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The Rural Voice, 1998-11, Page 50BRUCE Email bruce@ofa.on ca County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER 446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 • The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce County Farmers by the BCFA. By Lloyd Graham BCFA Executive Member Who's minding the store? In other words who takes responsibility for the future of our country and at what age does responsibility begin? Over the years so called experts have passed Taws regarding children. There are child labour laws, abuse, charter of rights, etc. I'm wondering how much should we protect them or when is the right time for a young person to participate in society. Do we wait until they have a PhD., are 30 years old and the only knowledge they have has been taught from a book, or do we start from day one to teach them that they are a person who must pull their own Toad through life? Over the years that I have been farming there have been too many terrible accidents involving children both on and off the farm. Maybe some could have been prevented, maybe not. Doesn't matter. The more knowledge a child is given the more responsibly they react. We had eight 17-year-olds from the city (Junior Agriculturalists) come work for us. When they arrived they knew nothing about responsibility, self preservation, work habits, caring for others (people, animals, plants, equipment, etc.). Most of them had no thought of the future or the future of our country. Was this because life was too safe and easy with no responsibility? The law states that a 15 -year-old cannot drive a tractor on the road but at 16 they can. A day makes them responsible? Maybe knowledge and training as early as possible might help a little. I do not mean put a six- year-old on a tractor and turn them loose. Signs, safety booklets, school safety training, 4-H and any other training will help a child become more aware of their surroundings. Many years ago when I was at the University of Guelph, the job opportunities for the two-year agriculture course was about five jobs 46 THE RURAL VOICE Who is minding the store? for every student. The degree students about one and a half. The labour companies knew that farm kids knew how to take responsibility and work. Other universities at that time did not have a job for every student graduate. We, as farmers, teach our children at an early age that everyone must help. Whether it is pulling weeds, picking peas or stones, all must take responsibility and have fun providing a better future for the family. There has been a lot of opinion against 12 -year-olds being allowed to use firearms for any reason. Have you ever noticed that the more you avoid a topic or tell a child "no you can't touch or do that", the more questions they ask and the more curious they are. The more knowledge a person has about firearms the better. Then they would at the very least know the dangers and the safe way of handling them. Also, their questions and curiosity are satisfied by the responsibility of the knowledge that is learned. They would also be far less likely to sneak a gun out and play with it if they know that by asking they can learn more about the safe way of using a firearm. What if the parents are away and a rabid animal approaches the house, pets or livestock? What if someone is cornered and hurt by an angry bull and the only way to save them is to shoot the animal? What if the only person there is a 12 -year-old who has never been given the knowledge or responsibility to handle firearms? There are very serious and strict courses for people of all ages on Hunter Safety and Firearms. The courses are available to make the use of firearms much safer for the public. The small charge is little to pay to create responsible handlers of guns at any age. For anyone who is concerned about a 12 -year-old running around the countryside with a gun, the law states that they must be with an adult and have only one gun. Also, the adult must have taken the appropriate safety courses. I wonder how many more restrictions and rules farmers are going to have to deal with as to how we raise bur children. How can we teach them responsibility without practical experience? How can we provide a future without their input? So let's forget about coddling and protecting our children from all harm and start taking the time to teach them the safe and responsible way of doing things in life. If we do that, I know who will be minding the store.° BRUCE COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE Directors' Meeting Monday, November 16, 1998 8:00 p.m. OMAFRA Boardroom, Walkerton Members are welcome to attend BRUCE COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE 57th Annual Meeting and Banquet and OFA Regional Meeting Friday, November 6, 1998 Ripley Community Centre Social: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m. Guest Speaker: Neil McGavin, Humorist Tickets: $12.50 per person Tickets available from all Township Directors or office in Hanover