The Rural Voice, 1981-02, Page 19Be aware of the
Family Law Reform Act.
Farm spouses shouldn't think only
their city counterparts need to be familiar
with the Family Law Reform Act, is the
message of Stratford lawyer Gay
Stewart.
Stewart, speaking at the Ridgetown
College of Agriculture's Farmers' Week
recently, said farm spouses have more
reason to acquaint themselves with the
family law legislation than city couples
since there's more property at stake in a
farming operation.
Stewart pointed out spouses who
separate or divorce can automatically
claim 50 per cent of the family assets.
"When dealing with urban couples there
may be only $20,000 in property but with
farm couples it's usually hundreds of
thousands of dollars involved."
The lawyer stressed however, the
courts assess each situation on its merits
and even though each spouse has the
right to claim 50 per cent of the family
assets, the split is seldom equal.
For well-established farmers who
might marry later in life, Stewart advised
a marriage contract which could exclude
the new wife from her automatic right
under the act to claim half the family
holdings.
She told the audience, "I'd advise it for
a wealthy farmer who has, say five farms,
then goes off to the city to get himself
some young thing for a wife and she
brings no assets into the marriage.
The lawyer added, "Before he says '1
do' at the wedding, I'd suggest he first
say to her, 'sign here' on the contract."
A woman living in a common-law
relationship with a farmer doesn't have
the same automatic right to claim 50 per
cent of the family assets, although she
can undergo court proceedings to make
property claims.
Stewart said a common-law wife does,
however, have the right to claim support
and for child custody.
The lawyer, who comes from a farm
herself, said she likes to think the old
values still offer stability to a marriage
but added, "there's no doubt today that
farm people are making mistakes just as
city people."
Meat import
legislation tabled
Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan
in late November introduced legislation
in the House of Commons to regulate the
imports of fresh, chilled and frozen beef
and veal.
The proposed legislation would provide
authority to set quotas on beef imports
based on the average level of imports in
the 1971-1975 period. The quotas would
be adjusted annually to take into account
changes in the amount of beef consumed
in Canada and in the level of cows and
heifers slaughtered.
Factors such as the supply and price of
other meats, and restrictions affecting
cattle or beef trade with other countries,
would also be considered.
"Ad hoc policies of restricting beef
imports in the past have led to uncertaint-
ies both for the Canadian meat industry
and for our trading partners," Mr.
Whelan said.
Mr. WJtelan said import controls
should serve the interests of both
producers and consumers by helping to
stabilize supplies and prices.
An advisory committee with represent-
atives from the beef industry and
consumer groups would be set up to
advise the Minister of Agriculture on
matters relating to beef import controls.
Peanut crop a winner
Canada's first commercial peanut crop
is a winner. despite some harvest
problems, said grower Jim Picard of
Windham Centre in the Simcoe area.
The grower planted 170 acres of the
crop this year, and if seed is available
next year, he'd like to increase his crop to
500 acres next year. The problem facing
the owner of Picard Peanut Co. is that the
poor American peanut crop. plagued by
disease and poor harvest conditions, has
created a shortage of seed.
"Our seed comes from New Mexico
and the U.S. crop was so devastatea the
only answer our supplier gives us on
delivering seed for the 1981 crop is a
definite maybe," Picard said in
December.
To compensate for the seed shortage,
the grower plans to hold back about
30,000 tons of his own first crop of
120,000 to 130,000 tons of peanuts for use
as seed.
Although the grower had planned to
promote his fledgling peanut industry
more, the seed shortage means he can
only sell his crop to Skippy Peanut Butter
in Montreal, which helped him get on his
feet,and through his own retail outlet at
the Picard shelling plant north of Simcoe.
Due to harvesting and growing
problems, Picard said his yields from the
first crop weren't as high as they might
have been. Some fields yielded as much
as 2,500 pounds per acre but the yield on
another field was only about 700 pounds.
But the grower is still optimistic he'll
make more money than expected on the
crop.
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THE RURAL VOICE/FEBURARY 1981 PG. 17