The Rural Voice, 2005-04, Page 40of farmers," echoed Larry Lynn of
the Huron County Corn Producers. "I
don't know who is going to take our
places.
Others touched on the sense of
abandonment farmers feel.
"Where is the Ministry of
Agriculture and Food supporting
farmers?" wondered Nelson
Underwood of Underwood Grain
Limited, Wingham. "Any time I'm
dealing with OMAF now it seems
I'm on the defensive."
"It used to be we had the feeling
our agriculture ministers were
supporting us," said Bob Emerson,
president of the Bruce County
Federation of Agriculture. "Now they
seem to be finding excuses why they
can't help."
Mitchell agreed work is needed to
make OMAF more responsive. "I
think there is work to be done with
OMAF." Since the pull back of
OMAF to Guelph, she said, "There
has been a whole shift in attitudes."
While they expressed sympathy for
the plight of farmers, both Mitchell
and Steckle also defended their
governments.
Steckle claimed federal payments
Larry Skinner
Ontario Pork President addresses
the crowd at the March 2 rally
to agriculture have soared from $2.2
billion in 2001 to $4.8 billion in
2005. "$4.8 billion is a whole lot of
money."
"Done nothing?" he responded to
one charge of government inaction
from the floor. "I take exception to
that. It's all I've done for the past 22
months. I've driven the agriculture
agenda (as chair of the agriculture
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36 THE RURAL VOICE
committee) where it has never gone
before."
"I have given you every
expendable ounce of my energy," he
said.
Mitchell wondered if the province
released a $300 million payment
from the old Market Revenue
Insurance if the federal government
wou:d use its old matching formula
to boost the payout.
Steckle said that while Canadian
farmers look at the U.S. support for
farming and compare Canada's
support unfavourably in comparison,
they also need to look at the U.S.
deficit. "We're in great fiscal shape
compared to the U.S. You can't just
keep spending and spending."
Following a lunch break, it was the
turn of spokespersons for several
businesses supplying goods and
services to the farm community to
make the politicians aware of the
impact of the farm income crisis.
"Farmers tend to be eternal
optimists but there aren't many
optimists left," said Underwood.
"Many people are stressed to the
point they don't know what to do
now..'
He told of customers who had
borrowed money under the
agricultural commodities loan
program for last year's crop inputs
but now must repay the loan though
the poor prices mean they received
less for their cropthan they spent in
planting it.
AWingham restaurant owner
had told him his business was
suffering because farmers
didn't come for meals anymore and a
small farm machinery repair shop
hadn't done any business in five
weeks.
"Everybody is saying we're not
selling very much and we're not
fixing very much," Underwood said.
Paul Storey of Vincent Farm
Equipment in Seaforth agreed. "This
is the most difficult winter we've had
in a long time to keep the shop
going." He said of Vincent's five
locations, three are primarily
dependent on agriculture and 90 jobs
are in the balance. While Ontario is
struggling, farmers in the U.S. are
spending because they had a good
year, making dealers there happy.
Heinrich, who sits on the board of
the Hensall District Co-op, said the