The Rural Voice, 1999-01, Page 38Disastrous pork prices, a
summer drought that wiped
out crops and cost many
farmers thousands in new wells that
needed to be drilled — it's a lengthy
list of stressful reasons why 1998
will go down as a year best forgotten
in agriculture. If you're a
victim of these factors don't
despair but get help early,
says one long-time farm
advisor.
Brian Ireland has been
through the bad times of
farming himself, so he
knows how easy it is to get
down and think you are the
only one in trouble. He's
been involved in counselling
people since the farm debt
crisis of the mid -1980s -and
he recalls talking to one
farmer who was sure he was
the only one in the
neighbourhood with
problems. Within weeks
several of the neighbours were also
seeking help, Ireland recalls. "They
were all keeping a stiff upper lip and
going broke," he says.
"Talk to other producers in similar
situations and compare notes,"
Ireland urges.
In mid-December, neither the
drought nor the hog price situation
had brought a significant number of
calls for help from farmers but
Ireland wasn't surprised. Farmers try
to hold out as long as possible before
seeking help. As well, its often in the
new year when farmers start doing
their books for the year that they
realize how hard they've been hit.
Don't wait too long to seek help,
Ireland urges. "If you see that you're
starting to fall behind get help." If
people would react sooner they could
save more of their equity, he said.
The problems in the pork industry
seem to be so deep that it may make
sense for some people to liquidate
their herds and get out while they
still have money to get out with, he
says.
For those who seek help, Queen's
Bush over the years has developed a
roster of doctors, accountants and
other advisers to help out. "I'm quite
confident we can handle the calls,"
Ireland says.
The difference between this farm
crisis and bad times in the past is that
there are so many places to turn for
help.
The Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
has established a temporary hotline
to provide advice and counselling to
pork producers on financial and
Through this federally
administered program farmers who
are experiencing financial difficulty
can gain the services of a
professional financial counsellor to
help assess the current situation and
to develop a plan for future success.
Applicants must pay first
$100 of the cost only.
Contact 1-800-265-8135
Farm Debt Mediation
Services
Offers mediation
between farmers and their
creditors. This free service
is private, confidential and
an economical alternative
to the often costly, public
and drawn-out process of
resolving insolvency
disputes in court. Where
this is not successful, the
parties still have recourse
to the courts. Under the
Farm Debt Review Act
over 70 per cent of cases
were successfully resolved using the
mediation approach.
1-800-265-7288
Help in Huron and Perth
The Stratford and Clinton
OMAFRA offices have put together a
list of agencies that can help. Among
those providing stress counselling
are:
Crisis Intervention Centre.
The service offers a 24-hour
confidential counselling and referral
service for residents of Perth and
Huron Counties, 365 days a year.
Contact numbers are:
1-800-829-7484
Stratford - (274-8000)
Goderich - (524-1113)
Telecare
A 24-hour confidential listening
and referral service for residents of
Perth and Huron Counties. The
service is available 365 days a year
and offers referrals to counselling
services.
1-800-463-1360
Family Services Perth -Huron
Offices in Stratford, Listowel and
Clinton offer support and counselling
for individuals, couples and families.
1-800-268-0903
Listowel Mental Health
Offers individual adult
counselling by self referral or
physician referral to residents of
Offering a helping hand
There are plenty of people to turn to
in times of trouble
34 THE RURAL VOICE
business management and animal
care. The hotline service is available
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The toll-free number is 1-888-599-
5584.
Other province -wide services
available include:
Farm Family Advisor Program
Provides a confidential peer
counselling service for farm families
wanting a second opinion on
improving their operations, help in
preparing projections for lenders, or
for those in financial difficulty. The
service is free of charge. Contact
your local OMAFRA office.
Professional Services Assistance
Program
Provides assistance to the farmer
to hire professional advisors when
faced with crucial decisions of severe
financial stress. Financial
management consultants,, account-
ants, lawyers and health professionals
may be hired to develop
production/business plans, negotiate
with creditors, assess legal and tax
implications of proposed
restructuring or creditor settlements
or to provide stress counselling to
farm operators and their immediate
families. Applicants must
demonstrate financial difficulty in
order to qualify. Contact your local
OMAFRA office.
Farm Consultation Service