Loading...
The Rural Voice, 1993-06, Page 12TOWNSEN D TIRE Beside Radford's, Londesboro H IN-STORE ay ecia6 Used 1000 x 20 tires - Good for Safety A number of used rear tractor tires - variety of sizes. A FULL LINE OF ARMSTRONG TIRES 523-4742 after hours 522-1629 George & Matt Townsend J IS YOUR LIVESTOCK ADEQUATELY INSURED? .r l It should be insured to 80% of its value. ARE YOU SURE IT IS? Check with your agent today. AGENTS Graeme Craig 887-9381 Robert McNaughton 527-1571 Don Taylor 482-9976 Banter & McEwan 524-8376 John Wise 482-3401 Exeter Ins. Brokers Ltd235-2211 Cockwell Ins. Brokers 356-2216 I McKILLOP MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY eaforth 527-0400 Est. 1876 1-800-463-9204 8 THE RURAL VOICE Robert Mercer The voice of the farmer in the rural press The farm press in Canada, more oft- en than not, is not the voice of the far- mer, but rather the farm organizations. Almost all farm papers and magazines left in Canada are owned by farm organizations. There are excep- tions and The Rural Voice is one. Ontario Farmer is another. In the west where farm poli- tics are almost more important than farming, all publications are organizationally owned. The Western Producer is owned by the Saskatchew- an Wheat Pool; Country Guide, Grainews, Cattleman and most recently Farm Woman are all owned by a unit of United Grain Growers, and the Mani- toba Pool owns Manitoba Co-operator. To try and offset the publishing strength (in numbers if not in profits) of the pools, the more right-wing Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association has Pro -Farmer which presses the cause for less government intervention in agriculture. In Ontario there is more choice, but Farm and Country is the voice of the OFA, Breeder and Feeder is owned by the OCA, the Milk Producer by the OMMB, and the Ontario Corn Producer by the OCPA. It's been a long time since the Fami- ly Herald or Good Farming have been around and more changes are likely as advertising dollars shrink and postal costs soar for non -subscription maga- zines. Just this past month saw the demise of a monthly devoted to the Holstein breeders. Others could follow if revenues continue to decline. As commercial advertisers pull out of magazines and farm papers, they seem to be using other forms of getting their messages across. Possibly your mail box has been fuller than usual since the turn of the new year as suppliers fight for your attention with special price, product and premium promotions. As the number of commercial farmers drops, each individual farm account becomes more and more important. Progressive companies are building data base files on their customers that give enough information to select for size, crops, enterprises, equipment used, brands purchased, pesticides used, age, location and payment history. So, all that idle talk with the salesman is not just idle, it's valuable information for computer files on you. There are about 27,000 commercial farms in Ontario according to the cen- sus, and that's not many to keep track of with today's computers. Farm selling is becoming much more personal, much more targeted, and you are the target. Magazines and farm papers still have their role in bringing you news and information, alongside the ad to guarantee that you at least open the mail, but political comment and opinion is often tainted by the ownership of that magazine. In fact, some commodity magazines have a very definite goal of political influence in their editorial policy. This is not all bad, it should just be realized by the reader that there are other points of view and that sometimes it would be very difficult for a magazine to criticize any policy of its organizational owners. Farmers are basically well served by the farm press. There is always more to read than there is time to do it — and with the weight of direct mail these days the recycling bin may also have its size limitations as well as your time limitations. Farm magazines may become as few and far between as good farm TV or radio commentary. Farm prices on radio are often read just before or after the farm news by a newscaster who really doesn't know the difference between a boar and a sow, or wheat and weaners. CBC has dropped out of the picture and CKNX nearly lost its farm program. The London Free Press did without its agricultural reporter and the list continues. With fewer and fewer farmers, the mass media will not spend money where there is no return. Canada is no longer a rural/farming country. It's urban.() Robert Mercer is editor of the Broadwater Market Letter, a weekly commodity and policy advisory letter from Goodwood, Ontario LOC IAO.