Huron Expositor, 2007-12-19, Page 10Page 10 The Huron Expositor • December 19, 2007
News
Recent announcement of provincial aid to struggling
farmers appreciated but might not go far enough
Ben Forrest culty with that," he said. "When you
Recent funding intended to aid
struggling pork, beef and horticul-
ture producers is appreciated, but
may not go far enough; according to
some local farmers.
"We're still thankful,"
said Les Falconer, a
cattle farmer and
Huron East councillor
from the Vanastra
area. "Every little bit
helps, it's just how far
is it going to go? We're
not sure."
The Ontario govern-
ment announced $150
million in funds on
Dec. 14, an attempt to
offset losses due to the
high Canadian dollar
local cattle armer
and low market prices.
Roughly $100 million
will go to pork and beef producers,
while $30 million will go to those
involved in horticulture, according
to a government press release.
The remaining $20 million is ear-
marked for initiatives aimed at "cre-
ating a more sustainable future for
the sector," the release states.
In order to be eligible, however,
producers must have at least half of
their total commodity sales from
cattle, hogs or horticulture.
This concerns Huron County
Federation of Agriculture President
Steve Thompson, who said Monday
many could miss out.
"There's going to be a lot of diffi-
have a flat 50 per cent cut rate ...
people who barely qualify get all the
money and people who barely don't
qualify get nothing."
It is a quandary that will cause
significant problems for
sectors who have been
devastated of late, he
suggested.
Some hog farmers
are reporting losses of
$35-$50 per animal,
and beef producers
have said their current
situation is worse than
was endured during
the BSE crisis of 2003.
"I'm not just too sure
$150 million from the
Les Falconer, province is going to
1 1 f solve too many long-
}
term fundamental
(problems)," he said.
Falconer reports that beef cattle
prices dropped significantly during
the fall months, something that
may push older farmers out of the
beef industry, and perhaps into
retirement.
"These farmers lost a lot of equity
in '03, and now we're in '07 and it's
happening to them again," he said.
"They're not going to do it again.
They're going to pack (it) in."
Thompson and Falconer each
believe annual government subsi-
dies rather than occasional pay-
ments are needed in order to correct
the plight of Ontario farmers.
Thompson stressed the impor-
tance of the premium -based Risk
`Every little bit
helps, it's just
how far is it
going to go?
We're not
sure,' --
9//c\ reae<EUctvildalav awl�
MANICUII
Management Program (RMP),
which he believes would put
Ontario producers on more even
footing with their American coun-
terparts.
Falconer seeks per -animal subsi-
dies for livestock producers, similar
to those offered in Quebec.
Such farmers know up front they
can expect a certain income, where
Ontario farmers lack that security,
he suggested.
There is a joke among Ontario
farmers, he said: farmers elsewhere
know what they will make.
"We know...that it's going to be
better next year. ,That's been going
on for 15 years, and that next year
hasn't come."
Scrooge a very contemporary
story says local minister
From Page 3
very contemporary
story that this was a
"terrible" innovation
that Ebenezer Scrooge
was going to have to
pay Bob Cratchit not to
work.
"Everything you see
in the Cratchit's
Christmas was a result
of Victoria," says
Gould. "It's very
strange that one per-
son could do that."
He says the other
great tradition that
came out of the
Victorian era was the
ghost story. Dickens' A
Christmas Carol is one
of those.
"There's a message to
it," he says. "It talked
about sharing and love
and community. Both
Victoria and Charles
Dickens were interest-
ed in that."
Gould says Dickens'
series of Christmas sto-
ries all revolve around
ghosts and the idea of
"goodwill toward every-
one."
Gould has always
found it strange that
Dickens helped popu-
larize Christmas tradi-
tions through his ghost
stories.
Dickens cemented
much of what Victoria
was trying to do.
"The two of them
together, Dickens
because he was a very
famous novelist and
Victoria because she
was a queen, they were
both trend setters."
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