HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-10-29, Page 22Page 6A
Times -Advocate, October 29, 1986
BECKER DRAW WINNERS — Doug Stephan, Anne Roelands, Mike Pickering, Ian Brebner, George Sereda
and Mike Glavin were winners in the draw held at Thursday's October -Best Festivities sponsored by
Becker Farm Equipment.
Most people have a tough time
working up much sympathy for the
troubled tobacco farmers in Canada.
The odds against them staying in
business are too great.
Furthermore, taxpayers would
simply not stand for a subsidy which
would keep them in business, grow-
ing a crop that is now known and ac-
cepted as a killer around the world.
In addition, tobacco farmers have
been accused of being a defiant, ar-
rogant bunch who have had boom
years in the business and who refus-
ed to see the writing on the wall.
They have recently asked federal
and provincial governments for $250
million to help them get established
in another line of' farming. Jim
Romahn, one of Canada's most
authoritative farm writers at the
Kitchener -Waterloo Record, says
tobacco farmers used the clout of
their marketing board to extract
higher prices from consumers.
They've had decades of glorious pro -
National 4-H
week is set
Federal Minister of Agriculture
John Wise has proclaimed November
10 through 16 as National 4-H Week
1986, bringing to public attention the
extensive and exceptional work of the
4-H organization across Canada to-
day, - and Canada's major grocery
chains will be joining the salute?
From its early days as a purely
agriculture -centred youth club, Cana-
dian 4-11 has evolved into a
sophisticated program promoting
responsible citizenship, leadership,
social awareness and independence,
while stillmaintaining the basic con-
cept of "learning to do by doing". At
the community level, thousands of
leaders share time and expertise in
supervising local 4-H groups in skill -
developing projects and activities. At
the national level, largely thanks to
corporate sponsors, 441 achievers
continue to learn and grow, travelling
to workshops, conferences, camps
and on youth exchanges in Canada
and abroad and vying for valuable
scholarships.
In keeping with the increasing
community -mindedness of Canadian
business, for the first time this year
more than a dozen major grocery
chains from coast to coast will be
saluting the work of Canadian 4-11 in
grocery ads during National 4-H,
week. Given the link between
Canada's agricultural community
and the food business, it seems fitting
that (his sector join others in
recognizing the contribution 4-11 has
made to Canadian youth.
National 4-11 Week highlights the
unique opportunity 4-11 repreasents
today for young people growing up in
our rural communities to develop
their potential. These young people
will someday thread their way
through the entire fabric of our socie-
ty in rural, urban and suburban set-
tings. Thanks to 4-11, to these young
('anadians, learning and doing will
have become second nature.
For further information, please
contact :
Mrs. Betsy Clarke,
Executive Director,
('anadian 4-11 Council
411 Roosevelt Avenue, Suite 301,
Ottawa, Ontario
K2A 3X9
BRANDY POINT_
FARMS
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our buyers with proven genetics
from the top 3°° animals tested
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KURT KELLER
R.R. 1, Mitchell, Ont.
519-348-8043
ra
fits. They were, he says, unwilling to
consider alternatives when they had
prosperity, time and an abundance of
opportunities.
"Let them build Suzukis and grow
Christmas trees, he says -- get jobs in
auto plants and get out of tobacco.
I cannot go that far. I remember in
the late '40s and early '50s when
tobacco growers were in deep trouble.
The big tobacco companies played
each farmer against the other. They
had all kinds of ways to get cheaper
prices when they bought the crop. I
can personally remember one tobac-
co farmer who was told that the only
way he would get top dollar for this
crop was to send his attractive
daughter to the buyer's hotel room.
That's the kind of mess they were
dealing with when they formed their
marketing board.
Can you blame them for jealously
guarding their hard-won rights?
Hindsight is always 20-20. Tobacco
farmers 10 years ago would never
have believed what has happened. I
was in a room where more than 50
people were gathered for a cocktail
party recently. The non-smokers far
outnumbers the smokers and the
smokers were huddled in a little,
defensive group near the door, fewer
than a dozen of them. Ten years ago,
the opposite would have been seen.
Ten years ago, there were more
than 2,300 tobacco growers in Ontario.
By 1985, that figure had dropped to
1,800 and another 400 are expected to
be out of production in this year's
statistics.
So the industry is doing something.
It is hard to tell anyone who is doing
well to look down the road. They
simply do not do it, especially the
eternally optimistic farmers of
Canada.
One side of the tobacco controvery
that seems to get forgotten is this.
Tobacco farmers keep your taxes
down.
It is estimated that federal and pro-
vincal governments collected more
than $3 billion from tobacco sales
taxes in 1985. That's $3 billion from
tobacco sales taxes in 1985. That's $3
billion with a B. Governments have
been collecting massive amounts in
taxes from tobacco for 50 years. It is
estimated that a tobacco grower gets
about 6.5 cents from a $3 pack of
cigarettes.
Those billions of bucks collected in
taxes over the years have, obviously,
kept your taxes down.
Growers now are asking for $250
million to help them adjust, to help
them get into another line of farming,
to help them learn another trade.
I don't care how arrogant they may
have been in the past years. They
have contributed greatly to the farm-
ing community over the years. We
Farm show
is cancelled
it was announced this 'week by
James K. Mahon, vice president of In-
dustrial Trade Shows Inc. that the
41st annual Canada Farm Show has
been cancelled.
Mahon said, "The advent of a new
farm show to be held in the same time
frame and fully supported by the two
major industry associations, the
Canadian Farm and Industrial Equip-
ment Institute and Ontario Retail
Farm Equipment Dealers Associa-
tion has resulted in dividing exhibitor
participation in both events. With a
substantial reduction of farm equip-
ment manufacturers in our show, we
are unable to produce an event of the
same calibre that the agri-community
has come to expect. It has also
become increasingly clear that the
agri-community cannot support two
shows. It would be unfair to the agri-
community to proceed with two
shows."
With the cancellation of this show,
a 40 year tradition showcasing such
events as the horse and cattle sales
will come to an end.
The Canada Farm Show was to
have taken place January 27-30 at Ex-
hibition Place, Toronto.
cannot simply throw them to the
wolves now because they are in deep
trouble, unable to sell last year's crop
at cost -of -production prices and
another year's crop bursting the
storage sheds.
I hope they never sell their crop but
I hope our senior governments have
enough charity in their hearts to pro-
vide them with the help they are
seeking.
Compare yields to
Seetlldifference.
FARMERS!
Call me on or before
November 15th to arrange
for a Pioneer weigh wagon,
to compare corn hybrids or
soybean varieties on your
farm. You'll receive a
FIDE Pioneer green winter
jacket — just for comparing.
(Call your Pioneer
Sales Representative
today for complete
details.)
Your Pioneer Sales Representatives:
George Sereda & Sons
RR 1 Centralia 235-0273
Bill Coleman
Kippen, Ontario 262-5031
®((\>PIONEER®
PIONEER. and SILA-BAC• Brand products are sold subject to the terms and
conditions of sale that are part of the labelling and sale documents. Pioneer and
Sila-bac are brand names; numbers Identify products. • Registered trademark
licensed to Pioneer HI -Bred Limited, Chatham, Ontario, Canada.
JhanL
We wish to thank our friends and customers who
helped make
OCTOBER -BEST
a very enjoyable day
A special thanks to:
Glavin Farms
Conlin Farms
Maguire's Custom Work
Don Rader
Dennis McBride
Claire Deichert
Tim Wilcox
Merner's Meat
C.A. Becker Equipment
Case IH
Vicon
Kongskilde
Hari Corp
Over um
Market Farm
Eastern Farm
Cub Cadet
Yard -Man
Staff from Case -International
Staff at Becker Farm Equipment
Thanks again! !
Jo3
a maim
FARM EQUIPMENT LTD.
Sales & Service Since 1932
Exeter, Ontario
Sales & Service
235-2121
Dashwood, Ontario
Sales 237-3673
Service 237-3242
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