The Rural Voice, 1991-11, Page 50BRUCE
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
519-364-3050
The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER County farmers by the BCFA.
DON'T RETREAT TO "ANGUISHED ACRES" WITH MEASLY SUM
You'd have to be an illiterate recluse
on some uncharted island not to know
there's something brewing in the con-
cessions of this land. There are farmers
on the television, in the newspapers, and
on the radio. The have one thing in com-
mon. THEY ARE ANGRY! This un-
happy state seems to have taken in farm-
ers from one end of Canada to the other.
The anger they demonstrate is the
result of poveny, despair, and hopeless-
nccs. The request they are making is
simple enough. MONEY. Enough to
see them through a disastrous fall until
planting time comes again. After that
something great and wonderful will
kick in (sorry, I almost gagged there)
and we'll live happily ever after. Al-
though cash is always welcome, I al-
most wish the demands are not met this
time. If they are met, we'll likely take
the measly sum, retreat to our respective
"anguished acres," tie a knot on the end
of our rope, and hang on for another
year. We can't do that AGAIN.
In the 80s, we demanded relief from
high interest rates. The farmers who
were vocal at that time were supposed
wild-eyed radicals who couldn't man-
age their allowance properly. We got
concessions of a sort, and watched as
horrendous numbers of us were lost, in
the most inhumane way known to mod-
em mankind. We made them feel
worthless, threw buckets of blame all
over them, and offered to retrain them as
welders and truck drivers. Our Cana-
dian farm debt in 1985 was $22 billion.
Guess what? After wegotsridofall those
radicals and bad managers, the debt is
still the same, sitting right at$22 billion.
We've had some wondrous meas-
ures introduced to lighten the farmer's
load. There's Farm Debt Review, and
the ever farmer friendly Farm Credit
Corporation. With combined efforts on
their part, plus help from lending institu-
tions, we have a farm debt in Ontario of
$5.2 billion, of which $L27 billion
(much too conservative in my estima-
tion) is unserviceable. In plain farmer
language, it means no one can pay it
46 THE RURAL VOICE
because it is interest compounded on top
of interest. Kind of what we have behind
the barn, piled higher and deeper.
Our consumers are repeatedly told
they deserve the most in their environ-
mentally friendly grocer bag that their
dollar will buy. The Canadian farmers
don't measure up. Our wages are too
high, and our social services are driving
the cost of production up too much.
Consumers deserve better than that.
Labour south of the border is much
cheaper. True, but had I wished to get
par broiled in 120 degree temperatures
and take siestas, I wouldn't be fixing my
snowblower or buying cases of anti-
freeze for the equipment. The brain-
washing has achieved some awesome
results. The consumer feels its own
farmers are ripping them off, and the
farmer feels he can't compete with the
production of the rest of the world.
Imports are just like the payments
farmers are asking for right now. THEY
ARE BOTH INTERIM. It's what will
come after that counts.
I know most of us shake our head in
bewilderment. We know we need a
profitable price for our product, but how
do we achieve it?
It certainly won't be by humbly
accepting another sop to pacify us for
the time being. Let's go for the whole
thing. We need government that recog-
nizes the importance of our contribu-
tion, and doesn't trade it away. We need
to stand a little straighter and taller, and
realize we feed the country. Maybe not
the cheapest way in the world, but to the
best of our ability. We deserve to get
paid profitably for these labours.
Interim payments should be just
what the name signifies. A very short
term stop gap so a major change can be
made. The things constantly thrown at
us for discouragement are free trade,
global surpluses, and the antics in the
pits of Chicago. Let's put it in perspec-
tive. These things were not brought by
Moses from Mount Sinai on two tablets
of stone. The decisions were made by
mere men (and women), just like you
and I. Humans have been known to
make colossal mistakes. If we let them
continue, our children and grandchil-
dren will tell them so, as they were
waiting for the next shipment of vege-
tables and meat to arrive.
If we receive any financial recogni-
tion from government, both federally or
provincially, let's not repeat earlier
mistakes. Let's go for the whole thing.
Agriculture is a vital and viable industry
that will, in the long run, benefit all
Canadians. If we let it slide again, this
time, there's only one thing left for us.
THE LAST PERSON OUT OF CAN-
ADA, PLEASE TURN OUT THE
LIGHTS.0
by Brian Ireland
BRUCE COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE
50TH ANNUAL MEETING AND BANQUET
Friday November 8. 1991
TARA COMMUNITY CENTRE, TARA
Social Hour 6:00 p.m. - Dinner 7:00 p.m.
GUEST SPEAKER - Jack Wilkinson
OFA 1st Vice President, CFA 2nd Vice President
TICKETS: $12.50/Person
Avai!able from Township Directors or Office in Hanover 364-3050
A