HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Rural Voice, 2000-05, Page 65PERTH ifRit
County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER
Jim Van Herk, President
519-595-4863
• The Rural Voice is provided to Perth
County Pork Producers by the PCPPA.
A salute to those who gave their time
Any opinions expressed herein may
not necessarily reflect the views of
the Perth County Pork Producers'
Association.
When I began thinking about what
topic I would write about in this
column, I had no lack of issues to
choose from. At this point in time,
there are probably a dozen or more
issues that the pork industry is
grappling with, such as the (Canadian
Food Inspection Agency) feed
medication issue, animal welfare,
environment, the Perth West OMB
hearing, marketing issues, farm -
retail price spreads, blah, blah, blah;
the list goes on. Instead, I decided to
write on an issue which is maybe
something we don't think about too
much, but is probably more important
than we give credit for. That issue is
service. Let me explain.
Some people hate meetings. Lots
of people don't particularly love
meetings, but go as a sort of
necessary evil. Those who hate
meetings, give the excuse that, well,
what can you change anyway, and
that guy won't listen to me, and, well,
that guy's a lousy farmer, so why do I
have to listen to him anyway?
And you know, these people who
don't go to meetings have a point.
Change can be painstakingly slow.
Sometimes my opinions aren't
always heard. I could spend my time
in another way, and probably a more
enjoyable way.
But where would we be if all
people refused to go to meetings, to
get involved in some of the issues
that affect our lives, or if we make
our views known through the
newspaper, to our government reps,
or at meetings? We could not sit all
snug in our cocoons for very long, or
the issues that we have decided to
ignore would be nudging us at our
doorstep.
The point that I am trying to get
across here is that even though
meetings and associations and
community organizations can be a
pain at times, we need them in order
for our society to function in some
kind of orderly way. And we need
people to get involved in these
associations and groups to make them
work. This is where the service
aspect comes in, because that is
probably the main motive that people
get involved in the groups that they
belong to.
If you have not heard yet, we have
two members of our county
association on the Ontario Pork
executive. Clare Schlegel has been
elected chairman. and Larry Skinner,
vice chairman of the board, a real
honour for our county. Both these
guys run busy farm operations,
have young families, and really don't
need another job, yet they are taking
on these positions out of service to
the industry and for the producers
who derive their living from it. And
don't tell me that the pay can
make up for all the demands placed
on them while they hold these
positions. Without people such as
Larry and Clare, and their families,
who lend them to us for a time, how
could farm and other organizations
do the work demanded of them on
our part?
On a local level, the councillors on
the Perth County Pork Producers
Association also serve the producers
of Perth and of the province in many
ways. Our association is well
respected by other county
organizations and industry people.
Our councillors represent the many
segments that the industry
encompasses: large and small,
conventional farrow -to -finish or
loops, direct contracted or pool. We
are fortunate that the industry in
Perth is one of the largest of the
counties in the province, which in
turn, allows us to have enough
councillors to effectively run six
main committees. Because of this, we
are able to deal with issues which
affect our industry, provide good
representation for county producers,
and promote our product. Perth is
fortunate to have an active county
association, and this is only made
possible by the service and dedication
of its councillors.
In closing, I wish to salute those
who selflessly give of their time and
talents to serve the producers in our
industry and those in many other
community and industry
organizations. We have much to be
thankful for because of your time and
your efforts on our behalf.0
— Submitted by Jim Van Herk
PERTH COUNTY PORK
PRODUCERS' PORK PRODUCTS
• Smoked Pork Chops • Fresh Pork Chops
• Stuffed Loin Chops • Smoked Sausage
• Smoked Cheddar Sausage
• Bacon Burgers • Teriyaki Pork Steaks
• Vittorio's BBQ Sauce
AVAILABLE FROM:
Steve Hulshof (Kinkora) 348-8167
Martin van Bakel (Dublin) 345-2666
Walter Bosch (Monkton) 356-9000
Ted Keller (Mitchell) 348-9836
MAY 2000 61