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The Rural Voice, 1990-11, Page 64PERTH tfik County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER Vince Hulshof, President R. R. 1, Sebringville, NOK 1X0 393-5586 The Rural Voice is provided to Perth County Pork Producers by the PCPPA I'm writing this piece on an Ottawa - Toronto flight. It is a fitting end to a discouraging week. I have just been bumped off the direct flight to London — it was oversold. My friend (who was not bumped) is waiting for me in Lon- don with my husband. (I hope.) We were in Ottawa to attend a con- ference entitled "Rural and Small Town Canada: Economic and Social Reality." The conference was organized by Sta- tistics Canada in co-operation with Agriculture Canada and the Agriculture and Rural Restructuring Group. We waited in vain for good news at the conference, described by one frus- trated participant as "days of bloodless statistics." The first speaker, David Freshwater of the University of Kentucky, set the tone with his presentation entitled "Fall- ing Further Behind." He told us that increased knowledge has not translated into improved conditions, that economi- cally, rural residents are now considered equal to inner city residents in their poverty rate. He has three main concerns. First, the growing divergence in real income between rural and urban residents. Second, the emergence of non -rural interest groups dictating land use poli- cies (eg. Temagami and Rafferty Dam in Canada). Environmental concerns arc breaking down into a rural versus non -rural conflict. Where will land use policies be set, at the township, county, regional level, or thousands of miles away? Dr. Freshwater's final point is that changing technology is resulting in an out -migration from rural areas. Eco- nomic growth in the future will be de- pendent on access to telecommunica- tions. In the absence of access to tele- communications networks rural growth will be impeded. Smaller hospitals cannot afford to keep up with the changing technology. Improved transportation makes it easier to by-pass local hospitals. In America rural hospitals are closing because of fewer patients and the resulting higher costs due to low volume. Without local hospitals rural growth is discouraged because of lack of access to emergency 60 THE RURAL VOICE and health services. Changing technology has an urban bias. We have higher costs in rural areas due to lack of volume. Dr. Freshwater's points were echoed by Canadian presenters. What are the implications of this for Ontario farmers? We need to consider how changing tech- nology will impact on farm families and look for solutions. 000 Have you recently purchased a computer or are you considering whether a computer will fit into your farm business? An introductory four - session course will be held at the St. Paul's Township Hall, November 20 - December 11. The course is designed to show farmers the capabilities of micro- computers as a management tool in their farm operation. Through hands-on work sessions, DOS, a spreadsheet pro- gram, and word-processing will be ex- amined. The course will also provide information to assist in making an in- formed computer buying decision. "Farm Business Management with Microcomputers" is designed for farm- ers who have a working knowledge of computers. Numerous production and financial management software pack- ages will be examined (Bedford, Farmhand, Farm Management Systems, RoyFarm.) Participants will have a hands-on opportunity to test these pack- ages in order to select appropriate soft- ware for their farming operation. Other computer courses scheduled include: Advanced Farm Planning Us- ing Micros, Introduction to Word Per- fect 5.1, and Introduction to Lotus 123. Farm business management courses will include, Farm Record Keeping and Analysis, Finance and Credit, and Commodity Marketing. Call the OMAF office at 271-0280 for registration infor- mation.0 Carol Rock HOG PRODUCTION IN THE 80s Ontario hog producers are working harder and smarter! At the outset of the 80s Ontario's sow herd was reported to be 375 thou- sand head. According to Statistics Canada, Agriculture Division the sow herd grew steadily through to 1984 when it peaked at 383 thousand. Just when our competitors began accusing the Ontario industry of unprecedented expansion the Ontario herd began to decrease in size. The sow herd in 1989 was 333 thousand while 1990 figures suggest a further 1.5 per cent decline. The decline in marketings has not been at the same pace as that demonstrated for sows. OPPMB marketings in the final quarter of 1990 are estimated at 1.1 million or 8.7 per cent below 1984 4th quarter marketings. This compares favourably to a 14.4 per cent decline in sow numbers for the same period. The obvious conclusion is that Ontario pro- ducers through superior genetic stock, and improved facilities and manage- ment techniques are achieving more with less! MANAGING OUR FUTURE "Ontario should produce hogs," says chairman Jim Goodhand, "It is one of the things we do best." Goodhand was talking to the delegates at the Board's semi-annual meeting held recently in Toronto. During the board's first fifty years there have been many changes in the hog industry and there are more changes on the horizon. Managing those changes will be the challenge for Ontario's hog producers in the 90s. We have the land base and climate, the managers, the facilities, the genetic stock, the govern- ment services, the market and a unique marketing system which will allow Ontario to be an efficient hog producing province well into the future. Goodhand told the councilmen that they cannot rest on their laurels. There are issues such as food safety, the green movement, government spending re- straints, trade issues and packer viability which must be dealt with now and in the near future. Tough issues which are going to require some deep thought and forward thinking on the part of the prov- ince's hog producers. "My gut tells me that this organiza- tion will continue to use change to its advantage. It always has in the past ... it is up to us (producers, councilmen and directors)," concluded Goodhand.