The Rural Voice, 2006-05, Page 58BRUCE
Email: bruce@ofa.on.ca
website: www ofa on.ca/bruce
CountyFederation o Agriculture NEWSLETTER The Rural Voice is my by d to OFA
(�. f (�.� Members in Bruce County by the BCFA
Lloyd Graham given BCFA Award of Merit '
44610th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1 P9
519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551
Lloyd Graham was awarded the
Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture "Award Of Ment" on April
7. in recognition of his time and
dedication to agriculture and rural
living.
Lloyd has been a board member of
the BCFA for 16 years and has brought
numerous issues to the board on behalf
of farmers. He is committed to
agriculture and protecting and
defending the interests of farmers and
their land. as well as water and nature.
Lloyd was a founding member of
the Grey -Bruce Clean Water Festival
for Grade 4 students. He made his own
Lobby MP, MPP to
"Farmers Feed Cities" is the
message being put forward at all the
recent rallies and farm lobbies in the
past months by the Unified Voice of
Ontario farmers. This should be
enlarged to "Proud Canadian Farmers
Feed Canada".
The way our government (both
Federal and Provincial) are dragging
their feet it appears to me that Canadian
citizens will soon be relying on out -of -
country food for their tables. As I see it,
Canadian farmers are a slave to
Corporate America. We buy our inputs
from them at their prices and give back
our production again at their prices.
Also, to quote an old saying "we buy
retail and sell wholesale and pay the
freight both ways".
Even if our governments come
through with immediate and long-term
assistance, you can be .sure Corporate
America will just squeeze a little harder
to fatten their bottom line. Perhaps as
united farmers we should boycott one
major farm supplier each year_on a
rotating basis with the threat to
changing to another each year until
profit retums to farming.
The National Farmers Union
published a report November 30, 2005,
entitled "The Farm Crisis and
Corporate Profits". They have listed
.many of the agribusiness corporations
showing their financial position. The
majority showed record profits for
2004 while the farm sector showed a
54 THE RURAL VOICE
display for the event and still
volunteers yearly at the program. He
represented BCFA on the Rails -To -
Trails group, was a member of the
Bruce County Tree Cutting By -Law
committee and is a member of the
Bruce Resource Stewardship Network.
Lloyd initiated the "Landowner -
Sportsman Access Agreement to Permit
Hunting and/or Fishing" lease form
which has been picked up by the
Ontario Federation of Anglers and
Hunters.
Last summer Lloyd was adamant
that farmers be represented on the
Ontario Nature - Greenway for Grey
correct imbalance
near record loss. The list includes
Financial - all types of suppliers.
processors, wholesalers. and retail.
When I look at recommendations
from the report prepared by Wayne
Easter. MP, my feeling is the
government knows what has to be done
to correct the imbalance in the food
chain and put profit back in farming.
However, do they have tl}e backbone to
stand up to Corporate America by
strengthening and enforcing the
Competition Act so that the impact of
corporate consolidation can be properly
controlled instead of being in bed with
them as they are with the lobby at
W.T.O. to overturn the moratorium on
the Terminator technology which
would give Corporate America another
lever in their stranglehold on primary
agriculture.
If you want to put profit back into
farming, lobby your local MP and
MPPs to provide retroactive support for
all sectors of Canadian farming until
they strengthen and enforce the
Competition Act to stop complete
corporate takeover of our food supply.0
— Submitted by Allan Smith,
OFA Regional Director Bruce East
BRUCE COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE
DIRECTORS' MEETING
Monday, May 29 - 8:00 p.m.
Bruce County Administrative
Building, 30 Park Street, Walkerton
Members are welcome to attend
and Bruce Counties Committee. As a
result of Lloyd's persistence the Grey
County Federation of Agriculture and
the Christian Farmers' Federation of
Agriculture also have representatives
on the committee. Ontario Nature also
forwarded their workshop locations and
meeting dates to the Ontario Federation
of Agriculture so other county
federations could be invited to attend
Greenway meetings across the
province.0
CONGRATULATIONS!
We wish to extend our congratulations to
Doug Eadie from the Ripley area who was
the recipient of the 2005 Tommy Cooper
Award on April 7. The prestigious Tommy
Cooper Award is presented annually by
CFOS Radio Station Owen Sound, and The
Sun Times to the person making the
greatest contribution to agriculture and rural
living in Grey and Bruce Counties during the
past year. Tommy Cooper was the Grey
County Agricultural Representative from
1920 to 1959 and dedicated his life to
agriculture.
Doug is president of the Ontario Corn
Producers' Association (OCPA) and a
provincial director for Bruce and Grey
Counties to the OCPA. He is currently
president of the Bruce County Corn
Producers. He was also a representative
from the OCPA to the Canadian Renewable
Fuels Association.
As president of OCPA Doug has attended
meetings of various farm organizations and
groups to explain the Risk Management
Program and how it will benefit farmers. He
also met with both federal and provincial
politicians to explain the RMP to them.
Doug assisted in lobbying for and
achieving tax exemptions (both federal and
provincial) on the ethanol portion of blended
fuels in Canada and Ontario.0
CONTACTS
Ontario Farm Animal Council
(Animal Care Helpline)
1-519-837-1326
www.ofac.org
Queen's Bush Rural Ministry
(Collect calls accepted)
1-519-369-6774 or 1-866-902-7828
The Farm Line
1-888-451-2903
www.farmline.ca
Kids Help Phone
(24 hours per day up to age 21)
1-800-668-6868
Parent Help Line
1-888-603-9100