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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-08-07, Page 8Page 8 Times -Advocate, August 7, 1991 OFA declares state of emergency for Ontario agriculture By Ray Lewis MITCHELL - Leaders of the On- tario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario Corn Producers Associa- tion, Ontario Soybean Growers Marketing Board and Ontario Wheat Producers' Marketing Board, met in Mitchell, Thursday, to address concerns over the state of emergency they have declared in Ontario agriculture as of June 3. - Thc meeting was part of a prov- ince -wide tour, conducted by the four major organizations, to meet with local fanners and members. Plummeting prices for grains and oilseeds are now well below the cost of production, and in real dol- lars, lower than tie depression years of 1930. "The purpose is to commit the local farm leaders and farmers to get out there and join the lobby for the survival of the family farm in Ontario," said Roger George, presi- dent of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. ""there has been a marked lack of commitment by both levels of government, despite promises made to farmers to stand by therm in their hour of trial." Members arc encourgagcd to mobilize in an effort to emphasize to members of Parliament and the Ontario Legislature, the serious- ness of the financial crunch facing farmers during the transition from ad hoc programs to the new safety net programs. "What is at stake is more than the family farm," said George. "It ultimately comes down to the fu- ture food security of our nation. M some point in time, taxpayers and the governments of Canada are going to have to decide whether they want a domestic farm industry or rely on bringing their basic food supply in from south of the bor- der." The crisis doesn't affect just farmers, considering the role that agriculture plays in the economics of Ontario. For every dollar that agriculture generates, there are an- other seven dollars created in eco- nomic activity, such as steel mills and food processing. There are 85,000 jobs in the food processing sector alone. "Without the basic supply of raw material from our farms," said George, "those jobs won't be there." Addressing a crisis - Frank Anthony, president of the Ontario Corn Producers' Association (left) and Roger George, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture were part of a panel which arrived in Mitchell on Thursday, to address the public on the state of Onta- rio's agriculture. The Scenario • Ontario cash prices for corn and soybeans arc at all-time lows, measured in real (inflation adjust- ed) currency; the same applies for initial prices for new -crop winter wheat. • The value of stored corn, for some farmers is now Icss than the sum of amounts owing to elevator companies for storage and drying charges plus repayment obligations under the advance payment pro- gram; when farmers sell their crops they are getting invoices rather than cheques. The situation is equally bleak for soybeans. • Most fanners are operating with lines of credit much reduced from previous years. Many have no line of credit at all, and arc counting on sales of corn and soybeans to pay 1991 springtime seeding bills. Be- cause of the situation described in the preceding paragraphs, this is proving impossible. •The wheat crop, which has been traditionally counted on as a mid- summer cash-flow source, is very small. Because of excessively, wet weather last fall, many farmers, es- pecially in southwestern Ontario, were able to plant little or no wheat at all. Yields arc 20-30 percent be- low average. And for those who will be harvesting wheat this sum- mer, dramatically lower initial pay- ments will mean that the 1991 wheat harvest will represent a much -reduced source of summer- time cash. • The income/cash-flow assistance from presently announced govern- ment programs is woefully inade- quate to meet financial needs over Tax protest group forms in 'Bend Continued from front page. slashing to their budget to get it to 17.19 percent. "I personally held mine back be- cause 17 percent is too much." Another Ontario resident who has refused to pay his taxes is Craig Ste- vens, a member of the London Tax Coalition who spoke to the Grand Bend residents and convinced them they needed a coalition. "I've done it and I feel good about it," said Stevens about with- holding taxes. If enough of us withhold our taxes, we're not going to suffer. We're going to gain," said Forbes. There are nearly 60 coalitions in Ontario and Jim Montag, also of the London Coalition predicted it would take 100 coalitions and 100,000 members across the prov- ince to make an impact on the pro- vincial government and before No- vember's municipal election. "Your moaning now about tax- es, wait until next year. That's why you should have a coalition," said Stevens. Stevens and Montag came armed with facts and figures indi- cating that over half of all taxes in Ontario goes towards education. "It's not anti -tax, we all know we have to pay taxes," said Mon- tag. "Education is the biggest part of the budget...something has to be out of line. We want to find out fresh Honey Honey Honey Honey Honey Mon. -Sat. 9 - 5:30 Closed Sunday Ferguson Apiaries 11 where the waste is," tie added. The London Coalition have members who have analyzed, in great detail, the London Board of Education budget. Stevens doesn't like what he secs. He said Ontario taxpayers shelled out $13 billion in public education this year, up over one billion from the year before. "We should all be disturbed about that," said Stevens. The Ontario Taxpayers Associa- tion are going head-to-head with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation over the ris- ing cost of education. The teachers are fighting back and want teachers to get behind their trustees and those politicians sympathetic to the financial needs of education. "We haven't got into teacher bashing, that serves no purpose," said Stevens. However, he did make several al- legations of mismanagement of funds by teachers and administra- tors. Stevens claimed substitute teachers are hired and never show up. He also said such equipment as VCR's and canoes go missing. Ste- Lucan Bible LUCAN - "We are geared up for an unforgettable exence this summer;' side Robertson, this year's director of the Lucan Community Vacation Bible School. The volunteer staff from the community are really excited about the "Sonward Ho!" theme and are aiming at creating an excit- ing learning atmosphere. The Lucan Community Vacation yens would like to see the Coali- tion have the right to monitor pro- fessional development days. Stevens claimed the Minister of Education, Marion Boyd does not have the final say when it comes to education, at least not in London anyway. "Most of the power in the educa- tion system is in the hands of the administrator," said Stevens. Members of the Grand Bend Council attended the meeting and seemed to have mixed emotions about taxes. Woodley came loaded with numbers showing the increase in taxes since 1988. "Our track record is good compared to other Ki rkton ities,' said Woodley. "Provincial and federal taxes seem to be the biggest problem. They have a deficit my great- grandchildren will be paying," said councillor John McDowell. "It seems its not the elected peo- ple who spend money, it's the bu- reaucrats. They're wasting money." Former reeve Bob Sharen said the people of Grand Bend should make attempts to try to reduce costs in their own municipality. "If each of use undertook to do a little more cleanup it would cost less for public works. People have asked for services and get them reasonably whether they want them or not," municipal- said Sharen. couple adopts Continued from front page know what was to come," Mery said. A couple days later, three of the new fathers flew to Bucharest to attain passports for their children. The trio could not believe their ears when they were told, "We do not work on Friday afternoons. You'll have to come back Monday." Avoiding an airplane cancellation or delay, the three men awoke at two in the morning and drove the seven hours to the country's capital. With their new son, and passport in hand the Hems were more than anx- ious to return to a supportive family and excited friends who decorated their home while they were away. School now registering Bible School has been operating children to enjoy on Pioneer for more than a decade. This year—Saturday,- august 1' , m 1 the community volunteer teachers 11:30 a.m. This is the chance for and helpers seem to be making an community children to pre-registtrr, extra special effort for the Pioneer have some pioneer fun and beat the theme school which will run from rush on Monday morning, August August 19 to 23, 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 19. a.m. Any interested in more informa- The community may also notice tion about the Bible school can call this year a VBS hay wagon at the Janie Robertson, the director at Lucan Revival Centre ready for 227-4538. Stratford premieres Treasure Island STRATFORD - The world pre- miere of Elliott Hayes' new adap- tation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure story Treasure Island, begins preview perfor- mances in Stratford's Festival Theatre on Saturday, July 27 at 2 p.m. The production opens Thurs- day, August 1 at 7:30 p.m. and plays in repertory until November 9, 1991. Join the voyage of Jim Hawkins as he courageously matches his wits with the scheming pirate Long John Silver in a tale of cut- lasses and cutthroats, of dubloons and maroons, of mutiny on the high seas and treasure on a tropi- cal isle. Treasure Island is directed by David William with design by De- bra Hanson, music by Alan Laing Try the relaxing atmosphere of the country Book your next conference or meeting at Centralia College (519) 228-6691 Fax (519) 228-6491 Group and special rates available CENTRALIA COLLEGE Huron ' ark, Ontario NOM 1190 Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food lighting design by John Munro, fights directed and stunts co- ordinated by John Stead, and movement by John Broome. The Cast of the production fea- tures Edward Atienza as Ben Gunn and Blind Pew, Wayne Best as Morgan, Geoffrey Brumlik as Jim Hawkins, Richard Fitzpatrick as O'Brien, John Franklyn - Robbins as Squire Trelawney, Lorne Kennedy as D. Livesey, Roberta Maxwell asd Mrs. Haw- kins, Rod Menzies as Captain Smollett, Leon Pownall as Long John Silver, and Brian Tree as Is- rael Hands. Also appearing are Paul Aikins, James Binkley, Ste- phen Bogaert, William Dunlop, Timothy French, Ron Hastings, Larry Herbert, Robert King, Jef- frey Kuhn, Tim McDonald, Paul Miller, Michael Querin, Todd San- domirsky, John Stead, and N. Shawn Williams. Treasure Island is sponsored by National Trust. Available to service the cittabW In our community and surroundng areas. For more infotion and bookings, se Earl's Taxl Inc. at 235-1013 and ask for Ron or Sylvia Walker VISSCHER FARMS COUNTRY MARKET Open Mon. - Fri. 9 - 8. Sat. 9 - 6 CIMDSED SUNDAYS Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Potctoes Also other Ontarto fruits and vegetables in season Baked goods, jams, honey etc. 3 miles west of Exeter on Hwy. 83 Phone 237-3442 the next sjx months. The support from existing programs is substan- tially less for Ontario grain and oil- seed farmers than in other major grain producing provinces. The new GRIP and NISA programs should, in combination, provide reasonable income support in 1992, but this is of little comfort to pro- ducers who face financial disaster in the coming weeks. • Governments must take action to avert an impending economic and social tragedy, and to ensure that grain and oilseed producers are treated equitably in all areas of Canada As indicated, with'one out of eve- ry five jobs in Ontario dependent upon agriculture, the crisis runs deep. Several members who oper- ate grain elevators acknowledged the fact that accounts receivable have already doubled this year, and some district co-op's feel that if something isn't done soon, they'll be forced to close their doors. Said Frank Anthony, president of the Ontario Com Producers' Asso- ciation, "We need a safety package from both the federal and provin- cial governments, and need it now, Six months will be too late to save many farms." Usually, in the past, there was a time when low prices in one com- modity were offset by higher prices in another. The big problem this time, is that everything is so low that profits are hard to find in no matter what they produce. Many are forced to supplement their in- come with off -the -farm employ- ment, and nowadays it's not uncom- mon to see a farmer and his wife bringing in second and tertiary in- comes to support their farm. Many wives work in town, but as things on the farm grow steadily worse, those jobs arc also lost because business in town stows. The crisis is already affecting a number of small towns. arm im- plement dealerships report many more instances of farmers repairing old equipment and making do, rath- er than purchasing new. The story is the same from car dealers. "The signs are there," said Bev Hill, a cash crop farmer who also operates a grain elevator in Varna. "More and more people are shop- ping locally, which normally would be good. But in this case, they're shopping at home because they can get credit." ' The underlying danger signal for arca farmers, is the fact that very few young Carolers are entering the market, while more and more of the older ones arc quitting the game. Said one area farmer, "What do you do with a 16 -year old son who's wanted to do nothing but faun. Do you encourage him, or show him the books?" ArrowWOOd Farm Pick your own Blueberries $1.49 Ib. Four roads south of Mel - borne, on County Road 9. Turn right, go 1/2 mile Monday-Frlday 8 - 8 Saturday 8 - 5 Closed Sunday 289-2403 PRICE BREAKTHROUGH Introducing the THE NEWEST to the 5 * ._ = Collection ADDITION • 10' Mesh Dish • Electronic Package • STAR•1 =Satellite • Installation $2895.00 Arlen Stub ... Float 90 Vodettaiiwtatt THEDFORD 296-5565 BIL- HASKETT We're lad you asked! BOB FLETCHER 1,7 PRE.PLANMNG RALLY NECESSARY? Some people, particularly younger people, are skeptical about the val- ue of pre -planning for funeral services. How can we plan, they ask, so far in advance of when such services might be needed? We encourage people, even younger people, to pre -plan now for fu- neral services for three reasons. First, pre -planning makes the funeral choices more sensibly made without the personal stress that a death may generale. Second, pre -planning enables one to make his or her wishes Mown in advance. Finally, there can be no disagreement among family members as to what to do and how much to spend when everything is planned in advance. Simply put, pre -planning takes the burden off the family at the time when they can least be capable of bearing it -- when a loved one dies. We do not suggest that a decisions are made in advance. the family should not be totally deprived of their part in the planning. All the ar- rangements are made with our trained funeral directors who will help you make your choices wisely and without pressure. ONTARIO FUNERAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION . Ono:smarated) FUNERAL HOME Phone 235-1220 II(LIERS,. rv.. \r3 ' ' (.tti:.ITNESS SYSTEMS1-'- 1111 ... OOMING '".7f;9a. • ,,, IN f ,.,�, SPT. For information call Bill Montgomery 235-1319 that profits are hard to find in no matter what they produce. Many are forced to supplement their in- come with off -the -farm employ- ment, and nowadays it's not uncom- mon to see a farmer and his wife bringing in second and tertiary in- comes to support their farm. Many wives work in town, but as things on the farm grow steadily worse, those jobs arc also lost because business in town stows. The crisis is already affecting a number of small towns. arm im- plement dealerships report many more instances of farmers repairing old equipment and making do, rath- er than purchasing new. The story is the same from car dealers. "The signs are there," said Bev Hill, a cash crop farmer who also operates a grain elevator in Varna. "More and more people are shop- ping locally, which normally would be good. But in this case, they're shopping at home because they can get credit." ' The underlying danger signal for arca farmers, is the fact that very few young Carolers are entering the market, while more and more of the older ones arc quitting the game. Said one area farmer, "What do you do with a 16 -year old son who's wanted to do nothing but faun. Do you encourage him, or show him the books?" ArrowWOOd Farm Pick your own Blueberries $1.49 Ib. Four roads south of Mel - borne, on County Road 9. Turn right, go 1/2 mile Monday-Frlday 8 - 8 Saturday 8 - 5 Closed Sunday 289-2403 PRICE BREAKTHROUGH Introducing the THE NEWEST to the 5 * ._ = Collection ADDITION • 10' Mesh Dish • Electronic Package • STAR•1 =Satellite • Installation $2895.00 Arlen Stub ... Float 90 Vodettaiiwtatt THEDFORD 296-5565 BIL- HASKETT We're lad you asked! BOB FLETCHER 1,7 PRE.PLANMNG RALLY NECESSARY? Some people, particularly younger people, are skeptical about the val- ue of pre -planning for funeral services. How can we plan, they ask, so far in advance of when such services might be needed? We encourage people, even younger people, to pre -plan now for fu- neral services for three reasons. First, pre -planning makes the funeral choices more sensibly made without the personal stress that a death may generale. Second, pre -planning enables one to make his or her wishes Mown in advance. Finally, there can be no disagreement among family members as to what to do and how much to spend when everything is planned in advance. Simply put, pre -planning takes the burden off the family at the time when they can least be capable of bearing it -- when a loved one dies. We do not suggest that a decisions are made in advance. the family should not be totally deprived of their part in the planning. All the ar- rangements are made with our trained funeral directors who will help you make your choices wisely and without pressure. ONTARIO FUNERAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION . Ono:smarated) FUNERAL HOME Phone 235-1220