The Rural Voice, 1990-11, Page 3general manager: Jim Fitzgerald
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crops extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Neil McCutcheon, farmer, Grey County
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
Bob Stephen, farmer, Perth County
contributing writers:
Adrian Vos, Gisele Ireland, Keith
Roulston, Cathy Laird, Wayne Kelly,
Sarah Borowski, Mary Lou Weiser -
Hamilton, June Flath, Ian Wylie-Toal,
Susan Glover, Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb,
Peter Baltensperger, Darene Yavorsky,
Sandra Orr
marketing and promotion:
Gerry Fortune
advertising sales:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Tracey Rising
advertising & editorial production:
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
Anne Harrison
Brenda Baltensperger
laserset: with the McIntosh Plus
printed by: Signal -Star Publishing
Goderich, Ontario
subscriptions: $15 (12 issues)
Back copies $2.50 each
For U.S. rates, add $3 per year
Canadian
Magazine Publishers
Assonaoon
All manuscripts submitted for consideration
should be accompanied by a stamped, self-
addressed envelope. The publisher cannot
accept responsibility for unsolicited manu-
scripts or photographs, although both are
welcome. The opinions expressed herein are
not necessarily those of the publisher. Edi-
torial content may be reproduced only by
permission of the publisher. Second Class
Mail RegistrationNo. 3560. The Rural Voice,
Box 37, 10A The Square, Goderich, Ontario,
N7A 3Y5, 519-524-7668.
BEHIND THE SCENES
by Jim Fitzgerald
General Manager
Two highly contrasting news items
struck me as very disturbing over the
Thanksgiving weekend. The first item
seemed to fill all the news media on an
otherwise "dead news" weekend with
stories of the massive drive for dona-
tions of food to recharge the various
food banks in the major cities, and
even in some of the smaller towns.
From Toronto, to London, to Stratford,
non-profit volunteer groups were
putting out appeals for caring and
concerned people to give non-perish-
able food that will in turn be handed
out free to the growing number of
people who, in order to feed their fam-
ilies, must line up and depend on
hand-outs from the rest of society.
One Toronto newspaper even inserted
a special paper grocery bag into their
city editions to make it even easier for
better -off citizens to give.
In contrast to this — and in some
TV stations running back to back with
the story on food banks — were
graphic photos of prairie farmers har-
vesting a record crop of wheat. Be-
cause of low prices caused by an inter-
national subsidy war, and storage
space at a premium, farmers have
literally been dumping it on the
ground, exposing it to the weather.
Farm gate receipts for prairie farmers
this year will drop to levels far below
cost of production, with incomes
predicted to drop by up to 37 per cent.
Agriculture groups are, justifiably,
predicting dire consequences for
farmers and are calling for another
massive financial bail-out from
various levels of government to keep
them farming for another year. It's a
similar situation here in Ontario as
well. The cattle and hog producers are
barely scraping by; corn and soybean
growers are facing prices in a glutted
market that are the lowest in 15 years;
while we read that the apple producers
are over producing; and Niagara peach
growers literally left their crop to rot
on the ground this summer, the prices
depressed by the glut of fruit. Why is
it much cheaper, they claim, to burn
your corn in one of those new corn
stoves than to sell it and buy oil for
your furnace?
How can this be? Canada, we're
told repeatedly, has the second cheap-
est food costs in the world — at 16 per
cent of income — so why do we need
food banks in a land of overwhelming
plenty? How can people be starving
when a few miles away, as the crow
flies, a bushel of carrots can be pur-
chased at the Bradford Marsh for only
$2? I, along with many concerned
people, are asking that very question,
and it's getting increasingly frustrating
not to come up with some answers.
It can't be the farm price. Even if
we gave the corn away, that box of
$2.89 corn flakes would only drop by
a couple of cents. Obviously, farmers
shouldn't be burdened with the task of
feeding these people. Who will? Sev-
eral experts have said that Canada is
moving closer to the U.S. attitude of a
"leaner meaner" society polarized
between the rich and the poor. Be-
cause of inflation, declining real value
of wages, cuts in government spend-
ing and the largest tax increases since
World War II, recent studies show, a
growing number of modest and
middle-income families have to rely
on two incomes. More and more of
these families (more so in the urban
centers with soaring housing cost) are
becoming stretched just to remain in
the economic mainstream.
It's a challenge to society and to
the farm community where the life-
blood of society — good nutrition —
starts. Ending poverty is a must for
all of us. The Rural Voice would like
to hear from you. Write us your ideas
and we'll try to initiate a forum of dis-
cussion on this perplexing subject.°