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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-04-24, Page 28REMINDER Page 14 Times -Advocate, April 24, 1991 Cross-border shopping taking its toll on dairy Industry. TORONTO - The high interest rate policy of the federal govern- ment must shoulder the majority of the blame for the current problems caused by Canadians shopping in the United States. This comment came from John Core, chairman of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board as he addressed the Ontario legislative committee hearings into the cross-border shop- ping problem. A progressive erosion of the dairy industry has occurred over the last five years. "That same ero- sion is now affecting many other products and commodities," Core said. Border communities are hit hard but this is the tip of the iceberg, Core added. "Foregone sales means lost jobs anywhere in the country where manufactured goods or food products are produced." Studies done by Agriculture Can- ada indicate that the losses for the dairy industry are staggering. A study in British Columbia estimat- ed that 7.6 percent of fresh milk and 4.5 percent of cheese consump- tion was being brought into B.C. by "same-day" Canadian travellers. A shrinking market means dairy farms are being lost. "Losing dairy farms has a pro- found impact on the rural commu- nity," Core said. "the dairy farm loss is only one dimension. Parallel losses occur for the processing sec- tor - leading to plant closures - and for milk transporters, veterinarians, equipment dealers and feed suppli- ers." Canada's high interest rate policy has driven the exchange rate up al- most 20 percent to $0.86 U.S. from $0.72 since 1986. These artificial- ly -high rates are a major source of price differences between Canada and the U.S., say the marketing board. "We have a situation that puts Canadian prices out of line with those of our major trading part- ner,"Core said. The interest rate policies aimed at fighting inflation have had a devas- tating impact on the economy. "Is this another example of the cure being worse than the disease'?" Canadian taxes are set at a level needed to pay for our services and when Canadians shop in the U.S., without all applicable taxes being collected, they .avoid paying their share of the bill. The result is that either taxes must rise or services be reduced. "Along these lines, the B.C. "fast lane" experiment seems like abject nonsense, a carte - blanche to "smuggle" with the gov- ernment turning a blind eye," Core said. "The average Canadian has to be made to understand the effect of their actions," Core said. Canada, like any country, is a community of citizens where we all enjoy the ben- efits and similarly share the costs." "Cross-border shopping is a very complex problem without obvious or easy solutions. While the ex- change rate is a major underlying factor, all appropriate taxes and du- ties must be collected and existing laws on stays outside the country must be adhered to," Core said. Farmers called on to help reverse butterfly decline GUELPH - Highway borders and hedgerows between farm fields ,ould help combat an ongoing de- cline of butterfly species, says a University of Guelph zoologist. Conservation efforts could even mean cost savings for governments and 'andowners, says David Ga- skin, who has studied butterfly and moth populations extensively. If regular spraying were ended and mowing of natural vegetation along highway borders restricted to specific times of the year, butterfly populations would increase and money would be saved, he says. In Britain, since regular spraying and mowing was stopped (partly for fi- nancial reasons), highway borders have been able to support up to 14 species of butterflies. Another solution - maintaining hedgerows between farm fields - would provide a "corridor of move- ment" for butterflies at little cost to the farmer, says Gaskin. This would also aid in soil retention by re-establishing natural and in pest control by maintaining reservoirs of predatory insects. "Butterfly populations are good, visible indicators of environmental health and the health of specific habitats," he says. "If they are con- sistently absent over a number of years, you can be sure a lot of other things are gone, too," The butterfly decline is bad news for apiarists and fruit and vegetable growers not using self -vegetating plants, says Gaskin. When butter- flies are threatened by pesticides of environmental changes, it's fairly certain that bees are affected as well. Both are valuable pollinators and have similar food -gathering habits. Butterfly decline - caused by loss of habitat through urbanization and modern agricultural practices - is occurring on a global scale. In southern Ontario, two butterfly spe- cies - the Karna Blue and the Frost- ed Elfin - are close to extinction. Giving the rest of the world an accurate picture of modern agricul- ture is a tough job but Ralph Jes- persen, a grain and dairy farmer from Stony Plain, Alta., is going to try. is the new president of the Ca- nadian Federation of Agriculture, the groups that speaks for about 150,000 farmers across Canada. In his inaugural address, he suggested that farmers must establish good re- lations with both consumer and en- vironmental groups to get them all to work together, not against, each other. A great idea, of course, one that has been tried and tried and tried. Consumer groups, on occasion have worked well with farmers until one of them, usually a member of the consumers association, sounds off against marketing boards and says the boards are ripping off con- sumers. Of that those boards reward ineffi- ciency or use the wrong cost -of - production formula. In spite of these outbursts though, I honestly believe that farm organizations and consumer associa- tions can work together. They are both working for the same thing and that is to bring nutritious food to the market as efficiently and as economically as possible. All farm- ers want is a reasonable return on their labor and investment. I am convinced that consumers are quite willing to pay for good food and for farmers to live comfortably. Cana- dians now pay more for eggs, chicken, turkey, milk, beef and pork than their counterparts south of the border and few people are out on picket lines complaining. I have been at many meetings over the years where consumers sat down with farmers and discussed things reasonably and calmly. But president Jespersen may run into some difficulty getting the en- vironmentalists to sit down for a ra- tional discussion. Not all of them appear to be rational. Just mention the word fertilizer and the red flag is up. They come out of the corner with eyes flashing and placards waving. "We shouldn't be critical of the Canadian farmland values show an overall decrease OTTAWA - Canadian farmland values on average decreased in the last half of 1990. Farm Credit Cor- poration research shows that farm- land values decreased nationally by 3.4 percent between July 1, 1990 and January 1, 1991. This follows a 0.7 percent in- crease during the first half of 1990 and a 2.4 percent increase in the last half of 1989. Land values vary considerably within provinces be- cause of productivity differences and market conditions. British Columbia recorded an av- erage land value increase of three percent. There was little change in land values throughout most of the province, while in the Okanagan and Eraser valleys a buoyant econo- my and non-farm investors contrib- uted to a 15 to 20 percent increase in farmland values in those meas. Land values in most areas of Al- berta declines, although the change in values ranged from about a 10 percent decline to an eight percent increase. The land market in Alber- ta appeared to be unstable last fall as a result of uncertainty of grain markets, decreasing values an aver - e of 3.3 percent. Sluggish grain markets and fall- ing grain prices, combined with high interest rates during the last half of 1990, appeared to be factors contributing. to lower land values in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Land values declined in both provinces, with Saskatchewan recording the largest average drop of 5.7 percent. In Manitoba, the land value decline on average was less than one per- centage point. Farmland values in Ontario on average remained stable, showing only a 0.4 percent increase. Howev- er major puce swims were report- ed between and within areas. In Quebec, values increased 1.2 per- cent. The Maritime provinces also reported stable or slightly increased land values, except for Nova Scotia where values dropped an average 3.9 percent, the first decline since 1985. The decline in land values in the last half of 1990 is the first national decrease since the 1981 to 1988 pe- riod, when land values across Cana- da declined by over 35 percent. Land values are currently at about the same level as they were in 1979. Value means many things to many people. To some... simply the best price in town. To others... extra features that don't cost a lot of money. No matter how you think...Yard-Man has the lawn and garden tractor for you. So... ...If You Think Value...Think Yard -Man. Winner from the Exeter Home and Garden Show: Lloyd Huffman, Bayfield, Ont. (YaRDMaN) evramai4fec efforts of environmental groups to protect the environment. We have to recognize their concem about the use of pesticides and chemicals... but we must also explain how most farmers want to protect the environ- mental, too," said Jespersen. I heard a chap talking the other day who should have known better saying: "But all fertilizers!! Farm land doesn't need to be fertilized. Farmers have been using too much fertilizer fa 20 years." Throwing out all fertilizers, pes- ticides, weedicides and herbicides would be like throwing out the baby with the bath water. Every farmer I have ever talked to is more than conscious of his or her re- sponsibility to the land. They want to leave it better than they got it for their own children and grand- children. They are just aware of their responsibility as the rest of the world. It is to their advantage to keep the land healthy‘,„____ It is unfortunate for falrmers that • too many environmentalists are just like the chap who wants all fertilizers banned: It is one thing to be a fan about the environment. It i another to be a fanatic and Mr. Jespersen will have trouble trying to work with the latter. He also wants to work hand in hand with food processors and re- tailers. "Agriculture is more than just farming," he said. "It is the whole food chain. We have got to get everyone working together." A wonderful ideal, most assured- ly. I certainly hope the federation can make some progress. It is time the whole food chain was involved Buchanan to open Agricultural Hall of Fame MILTON - Minister of Agricul- ture and Food, Elmer Buchanan, will officially open the Ontario Ag- ricultural Hall of Fame Gallery m its new home, the W.A. Stewart Hall, Sunday June 1 at the Ontario Agricultural Museum. The 12th annual unveiling cere- mony will honour Elliot Irwin McLoughry, Osborne L. Sager and Harold W.M. Smith who will join 85 perviously inducted men and women in the W.A. Stewart Hall of Fame Gallery. The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association is a provincial non-profit organization created for the sole purpose of providing recog- Custom Farm Work contact Don Parsons at 263-2821 i nition to those who have made significant contributions to Onta- rio's agriculture. The general public is welcome to attend the official opening cere- mony at 2:30 p.m. and the unveil- ing ceremony at 3 p.m. June 2. Tickets can be purchased by con- tacting the Ontario Agricultural Museum. The Hall of Fame Gallery is open for public viewing for any- one visiting the museum. Located five km west of Milton, take Highway #401, exit 320 or 312 north. The museum is open for the 1991 season May 21 until Sep- tember 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. dai- ly. Custom Stone Picking Phone Borland Farms 2350567 Funk Seeds and Borland Farms Would like to thank you for your continued patronage in 1991. There are still Tots of high yielding corn and soybean varieties available Power Interruption . 01, 1 On: Tuesday, April 30, 1991 From: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Weather permitting or if necessary post- poned to Thursday, May 2, 1991 AREA AFFECTED Village of Grand Bend Stephen Township Concession A, Lots 1 to 7 Concession B, Lots 1 to 7 Concession 20, Lots 15 & 16 Concession 21, Lots 15 & 16 Concession 22, Lots 1 to 16 Concession LRE, Lots 1 to 5 Concession LRW, Lots 1 to 5 Concession Sable, Lots 1 to 17 Grand Cove Estates Oakwood Park Bosanquet Township Concession A, Lots 8 to 21 Concession B, Lots 6 to 23 Concession C, Lots 1 to 24 Concession LRE, Lots 1 to 32 Concession LRW, Lots 1 to 10 Defore Estates Walkers Woods Pinery Provincial Park VanDongen Subdivision Huron Woods Merrywood Meadows Beach O'Pines Southcott Pines Pinedale If you're one of our customers affected, we do apologize for the inconvenience. However, scheduled power interruptions are necessary to maintain or upgrade the service in your area. For more Information, please call: 1-800-265-1727 ontario hydro A Y