The Rural Voice, 2004-11, Page 37News in Agriculture
°Enjoy the road called life, Ballagh says
Gary Ballagh urged farmers
attending the Perth County
Federation of Agriculture's annual
meeting in Milverton to "Enjoy the
road called life."
Ballagh, former on -air farm
director at CKNX radio and now in
advertising sales with the station told
the meeting, September 30, that these
are tough times for many farmers but
they should always look at the
positive. "There is life after cattle,"
he said of the crisis caused by the
border ban on live cattle and sheep
exports because of a single case of
BSE.
He told his own story about
having to get out of pigs but that
turned out well because he got into
radio. "These have been the best
years of our lives," he said of his
radio work and his custom grazing
operation near Teeswater.
"I hope you don't have to get out
of business but if you do, don't sell
yourself sho'rt." Farmers have so
much experience that can be sought
after by employers, he said.
He listed five rules for success:
1. Organize your day.
2. Make long-term plans.
3. Keep those plans flexible.
4. Don't get so busy that you don't
have time for your family.
5. Save time for yourself.
TTe beauty of a sunrise doesn't
cost a nickel, he said. "We miss out
on beauty all around us and the
beauty in people around us."
Take time to play with your kids,
he advised. "It won't make a
difference in you getting your work
done but it will make a lot of
difference to your kids."
Our ancestors measured time by
the seasons, he said, but we measure
time by hundredths of a second. No
one in a seniors home says they
wished they'd spent more time
working but many say they wish
they'd spent more time with family
and friends.
We've turned into a materialistic
society accumulating possessions but
you can't take those possessions with
you, he said.
Perth -Middlesex MPP John
Wilkinson also spoke at the meeting
announcing that slow moving vehicle
awareness signs have been
authorized for use on provincial
highways. The Perth Federation has
brought it to his attention that the
province had not authorized the use
of the signs warning of farm vehicles
on provincial highways and he had
taken the issue to Harinder Takhar,
Minister of Transportation, who
authorized him to make an
announcement of the change.
'How do we protect small packers?'
Continued from page 32
packing sector is too highly
concentrated. You can't let farmers
be that vulnerable. It's really
dangerous because these guys are far
too powerful."
Domestic capacity needs to be
increased. "What happens when that
border opens. How do we protect
those new small plants? How can
they be quicker, smarter, faster than
the big multi -nationals'? They are an
important answer structurally for
Canada but not the answer to the
BSE issue.
Holdbacks are also a concern.
"Who owns the cattle and how much
of that money is going into ranchers'
pockets."
Holm said, "The Canadian
taxpayer is picking up the U.S. tab
because they are afraid to say, 'cut it
out'."
Finally, the fate of Canada's
independent ranchers is at risk. "If
we leave them twisting in the wind
on this, we're going to lose."
The issue has raised some public
policy issues, said Holm, most
notably that Ottawa has failed to
protect Canadian ranchers. "It's like
going to a fire and not connecting the
hose. Someone said to me 'Why not
sue Ottawa for not protecting their
farmers?' I'm not a legal expert but it
seems to me that Ottawa has a moral
issue here."
"Someone asked me how the
ranchers could let this happen. Look
He thanked the PCFA and
commodity groups for their
assistance in presenting Ag 101. the
session that brought urban MPPs to
Perth County farms to learn more
about the realities of agriculture.
"The province is run by people from
urban and suburban areas," he said.
"We can tell them about agriculture
but it's better to show them. It (Ag
101) worked because I did the
inviting and you did the content."
Those MPPs who took part are
now telling those who missed it that
they should have come. Wilkinson
said.
With an education session set up
to teach MPPs more about
agriculture, Wilkinson suggested
setting up a Government Relations
101 in which farm leaders would
come to Queen's Park to learn about
how government works.
In the elections Bob Martin was
acclaimed as president. succeeding
Tim Shute. Ed Danen is first vice-
president and Bernice Kelly, second
vice-president.
Shute said one of his goals on
taking office was to establish an
agricultural centre for Perth County
and the Federation has recently set
one up in Rostock. A lot of people
worked to make it possible and it's
Continued on page 34
Holm asks
at it another way. If they can, what's
going to happen to the rest. It's a
fight all of agriculture has to be
concerned with. It could be you next
time."
Holm did list some reasons to be
hopeful. She mentioned hearing of a
new mandate to "look after
producers' interests". As well she has
"tremendous respect" for the
undersecretary to the agricultural
minister. "I think he's a strong fighter
for agriculture."
The minority government is good
leverage in this fight, she said. She
also told farmers to contact the media
and compliment them on stories and
reports about the issues. "We have to
support them with a little positive
NOVEMBER 2004 33