The Rural Voice, 2003-12, Page 55ami
News in Agriculture
China changing rapidly, Federation told
China is changing so quickly that
what you know about the country
today may be outdated in a year, two
farm leaders who visited that country
earlier this year told the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture's
annual meeting October 23.
John Greig and Teresa VanRaay,
Huron County residents, said
Canada's ambassador to China
advised participants of their
Advanced Agricultural Leadership
Program class who visited China to
use their knowledge of the country
within a year because by then it
might be out of date.
"Chinese people are better off than
five years ago and much better off
than 10 years ago," said Greig, an
editor with Ontario Farmer.
VanRaay, who operates a hog
operation near Dashwood with her
husband Martin, said there is so
much construction in China's cities
that the "national bird" of China is
now the building crane.
The new prosperity is not being
distributed evenly. the speakers said
with urban residents probably having
yearly incomes of $4,000 to $5,000
while some rural residents make less
than $100. China has plans to move
more than 200 million people from
farms to cities.
Despite haying a 1.3 billion
population, China is actually a net
exporter of food. "It will be an
agricultural competitor for us
eventually." Greig said.
China organizes its farming and
food production differently than in
Canada. In Beijing, one dairy was
having a hard time getting higher
milk quality from the hundreds of
small producers with one or more
cows each. The solution was a
communal milking parlour that can
milk hundreds of cows from different
owners under more ideal conditions.
The distribution is also unique with
10,000 pedicabs, each with a small
cooler, serving two million homes.
Dairy is an area where China sees
room for growth. If poor rural
families can get one dairy cow they
can greatly improve their lot in life.
Greig said.
As well. China has discovered that
its children are not growing as well
as their Asian neighbours.
"I felt very tall in China." VanRaay
said, but the next generation is
getting taller.
Average annual consumption of
dairy products in China is II kg.
compared to 215 kg in Canada.
Greig. VanRaay and their
classmates visited a Chinese and
Canadian dairy research project farm
with 13(X) dairy cows. The project is
taking modern Canadian genetics to
China.
The class visited a tea plantation
where some of the bushes, grown on
terraces, are more than 100 years old.
They also visited a silk worm factory
where the cocoons of silk worms are
individually unspun to provide the
silk. Farmers grow the mulberry
leaves on which the silk worms feed.
In Shanghai they visited a
wholesale market through which
goes 80 per cent of the food for the
city of 13 million people.
Much of the food for markets like
these comes from small plot holders
of an acre to an acre and a half.
A lot of the people in cities shop
daily for their food and enough food
for an indi'. idual meal is packaged in
a container. The AALP class
participants found everything from
insects to snake meat included in the
selection in stores.
In China there are amazing new
public buildings but nearby are
rundown. undersea iced slums. Many
of the slums are heing bulldozed.
however. to he replaced huge
modern apartment buildings. Greig
and VanRaay said.0
Neil Vincent returned as HCFA president
Belgrave-area dairy farmer Neil
Vincent was returned for a second
term as president when the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture
held its annual meeting in Seaforth
October 23.
Vincent said his first year had been
"a fantastic learning experience".
Nick Whyte of Seaforth was named
vice-president. Despite the efforts of
the nominating committee and five
different nominations from the floor
which were all declined, the office of
second vice-president was unfilled.
The same difficulty in filling
positions was found in the search for
township directors and even for
delegates to the convention from the
Huron West region and a regional
director for Huron East.
Township directors include: Ian
Scott, East Wawanosh: John Rodges.
Goderich: Michael Becker. Hay: Will
Stafford. Howick: Jeff Robinson.
McKillop: Wayne Hamilton, Stanley:
Steve Johns, Tuckersmith and Chris
Weemink, Usborne.
No township directors could he
found for Ashfield. Colborne, Grey.
Hullett, Morris, Stephen.
Turnberry, West Wawanosh .
Named directors at large were
Henry Damsma, Pat Down, Victor
Roland and Steve Thompson.
There was only one delegate found
for three eligible positions as
delegates to convention from Huron
West with Walter Stalenhoef of
Auburn being named. Walter Elliott
of Whitechurch let his name stand as
an alternate.
Jeff Robinson of Walton. Wayne
Regele of Dublin and Will Stafford
of Wroxeter were named delegates
from Huron East with Victor Roland
as an alternate.
Wayne Hamilton. Carolyn Johns
and Paul Klopp were named
delegates from Huron South with
Michael Becker as an alternate.
Later the board of directors named
Nick Whyte, Victor Roland and
Steve Thompson as delegates to the
convention.
There was no OFA regional
director named for Huron East. In
Huron West. Walter Stalenhoef
assumes the post. Marilyn Broadfoot
returns as regional director for Huron
South.0
DECEMBER 2003 51