The Rural Voice, 1994-02, Page 3 (2)1
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Neil McCutcheon, farmer, Grey Cty.
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Adrian Vos, Gisele Ireland, Cathy
Laird, Wayne Kelly, Sarah Borowski,
Mary Lou Weiser -Hamilton, June
Flath, Ian Wylie-Toal, Susan Glover,
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Darene
Yavorsky, Peter Baltensperger, Sandra
Orr, Yvonne Reynolds, Carl L. Bedal
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Anna Vander Heyden
production co-ordinator:
Anne Harrison
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Leaders make the difference
Most farmers just want to farm.
They don't want to attend meetings.
They don't want to make speeches.
They want to plant crops and raise
livestock and have a reasonably
prosperous lifestyle to show for it.
The problem is, of course, that
somebody has not only to attend farm
meetings, but head up those farm
groups, if the interests of farmers are
to be protected. Somebody has to
deliver the speeches to make
politicians and the public aware of
the problems of agriculture, the
problems that stand in the way of
farmers being able to live from their
efforts.
In fact it's fair to say that the
viability of farming depends on the
quality of the men and women who
agree to take on the leadership roles
in their profession. The quality of life
in the local community depends on
having energetic, innovative people
serve on local councils, school
boards, recreation, church and
hospital boards and coach local sports
teams.
Back in the fall we asked our
readers to look around them and
nominate deserving people who
would make up a List of 10 men and
10 women who are making a
difference in agriculture and their
community.
Thanks to our readers we were
flooded with nominations (although
some areas were under -represented in
comparison to others). This month we
present the 20 leaders chosen from
among those nominated. The list
could have included 40 or 80 or 150
people and still not have properly
recognized all the leaders whose
efforts deserve recognition. In some
cases, outstanding leaders were
passed over for this list because their
work has already been publicized.
We turned instead to some lesser-
known people. To all leaders,
however, our sincere thanks for
helping to make your industry and
your own communities better.
Strangely, as globalization
changes the world, farmers have
finally begun to be more aware of
their local market. Perhaps they've
noticed, for instance, that their local
supermarket is supplying products
from all over the world when quality
local produce is ignored by local
consumers. In Grey and Bruce
counties efforts are being made to
change the situation. Market Grey -
Bruce has been working at raising
awareness of local food with local
tourist operators and other
businesses. This month Market Grey -
Bruce will host a conference for
farmers and small business aimed at
stimulating the local regional
economy and creating (and retaining)
greater wealth in the Grey -Bruce
area. We take a look at those plans.
And in the midst of winter,
wouldn't it be nice to think of
butterflies flitting in the warm sun?
Carl Bedal visited our summer -
resident butterflies in the warmth of
Florida and tells about the dangers
these beautiful creatures are facing in
our changing environment. 0— KR
Update
Environmental plans widen
In our March 1993 issue we discussed both the Environmental Farm Plan and
the problems with pollution of well water in rural Ontario. Since then efforts in
both areas have widened.
This time last year the first farmers were going through the process (including
75 farmers from Huron County) of learning how to set up an environmental plan
for their farm. This year, with the lessons learned from those pilot projects, the
opportunity is being extended to more farmers to see how they can improve the
environment on their farm.
Meanwhile the "Well Steward Conservation Club" was announced last fall. It
will establish 100 projects over four years to show what can be done with wells.0