The Rural Voice, 1983-10, Page 15not make sense to Poechman,
especially when the combine is
assembled in Brantford. He has
neighbours who have had to send out
west for parts in peak harvest time
and he would like to see farmers com-
pensated for their down-time, or a
stipulation requiring machinery com-
panies to have parts available on
overnight delivery.
The introduction of an interest rate
reduction down to 8 per cent for first
time farmers by Ontario Minister of
Agriculture and Food, Dennis Tim-
brell has "desperately disappointed"
Poechman. He feels that it puts
farmers that have started up in the
past few years at a terrible disadvan-
tage. Many farmers have gone
through severe hardships and
Poechman feels that Timbrell "is en-
ticing new farmers to come in and
there will be competition between the
two which is very unfair."
Poechman realizes that high in-
terest rates in the past along with low
market prices have been a cause of
hardship and bankruptcy for some
farmers, but he feels that part of the
blame lies with the universities which
have not talked about restraint at all
in the past twenty years. "You have
to be of a certain size to be efficient,"
he says, "but it can be so easily over-
done."
The Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture is pushing for more
money for the Farm Credit Corpora-
tion which has run out of funds for
farmers who applied for lower rates
of interest. Many farmers had their
applications processed, and were pro-
mised they would be honoured, only
to find there are no funds available
until March of 1984.
Farmers are not alone in feeling the
effect of the recession but in certain
cases, they bear the brunt of the
misfortune if a bank closes out a
business that the farmer has an in-
terest in. If a grain elevator were to go
broke, with a farmer's grain stored in
it, under the bankruptcy act, the
farmer's chances of being re-
embursed are slim, especially since
wages and banks are the first to
receive their share. Poechman feels
that the farmer should have equal
priority in collecting his debts.
Farmers, Poechman says, must
stand united on any issues that go
before the government or come out in
public if they are to achieve anything.
That's sound advice coming from a
man with his foot in many
agricultural doors.0
Van Ankum Simmental
Second Annual
Production Sale
November 26, 1983
Carson's Sales Arena, Listowel, Ont.
',aa.
The
PRODUCTIVITY
of
the
SIMMENTAL
cow
is
making
a
BIG
difference
in
our
herd
33 R Bull Calf Born April 15, 1983
Pictured at 21/2 months.
,r►
Crossbred Simmental cow
with Feb. 23 heifer calf. Pictured
at 6 months.
HVB Samsonette 7M
Purebred Simmental,
second calf. She will sell.
For information or catalogues,
contact:
Hilbert Van Ankum
R.R. 2, Wroxeter
NOG 2X0
519-335-3011
THE RURAL VOICE. OCTOBER 1983 PG 13