The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-12-16, Page 10Page 10 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, December 16, 2009 County Council supports changes to agricultural risk management __ChervLHeat h signal -star publishing Huron County councillors are throwing their support behind a grassroots -style lobby- ing effort to get much-needed changes made to the ag industry's Business Risk Manage- ment Program (BRMP). Wayne Black, president of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, came out to the county's committee -of -the -whole ses- sion Dec. 9, to make a plea for council's sup- port in a unified farm group effort to also get the federal government on board with the BRMP that the Province of Ontario has been supporting for several years. In noting farm -commodity groups have re- cently joined forces' in an effort to be heard at the provincial and federal government levels, If you have an electricity - guzzling fridge that's fifteen years old or more, you can get rid of it the easy way. Just make an appointment with us. We'll come into your home, take it away for free* and recycle it in an environmentally friendly manner. You'll save between $120 $150 per year in electricity y ,� Book online today at everykilowattcounts.ca or call 1-877-797-9473 Gon1RIcu HYDRO *'Fridges and freezers must be et feat tS f iin d. itt t tween 10-21 cube feet. Banded by the Ontario Power Authority "tittered by GODERICH HYDRO OM Official thanks of the Ontario Power Authority. t'Trademark of OO1)ER1C4 HYDRO. Black says it is imperative the Government of Canada finally ante up with its 60 per cent share to et'sure BRMP continues to assist farmers when help is most needed. Black also notes the unified Ontario Ag- riculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC), which consists of a large number of com- modity groups with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture as the lead, also seeks adjust- ments to the AgriStability program and to the calculation of reference margins to account for low -to -negative margins. "My request is for Huron County to sup- port the OASC and speak about it at the Rural Ontario Municipalities' Association (ROMA) conference this coming February. I am also hoping for support from Huron County Council in seeking support from South West Economic Alliance (SWEA)." Black's presentation proved to earn a warm reception in council chambers as Larry Ad- ams, the county's Chief Administrative Offi- cer, asked Black to meet with county staff so the two groups can work together to come up with ideas on the best course of action to ad- dress farmers' needs. Meanwhile, Coun. Deb Shewfelt (Goder- ich) praised the OFA and commodity groups for joining forces. Further, he says, agriculture is now the No. 1 industry in the county and it has proven vital in keeping the county buoy- ant. Indeed, statistics show that the farmgate sales of only the main commodities in Huron County in 2007 rang in at $710 million. Shewfelt went on to suggest sending a mo- tion asking MPP Carol Mitchell and MP Ben Lobb to support the RMP requests. It was a motion that earned the support of fellow councillors. "To go as one I think it's a great idea," says Coun. Joseph Seili (Huron East). County Warden Bert Dykstra (Central Huron) agrees making a presentation to the ROMA might aid the cause while the county CAO also suggests going one step further to ask for a special meeting with agriculture ministers at the federal and provincial levels. County councillors agreed to pass along a resolution in support of farm group efforts to the SWEA and to ROMA and the Good Roads convention. Coun. Ken Oke (South Huron) also took time out to congratulate commodity groups on working together. "SWEA can't do anything if everything is fragmented," he said. itintiMirVE Learn to Drive and Feel Confident For Year Round Driving With DOMINION DRIVER TRAINING CHECK OUT OUR WINTER' SPECIAL Hosting Class at The Betty Cardno Centre Highway #8 West of Clinton Other 4 - Daffy Course Starts Dec. 21st, 22nd, 23rd & 24th Check Out the Web Page for Feb. CHSS & GDCI & March Courses www.dominiondrivertraining.on.ca Cali Carol 527-1891 Or Head Office Stratford 1400-6653027 We Also Do Refresher Lessons For Your G2 & G Road Test Photo by Denny Scott GDCI gets Canned! Students from GDCI sort cans that they gathered through their annual Canned Food Drive, held on Tuesday, December 8. The drive gathered eight pick-up truck -loads of food for the Huron County Christmas Bureau.