The Rural Voice, 1989-11, Page 51NEWS
OMAF PAPER GRAPPLES WITH THE FUTURE OF FARMING
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food (OMAF) has embarked on a
new approach in developing programs:
it's going directly to the people con-
cerned to ask for input.
A discussion paper called Toward
2000, circulated at meetings organized
to get that input, presents the situation in
Ontario agriculture and the changes
farmers have seen in the 1980s.
It shows that a smaller percentage of
farms are producing a larger share of
products than ever before. The number
of farms recording sales of more than
$100,000 increased by 31 per cent from
1981 to 1986, and the paper says this
trend will probably continue.
At the same time, the number of
farms is decreasing. In 1986, Ontario
had 72,713 census farms, a decline of
11.8 per cent from 1981.
"There is concern that farm produc-
tion is becoming dominated by large
corporations," the paper notes.
"In 1986, the census indicated 0.5
per cent of farms were owned by corpo-
rations in which the majority of the
shares were not owned by the operator's
family. These farms contributed 4.4 per
cent of aggregate gross sales."
Beef cow -calf herds increased from
25 cows in 1966 to 47 cows in 1986, the
paper said.
Dairy herd size increased 55 per cent
from 1966 to 1987, and the average cow
produced 60 per cent more milk in 1987.
And cash crop farms increased from
74 hectares in 1966 to 154 hectares in
1986.
The discussion paper also includes a
section on technology, noting that "The
financial costs of technology develop-
ment and application may put pressure
on the total industry. Smaller producers,
processors, and others may not survive.
But productivity and efficiency gains
resulting from new developments in
research and technology may offset
reduced numbers in the agri-food indus-
try:,„
Competition from other countries is
a significant challenge to Ontario's food
industry as well, the paper says. The
factors that Ontario farmers will have to
contend with include product price,
quality, and reliability.
CASH RECEIPTS UP, NET INCOME DOWN
Agriculture Canada is predicting
that total cash receipts for farm products
in 1989 will show an increase of two per
cent over 1988 to a record $22.4 billion.
But it also reports that farmers will
probably have less cash in their pockets.
Net cash income measured nation-
ally is forecast to drop 10 per cent from
the 1988 level to $6.56 billion. In
Western Canada, the figure is expected
to be 20 per cent, while in Central Can-
ada net cash income is expected to be
stable and in the Atlantic provinces net
cash income is up.
The estimated number of farm bor-
rowers in arrears has declined about two
per cent from 1988, Agriculture Canada
adds. And major lenders report that the
dollar amount of principal and interest
in arrears has dropped 30 per cent.0
•
REMAINING LAND STEWARDSHIP FUNDS IN
HURON COUNTY LIMITED BY BAD WEATHER
Because of extreme weather in both
1988 and 1989, the funds remaining in
the Huron County Land Stewardship
Program are limited, says Brent Ken-
nedy, senior soil conservation advisor.
As a result, the county is accepting
applications for limited, one-year farm
conservation programs.
Applications will be received on a
first-come, first-served basis, and farm-
ers are advised to act immediately.
Eligible categories under the pro-
gram include crop rotations (if farmers
increase total forage acres), conserva-
tion equipment (rented or purchased),
tree plantings, conservation education,
residue cover, and overwintering cover
crops.0
Exports of agricultural products
from Ontario, the paper says, grew by 33
per cent between 1982 and 1988.
In 1982, just over half of Ontario's
agri-food exports went to the U.S.
Today the proportion is almost two-
thirds, 70 per cent of which goes to
within 1,000 kilometres of the U.S.
border.
Today, the countries of the Pacific
Rim are Ontario's fastest growing mar-
ket. But Ontario remains a net importer
of agriculture and food products. From
1982 to 1988, food imports increased by
54 per cent, from $2.3 billion to $3.6
billion.OAV
REPORT FROM
QUEEN'S BUSH
After handling about 2,000 calls
over two years, the Queen's Bush Rural
Ministry is an experienced friend of the
agricultural community.
The ministry, staffed by volunteers
committed to helping farmers, reports
that calls this fall tend to be coming from
farmers with equity who are neverthe-
less "being pushed by lending institu-
tions to meet what often seem unreason-
able demands on their financial future."
The ministry can be reached at 392-
6090 — call collect.0
DON'T PANIC, SAYS
MILK BOARD CHAIR
The recent GATT panel decision
against Canada's import controls on ice
cream and yogurt is a reason for concern
but not a reason to panic, says Grant
Smith, chairman of the Ontario Milk
Marketing Board.
Smith gave this message to about
200 county milk committee executive
members attending the board's annual
policy development meeting last month.
"It is likely that any resulting change
will be delayed until after the current
GATT round concludes at the end of
next year. This is the approach the U.S.
is taking on a similar GATT panel ruling
on its sugar import quotas."0
NOVEMBER 1989 49