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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-02-20, Page 10Page 10 l lines -Advocate, February 20, 1991' R Archives corner: anyone you know'? rix * ..:{....... h•:ivrYr:�fi::':'f .:ii;•};r:;:ivih:::yi}:. :_r:::ii}i:?!::•'v:.;}};..; Dairy Commission holds price OTTAWA - The Canadian Dairy Commission today an- nounced that the target price for industrial milk will be maintained at $48.69 per hectolitre. Set annu- ally in August, the target price is reviewed every February and ad- justments are made if the change is two percent or more. The support prices for butter and skim milk powder will remain at $5.331 per kilogram and $3.130 Grain producers to get $19 million OTTAWA - Eastern grain produc- ers will receive $19 million under the Agricultural Stabilization Act - for crops marketed in the 1989-90 crop year. Support prices for the 1989-90 crop hear for grain corn, winter wheat, spring wheat and soybeans have been set at 90 percent of the previous five-year average market prices, adjusted for changes in cash costs of production. Payments are made when the market price for a commodity falls below the support price. Average market returns for 1989- 90 soybeans of $243.24 per tonne were $16.35 per tonne short of the support price of $259.59, resulting in a total stabilization'pa'mcnt of approximately $19 million. No payout will be made on 1989 winter wheat, spring wheat, grain corn crops or oats and barley grown outside the Canadian Wheat Board's (CWB) designated areas because the market price for these commodities exceeded the minimum statutory support price under the Act. Easter grain producers are not eli- gible for support under the Western Grain Stabilization Act. (WGSA). More and more people are be- coming more and more concerned about the quality of the food they eat. The trend to food safety is be- coming more prominent. If farm marketing boards, espe- cially supply management market- ing boards, need a raison d'etrc, a reason for being, then food quality and safety should be emphasized. Much has been said and written about how our supply manage- ment system increases the price of milk, chicken, eggs and turkey. I can not argue the point. Those products cost more in Canada than in the Excited States because farmers here arc paid on a cost -of - production formula. American farmers arc not. But the proponents of laissez- faire marketing do not tell the whole story. In the United States, corporate superfarms account for more than half of all agricultural profits yet they make up only 1.2 percent of thc farms. What this says to me is that cor- porate farms will take over thc en- tire marketplace if they arc al- lowed to do so. The same thing would happen here and you can bet your equalization payments that most of them would be American companies. We would become dependent on imported American foodstuffs. We would be forced into accepting their standards. What is wrong with that? Well, for one thing, growth hormones arc used extensively in the States. In addition, a whole lot of pesticides have been licensed across the border, especially on fruits and vegetables. There is some proof that meat in- spection is superior in the United . States to what it is in Canada hut, even though I am not from Missou- ri, you would have to show me it is better. I jat do not have that much faith in the American system. 1t is my firm belief that the major barriers to American food imports are those very same supply man- agement marketing boards that so many people arc criticizing these days. Maclean's magazine took a swipe at them recently. Even that most American of magazines, the Rfad- er's Digest, has castigated our mar- keting boards, especially the feath- ers industry. The Consumers' Association of e foot in the row' bf p Mo•.ru.. T ke .•cr.. 1 e.'. •e ,.--. (V. ft.)/ 2C 1 Canada seems to be spending much time and energy these days in doing the same thing. If our marketing boards are dis- banded - and I hope it never hap- pens - then I can see too much con- centration in the food chain in the hands of only a few companies. The oligopolistic control of the marketing place here in Canada is already restricting competition and distorting prices. To cancel market- ing boards will only invite more control and more distortions. Marketing boards are, in some cases, absolutely the only barrier to more control in the marketplace. Farmers have fought loud and long for these boards. They have pressured governments over the years to give them the proper legal mechanisms to form these boards. They have proven themselves over and over again. They help preserve the family farm. They work hard to make sure a healthy product is available at all times. They are at the forefront in food security and food safety. •Thcy are an integral part of our Canadian way of life and don't let anybody talk you out of them. per kilogram respectively. The Canadian Dairy Commis- sion sets the target price for indus- trial milk and the support prices tor butter and skim milk powder, after receiving advice from its Con- sultative Committee. This Commit- tee, which represents milk produc- ers, processors, retailers and consumers, reviews cost of produc- tion data and makes a recommenda- tion to the Commission. In reviewing the date for Febru- ary 1, 1991, the Committee did not recommend a price increase as there was not the required two per- cent change to trigger an adjust- ment. Industrial milk is used in the manufacture of dairy products such as butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and skim milk powder. New OMAF program CLINTON - Agriculture has in- creasingly come under public pres- sure for its perceived lack of con- cern for the environment. Pollution in the form of sediment loading to our streams and lack of containment or misapplication of agricultural waste are continually linked with the degradation of wa- ter quality and subsequent beach closures. The new O.M.A.F. Land Stewardship II Program provides an opportunity to address some of the issues of environmental con- cern. Farm planning workshops dc - signed to identify problem areas on your farm are being run by the local Soil and Crop Improvement Association (H.S.C.I.A.). Work- shops' participants will be exposed to a variety of land stewardship al- ternatives will be supplied during the workshops. The financial assis- tance is available in two basic cate- gories; Soil Management Practices and Envirrmental Protection. The Soil Ma lagement Section covers practices which protect agricultural soil and water from erosion and degradation. This includes: residue management, cover crops, strip cropping, windbreaks, conservation equipment and soil conservation structures. The Environmental Pro- tection Section assists with the construction of: manure storage, milking parlour/ milkhousc wash - water disposal systems and pesti- cides storage and handling facili- ties. Animal barns hard on farmers' health GUT l PH - That never-ending buildup of dust on an office com- puter screen may be annoying, but for people who work in animal barns, dust can actually be hazard- ous to their health. The high concentration of air- borne dust in animal barns can cause farmers long-term respirato- ry problems. And the results of a two-year study co-ordinated by University of Guelph animal sci- entist Doug Morrison show that barn dust is practically uncontrol- lable. "We're not giving up on it,".says Morrison, "but I'm not terribly op- timistic that the dust level can be reduced. We're urging farmers to protect themselves against dust." A healthy working environment has become an important agricul- tural issue. Morrison highlighted the topic in a study presented at the United States National Pork Producers Council annual confer- ence in Iowa earlier this winter. The study was preceded by a comprehensive scientific literature review by Morrison and research associate Susan De Boer. The re- view, The Effects of the Quality of the Environment in Livestock Crop publications available CLINTON - The 1991 Weed Control Guide & Field Crop Recommendations publications are now available from the OMAF office in Clinton. The Field Crop Recommenda- tions has been updated with the latest field crop varieties, fertiliz- er recommendations, insect and disease control and other crop management practices. The Weed Control Guide pro- vides information on registered weed control recommendations for most crops. Also available is the 1990 Sur- vey of Custom Farm Work Rates. These publications may be picked up during office hours from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Buildings on die Productivity of Swine and Safety of Humans, re- vealed that swine producers are highly exposed' to dust and appear to suffer frequent and severe health problems. Their review led to a two-year re- search project in which Morrison and his colleagues altered ventila- tion and recirculation rates in pig barns to try to influence airborne dust - a complex mix of naturally occurring substances like dry fecal material, protein (from feed, skin and hair), ash, mould and bacteria generated almost exclusively by normal animal activity. Dust - along with smoking - has been shown to cause respiratory prob- lems in farmers who raise animals in confinement. Modern pig barns arc equipped with ventilation systems to ensure a regular flow of fresh air in the barn. The researchers thought that in- creasing,the number of air changes might correspondingly expel a greater amount of airborne dust. What they found, however, was that, under winter conditions, air exchange rates can't be high enough to effectively reduce dust without significantly lowering the barn temperature. Morrison says part of die prob- lem is actually good animal man- agement. To promite animal health, farmers maintain clean, dry pens and barns, but that dryness creates dust. The animals are marketed be- fore they suffer any long-term ex- posure, but fanners get saddled with higher levels of dust. Further research will be conduct- ed to determine if dust levels can be controlled by other management changes such as adding fat to the animals feed. This research was conducted at the Arkeil Swine Research Station and was sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board. GIC Rates Io 3*NO FEES ilivESThri�n &n+a,PW 2 =' 3 FVNDs TRANSFERABLE if• RS.a. vu CHARTER RAN[ AiCINVESTMENTS 524-2773 nowNcn 1-800-265-5503 Usborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company ANNUAL MEETING The Annual Meeting of the policy holders of the Usborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company will be held in the Kirk - ton -Woodham Community Centre, at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 1991 , to receive and dispose of the Financial and Auditor's Reports; to elect Directors and to transact any busi- ness that may rightly come before the meeting. Nominations will be received for the election of two Directors for a three year term. The Directors whose term of office expires are Jack Hodgert and Larry Gardiner, both of whom are eligible for re-election. Jack Harrigan E.J. Caers President ,Secretary -Manager Article 21 - QUALIFICATIONS OF DIRECTORS Any person wishing to seek election or re-election as"a Director must file his intention to stand for election in writing with the Secretary of the Corporation at least ten days in advance of an Annual Meeting or Special General Meeting called for the pur- pose of electing Directors. '; /' . Tenants - Landlords We want your views on Rent Control You can help the Ontario Government develop a new rent control law by letting us know your views. Because both tenants and landlords want to settle the rent control issue without delay, we want to have a rent control law in place within a year. To help us do that, we will meet with tenant and landlord associations, municipalities and other interested groups across the province.. But most important, we want to hear from you. 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