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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1992-10-07, Page 12Page 12 Times -Advocate, October 7, 1992 Women working off farm not unusual GUELPH - Throughout Europe and North Amer- ica, most farm families depend on off -farm work for a significant part of their income. "Women and men working off farm is critical for income earning," says Tony Fuller, a professor of rural planning and de- velopment at the University of Guelph, wtto has studied the issue for more than 20 years. Fuller, who served as research adviser to the Arkleton Trust for a recently completed five-year Euro- pean Commission study entitled Farm Family Pluriactivity in West- ern Europe, says farm women of - ten face a "triple burden" - as work- ing women, as wives and mother� and as farm workers. "The apparent flexibility in most households for off -farm work t. women," Fuller says. "Women are more educated than men and have more marketable skills." The study looked at 6,500 farm families in 12 European countries from 1987 to 1991. Three hundred farm families were interviewed rn 24 study areas over the five-year period. Patterns that emerged in the study include: • Women in northern European countries tend to have higher -status off -farm jobs than women in morc southern European countries. • More than 60 percent of farm families have at least one member employed in full-time or part-time work off fame. • Farm size has little effect on thc tendency for farm people to wor}. Stephen Township reeve Tom Tomes presented the Muriel Mack scholarship to Centralia College's top academic student from the township, Tammy Rau, at the awards banquet last Tuesday. The award was Mack's sesquicentennial book pub- lished this year. In all 16 awards were presented at the ban- quet. Rau also received the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians G.R. Doidge Memorial award. Huron County warden Bob Fisher (left) presented the $200 Don Pullen Scholarships to the top Huron students in the col- lege's three programs to Tammy Rau (of Dashwood, V.T. pro- gram) Steven Rintou! (of Lucknow, A.B.M.) and to Theresa Al- len (right, of Crediton, F.S.M.). Middlesex County Scholarships were presented by Bidclulph reeve 'Earl French (lett) to Tina -Marie Van -Boxmeer (of Lucan), Annette Verhoeven (of Kerwood), and Lloyd Connell (of Lamb- eth) for their proficiency in each of the college's three training programs. kJ October is Power Saver - Montii G veselst ENERGY SAVING PRODUCTS AT SPECIAL PRICES. WHAT A GREAT IDEA! October is PO\VER SAVEK And all across Ontario, energy saving products will be specially priced at participating retailers Things like compact fluorescent Iightbulbs, energy-saving showerheads, weatherstripping, caulking. dimmer switches and programmable thermostats will be available. So you S1Awt can save energy and money, too • SAV1I C ENERGY Power Saver" Month is another 7°DAY energy-saving idea from your local utility and Ontario Hydro r.Q,.wMOM" W.• 0 Let's give tomorrow a hand. Ontario Hydro ,4 Processing applications TORONTO - Ontario farm prop- erty owners who pay municipal property taxes are eligible for mil- lions of dollars in rebates under a provincial program to offset -munic- ipal taxes. The Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food is now processing applications for the 1992 Farm Tax Rebate Program, and the program is expected to refund $I66 million dollars to eligible owners of farm properties in the province. The program has not changed from the 1991 to the 1992 tax year. The rebate consists of 75 percent of propeny taxes levied on eligible farmland and outbuildings. Rebates are not provided for taxes levied on farm residences and on the sur- rounding acre of land. The applica- tions, sent out mid-September, arc already drawing responses from eh- gible farm property owners. Only properties assessed as farmland and used as part of a farming operation with gross production value of at least $7,000 in 1992 are eligible. off farm, although farm men are Tess likely to work off farm as farm size increases. • Some 28 percent of farm worn - en work off farm. • In Europe, the average income from sources other than on-farm or off -farm work (i.c. income from social transfers) is 12 percent. • Cultural values affect off -farm work. In the Netherlands, for ex- ample, it's not very acceptable for women to work off farm, whereas in Ireland, two-thirds of women do so. • Participation of women in the off -farm labor market was lowest in the study areas in Germany, Netherlands, southern Maly and Greece; it was highest in France, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Spain. • Off -farm jobs are strongly influ- enced by the labour market condi- tions in the local area. The European study revealed conflicting views about farni wom- en working off farm, says Fuller. Some women said off-famt work was a step towards liberation, in- creasing autonomy and improving gender roles. Others said the extra job didn't change their home and family life; it merely increased their workload. Fuller plans to continue his re- search with an examination of the implications of off -farm work on farrn women in Canada. Program to Increase flow OTTAWA - The Cash Flow Enhancement Program (CFEP), which as- sists Ontario grain and horticultural farmers with interest-free cash ad- vances, has been extended for crop year 1992-93, Murray Cardiff, Par- liamentary Secretary to Agriculture Minister Bill McKnight announced on behalf of the minister Friday. If Canadian farmers participate in the program at the same rate as last year, the flow of cash into the farm sector could increase by up to $1.2 billion in the form of interest-free cash advances, the government pre- dicts. Cost to the federal government in that case would be about $41 million. "This assistance is an important component of our efforts to help Ca- nadian farmers adapt and become more competitive in a changing mar- ketplace," Cardiff said. "With the money available through these an- nouncements, farmers still have the flexibility to better plan their marketings, rather than basing their sales on when the bills are coming due. It's another management tool farmers can use." The CFEP provides interest-free cash advances of up to S50,000 on crops farmers have produced but not yet sold. The advances are availa- ble on eligible crops through the Advance Payments for Crops Act (APCA). Advances of up to $250,000 are available, but only the first $50,000 is interest-free. Under CFEP the federal government pays the interest on thc first $50,000. Farmers who already have taken out cash advances for 1992-93 will have the interest covered. "Farmers benefit from these programs, particularly during the fall when little of the grain has been sold and cash flow may be tight," Car- diff said. "We would have liked to have announced the program's exten- sion earlier, but like producers, the government is also facing financial pressures. Those pressures mean all of our decisions regarding program assistance have to be weighed carefully in light of these pressures. And that takes time." The federal government is working with industry to develop long- term strategies for helping the farming sector adapt and become more competitive. The process is one of identifying long-term solutions which will Lead to economic stability in the sector. New safety net programs are now in place to deliver assistance to pro- ducers. Federal and provincial governments will have provided $4.5 bil- lion to farmers by the end of 1992. About $3.1 billion of that total will go to the grains and oilseeds sector. Payments through the Gross Reve- nue Insurance Plan and crop insurance by the end of 1992 are expected to reach $2.1 billion, which is $113 million higher than estimated in July because of crop damage this fall. Becker's field deinonstration Becker Farm Equipment of Exeter held a very successful field demonstration Thursday, two miles east of Exeter. The event featured Kongskilde and Overum plows under a variety of con- ditions, and was well attended, beginning at 9 a.m. and running until 5 p.m. Here, onlookers await another pass by a case 5250. WHITE BEANS We're ready when you deliver. W.G. Thompson & Sons Ltd. know that when it comes to delivering beans you want the quickest, friendliest and most efficient service possible. So bring your white beans to Thompsons Because when you delivef ... we deliver. 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