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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-02-10, Page 14C & M INCOME TAX SERVICE DON'T FRET LET US DO YOUR TAX RETURN Our service starts at $2000 •We do Supplement Form Free of charge when you file your tax reform with us. •Seniors Don't Forget to File for your Sales Tax Grant and your Property Tax or Rent Rebate 10% SENIORS DISOUNT NO GST ON OUR SERVICES For more information Cindy Radford Call Mary Cote 5 Ontario St. 482-5927 CLINTON Itlun Sweetheart Getaways at the BRUSSELS OPTIMISTS VALENTINES/\ DANCE o' DRAW SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1993 at the B. M. & G Community Centre Dancing 9 - 1 Music by D.J. $10.00 per ticket Available from any Optimist Member or call 887-6502 VALENTINE'S DANCE PRIZES 1ST PRIZE: Weekend for 2 at Sir Michael Inn, Niagara Falls 2ND PRIZE: Weekend for 2 at Sir Michael Inn, Niagara Falls 3RD PRIZE: Weekend for 2 at Wheels Inn, Chatham 4TH PRIZE: Weekend for 2 at Wheels Inn, Chatham 5TH PRIZE: Weekend for 2 at Ranton Place, Palmerston 6TH PRIZE: Dinner for 2 up to $100.00 at Robindale's Goderich 7TH PRIZE: Dinner for 2 up to $50.00 at the Brussels Country Inn "AGE OF MAJORITY IN EFFECT" LIC. #678886 7 CHANCES TO WIN! PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1993. 1000 farmers pack arena No extra money for farmers, says minister There is no extra money to help farmers who may have suffered a once-in-a-century crop failure, Fed- eral Minister of Agriculture Charlie Mayer said Thursday night after meeting with 1000 angry, but quiet, farmers in Lucknow. During the meeting itself, spon- sored by the Line in the Dirt orga- nization, Mr. Mayer and his parliamentary assistant, Murray Cardiff, M.P. for Huron-Bruce, repeated several times that they were "there to listen" to what the farmers had to say. Meeting with the media, however, Mr. Mayer admitted "It's virtually impossible to find extra money." Line in the Dirt leaders called for a special payment of $60 per acre for all annual and hay crops because of the extraordinary condi- tions in 1992 that saw nearly every crop grown by Ontario farmers damaged by the weather. Mr. Mayer said he knew the corn crop had been a disaster having grown 200 acres on his Manitoba farm that he turned the cows into because it wasn't worth harvesting. Charlie Mayer Federal Ag. Minister He said he knew there were prob- lems with programs like NISA, and insurance program for farm incomes. "The offer is there to work with you (to reform pro- grams)," he said. But in the long run, he said, the money must come from the market, and 50 cents of every dollar earned by Canadian agriculture comes from internation- al trade. He defended free trade from attack by one questioner say- ing exports have almost doubled since the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and that the U.S. pro- vides the highest prices for Canadi- an produce next to Japan. Mexico, he said, is a country with a large population and a small agricultural sector, offering opportunities for Canadian exports. Not everyone agreed with Mr. Mayer's assertion that there was no money to help. Lynn Lowry of Amberley went down a list of pro- grams such as the investment in the Hibernia off-shore oil project in Newfoundland to point out govern- ment can find money when it wants to. "We had no money but when the Gulf War broke out we had $1 billion next day," he said. Line in the Dirt organizers stressed that the entire rural econo- my, not just the farming sector, is in danger. Speaking at a press con- ference before the meeting. Mr. Lowry estimated the real loss for Ontario farmers is $1 billion when you include crop losses not recov- ered through crop insurance, GRIP or NISA, higher feed costs for live- stock, the loss of growth in animals because off poorer quality feed and the additional veterinary bills because of illness caused by the poor quality feed. One dollar gener- ated by farmers puts 10 dollars into the economy in buying supplies, he said, so the real cost to the Ontario economy could be $10 billion. "Before the end of 1993 this province is going to wonder what happened," Mr. Lowry said. Frank Anthony, president of the Ontario Corn Producers Associa- tion, said the seriousness of the losses for farmers that can't be made up in safety net programs is a situation that calls for special aid from government. "We may have to look at government loan guaran- tees to farmers," he said. "We'd like to use programs that aren't as high- ly visible (as outright grants)." John King, a Wingham-area farmer and member of the Huron Emergency Assistance Response Team (HEART) and Brian Ireland, from Queen's Bush Rural Ministry, a counselling service for farmers in distress, pointed out the 1992 crop disaster has already hurt people. HEART received a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food to provide short-term assis- tance for families without money for food or shelter and has already had at least 12 calls seeking help, Mr. King said. Farm families are also turning to foodbanks, he said. "Imagine in Canada, land of plenty and one of the bread baskets of the world that a committee would have to be set up to see that farm fami- lies don't starve." Mr. Ireland said calls to the Queen's Bush helpline "have increased dramatically. I'm on the road every day dealing with prob- lems." His group also received $20,000 in emergency assistance funding and $10,000 has been spent already. He was distressed at complaints he had heard about people who "have been dealt with very badly" by the Ontario Crop Insurance Commission. Once an appeal is lost, he said, there is little a farmer can do to change the situation. Mr. Ireland stressed the strength of the rural community. "We've gotten away from being neighbours and we've got to go back if we're going to survive." He said farmers must also take advantage of the niches in the market left when big firms stake out the major markets. Still, he warned, the situation is serious. "If something isn't done I think we're looking at 10 per cent of farmers having real difficulty this spring. Five to 10 per cent will leave the farm." Lynn Lowry There is money, he says Roger George, President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture charged that the federal govern- ment has reneged on its pledge to set up a "third line of defence". When setting up GRIP and NISA the government had said there would be special funding for unusual emergency situations, Mr. George said. Safety nets like GRIP and NISA deal with normal condi- tions, he said. "There is nothing normal about five years of trade war; nothing normal about the dis- astrous crop of 1992." Paul Frayne, a Goderich-area cash crop farmer, and one of the organizers of the Line in the Dirt OMAF to offer pesticide safety courses By Brian Hall Farm Management Specialist for Huron County Several Grower Pesticide Safety courses are being offered this winter to producers in Huron County. Certification courses are being offered on Monday, March 8 and Thursday, March 11 from 8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food office in Clinton. Growers requiring certification must attend this course and write an exam. Cost of the course is $40. Lunch is not included. Growers who would like additional help with the course material, prior to writing the exam, have two options. The first is to attend an Introductory Pesticide Safety Course, which provides more hands on practice and covers the material in more depth than the Certification Course. The date is Friday, Feb. 19, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food office in Clinton. No exam or certification takes place at this course. The cost is $20. The second is to obtain a pre- course workbook that will help growers with math and reading skills, prior to taking the Certification Course. This workbook is available free through the OMAF office. A video tape may also be borrowed which goes along with the material in the workbook. A number of growers, who were previously certified will require recertification this year. Recertification is required every five years. All growers who purchase or use Schedule 1, 2, or 5 pesticides must be certified. meeting pointed to the special grains and oil seeds program of 1986-87 and said the problem is worse today than it was then. "Now is not the time to turn away from farmers with an empty hand and even emptier words." Many speakers did agree with Mr. Mayer's assertion that in the long run farmers must get more for their, products from the market- place: Benmiller-area farmer John Moore noted that farm families make 58 per cent of their income from off farm jobs. Ralph Fergu- son, M.P. for Lambton-Middlesex said that of the $39,600 farm fami- ly income, $22,500 came from off- farm income. Of the income earned on farm operations, $9900 came from subsidies, meaning that for operating the farm and producing the crops, the average farmers real- ized only a $7200 profit. "Agricul- ture can't survive in a situation like that." A larger and larger share of the food dollar is being taken by food processors and distributors, he said. In a $2.89 box of Breton crackers there is three cents worth of wheat, he said. In a period when the price of wheat went down 40 per cent, the price of crackers went up 235 Continued on page 15 Standing room only There weren't enough seats for everyone to sit as nearly 1000 farmers crowded into the Lucknow Community Centre Thursday night to call on governments for aid after the 1992 crop disaster. They went home disappointed, however, as federal and provincial politicians promised to do little more than "listen".