The Rural Voice, 1993-08, Page 54PERTH
John Drummond, President, R.R. 5, Mitchell NOK 1NO 347-2725
PCFA Office 229-6430
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER •The Rural Voice is provided to farmers
in Perth County by the PCFA.
Facing up to agriculture's challenge in the 1990s
The directors of the Perth County
Federation of Agriculture heard Neil
Stoskopf of the Crop Science
Department, University of Guelph, speak
at the June 24 meeting in Sebringville.
Some directors took Stoskopf to task
on his enthusiasm for entering into
global competition, pointing out it was
global pressures that were the reason
for setting up marketing boards in the
first place. llere is part of what Stoskopf
had to .say.
Both the agriculture industry and the
individual farmer are fighting for
existence. Every aspect of farming is
faced with a great deal of uncertainty for
the dreadful truth is that Canadian food
needs could be met from abroad. Fear is
a major enemy. The embattled farmer of
the 1990s is facing drastic shifts in
economics, market reorientation,
environmental concerns, consumer
pressures, low commodity prices,
sustainability and a host of other factors.
Changes arc all about us. Painful as the
new realities are, I remain enthusiastic
and optimistic because I have confidence
in the ability of the farmer to cope with
change. But before you dismiss this
euphoria as coming from a white collar
agriculturalist, please hear me out with
an open, but critical mind.
An overzealous federal minister of
agriculture in a big, green stetson,
Eugcne Whelan, in the 1970s told
farmz.rs to produce, produce, produce
and the government would market any
surplus. This sort of rhetoric was what
the producer wanted to hear because
they had gone through a period when
farm size and machinery were doubling.
But every farmer in the world heard this
refrain and producers soon learned that
the only thing they needed to double was
the information in their heads. Lack of
markets for surplus production is forcing
a restructuring of agriculture as well as
other industries and organizations.
Restructuring will open new
opportunities and allow Canadians to
enter the golden era of agriculture;
resisting restructuring will relegate us to
watching from the sidelines.
Specialty products to fill niche
markets may be the key to the future.
NEW APPROACHES — SPECIALTY
PRODUCTS
A) Crop Diversification
At one time there was a feeling that
new crops could solve the problem and
accordingly, a new crops development
branch was established at Delhi under
Agriculture Canada and OMAF later
formed the Innovative Agriculture
Program.
Numerous crops were investigated
and are still under investigation. Let me
list a few as examples:
1) mint production for distillation
of the flavouring peppermint;
2) production of high quality oil,
gamma linolenic acid from evening
primrose, borage or black currant seeds;
3) lavender for fragrance and
sachets;
4) the sponge gourd or loofah for
the bath;
5) medicinals such as ginseng;
6) sweet potatoes for self-
sufficiency in this imported product;
7) spices such as horseradish,
parsley, cilentio and carroway seed;
8) organic products and organic
specialty products such as spelt for
PCFA REGIONAL MEETING
Friday, September 10, 1993
Brodhagen Community Park Barbecue Dinner
Speaker: Bill Weaver, First Vice President, OFA
Tickets $10, children under 12 - 1/2 price
Meal at 7:00 p.m. Speaker at 8:30 p.m.
Everyone Welcome
Come out and help us pick delegates to this fall's convention.
For tickets call 393-5716, 229-6430 or directors.
50 THE RURAL VOICE
celiac sufferers and for stone ground
baked products;
9) peanuts for confectionery use;
10) the sweetener Stevia rebaudiana
for extraction of a non -caloric stevioside
sweetener, 200 to 300 times sweeter than
sucrose;
11) natto beans for export to Japan
for production of mise;
12) various types of mushrooms
such as shiitake. The Chinese produce
over 1000 varieties of mushrooms;
13) edible Flowers and salad crops
such as Belgium endive and Italian
specialty lettuce.
In the animal kingdom interest has
grown for fresh water production of
trout, salmon, mussels and prawns.
Llamas, ostriches, iguana, snakes,
animal furs, deer, elk and caribou are
among new animal species.
For individual producers, some of
these have proven successful but to
produce the requirements for Canadians,
a few areas may be sufficient. It might
take one acre to meet Canada's
requirements for loofah sponges. The
trouble is that when a promising a new
idea is announced, everyone jumps onto
the bandwagon and floods the market.
Too little effort is spent looking for
international marketing opportunities.
You may want to consider fmding your
own specialty crop, fmd a market, learn
how to produce it and keep production
secrets to yourself.
Diversification appeared initially as a
means of reducing the acreage of wheat,
corn or soybeans, but the impact of
diversification has been miniscule.
Agroforestry is an exciting new option
but this is a whole subject unto itself.
(More of this speech will be printed next
month.)
PERTH COUNTY FEDERATION OF
AGRICULTURE
AUGUST MEETING
Thursday August 26, 1993
Downie Mutual Insurance Office
Sebringville
8:30 p.m.
All members welcome to
attend