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The Rural Voice, 1987-04, Page 8FARM SIGNS CUSTOM • Custom designed • Hand - painted in living colour ALSO • Consignment sale signs • Fair signs • Truck lettering Wt.( iti 1 '44`1101.S1 Call or write today for free estimate Farm Animals our Specialty SOUTHWESTERN SIGNS AND GRAPHICS 23 QUEEN ST., ELMWOOD, ONT. NOG 1S0 519-363-3817 We speciaNze in signs for the fanning industry TIRES SALES & • Radials • Rice tires • Reg. tractor tires • Truck tires • Automotive tires All makes in, stock ERVICE ON FARM SERVICE Willits Tire Service Lucknow 519.528.2103 6 THE RURAL VOICE ACADEMICS AND AGRICULTURE: WHOSE BUSINESS IS IT? Now I have heard it all. Here is the latest advice to repress our move towards economic prosperity, found the other day when I was reading an article by an academic. He stated that government funding should no longer be allocated to agriculture or the man- ufacturing industries but should all be channelled to the service industries. I could hardly believe what I was reading. The production side of the work force is 20 per cent and the far- ming side 4 per cern, whereas the ser- vice industries make up 54 per cent of the work force. I realize that we have to have some service industries such as the judiciary, police, fire departments, hospitals, and so forth, but there are many service industries that are non- essential, non-productive, and parasites on our economy. They are the people who live off our tax dollars and do not contribute to the economy. But it was suggested that they have the government funding whilst the productive side of the eco- nomy is left to go under if it cannot compete with foreign, subsidized industries or the peasant system of the Third World where a month's wages is less than the daily wage in Canada. I am truly amazed at such selfish thinking. It goes back to the old phrase, "I'm all right, Jack, as long as it doesn't happen to me." I'd like to see these service people act as a good example and work for the same wages as our competitors in the Third World. We get a similar attitude from another academic who is all upset be- cause the countervailing duty against imports of U.S. corn has been upheld. The fact that U.S. corn is heavily sub- sidized and was being imported to hold down prices received by Canadian corn producers is neither here nor there. Even now the Canadian producer is being paid less than the cost of pro- duction. The academic's argument is that the small increase in the price of corn is going to affect the livestock producer, especially the producer of hogs. Then, of course, the manufac- turers of com sweeteners get into the act and cry the blues saying they cannot compete with U.S. manufac- turers of sweeteners. I say let them become efficient and take less profit, as they have been telling us farmers to do for the past several years. Of course in order to cover their small-minded and short-term thinking, they try to blame agriculture by stir- ring the pot, saying that the industry is rampant with conflict and confu- sion. Conflict, yes; confusion, no. There is conflict within the beef indus- try because the Ontario Cattlemen's Association has done nothing to im- prove the financial and economic pro- blems of the producer and its member- ship does not speak for more than 15 to 20 per cent of the beef industry in Ontario. How can it legitimately claim to represent the views of the industry? There is conflict in the industry because some producers have become sick and tired of the unnecessarily poor financial returns. If the OCA will do nothing, then Ontario Beef Producers For Change Inc. will, and I admire them for what they are doing with their limited fmancial resources. You do not hear too much about conflict or confusion in the milk or feather industries. They don't mind paying prices for grain that cover the production costs of the grain growers. So I say to the academics, just stay out of our business, for you are the people who are trying to generate the conflict and confusion. You are the parasites that live off the earnings of the producers, the people who generate the wealth that keeps this country going.0 Bernie Evans, P. Ag., owns a beef farm near Embro and is well-known for his work on agricultural policy.