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The Citizen, 1989-08-02, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1989. PAGE 15. Farm F armers blast tax rebate changes Aging silos in Ontario could be dangerous BY RON FLEMING, P. ENG. AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING SERVICES Ontario has an aging population of tower silos. With this aging comes a gradual deterioration of the concrete in the silo walls. Eventually, the concrete can no longer take the pressures it is designed to withstand. The result - silo collapse. This has happened and it’s very costly, not to mention dangerous. So far, the problem has been worse for stave silos, although cast-in-place silos are not immune. The problem is speeded up when “too-wet" silage is stored or when the silo is not emptied each year. The solution - protect the silo’s interior walls. Apply a coating. There are epoxy coatings that can be sprayed on, but the wall must be very smooth in order to get a good seal. This is usually only the case CFFO critical of GATT cap on milk prices In a strongly worded statement, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has criticized the federal government’s decision to cap in­ dustrial milk prices for 20 months as part of its demonstration that it wants the current round of GATT negotiations to succeed. The statement says, “The deci­ sion sets a direction for Canadian agricultural policy and practice that is opposed to a family farm and stewardship approach to food pro­ duction. The government’s seeking of price caps for other supply managed commodities confirms that family farming and steward­ ship are no longer the dominant thrusts of federal farm policy. “We deplore this development and urge the federal government to reconsider the path on which it is pushing Canadian agriculture. “This cap constitutes a policy direction that favours agribusiness over family entrepreneurs. Most Canadian commodities, in which supply management is used, are dominated by family entrepre­ neurs. These commodites are being penalized. Meanwhile, the benefits of better trade arrangements will go primarily to trading corporations in our traditional exports: grains. Primary producers in other agricul­ tural sectors are not the guaranteed recipients. We note that after 25 Riddell repeals Brucellosis Act , A bill to repeal the Brucellosis Act was introduced in the Legisla­ ture by Ontario Minister of Agricul­ ture and Food Jack Riddell recent­ ly- Brucellosis is a bacterial disease of cattle which results in abortion late in pregnancy and subsequent high infertility rates. A federal-provincial program of vaccinations and testing, conduct­ ed in co-operation with the farming community, gradually eradicated the disease. Ontario has been brucellosis-free since 1985. Its eradication marked an end to a disease *hat was once prevalent in cattle h**ras and cost farmers millions of dollars in lost production. As a result, the 'hel­ iosis Act is no longer required. Under an agreement with Agri­ culture Canada, brucellosis is cur­ rently on the list of reportable diseases under the Animal Disease and Protection Act. The federal department continues to provide livestock owners with a national vaccination program. when a new silo, or one that has received a “mortar” type of coat­ ing to restore the wall to its original thickness. The alternative is to apply a special mortar coating that contains an acid-resistant com­ pound. Here, one material does both jobs - building up the wall thickness, and providing acid pro­ tection. Before applying any coating, make sure the wall is clean - repeat, clean! The best way to do this is with a very high pressure water spray (i.e. over 3000 psi). Keep in mind that likely only the bottom 10 to 15 feet of wall will need this restoration. Your local O.M.A.F. office can supply more details. Also check with your favourite silo builder or silo repair company for details on providing the service. Don’t put it off too long. When the silo is empty, give it a checkup. years of aggressive grain trading by Canada the benefits disappear­ ed for farmers in the mid 1980’s. “We want those benefits to return and believe that they will, but trade agreements will not be the force that brings the benefits back. When the world’s poor are again enabled to buy, the benefits will come back. Or when weather conditions are not as favourable as they were in the mid 1980’s, the benefits will come back. “This cap is not environmentally friendly. Dairy enterprises are among our most stewardly. They provide some of our best opportuni­ ties to control soil erosion and maintain organic matter. Our agro­ ecology needs the livestock. They ★ ★ LtdHowson & Howson Flour & Feed Millers, Complete Farm Supplies, Grain Elevators 523-9624 □ ■ vtu nklTARIH 523-4241Elevator BL Y IH, UNI AHIU Main Offjce Elevators 1 !4 miles east of Blyth on County Rd. 25 then 1Z> mile North_ _ _ _ _ _ _ The provincial government’s plans to change the farm tax rebate program were blasted Thursday night by farmers attend­ ing the Huron County Federation of Agriculture meeting in Clinton. Ed Segsworth, executive mem­ ber of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture from Halton county, told the 40 farmers present that the changes represent a fundamental change in principal from a land- based to an income-related pro­ gram. The government’s proposed changes would eliminate farm tax rebates for those property owners earning more than $40,000 from off-farm income. The government’s stated purpose in the plan is to prevent urban dwellers from hav­ ing hobby farms on which they get a property tax rebate. But, Mr. Segsworth said, if the government wants to target certain professionals who own land, it should make a list of those it wants targetted. He said OFA wants the government to take farm tax re­ bates back to 1988 levels, then sit down and talk about the situation. He was joined in his condemna- consume the forage that produces its own nitrogen and loosens com­ pacted soils. Dairy enterprises form the basis of land stewardship, self-sufficiency and food security. By comparison export oriented grain crops result in millions of tons of organic matter being shipp­ ed annually to other parts of the world. Exports tend towards an extractive agriculture: the removal of large amounts of organic materi­ als from the Canadian environ­ ment. “This Federal government has made a profoundly irresponsible trade-off, one that contradicts its stated concern for the environ­ ment, undermines the stability of the agricultures resource base and Ontario Wheat Producers tion by Gordon Hill, president of the OFA when the property tax rebate program was worked out. The OFA had been working since 1949 for the rebate program, he said, because they didn’t think they should be paying education taxes on the assessment for their farm­ land. Using this “people taxes for people services; property tax for property services’’ argument, the OFA, after many attempts to convince the government, made a decision in May 1970 to encourage farmers to withhold the education portion of their property taxes. This led to the provincial Conservative government of the time to offer a 25 per cent rebate. Even though the OFA felt this was too small, it agreed to call off the tax strike. Eventually the government upped the rebate to 50 per cent and at one point OFA had convinced the government to pay such taxes directly to the municipalities. This was, however, turned down by many OFA members who worried if the government paid their taxes, it might claim the land. Still, he said, farmers looked on the property tax rebate program as turns its back on family farm agriculture. “We call on the federal govern­ ment to lift this cap on industrial milk prices immediately.’’ BRUSSELS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY FIELD CROP COMPETITION BARLEY; MIXED GRAIN, 2 OR MORE WAYS; CORN, GRAIN AND ENSILAGE; WHITE BEANS Contact Sec. Barb Mutter 887-6117 if you wish to enter this competition We are now ready to receive your 89 Wheat and Barley Crop Howson & Howson are agents for the Ontario Wheat Producers Marketing Board, and we also Buy, Sell and Store Barley C°'' Fast Unloading Accurate Probe System Trucking Available a firm, secure program, the government changes, he said, meant it was no longer secure. The proposed changes make the pro­ gram much more liable for accusa­ tions it’s an unfair subsidy than before, it was suggested. This could lead American farmers to claim an unfair advantage for Ontario farmer and ask for coun­ tervailing duties against Canadian fatm imports. Mr. Hill told farmers to fight to regain the program the way it was originally intended to be. NDP will elect delegates at picnic Huron-Bruce New Democrats will have an active afternoon at the picnic on Sunday, August 13 as they elect three delegates to the federal leadership convention and greet Windsor M.P.P. Dave Cooke. The picnic will be held at the McQuail farm near Lucknow. Dave Cooke who is New Demo­ cratic house leader was first elected in 1977 for Windsor-Riverside. He is NDP critic for financial institu­ tions. He was a member of the Windsor Board of Education and the Windsor Planning Board. Huron and Bruce will send three delegates to the Federal New Democratic Leadership convention to be held in Winnipeg in Novem­ ber. Three people will be elected by the membership at the picnic.