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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-10-01, Page 291 IN SHERWOOD FOREST — Ken Robb and most of his grandchildren provided a Sherwood Forest theme in Saturday's Ilderton Fair parade. T -A photo Myths take a long time to dispels. Traditions take generations to die. Canadians in the big cities still pic- ture farmers as slow -thinking, slow - talking rubes who stroll through the barnyard in rubber boots. They see a straw hat, plaid shirt and bib overalls and a couple of pails of food with which to slop the hogs. And those asinine television shows such a Fun- ny Farm and Hee-Haw do nothing but add to the stupid myth. If those television shows depicted an ethnic group in as disparaging a manner as farmers, they would be off the air in one week. The mythical picture is so far from the truth that real farmers cannot be bothered to ,Letute' if. •- ' Hogs are no longer fed slop, for in- stance. Hogs are on a diet these days that is probably better for them than the diet most humans eat. Certainly, hogs do not eat junk food. It is my belief -- and I'm sure statistics would confirm it -- that farmers have adopted technology quicker and better than most citified factory workers. Milk Production has become so sophisticated that the management of a herd takes the wisdom of Solomon and the hunches of a professional gambler to be successful. Perhaps, to prove my point, !could concentrate on one area of the rural scene to help urbanites understand how agriculture has changed in the past 30 years from the laid -hack bucolic scene to one of bottom -lines and technological excellence. The Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, the Ontario Milk Marketing Board, the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board and the Canadian Cattlemen's Association are just four organiza- tions which spend mega -bucks in advertising and promotion of farm product. Until the last generation, farmers concentrated solely on production. What happened to the product after it left the farm gate was somebody else's problem. Not so now. The Canadian Egg Marketing Agency with its (yet ('rackin' slogan will spend more than $2 million this year. The Ontario egg board will aug- ment that with another_ $1.3 million on behalf of Ontario's tux) egg producers. When your child comes from the television room with visions of eggs in his head, you'll know that the cam- paign has been successful, especial- ly if swimmer Alex Baumann is.men- tioned by the little one. Probably the biggest believer in advertising and promotion, if money is any yardstick, is the milk marketing .board. Its total bill last year for promotion and advertising was a whopping $12.25 million. Since the board was formed more than 20 years ago, a big part of its budget went into promotion and more each year has been funneled in that direction. What's at stake here, of course, is yearly retail milk sales of almost $1 billion in Ontario alone. Until tt$•ee years digo, the beef pro- ' ducers spent little on advertising. AGRI-WEEK SET The annual celebration of Agri - Food Week has been set for October 6 to 13 this year. The purpose of the week is to help bring a greater awareness and ap- preciation of the importance of farm- ing and related industries in the Province. It is also aimed at encouraging con- sumers to purchase Ontario agricultural'products with the promo- tion of this year's Agri -Food Week slogan - "Buy the Food your Neighbour Grows". Agriculture and Food Minister, Jack Riddell, noted that between 130,000 and 150,000 people work on On- tario farms, with many thousands more employed in processing, packaging, transporting and selling the products. "That makes it an ex- tremely important industry in this Province," Riddell said. "Agri -Food Week is a good time for all of us to remember the contributions that our farmers and others working in the in- dustry make to our quality of life and to the economy." In relation to other counties in On- tario, Huron County has the largest acreage of improved farm land. Agri -Food Week is sponsored by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Richard Hamilton Rural Organization Specialist • rq. • • • paysoft n e ergy savings • • soils require less horsepower to work and smaller equipment operates with greater heel efficiency when excess water does not have to be moved during field operations In fcx:t. It hos been shown that the cost of drainage protects con often be recouped very quickly in fuel savings and owe! (c )I litni investment in equipment • 4' .; U • irolh drainage FARM DRAINAGE SYSTEMS LIMITED 58.2818 Gads Hill, Ontario NOK 1JO CP • • Beef consumption in Canada decreas- ed from 118.4 pounds a year per per- son to 92.8 pounds. The signs were on the screen: Get going with beef. Pro- ducers will spend $3 million this year to reverse the trend. Finally, the hog producers. Although consumption has remained steady for more than 30 years at about 60 pounds per person per year, putting pork on your fork will cost about $1 million this year. The board spent much on television for a few years -- and they were excellent advertisements -- but the decision was made to channel the one million dollars into print advertising. All these campaigns and all this mbney • comes' ft'om -'the 'farni organizations. They are competing with other promoters and they have learned a lesson. If Coke is it and Blue smiles along with you, then get crackin' by giving. the job to milk. Times -Advocate, October 1, 1986 Pogo 13A Four Huron glowers take top IPM awards Four young Huron Pbwmea were the recipients of same of the top awards at the International Plowing Match (IPM) held last week in Stirl- ing, near Beltsville. Ten plowmen representing the County, plus Queen of the Furrow, 18 -year-old Lori Car Mu, of RR 1 Varna, took part in the competition, which attracted a total of ?a Paul Dodd, 19, of RR 1 Seaforth won the Junior Champions Tractor Plowman trophy and qualified to compete in the Canadian Junior Championship lowing contest to be held in Quebec in 1987. Dodds also received $300 and a trophy for winn- ing the two -furrow class for con- testants aged 16 to 19. Dodds, sea of Don and Maja Dodds, is presently a first-year student at the University of Guelph and studying agriculture using the two-year scholarship he won at the IPM last fall. Jeff McGavin, son of Marie and Neil McGavin of RR 4 Walton, also had an excellent week at the IPM, bringing home the Reserve Junior Champions Award. McGavin will Grossman airs plans In a speech to the Canadian Agri - Marketing Association, Opposition Leader Larry Grossman called for a Family Farm Security Act to protect the incomes of hard pressed farmers. "High borrowing costs, European subsidies and the U.S. Farm Bill have demonstrated the need for immediate action," said Grossman. The proposals increase the price supports Ontario farmers receive for certain commodities and at the same time encourage property owners to retain marginal agricultural land as wetlands, or use it for reforestation or soil improvement. "The proposals would allow agricultural land to remain in reserve until a time when increased demand would allow a return to production without government intervention," said Grossman. "Ontario farmers must have thi'new support program until the 1992-94 period, when then, some sanity could be restored to in- ternational trade in food." Grossman also called for the Pro- vince's small and medium business programs to encourage start-ups in rural communities noting that most farmers require income from off- -, farm sources. "At a time Wharf the fartn ittdibitry is in crisis, the Liberal government has not only failed to develop- new agricultural initiatives, but has not kept up with agricultural budget in- creases in competitive provinces", said Grossman. — In Quebec in 1967 in the event Dodds isolable to attend. For winn- ing bis class McGavin received $200. Two other Huron youths won two- year Onario•Piowmen's Association Scholarships worth 12500 each. The schorlarsbips will allow William Fotheringham, 17, son of Bob and Mary Fotheringham of RR 4 Seaforth, and Murray Townsend, 15, seta of George and Ruth Townsend of RR 4 Seaforth, the opportunity to study for two years at the Ontario Col- lege of Agriculture Technology of , their choice, or the University of Guelph. The scholarships are offered to two IPM contestants, who have not previously won the award and finish with the most points in their division. The Huron County Plowing Match was postponed due to wet conditions, but is rescheduled for Friday, Oc- tober 3 and Saturday, October 4 at Murray Cardiff's farm near Brussels. TOP ILDERTON FAIR CALF — The Ilderton Fair Scramble Calf win- ner was exhibited by Brad Scott and was sold to Les's Country Meats for $2.40 a pound. T -A photo CUSTOM CIDER PRESSING Now Available Have your apples turned into sweet apple cider!! PHONE: 565-2122 FOR AN APPOINTMENT ouzon- • - c�itc� e Slczes DAVID STECKLE and FAMILY RR2. ZURICH PHONE:565-2122 11/1 MILES WEST OF ZURICH -THEN 31/2 MILES NORTH Open Evenings 'till dusk - Saturday 'till 5 - Closed Sunday o V. .b k(0), Al% ti IP ti toN HARVEST OF VALUES Family Size Home -Line Microwave Oven • 1 cu. ft. size • 10 power levels • Auto defrost • Soft touch Control pone) Save '50.00 (not exactly as Illustrated) $29000 Freezer Promotion 15 cu. ft. 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