The Rural Voice, 1990-10, Page 66BRUCE
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
519-364-3050
• The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce
County federation members by the BCFA.
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
AFTER A RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS .. .
As I was driving down a busy high-
way the other day, a large, fast car was
spotted through my rear-view mirror. It
was weaving in and out of traffic, obvi-
ously powerful enough to get where they
were going faster than the rest of us. As
it sped by, the sign in the rear window
caught my attention. It read, "If you
can't run with the big dogs, stay on the
porch."
The quotation seemed so typical of
farming today. Some of us are trying to
run with the big dogs, and with our hearts
pounding and tongues hanging out, at-
tempting to pay accrued debts incurred
trying to grow record -producing crops
with the latest technological toys.
Some of us are on the porch, licking
our wounds and recharging our stamina
batteries, to continue the race in agricul-
ture — in some reduced fashion. Others
are laying low, hoping the newly elected
government will have some solutions
for high inputs and low returns for our
products. The whole farming scene
makes me wonder if farmers were ever
meant to run with the big dogs. Most of
us have tried it. We've run with big
chemical and machinery companies in
the hopes that they had what it would
take to make us viable. It didn't work.
We've run with financial institutions, in
partnerships where when the running
got tough, we were dropped with little
dignity or honour.
The lifestyle and principles we
adopted when we chose farming as a
future does not combine well with being
a ruthless, financially successful busi-
nessman.
For the millions who can't read
Give the gift of literacy
1990 is International Year of Literacy.
Five million Canadians cannot read
or write well enough to function in
today's society. Every Canadian has a
fundamental right to the freedom that
literacy gives. You can help. Become
a literacy volunteer. Write to your
member of parliament. Read, and
read to your children.
62 THE RURAL VOICE
For more information, or to
make a donation, contact:
Canadian Give the Gift
of Literacy Foundation
24 Ryerson Avenue
Toronto, Ont. M5T 2P3
(416) 595-9967
Canadian Gr a the Gift of Literacy is a protect of the book
and periodical industry of Canada.
The buzz word in farming today
seems to be "sustainable." At present,
we are sustaining our income, taking
jobs off the farm to live and pay the
shortfalls in farming. It works not too
badly if the debt has been lowered suffi-
ciently to have this sort of income make
an impact. It is an endless treadmill if the
debt still looms like a monster over the
farm's horizon. Every dollar earned off
the farm carries a tax tag of almost 50 per
cent. Every dollar earned, or saved on
the farm, is virtually tax-free. One can
easily see why the new ecological move-
ment is gaining popularity. You scale
down your inputs to match what you
might conceivably see as a return for
your efforts. The soil is enriched instead
of robbed and some of the lifestyle,
which was why farming was chosen in
the first place, is restored. There's no
profit in helping a neighbour in need, nor
in lending what you own. There is a
sense of moral satisfaction though, and a
pride within the community, when
people build together.
Farmers are the least likely candi-
dates, in my opinion, to take on the role
of profit -at -all -costs managers. If we
realize this, and come to terms with
what's out there for us, we can begin
rebuilding both our self esteem and our
futures.
The concept of being ecologically
responsible might sound idealistic and
perhaps it is. Our country was built on
ideals and if we totally ignore them,
what will we use as a master plan for the
future? Once you've had a run with the
big dogs, maybe the porch won't seem
like such a dull place after all. It's some-
thing to think about.0
BCFA
Regional Meeting
Wednesday, October 3, 1990
OMAF boardroom, Walkerton
Guest Speaker — Jack Wilkinson,
second vice president, OFA
0
BCFA
Annual Meeting
November 9, 1990
Keep these dates open