. 14
The "Corner" store P. 37
Regular features
Guest column P 13
Keith Roulston P. 16
Voice of a farmer P. 19
A matter of principle P. 21
Farming in the past P 23
News in Brief P. 24
Mailbox of the month P. 29
Advice on farming P 30
Rural family P. 34
Young farmer P 39
Up and coming P. 40
Rural Voice classifieds P 41
Perth Pork Producers P 43
Bruce Federation P. 45
Huron Federation P 48
Cover
Old photograph by Goderich photographer
R.R. Sallows
the rural
Voice
Published monthly by McLean Bros. Publishers Ltd., Box 10, Blyth,
Ontario, NOM 1H0. Telephone 523-9646 or 527-0240. Sut:scriptlon
rates: Canada $3; Single copy 50c. Editorial Board: Bev Brown, Shelia
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
Some choices
It'll come as no news to most farmers that the average debt
per census farm in Canada has increased more than 12 times
since 1960.
It's also not news that the huge amount of borrowed money
most young farmers need to stay in business these days is
causing enormous problems because of this country's huge
interest rates.
Farmers faced with huge increases in interest rates have a few
choices, none of them very pleasant. They can join protests at
Queen's Park calling for a break for Ontario farmers like their
counterparts in many other provinces enjoy. They can take part
in the OFA's delegation to Ottawa and try to convince the federal
government that its monetary policies are putting farmers out of
business.
They can protest too on the local level, like a small group of
farmers Rural Voice heard about who toured stockyards in Huron
and Perth attempting to stir up concern about interest rates.
Or they can give up, sell off everything, often at a loss, and
join the growing list of the unemployed. Some lucky farmers,
perhaps those who don't have to deal with low prices and high
interest at the same time, will be able to hold on, for awhile, and
hope conditions improve.
Some choices.
We acknowledge that it's very difficult for our governments to
lower interest rates and that the present inflation is a world-wide
problem. And too, high interest rates are crippling small
business and the building trades as well as agriculture, and its
related industries.
But government action is called for. Otherwise, when and if
the present chaotic economic conditions end, the only survivors
will be the biggies. . . the multi -national corporations who are
able to borrow their money in Europe at rates of less than ten
percent.
A government which chooses to do nothing to bring interest
rates down for the average farmer, business person and home
owner is asking to have Canada's farms and Canada's business
controlled by the few big cojpanies who have the resources to
survive.
Hey kids
This time of year is a favourite with those of us who work at
Rural Voice.
That's because we get a chance to see what our young readers,
Western Ontario's future farmers, are thinking.
Entries have already started coming into our office for our
annual kids' issue, the June Rural Voice. But we welcome more.
Prizes are offered for the best poems, artwork and stories and
the contest is open to readers aged from 5 to 18.
We'd like entries to have a farm safety theme, but any rural
subject is welcome. We'll print as many of the contributions as
we have room for in the June issue.
Please check the full page ad in this month's Rural Voice for
details and challenge the youngsters in your family to use their
talents and send in an entry.
The deadline is Friday, May 9 and prize money will be mailed
out after the June issue appears.