HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-10-30, Page 13Honoured
New Huron County Federation of Agriculture President
Henry Boot, right, presents Morris Twp. farmer Doug
Oarniss with the 1996 award for Outstanding Contribution
to Agriculture at the meeting on Friday night in Seaforth.
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Changing of the guard
Past President of the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture, Steve Thompson, right, passes on the honour
to Henry Boot of Clinton at the meeting in Seaforth on
Friday night.
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1996 PAGE 13.
Huron County Federation of Agriculture
Speaker gives optimistic view of agriculture
The Huron County Federation of
Agriculture has a new face follow-
ing the 1996 annual meeting held
in Seaforth Friday night.
Not only is there a new president
of the federation, with Henry Boot
of Clinton replacing Steve Thomp-
son of Clinton (formerly of Blyth)
but three of the four regional direc-
tors for the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture are new. Beatrice Daw-
son of Hensall, replaces Bob Down
as the representative from Huron
South; Bill Wallace of Seaforth
replaces Jean Kirkby of Walton for
Huron Centre; and Victor Rolland
of Gorrie replaces Will Stafford of
Wroxeter in Huron Northeast. Neil
Vincent of Wingham remains as
the Huron Northwest director.
First vice-president is Pat Down
of Hensall and second vice-presi-
dent is Charles Regele of Dublin.
The meeting also approved a
change in the constitution so that a
director will be elected or appoint-
ed from each of the 16 townships in
the county. Local township direc-
tors include: Tom Pollard, Hullett;
Barry Elliott, East Wawanosh; Bob
Batte, Turnberry and Will Stafford,
Howick. Representatives from
McKillop, West Wawanosh, Morris
and Grey are still being sought.
Directors at large include Ian
Scott of Belgrave, Fred Hern,
Harold Vananken and Bob Down.
Convention delegates elected
were: Huron Northwest, Walter
Elliott and Neil Vincent, and Huron
Owners of Ontario farm property
who are eligible for the 1996 Farm
Tax Rebate Program are starting to
receive either a program applica-
tion or, something new to this
year's program, an express payment
mailer.
Property owners with a valid
1996 Farm Business Registration
number, who have not had a
change to their property status in
the last two years, do not have to
complete an application form this
year. These owners will receive an
"express payment" -- a cheque or
direct deposit based on information
currently on file with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture Food and
Rural Affairs. A notice will be sent
indicating that their rebate will be
-nailed in approximately 10 days
Jr, if the owner has already
-equested it, the rebate will be
leposited directly to the bank
recount noted on file.
Northeast, Will Stafford, Victor
Roland and Doug Garniss; Huron
Central, Jeanne Kirkby, Carol
Leeming, Charles Regele and Bill
Wallace: and Huron south, Bob
Down, Murray Dawson, Brian Pym
and Beatrice Dawson.
Guest speaker Ken Kelly, vice-
president of OFA, brought an opti-
mistic view of agriculture in the
1990s. As someone who was
involved in helping farmers face
the farm debt crisis of the 1980s,
Kelly said "I'm more optimistic
about agriculture today than at any
time in the last 15 years".
A lot of messages to farmers
sound like those of the 1970s,
Kelly said, as farmers are told to
gear up to "feed the world". The
difference, he said, is that growing
economies in Third World coun-
tries mean there is money to buy
food. China's population growth of
3.8 per cent means it creates the
equivalent of three times the Cana-
dian population every year, Kelly
said.
Kelly also predicted biotechnolo-
gy will create opportunities for
farmers with "technologies our
fathers never dreamed of'.
He advised farmers to move with
caution, not repeating the mistakes
of the past, but not to be afraid of
the future.
Kelly said taking advantage of
new technology in communications
requires good telephone lines but
34 per cent of rural residents don't
"As we promised, this year's farm
tax rebate rate remains at 75 per
cent and the program will remain in
place until we have property tax
reform," said Ontario Minister of
Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs Noble Villeneuve. "New
efficiencies introduced in the
program are ensuring that property
owners receive better service at
reduced costs."
Property owners whose informa-
tion has changed over the last two
years will receive a conventional
application form, which requires
information on the farming opera-
tion. The deadline for completing
and submitting the form to
OMAFRA is Dec. 31, 1997.
The Farm Tax Rebate office has
moved to 90 Sheppard Avenue
East, 6th Floor, North York,
Ontario. M2N 6W5. The program
offers a toll-free telephone service
for people who require assistance
have access to a private line. OFA
has been pushing Bell Canada for
better switching equipment to allow
farmers to use fax and computer
modem technologies and the com-
pany has responded. It will mean
the base price of telephone service
will go up, he said, but in the next
20 months thousands more rural
residents will have access to private
lines.
Kelly said one of the issues of
growing importance in the next
decade will be water quality. To
meet the need OFA has hired a
hydrogeologist to support county
federations in their work with local
planning officials.
OFA has also drafted its own
"right to farm" legislation which
has been presented to Noble Vil-
leneuve, minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs in what
Kelly terms "A preemptive strike
on the nice people down in the
'pink palace'."
The proposed bill has two mea-
sures designed to shield farmers
from harassment. There is a formu-
la for compensation that municipal-
ities would have to pay farmers if
they pass a bylaw that takes away a
farmer's ability to make a living
from farming. A second clause in
place in some U.S. states would
make people financially responsi-
ble for damages if they make state-
ments damaging to agriculture
without proof.
Kelly said he was worried that
the combination of municipal amal-
gamation plus the redistribution of
provincial riding boundaries would
weaken the farm voice, and in the
long run, hurt the province. He
urged farmers to work together. "If
farmers don't stand together and
work for others and work through
their Federation there isn't a very
long line of others who will stand
up for farmers."
Doug Garniss of Morris Twp.
was named 1996 winner of the
Huron County Award for Outstand-
ing Contribution to Agriculture.
Seeing the names of previous win-
ners like Gordon Hill, Garniss said
"I feel honoured and out of my
class". He said that as a trustee on
the Huron County Board of Educa-
tion, and a former president of the
Huron County Federation of Agri-
culture, he supported the OFA's
position on reforming property tax
to take education taxes off the local
tax rate.
with completing their applications
or information on the program.
For services in English - call 1-
800-469-2285 (416-326-9900 for
local Toronto calls.) For services in
French - call 1-800-333-9723 (416-
326-9968 for local Toronto calls).
Eligible farm property owners
are encouraged to contact the Mini-
stry's Farm Assistance Programs
Branch at the above numbers if
they have not received either an
application form or an express
payment mailer by Oct. 30.
Rebate grog. offers new service