The Rural Voice, 2003-12, Page 56News in Agriculture
Get people involved, Gordon Hill says
The Ontario Federation of
Agriculture would do better trying to
get its 40,000 members more active
than to try to bring about farm unity,
former OFA president Gordon Hill of
Varna told the 62nd annual meeting
of the Bruce County Federation in
Kincardine, October 24.
"I'm in favour of farm unity," the
Agricultural Hall of Fame member
said. "We're all in favour of farm
unity. Or are we? Unity on whose
terms, ours or theirs?"
What, he asked the 150 people
present, would they be willing to
give up to get farm unity? "Would
you give up marketing boards and
supply management? Co-ops? And
how are we going to get (the other
farm groups) to give up things?"
Hill said there was farm unity
between 1935 and 1950 when the
OFA was the only farm organization
and its structure didn't allow for
much dissent but underlying
discontent led to the formation of the
Ontario Farmers Union, a group Hill
led at one point. (Following a defeat
for a general farm organization vote
in the late 1960s Hill' became
president of the OFA as it
reorganized into a membership
organization.) The influx of
European farmers also led to the
Christian Farmers Association.
The OFA also helped set up many
of the commodity organizations. Hill
said and some people in these
organizations would rather than be a
big toad in a small puddle than a
small toad in a big puddle. There
have been some examples of the
commodity groups and OFA working
well together but not always, he said.
The dream for many Ontario farm
leaders is an organization like
Quebec's Union des Producteurs
Agricoles, formed after Quebec lead-
ers read the Challenge of Abundance
study and followed it as a blueprint
to getting more bargaining clout,
speaking with a united, militant tone.
But how realistic is it to think
agriculture can speak with one voice
when there are 38,830 denominations
within the Christian religion all
worshipping the same God, he
wondered. "Perhaps Ontario farmers
52 THE RURAL VOICE
can be forgiven if they don't have
farm unity."
Meanwhile, he noted, there are
more than 1,500 members of the
Federation in' Bruce county. Looking
around at the 150 people present he
wondered "Where are the ones who
should be here tonight?"
Looking at the long list of
accomplishments the farm
community has achieved despite a
number of different farm
organizations Hill wondered if unity
was over -rated. He proclaimed
supply management as the most
successful policy farm groups had
brought to fruition but also listed
other marketing boards, co-
operatives and farm truck licences.
"We reduced property tax. We
received financial stability for our
organizations. There have been so
many accomplishments by the OFA.
He recalled that some of those
accomplishments were gained in the
1970s when OFA vowed to be "as
respdnsible as possible and as
militant as necessary.'
Looking at today he said "if
farmers raised less corn and more
hell we'd be better off."
"We have to change politicians'
ideas," he said. "We have to make
them work to do what we need them
to do. If we need to be militant, we
need to."
Radical is only something we
haven't done before, Hill said. The
first tractor protest was only radical
because it was new, he said.
Yes, farm unity is a desirable goal
that farmers must continue to strive
for, he finished "but in the meantime
we must work to mobilize the 40,000
members OFA has."
During questioning from the floor
Hill blasted federal agriculture
minister Lyle Vanclief. Because of
his inability to get the cabinet to
listen to him "The federal minister
would be better at home," Hill said.
"If he had half the intestinal fortitude
of Eugene Whelan he would have
resigned long ago."0
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