Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-09-04, Page 25See corn processing facilities Times -Advocate, September 4, 1985 Page 13A Vegetable boated members tour area feietory, farm More than 50 directors of the On- tario Vegetable Growers Marketing Board enjoyed a tour Friday of the Canadian Canners plant in Exeter and Strathroy Foods in Strathroy. The tour actually began for registration at the Usborne township farm of area director Harry Dougall and concluded at the same spot with a barbecue. With the harvesting of sweet corn in full swing, the Exeter plant tour covered the corn processing from beginning to end. Speaking to the visitors on behalf of Canadian Canners were Cec Fin- nemore from the Hamilton office and Exeter plant manager Joe Rider. Sweet corn used for canning and freezing has been under an organiz- ed marketing plan in Ontario since 1945 when 81 per cent of the growers voted to include sweet corn under a marketing plan. Sweet corn sold for processing is located in the southern area of On- tario. Records indicate that in. 1946 CAN CROP TOUR - Directors of the Ontario Vegrtdble Growers Marketing Board enjoyed a tour of canning factories in Exeter and Strathroy, Thursday. Area directors shown checking the program are Hairy Dougall, Murray Keyes, John Oke, Keith Strang and Bill Denham. T -A photo Mit ars -;,• oc,ated t» Sob r,ottor. fide* Aa ftmaa.. 0nt.. N7B 2t 1 Critics oI the Canadian psyche say that ('andians have a lot going for them. We are hard-working, serious• trusting and trustworthy..But we lack a sense of humor. Worse. we have difficulty laughing at ourselves. We take ourselves too seriously and come across as dour bores, people you would trust to baby- sit and even to sit with your baby. Which, when you examine it, makes us a stodgy, uninteresting bunch of sour grapes. One woman who is successfully iisspelling that myth is a former ci- y girl living on a hog farm near 'eeswater. Gisele Ireland has ublished three books and is hard at ork on a fourth• a children's story ie hopes to have ready h}• hristmas. Her latest effort is another hilarious election of columns -- plus a great al of new material -- originaly car- ed in the Rural Voice and in the •estern Ontario Farmer. Those who link Canadians are humorless could spend a delightful hour lading Hog Wild. Gisele's first book was called The armer .'fakes a Wife. It resulted •om a survey on farm stress done by ie Concerned Farm Women of Bruce aunty. Iler second effort was Bumps r Your ('overalls wherein she took ar first hesitant step at publishing .r columns. !log Wild. a terrific se- a& to Bumps in Your Coveralls, ;tablishes Gisele among the top To umor writers in this country. When Canadians are asked about Writers oI humor• they point with pride to Stephen Leacock and an. hard-pressed to add another name. Leacock -- and we can be proud of him -- has been dead since 1944. Who else is widely known." Gisele Ireland may not have the subtle art of satire honed to Leacock's perfection but she sure can blend her experiences as- a_ city girl turned farm -wife into an hilarious collection of essays on farm life. motherhood. wifehood and just -plain living. She can laugh at herself and do it -in a way to endear her experiences -to the reader. She can poke fun at others without stripping them of their digni- ty. She can bring a thousand chuckles and a few real belly laughs in a little more than 100 pages of wit and whimsy. What adds to the fun of reading Gisele's hooks are the illustrations. Kristina Maus of Cargill has col- laborated with Gisele right from the start and Kris's cartoon -like sketches brighten the pages of all three hooks. The writing began only a few years ago and Gisele maintains that "writing is the easy part". She is com- mitted to self -publishing. selling and promoting her own books. In seven weeks last year, she sold 2,001 copies. In Canada' a best-selling book needs only to hit the 5.000 mark. Bumps in Your Coveralls has hit (he 8,001 mark se Gisele is a best-selling writer. But her success has not gone to her head. She is just an unassum- ing and self-effacing, as bubbly and full of humor in person as she is in her books. She does not take herself seriously as the. bhrrb on the back of -the book illustrates: Super Wrench t Mr. G*Ie Ireland ) waffles between a state of outrage and resignation as his city - born wife bungles through her vershm of farming. Super Wrench gets all wound up in barbed wire, has to ex- plain the unexpected nudity of his wife to a machinery salesman and does some fast talking to the fire brigade after she sets the grain field on fire. Hog Wild is an absolutely delightful romp through rural Ontario and .()ii can order it from Gisele Ireland. 'feeswater. Ont., NOG 2S0. It will on- ly cost you $9 and is worth double that. tI there were nearly 2,000 growers of sweet corn in the province with pro- duction on approximately 20,000 acres giving an average yield of three tons per acre, Increased technology, research and growth for nearly 40 years has seen a decline in numbers of growers to 485 farming 38,000 acres with average yields in excess of five tons per acre. The sweet corn export program has been a reality in Ontario since 1978. This export program came as a recommendation to the 1978 negotiating committee from a Task Force made up of three processors - representatives and two grower representatives under the chairman- ship of a representative from the On- tario government. The program involves annual negotiation of two prices for sweet corn -- one price for•>sorn sold domestically and one price for corn sold in export markets. The dif- ference orrssead between the export and domes -ITC -price is a matter for an- nual negotiation and depends upon market conditions known in February. Traditionally, the export price has been approximately $10 per ton less than the domestic price.' The Task Force had considered a number of alternatives prior to mak- ing a decision on the present system. Key advantages in favour of the pre- sent system. Key advantages in favour of the present system were the relative ease of administration and verification inherent in the system along with the fact that the growers who subsidize exports are likely to be the same people who would benefit from growth in the export market. • The program to date is judged to be a success from the, point of view of both producers and processors. In 1977 acreage of sweet corn dropped to a level of 31,544 acres but since that time acreage has been•increasing and in 1984 reached a level of 38,407 con- tract acres. , Originally there were predominant- ly three processors involved in the ex- port market. Since 1979 virtually all of the major processing companies took advantage of the export program. • The export program was seen as an innovative and aggressive move to capture/ and expand markets. Through co-operation and the efforts of processors, government and growers working together, the sweet corn export program has progressed to benefit all aspects of the industry. Canned Food Council president Frank Dennis reported a successful pilot project in the London area to in- crease consumer awareness of cann- ed vegetables. Spurred on by the initial results ot a first phase media blitz this past spring, a second phase will be attemp- ted this month which hopefully will lead to national exposure in 1987. The Canned Food council was form- ed in 1984 after steady declines of two to three percent a year in the canned vegetable market threatened the pro- cessing industry. The council is made up of representatives from growers, processors, suppliers of cans and the provincial and federal governments. Dennis said London was chosen as the test market because it is a tradi- tional area for this type of survey. Previous market research had shown consumers were mainly con- cerned that canned vegetables were not current and that fresh vegetables were better for consumption. Before the media blitz of 400 Lon- don consumers contacted only 10 per- cent felt canned vegetables were as nutritious as the fresh product and 93 percent thought canned vegetables contained additives. After the campaign which cost almost $500,000 another 400 con- sumers replied with an increase to 17 percent on the nutritious value and a drop to 88 percent on the additive issue. About additives, Dennis com- mented, "if salt is considered an ad- ditive then we do use one. But, that is all that is added. The additives is one misconception we are trying to over- come. We do have a long way to go to change the minds of consumers." He continued, "While increased sal- es were not a primary objective of our campaigns, sales of , canned vegetables went up 20 percent in the London area and seven .percent across the province." During the Strathroy stop. Saul Stolovich director of export sales for the Canadian Food Processors Association explained what the Cana- dian Processed food association is do- ing to attract international markets. Processed foods account for $4 billion in production a year making them the third largest sector ot TOUR CANNERS PLANT — Ontario Vegetable Growers Marketing Board members enjoyed a tour of the Exeter plant of Canadian Canners Thursday. From the left are Doug Fluke, chairman of the vegetable board, Cec Fennemoreof Canadian Canners in Hamilton, Exeter plant manager Joe Rider and Huron - Perth growers director Harry Dougall. T -A photo Looking for a Used Tractor Come see or call about our recent Trade-ins which are reconditioned and field ready Canada's $36 billion food and beverage industry. The international division was formed in 1984 after tocxl processors realized the effect of a ►declining domestic market and increasing com- petition from foreign markets. In 1984. Canada exported about $247 million worth of processed foods while importing about $520 million. That two -to -one ratio -of imports to exports has been static for the past three years. Stolovich said the purpose of the in ternational division is to find access to new international markets, in- crease volume and reduce variable costs by new technology. %TIMM, 'R VrJ1Is TROY-BILT Tillers Biggest Savings Plus Dealer Bonus! 011.01. 0; ; l; 8 HP Kohler Pro 6 HP Horse 3'. HP Junior s 135 Bonus Savings 7io$100 Bonus Savings 7o $75 Bonus Savings $50 Bonus Savings • Immediate Delivery! • Factory -trained service! • "Test Drive" before you buy! Available at your authorized TROY-BILT Dealer! u HURON TRACTOR EXETER 235-1115 Agents For Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board - We Are Capable 1 - Case 2590 low hours 2 - Case 1370 1 - Case 1070 1 - M.F. 1 135 2 - Case' 970 1 - Case 1190 low hours 1 - Case 880 Fast Efficient .Serl'Ice 3 Pits - Modern /. 47( 71' 11L•:\"1• 1 EK) KONGSKuLOEComplete Inventory of Kongskilde Plow Parts in stock LacsLirav FARM SUPPLY LIMITED Solos and Service - Repair Phone 236-4934, 236-4321 Sox 39, 22 Main St. E. Zurich Ont. DEUTZ FAHR MIR R( :SI \ LS ' /.S (111.1 TL I1 11)' -IPPR! (I.•lTL'D. If"L' If71.1, STR11"ET() .11.-1.8'1;1117.1:' .IS II'E11/11'EIX' THF. P•1ST. IF WE CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE - CALL ( 519) 232-4449 (519) 282-4447 24 HOURS SERVICE mxvtn Ontario, Canada NOM 1/10 1