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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-04-29, Page 21Christian Farmers detail plan -for crop insurance The effectiveness of Ontario's crop insurance program can be significantly improved, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario told the Crop Insurance Review Commit- tee at its last week of public meetings "We think it's possible to make the program more effective without total- ly re -thinking the present approach to crop insurance," Bill Jongejan. CFF() president told the meeting. The Federal ion's brief warned that interest in crop insurance will wane if price options fall too low. Price op- tions are presently set by estimating future market prices. Market prices are depressed and therefore price op- tions are expected to fill. "We believe that present market trends will result in significant declines in price options," Bill Jonge- jan told the meeting. "We accept this reality as crop insurance was not in- tended to be price or profit insurance. However, something needs to be done to maintain interest." The Federation's brief proposed that stabilization and deficiency pro- grams be linked to crop insurance. "Producers should be able to collect stabilization or deficiency payments on their guaranteed production," Jongejan told the meeting. "In this way the return on insured crops, whether damaged or not, will remain reasonable". The Federation rejected proposals to allow separate farm coverage. "Separate farm coverage will give' multiple property owners substantial .. rk r ... , ,{ r > O/1.. SA ,..x/ Y. a3u` g'''''''''' . afk s? s ...fig WM,' Employmem' progr.m The Agricrew and Junior Agriculturalist Programs will be star- ting in Huron County in the very near future. Similar in all respects to last year, A Youth Employment Co- ordinator will be responsible for both programs. Two co-ordinators will work out of the Iluron County Agricultural Office. and will begin work on May 4. Donna Keiffer will be covering Huron South, and Susan Diemert will be Youth Employment Co-ordinator for North Huron. Agricrews are teams of en- thusiastic students, 15-24 years of age, hired to work for farmers from mid- June to mid-August. The cost to the farmer will be $90.00 for an eight hour day. Students interested in Agricrew as a summer job should have some farming experience and be capable of hard physical labour. Students will be paid the provincial minimum wage. The Junior Agriculturalist Pro- gram is designed to give urban students between the ages of 16-18 as of January 1 a chance to gain some valuable agricultural experience. The program is aimed at bridging the urban -'rural gap. Students are inter- viewed and placed on a suitable farm for a nine week period extending from mid-June to mid-August. The student receives $20.00 per day as a training allowance, with the farmer contributing $10.00 and the government the remainder. The farmer also provides room and board. Applications are now available at the Clinton OMAF office for students and Junior Agriculturalist host farmers. Richard Hamilton Rural Organization Specialist Middlesex man back The recent provincial board meeting of the ('hristian Farmers Federation of Ontario has nominated Hugo Maaskant to a second term as their representative on the Ontario Farm Income Stabilization Commis- sion. Maaskant is a chicken and cash crop producer from Huron County. The board adopted a major position on crop insurance for presentation to the Crop insurance Review Commit- tee. A proposal that will reduce the price of dairy quota was referred to BRANDY POINT FARMS • Our breeding stock pro- vides our buyers with proven genetics from the top 3°ro animals tested across Canada • Our program enables us to offer quality and health at a price that is hard to beat • We have an ongoing supply of A.1. sired Hamp/Duroc, York and Lan- drace boars and F1 York/Landrace: gilts. All Boars are priced from $2754375 F1 York Landrace gilts are priced $55 above market hog value. • Our closed herd is ranked "Good" by the OMAF BRED GILTS ALSO AVAILABLE Delivery available KURT KELLER R.R. 1 Mitchell, Ontario 519-348-8043 the board's next meeting in July. Federation members expressed concern about the growing service charges they face from financial in- stitutions. such as the Farm Credit Corporation. -when they restructure their finances. The Federation will establish a hor- ticultural growers committee in an ef- fort to gain more support from that sector of agriculture. The Federation is considering a variety of ways to expand its support among Ontario farm families. It would like to bring together a greater variety of Christian farm families to promote ('hristian values in public policy and government programs. The Federation does not have a direct affiliation with any Christian denomination. The Federation has a beginning membership fee of $100. Its full membership cost is $300. The Federa- tion does not deny membership to families that are unable to pay when their enterprises are in financial difficulty. CHAPARAL FENCING R.R. 1, Lucan Ontario NOM 2J0 ALL TYPES FREE ESTIMATES Industrial Frances Chain Link 8 Patio Farm Fences Phone Bob Hardy 227-4160 ,114 We're Fully Equipped for any Job ) a • • Farm ponds • Gravel Bailing r 111104 C ;1. . 4 Draglin• 'J 1 • Trucking • Gravel, Sand & Stone • Bulldozing • Excavating • Tpp Soil • Septic Systems "No lob Is too big or too small" Ras. 4x2-9212 erner CONTRACTING LTD. Trucking • Ixsavatiwy Clinton Shop 452-9926 advantages over single property owners," Jongejan told the meeting. "Just by having their crop spread over a number of properties they will have a much greater opportunity to collect a payout." The brief also expressed concern that separate farm coverage would influence management practices and supported insuring farm families as production units. "We are opposed to recognizing various members of a family as separate producers in order to obtain a form of separate farm coverage," Sid Sikkema, CFFO vice-president told the meeting. "Allowing such practices would not be inlhe interest of family farm agriculture." On other issues the Federation's brief proposed: • A price option that only relates to major natural disasters. The Crop In- surance Commission would need to establish guidelines for a weather oc- currence to qualify as a major natural disaster. • Average farm yields that more closely match current production pat- terns. The brief proposed leaving out the lowest year from the currently us- ed 10 -year average. • Coverage increases for those com- modities that experience a natural weather variability of less than 20 percent. The brief argues that some commodities experience fewer im- pacts from normal weather variability. • An insurance price option that guarantees cash production costs. The brief recognizes that in times of severely depressed market prices, this approach may provide some in- come protection. "This," the brief says, "is as far as we think the pro- gram should go towards income protection." • Substantial premium discounts for producers with a very low claim history. The Federation notes that some farmers by their management practices provide a lot of self- insurance. They maintain the quali- ty of their soil so that their crops can tolerate considerable weather stress. A substantial discount for a low claim history may draw them to the crop in- surance program as a guarantee dur- ing very unusual weather situations. • Co-insurance or a shared -risk ap- proach should receive extensive research. The Federation says this approach has appeal but is reluctant to endorse it until more is known about premium casts and deductibles: Times -Advocate, April 29, 1987 Page 5A AUTHORS — John and Janet Foster, Canada's foremost wildlife photographers, were at Exeter Public School for Regional Authors Day. Shown with Janet Foster are -(back left) John Burton, Huron Centen- nial; Robbie Passmore, Usborne; Chris McNaughton, Huron Centennial and (front) Jennifer McGee, Zurich; Leeann Foster, McCurdy; Kim Govers, Stephen Central; Christie McInnes, Exeter Public School and Louise Wood, Hensall. \ Some reviewers laughed at the movie Country when it was released a couple of years ago. It was called a tear-jerker, a three -handkerchief melodrama. A few viewed it for what it was: An honest attempt to portray the terrible dilemma facing many farmers. Although Country was, I believe, set in the American mid -West, it had so many parallels to Canada that it could have been set in this country. It was a heart-rending story. If you get a chance and you have not al- ready seen it, don't miss the oppor- tunity. Jessica Lange does a superb job of portraying the harassed farm wife who organizes her neighbors and persuades them not to bid at a bank - forced auction on her home farm. It reminded me of the penny auction organized by the Canadian Farmers Survival Association at John Otto's farm near my home town. The FSA bid about $20 on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. It worked for John Otto. He finally made a deal with his bank; in fact, I believe he eventually even changed banks and is still on the farm just as the movie intimated would happen to Jessica Lange and Sam Sheppard. The movie did an excellent job, I think, of explaining what has Immo- Agrichemicals for a growing world ne foot in the I kr oot telt•. s ... •pp..c'+kt41 by Sob T.°411. Ekuas M . glows 0•,i N3S IC .,ed to so many farmers. In the '60s and '70s, the banks, government officials in agriculture and feed company ex- perts all persuaded farmers to enlarge, to buy more land, to'get big- ger and, supposedly, better. Banks and all other lending institutions gave loans to farmers on inflated land values. When the crash came in 1981, farmers were left with debts so large they could never pay them back. Their net worth dropped drastically and they got fewer dollars for their products. The combination was disastrous. Hundreds of farmers went bankrupt and little was done to help them for many months. The Farm Credit Corporationgiven was never enough money at reasonable rates for farmers. In Ontario, the Ontario Farm Adjustment Assistance Pro- gram c OFAAP l is slowly helping some farmers get back into the game or be retrained. And one of the best ideas has been the Farm Debt Review Board with local chapters across the province to sit down and talk it out with all the parties concerned on a farm in trou- ble. Although many felt the boards would have little effect, the opposite appears to be true. In mid-April, the Farm Debt Review Board leaned oa the provincial government and brought about better terms on farm loans. - Since 1981, some banks were pushing farmers into bankruptcy to collect on the government loan guarantee. Then, the government agreed banks could make a deal to allow farmers to keep farming and still collect on the government guarantee, provided the banks were willing to suffer a $2 loss for every $1 government loss. Now, the province is willing to change those terms to 25 cents lost by the banks per $1 lost by the government. That's some clout. It is our moral obligation to keep as many farmerson possi- ble. the land as is si- ble. Farmers have been told for years that if enough get out of the business, conditions will be better for those who are left. Yet, millions of farmers have gone out of business over the years and farmers still have not been able to improve their position. That is why movies like Country should be seen by city people so that they can get some understanding of the soul-searching positions many farmers are in. Not enough people are aware of what is still happening in rural Canada. ji 11 1 1111f< Patoran FL The best sequential weed control program in white beans. BASF Patoran° FL The best sequential weed control program in white beans starts with the proven preemergence broadleaf weed performance of BASF Patoran FL. It makes good sense! 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