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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-12-09, Page 24Page 24 Times -Advocate, December 9, 1992 "1 saw it in.an Anwr-ican-nagazlne. I got a lot of laughs out of it," said Pau! Wallace, who pulled the stunt. What a Joke? Although it appeared as though this Case tractor was stuck in the mud on Highway 23 just south of Whalen's Corners, it wasn't. Some locals thought it would be a funny gesture to take the tractor parts and make it look as though the tractor had been buried in the deep mud. One Foot in the Furrow By Bob Trotter This big debate on corporate ownership within the food chain was probably sparked this time by the Hon. Ralph Ferguson, MP for Lambton-Middlesex . Ralph. as some of you may re- member. was Canada's Agministcr for a short time m the- ill-fated John Tumer cabinet. Since becom- ing a member of the opposition, Ralph has conunued, bravely and sometimes all alone, to push for the farmers of Canada both within Parliament and without. For instance. the recent publica- uon.of two_booklets. Compare the Share Phase 1 and Compare the Share Phase II. has sparked many discussions. In Phase 11, an entre secuon of the report deals with corporate concentration. some- thing 1 have been harping about for 20 years I believe our senior govern- - men p- cularty1he_ edcral }tors.- ernments, have allowed this con- centrauon of power to the detriment of Canadian consumers. Power leads to corrupt and abso- lute power corrupts absolutely. said John Emerich Edward Dal - berg -Acton. Lord Acton, in his let- ter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887. in 1973, almost 20 years ago, the top six food distributors in Canada accounted for only 55 percent of all food sales from stores. By 1987, the last year for which fig- ures are available, those six dis- tributors had become five and they accounted for 69 percent of the to- tal sales volume of food bought in Canadian stores. Not only that but the power had become even more concentrated in - the hands of the top three distribu- tors who accounted for 59 percent. I think these figures are a terrible indictment of government policies. In the past 30 years, two major commissions have been appointed to look at concentration in the me- dia -- the Kent Commission and the Davey Commission -- but at no tune in my memory has a commis- sion been .appointed . to..investigate the terrible concentration of power in the very basics of life, the food chain. StausuCS can. of course, be tilted and tainted to prove almost anything but these figures are too astounding to ignore. An American rural sociologist, .William Heffernan „woo, --spoke _1cu the annual convention of the Onutrio Federation of Agriculture last month, described the concentration of power w the food business in the Excited States. He said it was bad for farmers and bad for consumers, "real trouble" for them, he said, be- cause transnational companies can control prices all the way through the system, "from seed or sperm to shelf'. as he put it. Compare though, for a moment, the difference•Sin concentration be- tween Canada and the United States: in 1987. the top five food distribu- tors accounted for only 24 percent ilinalient The byre Bale is easy to operate and does not require any manual work Co-op 5 3/8 x 2"-3" Put en end to the harduous work of unrolling and feeding your round bele with a Dyne Bele from Dynevent. The Dyna Brite- win -handle an giros of - bales, from soft Core, pard owe, dry hay to silage bale. 8rintnell Construction Ltd. Your area Clay. Berg, Dynavent Dealer Kirkton 229-8244 of food sales, much less concentra- tion than that of Canada. Although thousands of farmers in both Canada and the United States have been forced off their land, . largely icit=,economic reasons ,tithe ' last decade, transnational food pro- cessors expect to receive more than a 20 -percent return on their invest- ment. Heffernen told the OFA dele- gates Conagra, one of the world's largest distributors of agricultural products. had a 22.8 percent average return over the past five years So when detractors broadcast dui - tribes__against _Canada's. attempts. to provide stability in the marketplace for farmers through markeung boards and supply management, think about the stats quoted above. Farmers have to speak collecuvely or they will be ploughed under by the Big Five food companies. Do dairy farmers have enough production to meet requirements CLINTON - The heavy culling of cattle at the end of last dairy year and the'poor feed quality this fall have me • wondering if many pro- ducers will have problems provid- ing their fall milk requirements. The policy is unchanged from last year. Ducting the first six months of the dairy year producers in Southern Ontario should target to utilize 45 percent of the MSQ held on February 1, 1993. With a maintenance clause of 85 percent of this "target", the net result is that producers arc required to market 38.25 percent of their annual MSQ by January 31, 1993. The October statement you re- ceived in November is halfway through the six month period. Now is the time to be reviewing your re- quirements and considering your options. How do 1 ealc,Mte my regi Ire lents? To esdmate milk required, a pro- ducer calculates his Group 1 cover- age between August 1 and January 31 (184 days) and adds that to 38.25 percent of his 12 month MSQ. Group 1 coverage: In litres k 1 quota x '184 days x average payout x exclusion factor MSQ required MSQ in kgs. x 38.25 percent = required kgs. x 100 a litres. fat test Add the two volumes together and divide by 184 to get daily re- quirements. To calculate your cur- rent position subtract your milk shipped since August 1 from your total requirements resulting in the remaining milk required. Divide by the days left to January 31 for a dai- ly figure. What happens if I don't mire 38.25 percent A producer's annual MSQ will be reduced by the amount that his but- terfat shipments are below 38.25 percent. This reduction pertains to this dairy year only and is reinstat- ed for next dairy year. If a producer is low in milk all dairy year and does not require the quota reduced, meeting the fall re- quirement is not that important. However, if production improves and all MSQ'is required during the dairy year, a producer would pay over quota penalty on the volume of MSQ reduced. This is not very profitable! There are exceptions for ongoing operations or new producers. Be sure to contact your local OMMB field representative if you have any questions at all. Local CattIemen set meeting dates GUELPH - County and District Cattlemen's Associations across the province have recently set the dates for their annual meetings. These meetings represent an important op- portunity for Ontario cattle produc- ers to participate in the policy - setting procedure for the Ontario Cattlemen's Association (OCA) and the beef industry in general. Doug Gear, OCA President, is encouraging all producers to attend their local meeting saying. "County meeungs arc the most effective way for all producers to have a di- rect impact on the beef industry and the activities of the OCA. I would urge every cow -calf, backgrounder, feedlot and purebred operator to at- tend." At each mecung, resolutions can be presented from the floor regard- ing • any issue that area cattlemen would like to see addressed at the OCA annual meeung. Those reso- lution: which are passed will then be forwarded to the OCA meeting on February 24 and 25 at the Delta Meadowvale in Mississauga. Annual meetings also provide cattlemen with an opportunity to become more involved with their association by being elected as -a county executive member or direc- tor, or as a delegate to the OCA Annual Meeting. Any person sell- ing caule subject to OCA license fees in the period September 1, 1991 to August 31, 1992 is eligible to vote and/or run for election of OCA Director, Alternate directors. and voting delegates to. the OCA Annual Meeting. Finally, the County and District annual meetings give producers a chance to hear about the activities of the provincial association through a presentation by the OCA Director and an OCA Executive or staff member, as well as gain knowledge about the industry Swine seminar to focus on competitiveness HOLMESVILLE - "Compeuuve ness in the Ontario Swine Industry will be the lead-off topic at a swine seminar being held on January 19. 1993. Ken McEwan of Ridgetown .College and James Reesor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. will be on hand to address the top - Richard Smelski, Senior Swine Specialist with Ralston Purina will be speaking on "Feeding for Lean'. "Building Design for Survival" wit I be one of the many topics ad- dressed by Frank Kains, an OMA1- Engineer irorn Waterloo. To round out the program, Dr. Tun Black- well and Dr. John Martin from the Health Management Section of -0MAF-will e-speaking-cin--l;iosc- We corduz y invite you to our PRE -CHRISTMAS SHOPPING PARTY Thursday Dec. 10 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Centralia Farmers Supply Ltd. Save 15% on your.instore purchases (Except animal health and sate priced items) Everyone welcome, cash and carry Free Draws and refreshments Centralia harmer; Supply Ltd. Cent, alto 22c-bb:Sfi curtly" (keeping disease out). Pork producers and ago - businesses are invited to attend their program being held at the Goderich Township Community Centre in Holmesvillc. Prc- registrauon is required by Decem- ber 18,- 1992. Further information and registration forms are available at the Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food office, in Clinton (482-3428 or 1-800-265-5170). through a slate of interesting and informative guest speakers Huron County producers will meet at the Clinton Legion Hall on January 20 at 11:45 a.m. Middlesex producers will meet at the Aitsa Craig Community Centre on Janu- ary21 at6:30p.m avle�ot cCe the�ie g�� DID YOU 1�TOW :! "There is available a 95% efficient side-wall vented oil furnace that does not require a chim- ney This is of particular inter- est. To people who heat their homes with base- board electric heat that do not have -a chimney." 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