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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2004-09-15, Page 9Agriculture Huron Eastcouncillors angry . of farmers atprovince's treatment Toronto and they're taking it He suggested that the paying farmers what their out of us day by day," he said. Canadian government needs products are worth at the farm Beaven agreed saying that to stop softwood lumber gate. After attending this year's federal and provincial exports to both the U.S. and "Everytime they announce Assocation of Municipalities funding is not coming to rural Japan if it wants the border to a subsidy, the price farmers of Ontario confernce recently Ontario. reopen to beef. get drops by that amount," he in Toronto, Huron East "For rural Ontario, it's too "Every shipment of said. councillors Joe Steffler and bad, so sad. We've got a softwood lumber goes to Beaven said he began Mark Beaven came home helluva road to climb," he Japan or the U.S. If we buying beef directly from angry at the province's said. stopped sending it, it would farmers this year and will treatment of rural Ontario. Steffler said he wants to see be two weeks before they never buy beef from a "Rural Ontario is getting Ontario's rural municipalities started liking Canadian beef grocery store again. the hell kicked out of it right banding together and "putting again. But, they don't have "I'd rather pay the $200 for now. We have to remember a gun to someone's head" to the courage to do it. It will be electricity to run my freezer that five large urban areas build packing plants to help another year and a half before than pay the packing plants. elected our current Ontario's beef farmers. the border opens if we don't I'm kicking myself that I government," said Steffler at Beaven blamed Japan for do something drastic," he didn't start buying directly council's Sept. 7 meeting. pressuring the United States said. from the farmer 10 years "There is life west of to keep the borders closed to Mayor Joe Seili said urban ago," he said. Canadian beef. consumers need to start By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Editor Local beef farmers feeling helpless and depressed, says stress counsellor By Matt Shurrie Goderich Signal -Star Editor Life has not been easy for George Alton. Fifteen months after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in a northern Alberta breeder cow, Alton, along with many area beef farmers, have found themselves struggling to keep their heads above water. The Dungannon -area feedlot operator said the beef crisis has forced area farmers to make due with what they already have. "You can't buy any new machinery - you just kind of keep patching everything together," Alton said. "We've been selling cattle and we haven't really recouped all of our feed costs so we're going backwards. "We're hopefully going to buy cattle cheaper this fall but only time will tell." Alton said if the border is not reopened soon the trickle down effect from the crisis would shortly be felt throughout rural Ontario. "It'll be noticeable when the cow calf guys and yearling guys (are affected by the losses) and suddenly they're not spending what they normally would on things like trucks or even when it comes to Christmas," Alton said. "All of a sudden you get the small stores short of money and then it really starts to escalate. It takes so long for it to happen before people realize it's a big problem." It is estimated the border closing has cost the Canadian industry and rural communities more than $6 billion. More than 4,200 jobs related to the beef industry have also been lost across the country, Human Resources Development Canada has reported. Farm stress counsellor John Field said Alton's story is not uncommon. In fact, he's heard plenty of personal farm stories since the BSE situation first surfaced in May 2003. "Chronic stress is what I call it," Field said. "You're disgusted and you feel helpless because there's so many things that are beyond your control and when you stay in that for such a long period of time it starts to look like there's no way out and no hope. "It's very discouraging but true to the nature of farming they're showing an amazing resiliency to just pick themselves up and look at what's going right." Field, a St. Marys resident and farm stress counsellor for more • than 15 years, said through all of his conversations with beef farmers there is one constant - the idea that somehow packing companies are turning profits on the backs of Ontario farmers. "There is almost a lack of belief that the consumers haven't had a better break on the prices," Field .said. "It's an overpowering situation and feeling like the packers are going to have their way with the beef producers as well as the consumers." Field said the circumstances have caused "low level depression" among many beef producers - a constant feeling of dejection and disbelief. Compounding the problem, Field said, is a farmer's inability to simply cut ties with his or her heritage. Unlike a factory worker who might see a sharp decrease in wages, farmers are unable to simply find another line of work. "When you've got millions of dollars tied up in an operation you can't quit that job and go somewhere else," Field said. "Whole families work to transition themselves and when they decide they're getting out of the business there's a great deal of grief and a great sense of loss. "Take for example the adult son who has now got to face what's going on with the farm. He's also got to confront his own feelings like he's failed, he's let his father down and he's put the heritage of the family in jeopardy and that's a huge stress on folks. It doesn't matter how old we are - we all want our parents to be proud of us." Field knows first-hand the stresses facing farmers having been called into action in 1998 to help respond to the pork crisis. One year later he became involved with the Farm Line, a crisis response line to help Ontario farmers. "Farming is a very stressful occupation," Field said. "It's rated in the top seven of the most stressful occupations and it's also probably the most under -resourced. "(Since the border closed) farmers have been trying to tough it out but are more affected now by the chronic nature of the ongoing distress. They really have run out of resources and are feeling the pinch." Field can be reached confidentially by calling 519-284-2263 or by c -mail at ejondotcalm@yahoo.com. Huron Beef Producers Association president Glen Walker said it's only a matter of time before area farmers call it quits. "You work on your equity and when your equity is all done - which a lot of guys are finding out right now - then you're gone," Walker said. "Farmers that arc still in the cattle business are diehards and they're going to stay there until the Quoted (Since the border closed) farmers have been trying to tough it out but are more affected now by the chronic nature of ongoing stress,' -- Farm stress counsellor John Field HFA angry ag programs slashed by province Neil Vincent expressed anger and frustration last week - just days after the provincial government continued to slash agriculture programs. "The (provincial) government goes through the budget line by line but they're doing too many studies and not able to make the money available to implement the findings," the Huron County Federation of Agriculture (HCFA) president said. On Aug. 17 the province announced the Beef Improvement Ontario program - a 10 -year agreement providing genetic improvement services to the beef industry - would not be renewed. This followed the July 27 announcement the removal of grants under the miunicipal outlet drainage program and cuts to several important livestock improvement Wolfram. Just days earlier the government announced a $100 -billion provincial infrastructure program. "At the very least, we feel farmers deserve respect by our elected representatives," wrote Rick Robson, president of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture (BCFA) in a press release. In another "surprise announcement," Ontario Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) learned all financial support from the provincial government for DHI programs would be eliminated, effective immediately, BCFA directors said. Funding for ,the Ontario Swine Improvement Inc. was also cut. "I don't think we're getting a fair shake for rural and small towns," Vincent said. "Fanners (are experiencing) feelings of desperation and are being ignored." equity's gone. "What I see right now is guys in trouble just because they don't have any equity left." Walker said it's hard for the general public to understand the severity of the situation because the government continues to create a false sense of hope through subsidies and beef prices at the grocery store. "The sad part of it is the people in town do not realize that we have a problem because they still go to thc grocery store and their steak is still worth $12 a pound," Walker said. "They think the farmer's getting too much money now and they're driving new pickup trucks. Well, that's not thc case. "Sure, some people are driving new pickup trucks and they've got new tractors but they've got payments. It looks good on paper but it's not that way. THE HURON EXPOSITOR, $ pt. 15, 20049 Life is Local. Get local news, sports & more 52 weeks a year. Fall Sale ends Friday. See our ad on page 7. Stop Smon GVAIANrEEDI,I ...or it's FREEI Tried everything and failed? X Smokers works or it's FREE! With our 94 percent graduation rate, you've nothing to lose. You'll quit or it's FREE! 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