The Rural Voice, 1985-01, Page 16ONTARIO FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE
''ROOT S'TRENGTH'
cc
OFA Convention: sharing the pleasures
and problems of the agricultural industry.
elp us to broaden
our outlook - to un
derstand another's point
of view," asked executive committee
member, Keith Buchner, opening the
forty-eighth annual meeting of the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture at
the Skyline hotel on November 26.
Delegates and directors from all
across Ontario, from Rainy River in
the north-west to Essex in the south
and Glengarry in the east, spent the
next three days discussing, arguing,
praising, laughing, disagreeing, and
generally sharing the pleasures and
problems of the agricultural industry
in Ontario. These discussions took
place in open convention, in small
by Merle Gunby
formal discussion groups, over lunch,
in hallways, in bedrooms, and some-
times late at night at an establishment
known as Diamond Lil's.
Delegates from past conventions
had been accustomed to a wide-open
discussion of many resolutions. This
year, in an effort to minimize
frivolous discussion and to make
possible a more in-depth look at
selected topics, these topics were
presented in the convention docu-
ments with background information.
Often a speaker addressed the con-
vention and small round -table discus-
sions followed.
Policies singled out for this treat-
ment were labour, finance, social
14 THE RURAL VOICE
development, environment, and agri-
cultural education. While all the
topics generated lively discussion in
the small groups, it soon became ap-
parent that once again the financial
problems of the agricultural industry
were uppermost in everyone's mind.
It was at this point that delegates,
feeling the constrictions of the new
format, started to lash out because
there was less opportunity for open
convention discussion.
OFA President Harry Pelissero set
aside an hour just before the conven-
tion ended for an open discussion
about farm financial issues.
The delegates were quick to res-
pond and the discussion was pas-
sionate. Pricing of products, interest
rates, and what to do about them
were thoroughly aired. Some
delegates wanted policies that would
allow them to price their products at a
level that would cover all costs, and
interest rates be damned. The other
extreme, expressed by Bill Denham of
Perth County held that pricing was
not a problem but high interest rates
and low equity were: "Farmers with
high equity in their business are not in
difficulty," he said.
Bill Benson of Wellington County
said that "if there had been a flood of
water as large as the flood of red ink
in my area there would have been a
state of emergency declared! Why
aren't governments doing more?"
"Proper pricing is the answer,"
said Bill Hodges of Grey County.
"There is no way we will ever get out
of trouble until we price our product