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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgriculture 2002, 2002-03-13, Page 8"S,atttte J,a apicattwte" 0a7/iely CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT 306 Josephine St., Box 300 Wingham ON NOG 2W0 Phone: (519) 357-1522 Fax: (519) 357-1551 Website: www.reidca.on.ca B.W. REID, C.A. - R.M. TAYLOR, C.A. - RRSP & RRIF Planning - Efiling Tax Returns available now - Professional Services for over 25 years EDGAR'S (Amberley Rd. 86) 3 Miles W. Wingham 4 PAGE A-8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002. Agriculture 2002 Old McDonald doesn't farm in Huron terhouse to provide the producer with both accurate information and proper recompense for the quality of the carcass. The question of intensive livestock operations is not one for the farm community alone. Debate rages around issues ranging from its effects on the social fabric to the economic and environmental conse- quences. The economy of Huron County is built around farming, tourism and industry. Scott Tousaw, senior plan- ner for Huron County commented everyone "must recognize there are interrelationships between all three areas." The county's report on intensive livestock operations notes that the area's tourism industry "has impor- tant ties to Lake Huron." The fact that area beaches are often posted for not meeting water quality guidelines could begin to have an economic_ impact on tourism. Although the sources of the con- tamination include urban sewage and inadequate septic systems, farm practices play a significant part in the problem. A more significant problem is ground water contamination. The majority of Huron's residents depend on ground water for domes: tic consumption. Past studies .have indicated that area wells suffer from high levels of contamination. The cause of this may come from a variety of sources but as the recent tragedy in Walkerton proved, increased vigi- lance on everyone's part is a fact of modern rural life. Some have been quick to lay these problems at the farmer's door. - However, the county's report on intensive livestock operations notes that local farmers lead all others in participating in, and completing Ontario Environmental Farm Plans. The social consequences of the new farm economy are more diffi- cult to document. Neil McGavin, a farm equipment dealer laments the fact that farmers no longer have time to talk. Continued on A-9 Getting bigger Every farmer has heard that phrase said in the local coffee shop and now more than ever, it may just be coming true. A recent study by the Huron County Planning Department indicates, that the rural farm population has fallen while the size of farms is increasing. (David Blaney photo) By David Blaney Citizen staff Old McDonald doesn't farm in Huron County any more. If he did his operation would probably be called MacDonald Agribiz Inc. and he would hire herd managers, not farmhands. A recently study by the Huron County Planning and Development Department has confirmed popular wisdom. Farms are getting bigger and the number of farmers is getting smaller. The report came out of a series of meetings held at the beginning of 2001. The meetings were part of a study of the issues arising from intensive livestock operations (ILOs) and the need for better manure management. Groups ranging from local munic- ipalities, the Huron County Health Unit, OMAFRA, Huron Tourism Association, the Federation of Agriculture and PROTECT, a local environmental coalition, took part. As well, public forums were held to provide input from individuals. The information arising from the meetings and associated research reveals a dramatically changed human and agricultural landscape in Huron County. Since 1961 the num- ber of farms in the county dropped 38 per cent to 3150 farms in 1996. The figure of 3150 farms must also be considered in the light of the fact that the 1996 farm census lists only 2348 that had sales of over $2500. During the same period the aver- age farm size increased 1.5 times from 151 acres to 233 acres. Despite the increase in average size the actu- al farm acreage dropped from 765,134 to .733,924. In the 45 years from 1951 to 1996 the county's farm population decreased from 46 per cent of the total population to 18 per cent. The rural non-farm population has replaced most of the decrease in the farming community. This rural non-farm segment has been growing faster than the urban proportion of the population. In real numbers, the study suggests Huron's 1996 rural farm population decreased to 10,610 from 22,754 only 45 years earlier. During the same period the urban population rose from 14,788 to 24,317 and the rural non-farm population rose from 11,738 to 25,293. During the last 50 years agricul- ture has moved in the direction of a specialized and more intensive style of operations. This industrialization of farming, the move to 'factory farms', has been significantly influ- enced by the cost/price squeeze fac- ing farmers. The return on an indi- vidual unit of livestock is dropping and to survive larger and larger oper- ations become necessary. This produces a need for increased capitalization and this in turn leaves the small operator at a disadvantage. When referring to the cost of a large modern livestock barn Brad Knight, former clerk of Grey Twp comment- ed, "Its quite a jump for the 100 acre family farmer to commit to that type of capital." Two 1995 articles in Agri-Food Research in Ontario provide some startling figures. In the 40 years after 1951 the number of Ontario dairy farmers dropped from 40,000 to 9,757. During the same period the number of pork producers fell from 93,564 to 8,940. Economics is not the only factor at work but it has a considerable impact on the process. This trend towards intensive live- stock operations shows no signs of slowing down. A study, of building permits issued between 1996 and 2000 shows that a new livestock barn for cattle, pigs or poultry came into production ever 10 days on average in Huron County. These barns typically have four or five times the number of animals per building than an average barn in 1996. The number of hogs marketed per producer rose by over 80 per cent between 1996 and 1999. Hog pro- duction rose 54 per cent while the number of producers dropped by 15 per cent. Livestock is not spread evenly over the whole county. According to the 1996 farm census Grey and Howick Twps. have a livestock den- sity three times greater than Hay. The figures for building permits issued for large barns indicates that during the last few years the density of large farm operations steadily increased in Grey and Howick as well as McKillop Twps. This may be changing. Knight commented in reference to location, "a lot of it was economics - as land prices have gone up the building activity seems to be mov- ing." The new farm practices are not solely the result of economics. Advances in science and technology have allowed the farmer to expand his operations. Neil McGavin, a farm machinery dealer, comments that modern equipment allows the farmer to crop more land with less physical effort. He says they are using everything from computers and global position systems to increase their yields and reduce the chance of loss. He also speculates about the effect size and technology might have on some of the sectors of the farm econ- omy. He wondered about the future of the mill industry as more farmers are putting up grain bins and mixing their own feed. Ross Procter, a retired fanner who has been involved in the poultry, swine and cattle industry is more sanguine about the changes in farm- ing. He feels that scientific and tech- nological advances have allowed farmers to better respond to con- sumer desires. Some livestock farmers are spe- cializing in feeding stock for the commercial market. Others engage in breeding programs to produce the stock for those commercial market suppliers. Procter notes that livestock pro- ducers have come to appreciate the benefits that hybridization can pro- vide, improving as it does traits that can't be selected for. He says "farmers are not being paid for the quality of the carcass." "You can produce good quality but only get paid the average." He foresees a time when technolo- gy will allow each beast to be traced from 'cradle to grave'. 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