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The Rural Voice, 1989-04, Page 10NEW Bou -Matic® Agrl-comp® 2040 Computer Answers: Should she stay or should she go? . • `- '-. -- 7 � r tI%,r 1 4 ,-. Does she need more feed? Is she sick or injured? In heat? You'll never again have to second guess your culling, feeding, breeding and herd health decisions. You'll never have to wait until milking is finished for the facts you'll need to make sound dairy decisions. The Agri -comp 2040 computer communicates directly with detachers, parlor ID and feeder controls — no "black box" in between. Print reports and input records during milking. Bou -Matic automatic cow identification and milk meters are the most accurate available. To get your FREE video tape, "MANAGING FOR PROFITS," call 608-222-3484 and ask for Customer Service, or send to Agri -Comp 2040 Video P.O. Box 8050 Madison, WI 53708 For further information Contact your BOUMATIC dealer. • Debus Dairy Supply Ltd. R.R. 1 Brunner NOK 1C0 (519) 595-8114 21st Century Dairy Equipment Inc. R.R. 4 Walton NOK 170 (519) 887-6784 H. Nicholson & Son R.R. 2 Tara NMI 2N0 (519) 934-2343 8 THE RURAL VOICE PERSPECTIVES ON THE FARM AGENDA Sometimes a columnist has to write a column like this — a jumble of detached thoughts rather than one line of logic with a beginning, middle, and end. But these items have been piling up in my head and because this is a monthly publication I might never get around to them as other ideas pile on top. So here goes: In the last issue of The Rural Voice I reported that World War II veteran Ken Farrow and his wife Charlotte were in a final battle to save their beef and pig operation near Paisley. In Walkerton court on Valentine's Day, the old warrior listened to Bank of Montreal lawyer Duncan Grace fight Farrow's bid to put a permanent injunction in place against the bank's cashing of a $155,000 cheque. In a nutshell, cashing the govern- ment OFAAP guarantee cheque would force the Bank of Montreal to liquid- ate Farrow and put him out of busi- ness, Farrow's lawyer argued. Farrow has sued the bank "for falsely alleging my loans are in substantial arrears" and has asked for the injunction until his suit is heard. However, in opposing the injunction, bank lawyer Grace told Judge J. I. McKay: "This case is high on emotion and thin on principle." Well, it appears Judge McKay didn't agree, because in a written decision after the Farrow injunction bid was heard McKay granted Farrow's injunction. Among the judge's reasons: Farrow's "action is not frivolous," there is "an important triable issue," and finally, the continuation of the injunction "until trial will not have a serious and prejudicial effect on" the bank. Stay tuned, folks. * * * If you think I'd forget my favourite obsession, free trade, in this collection of bits and pieces, think again. Just before heading off to Britain to take up a new position as Canada's high commissioner, an architect of the free -trade sellout to the U.S. made some smug forecasts about the pact. Canadians can expect more layoffs, buyouts, and takeovers before seeing any benefit from the pact, said Donald Macdonald. "There will be some jobs lost. But that, of course, was always contempla- ted," he said with the upper class ring of 'Let them eat cake!' Even after free trade has been phased in, the benefits might not be apparent, Macdonald said. He might have added: especially to those of you who have lost your jobs, your farms. We can be thankful, at least, that Macdonald will be out of the country for the next while, sipping sherry with that elite who never have to care about losing their jobs. Mind you, the bill for Macdonald's rubbing shoulders with Europe's elite is footed by us 21st -century peons — the Canadian taxpayers. * * * Here goes my final beef. A vital referendum faces the decimated Ontario beef industry this month. To clot the bloodletting of the mar- ketplace, an OMAF producer referen- dum asks two questions: (1) do you want a single selling desk through an Ontario Beef Cattle Marketing Com- mission? (2) do you want the author- ity for cost of production pricing and to match supply to demand? The word is that there's a lot of mud -slinging in the countryside. Boys, take the advice of University of Alberta economist Murray Hawkins that cooler heads prevail. The industry can't afford deep-seated animosity.0 Gord Wainrnan has been an urban - based agriculture reporter for 13 years.