HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-12-05, Page 5May lose control
of farm land `
BY BEV BROWN
"Ownership of Ontario
farm land is subtly being
transferred through the in-
strument of the mortgage to
urban based credit agen-
cies," Del O'Brien, a lawyer
and dairy farmer from the
Ottawa Valley, told delegates
onthe final day of the
Ontario Federation of Agri-
culture Convention in Toron-
to. In his opinion, "the
effects of changing the taxa-
tion formula to market value
assessment will be far more
serious for the farmer than
foreign .ownership of farm
land." .
He told the delegates that.
the farmer must learn to rely
on his own . resources and
organization for he has tradi-
tionally bad many false
friends. His .best allies, the
elected politician 'and agri-
cultural ministers, have con-
sistently supported the farm-
er and stood solidly • behind
the marketing legislature
most vital to farmers. "How-
ever," Mr. O'Brien contin-
ued, "we must accept the
fact that Governments are
under increasing pressure
from urban . groups who
consistently challenge their
support ofthe farmer,"
"Even more serious is the
fact thatmany civil servants
and many educators in the
field of agriculture .identify
with urban rather than rural
interests." He went on totell
about a professor at the
University of ,Guelph who
had a theory that the cost of
land ought to be removed -
.'from the food dollar 'by
eliminating the ownership of
land by the farmer.
This ambivalence on the
part of the agricultural intel-
ligentsia has created a vacu-
um in agricultural leadership
farmer, leaving the burden to
the O.F.A. It is natural that
farmers should take an ad-
versary role in the Commis-
sion because they recognize
that they will be• the next
victimsin the food chain to
be absorved by the Corporate
Food. Giants."
"The farmer, if he is not to
be the next victim of the
corporate take-over, must
get off the "Back Forty" and
invade the market place,"
Mr. O'Brien urged the dele-
gates. `.`He must organize
collectively and the best form
of organization . that has
emerged is the producer -
elected marketing board. It is
taking its place in the free
enterprise system beside the
union organizationand per-
mits
true bargaining to take
place between parties of
equal, or nearly equal,
strength."
O.F.A. delegates applaud-
ed when Mr. O'Brien said
that the `horrendous cost of
advertising food is an unjust-
ifiable
rip-off in the food.
story." He went on to say
that the . Food' Corporations
have an enormous control
over the media by the lever-
age given themthrough
advertising. "It not only
permits : control in the indus-
try'', but gives them (the Food
Corporations) a second crack
at the food dollar through
advertising of food items."
It•isMr. O'Brien's opinion
that marketing boards can
piotect the farmers collect-
ively from the vertical inte-
gration demandsf the food
giants. He told his .audience
thatgovernments are under
constant pressure from large
organizations and the media.
"Farmerscan relieve some
of this pressure by striking
up analliance with the con-
sumer. The enlightened con-
sumer is our natural ally."
as .it relates to the;politics of He concluded by saying:
agriculture,' which the Oft-" 'The consumer ' Wants a
ario Federation of Agricul- Canadian product, not an
ture has. attempted to fill, import; • she wants. 'natural
according to Mr. O'Brien. food, not artificial substitu-,
"The recent Hearings with .tes; she wants it chemical
respect to; the Discounts in free and she wants it at a fair
the Food Industry ilhistrates• price. The farmer ;can guar -
the, weakness of much of the antee all of these if ' he
agricultural leadership. They survives. The consumer can
have failed t rt the re our survival "
1 Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, December 5, 1979—Page 5
FARMERS
WORWNG
R
• Regional'`directors for Huron County.'attending the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture convention in Toronto last week
were from the left, Andre Durand, South Huron; John Van
Sm les
-I--I-
A
+
A camel is what a•horse,
would look `like if it were
put together by a corn-
mitte.e.
+ I+
There are two kinds of
people: Those who Create
happiness wherever they
go and those: who create
happiness whenever they
g9-
Observing: one .of his
carpenters hammering
away, the job. foreman
finally, said to him, `•`Man,
you hammer like•light-.
ning."
"You mean I'm fast?"
beamed the carpenter.
-".No, .said the foreman,
"I mean' you s'eldorn
strike twice in the same
place."
o sua
pp ensu • • ;
Beers, East' Central Huron; Gerry Fortune, North East
Baron; Merle Canby, North West Huron. and Jim. McIntosh,
Huron West Central.
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