The Rural Voice, 1999-05, Page 62PERTH
Andy DeVries, R.R. #1, Atwood NOG 1B0 Phone/Fax 519-356-2133
PCFA Office 229-6430 Fax 229-6269 e-mail: perth@ofa.on.ca
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER •The Rura/ Voice is provided to farmers
in Perth County by the PCFA.
Young farmers hear about innovative ideas
Several young farmers from the
surrounding counties gathered at the
Harriston Legion on March 27 to
participate in a special forum
dedicated to young farmers.
The idea of a Canadian Young
Farmers Forum was introduced in
1997 to facilitate the exchange of
information between young and
beginning farmers from across the
country. This was enthusiastically
received at the national level and the
Ontario Young Farmers Forum
became an initiative of the Junior
Farmers of Ontario: On this day,
forums were also scheduled for
Simcoe, Caledonia and Kemptville.
The forum's purpose was to
provide young farmers with an
avenue to:
• identify issues of concern and
challenges facing young and
beginning farmers'and ark opportunity
.to develop solutions
• consolidate the opinion of young
and beginning farmers on agricultural
issues
• provide an educational opportunity
for young farmers
• inspire young farmers to become
active at the local level and increase
the agricultural content in the Junior
Farmer program
The forum in Harriston, chaired by
Lisa Alderman, definitely
accomplished all of its' goals. Lisa
kick-started the morning with
introductions of the four panel
presentations. Presentations were
given by Bob Robinson, Vista Villa
Farms, Alex Meister, Gerald
Poechman and Stew Cardiff, The first
three panelists briefly explained their
operations, the obstacles they faced
as beginning farmers and solutions
for how they overcame these
obstacles.
Mark Your Calendars!
Perth County Federation of Agriculture
ANNUAL MEETING
Thursday, October 14, 1999
58 THE RURAL VOICE
Bob Robinson, a hog producer,
discussed the importance of family
relationships and working as a team
to ensure that each member realized
the importance of their individual
contributions to the whole operation.
On his farm. this is accomplished
with "round the table discussions"
between family members.
Gerald'Poechman, an organic
farmer, encouraged us to challenge
our traditional farm thinking. He
stressed the importance of going
beyond and evaluating all
components when looking at your
bottom line. Sometimes things are not
always as they first appear!
Alex Meister, involved in a sheep
dairy, discussed the marketing
obstacles as he faced when promoting
sheep milk and the importance of
educating your consumer.
Misconceptions must be alleviated if
you are going to be a successful
marketer.
Stew Cardiff, manager of the St.
Marys/Lucan TD Bank, wrapped up
the presentations with a discussion on
farm finance and the importance of
evaluating all financing options.
A question and answer period
concluded the first section of the
forum which provided participants
with an opportunity to further debate
and discuss the obstacles brought up
throughout the presentations.
The afternoon of the forum saw
participants break up into smaller
groups and tackle specific "hot"
issues surrounding the agricultural
industry. Some of the issues
discussed included the "Right to
Farm" Bill, normal farm practices„
vertical integration, ag in the
classroom and barriers facing young
farmers, just to name a few. Each
group discussed the problem, why it
exists, and possible solutions. These
solutions were then presented and the
group as a whole ranked their top
three concerns. These concerns and
possible solutions developed at the
forum will then be presented to the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture's
various committees.
This forum ensures that young and
beginning farmers have a voice in
policy direction and I would like to
extend my thanks to the Junior
Farmer Association of Ontario and
the Ontario Federation of Agriculture
and Perth Federation of Agriculture
for providing young farmers with this
opportunity to voice our opinions.0
—By Linda McKay
RR 1, Mitchell
PERTH COUNTY FEDERATION
OF AGRICULTURE
NO DIRECTORS'
MEETING FOR MAY
OFA PLEASED WITH EXTENDED
RST EXEMPTION, BUT .. .
The OFA is applauding the provincial government's plan to extend
the Retail Sales Tax exemption on agricultural building materials until
March 31, 2000.
While this move is being hailed as a good, first step, the OFA is
urging the Government of Ontario to introduce a permanent, at-sotarce
exemption on all purchases for farm use. The OFA also wants the
government to expand the existing exemption list to parallel those
exempted in other provinces and zero-rated under the GST.
OFA also wants the government to recognize the Farm Business
Registration Number as proof of farmer status for administration of the
RST exemption:i
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