The Rural Voice, 2001-01, Page 3Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Gisele Ireland, Lisa Boonstoppel-
Pot, Bonnie Gropp, Ralph Pearce
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Sandra
Orr, Janice Becker, Andrew Grindlay,
Mark Nonkes, Larry Drew
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Behind the Scenes
As others see us
Sometimes you need to see things
through the eyes of a stranger to
really appreciate your own backyard.
Such was the case when Florian
Possberg spoke to Ontario pork
producers at a conference in
Shakespeare in November.
Though he had been brought in to
discuss the huge 5000 -sow units used
by his Big Sky Farms Inc. as it moves
toward its goal of producing two
million hogs a year, Possberg was in
awe of what he saw in Ontario.
Noting the healthy state of
southwestern Ontario farming
communities, as compared to the
disappearing Saskatchewan towns
and villages, Possberg told those
present: "You've got something
special here and boy you don't want
to lose it."
Of course our own small
communities are facing their own
dangers from demand for larger
suppliers, whether for farm
machinery or supermarkets or big
box department stores but by
comparison to Saskatchewan we still
have a vibrant rural society. Our
challenge will be to keep it that way.
Anyway, we have more on
Possberg's comments on Ontario's
pork industry and his own company.
Adapting to changing conditions
has always been a hallmark of
farmers and if it isn't weather, it is
the withdrawal of government
assistance. When OMFRA closed its
county offices last year, Grey and
Bruce Counties were particularly
hard hit. But farm groups in the area
showed their determination by
working together to set up a central
resource centre and by finding a new
way to make the Grey -Bruce
Farmers' Week continue. We
explored their methods this month.
Speaking of adapting, today
Sandra Forster from the Kincardine
area is starting a second career,
training as a farm journalist. Hard as
that may be, it pales by comparison to
her experience back in the 1980s she
and her husband set out to take over a
rundown farm in the Rainy River
District and carve out a new life for
themselves. She tells her story this
month.
As well, we have a book review
on a new book by Ron Brown, who
this time explores the railways that
used to run throughout Ontario,
including the Kincardine -to -Listowel
line in our area.0— KR
Update
OMAFRA closures — a year later
It was in our January issue one year ago that we tried to answer the question
about where OMAFRA was headed after the announcement that county offices
would be closed in favour of a central information call centre in Guelph plus
Agricultural Technology Resource Centres scattered across the province.
So, a year later, how are things working out? Well normally this isn't a place
for editorial comment but after recently trying, with great frustration, to find
some information on OMAFRA's website, which was reported to be a big part of
getting information out to farmers, I'd have to wonder if the whole
reorganization was thought out well. Where, for instance, is the access to all this
wonderful research that's being done by people in the resource centres? There is
information on the website if you're patient enough to keep muddling around but
it's a struggle.
The philosophy of those who redesigned OMAFRA obviously was that
"information matters, people don't". The whole set-up seems to be one of
facelessness. Who the heck are the people out there working in these centres?
You can't find out from the website. Are you trying to find out if OMAFRA
even has a specialist in a particular field anymore? From what we could find out,
good luck. Of course if you buy into the conspiracy theory this makes it easier
for OMAFRA to make more cuts. If you don't know who works there, how can
you object if they're laid off?0 — KR