The Rural Voice, 2005-06, Page 58BRUCE
Email: brute®ota.on.ca 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551
website: www.ofa.on.ca/bruce
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
CountyFederation ofAgriculture NEWSLETTER The Rural BruceVoice is my byythed to OFA
9 Members in County the BCFA
Why there should be a realistic cap on government programs for farmers
The Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture passed the following
resolution to go to the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture Board of
Directors' meeting June 22, 2005.
WHEREAS agricultural producers
need the support of our Canadian
consumers (taxpayers),
AND WHEREAS government
payments to multi -national
corporations in the millions of dollars
are turning the taxpayers against
support for farmers,
AND WHEREAS the Ontario Corn,
Soybean. and Wheat producers in
Region 10 passed resolution number
7 at their regional meeting suggesting
a reasonable cap should be $200,000
• for the Canadian Agricultural Income
Stabilization (CAIS) program payout
and the replacement of the Market
Revenue Insurance (MRI) program
AND WHEREAS a cap of $200,000
is also supported by the Christian
Farmers Federation of Ontario
(CFFO) and the National Farmers
Union (NFU) (Ontario),
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
THAT the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture continue the one message
"Unified Voice" and lobby in support
of a $200,000 cap for all government
farm support programs per individual
farmer.
Most Canadians support the
concept of support for the "family
Bruce County Federation of Agriculture
DIRECTORS' MEETING
MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2005
8: 00 P. M.
Bruce County Administrative Building
30 Park Street, Walkerton
Members are welcome to attend
WINNERS!
Winners of the draw held at the Bruce
County Cattlemen's Association booth
at Midwestern Agri -Fair in Chesley for
gift certificates for beef from West
Grey Premium Beef were: Don
Walker, Don McIntosh, Ted Jacobs,
Harley Zeehuisen.0
54 THE RURAL VOICE
farm". However, when a government
program, which is paid by Canadian
taxpayers, is seen to pay millions of
dollars to multinational and
production -based corporations (less
than five per cent of farms receive
80 per cent of government assis-
tance programs) it sours the general
public's support for the family
farm.
The use of the phrase "family
farm" must be used in its proper
content and should be considered in
the same fashion as our tax laws
which define a family as husband,
wife, and dependent children.
If a farm operation wants to grow
beyond the work of the family it
should be considered a production
farm and not referred to as a family
farm.
Under the proposed caps, family,
corporate. or production farms would
all qualify up to the maximum. All
entity loop holes should be covered
allowing each "family" involved
qualifying for up to the cap.
With government assistance being
capped it would allow a more
realistic base payment for the
"family" type farm allowing new
beginning farmers to invest with
confidence to renew our aging farm
operators as they would he
guaranteed cost of production. plus a
modest income to support their
family, on their base units up to the
proposed cap. This could he
accomplished with the same or less
cost to the taxpayers.
Government payments for the rest
of Canadians are capped eg. Child
Tax Credits: Child Care: Social
Security, Employment Insurance, so.
why not caps on all farm related
programs?0
— Submitted by Allan Smith,
OFA Regional Director Bruce East
OFA card now good for RST exemption
OFA members can now use their OFA card to gain retail sales tax (RST/PST)
exempt status at point of sale.
To get the RST exemption when buying farm -related products, the farmer
must show their farmer I.D. card to the vendor. Items purchased this way are not
for resale or used by a manufacturer.
OFA has been working with the provincial government for five years to obtain
this convenience for its members.0
$$ MANAGING + MARKING + MARKETING = MAXIMUM $$
CORRECTLY THE RIGHT THE LOGS RETURNS
TREES EFFECTIVELY SHORT AND LONG TERM
Learn more about all four of these at the Third Bruce County
"GOOD FORESTRY PRHCTICE"
WORRSHOP
Saturday, June 4, 2005
Formosa Community Centre
Registration: 9:00 a.m. — Workshop: 9:15 a.m.
Cost: $15 advance or $20 at the door (includes lunch)
Contact: Lloyd Graham 519-528-2406 or Lloyd Schnurr 519-881-3998
Your Bush Could Be the most Productive and Profitable ficres you Own
Note: Please wear appropriate clothing for the bushlot tour
Co-sponsored by the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture