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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-02-23, Page 11FARM 1IPDATF Times -Advocate, February 23, 1994 Page 11 One Foot in the Furrow By Bob Trotter Silent Majority fight stable funding A great deal of wrangling went on in farm circles when Agminister Elmer Buchanan proposed what has become known as stable funding legislation. The excrement hit the ventilating device. Several farm groups opposed the idea. At least one disgruntled segment got together to fight the idea calling themselves the Silent Majority. For those of you who do not know, the stable funding law, passed last fall, means that every farmer in the province of Ontario is now assessed $150. That money is split between two general farm organizations according to those who designate it. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario get the money. For the life of me, I could not understand why so many farmers kicked about this stable funding fee. But they did. The opposition was fierce for a while. Those opposed demanded a referendum, a vote to see if the majority of farmers favored the so-called "automatic checkoff:" of $150 a year. The legislation was changed, finally, to allow farmers to designate where they wanted the money to go and to request a refund. Bashful Bakers learn to make cakes USBORNE TWP. - The Usborne #3 Bashful Bakers held their third meeting on February 9. President Cecile Maes opened the meeting with the 441 pledge. Then secretary Barbara Harrigan read the roll call and minutes. Leaders Marianne VanEsbrocck and Cindy Harrigan demonstrated making an angel food cake by the egg foam method. They broke into three groups and made Raisin Spice I do not know how much will be collected. I guess no one knows until it is all collected and refunded but guesses suggest it could be as much as $5 million with the bulk of it going to the federation of agriculture. I have been loosely connected to farm organizations for 40 years and they have always been short of money to do the job they were intended to do. The federation once had more than 26,000 individual members. I don't believe the CFFO had much more than 700 members at any time but they always were a thoughtful influence right from the time they were formed. Their influence, in other words, was greater than their membership. It is interesting to note that their membership has increased six -fold under the new funding system when farmers can designate where the money should go. It leads me to believe that a great many Christians out there in the boondocks did not want to pay a membership in the CFFO until they were forced to do so. My observation is based on a quote from Elbert Van Donkersgood, the brilliant and articulate policy director of the CFFO. "Less than a sixth of the Cake, and a filling and frosting The meeting ended when all members 48,44 what was made and cleated'up: Seams the topic of meeting EXETER - Meeting 4 of the Exeter 11, 441 club was held on February 28. The meeting started with the 4-1-1 pledge. The secretary and press report were read. Then Meghan Straw talked about thc roll call which was an elastic guide. Linda the leader talked about different sewing techniques, and how to properly press the fabric. She showed how to finish seams and different types of seams. PIONE ER DAYS. IT'S A BUSINESS TRIP. From February 21-26, farmers across the country will be going on a business trip. A trip that saves them 6% on all Pioneer® brand products, with purchases counting toward Pioneer Quantity Savings as well. We call this business trip Pioneer Days. Come harvest time, you'll call it a smart business investment. Your Pioneer Sales Representative is: Sereda Farms RR 1 Centralia 229-8102 229-6383 .0 PIONEER. Pioneers brand products are sold subject to the terms and conditions of sale which are part of the labelling and sale documents. a Registered trademark licensed to Pioneer Hi -Bred Limited, Chatham, Ontario N7M 511. SAVE 6% FEBRUARY 21-26 registrations that have come in so far are from existing members," he said last month. It may be too soon -- not enough memberships yet -- to make a judgement but it looks to me like the CFFO will come out way ahead. Certainly, the federation appears to be on the trail of getting the kind of funding needed to do many of the things that the organization has dreamed of doing for many years. One of the things I think either or both of these organizations should sponsor is a two-day or three-day school for as many farmers as possible to teach them how to handle the mass media. If farmers are ever going to get their points across to a doubting and increasingly angry public then they must be able to state their case quickly, easily and honestly. They must not only be honest in their approach; they must be seen to be honest. In my humble opinion, too many of them when questioned seem to be apologizing for what they need. Now, I happen to know an old farm writer who also used to teach journalism at a community college. His name escapes me at the moment but I think his initials are B.T. There was discussion about achievement night. Melinda adjourned the meeting at 9 p.m. CG Farm Supply of Zurich sponsored a Planting for Profit seminar, Thursday. From the left are Agco territory managers Ian Chard and Mark Jefferies, guest speaker Jack Riddell, area farm- ers Harry Pennings and Gerard Masse and CG farm equipment salesman Arnie Martin. Students learn dangers of flooded waterways EXETER - ...ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen seconds..."Wow, that's cold!", a grade five student exclaims as their right arm is quickly lifted out of a bucket of ice water, water that is indicative of a local river in winter. You will hear children in the playground, on the bus, at the corner store talking about the cold water bucket experiment. How long do you think you would last in -3°C water? This is a common question many grade four, five or six students are asked this time of year. Patti Haist, Communications Technician of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is once again performing the Floodwater Awareness Program to local school students in grade four, five and six. A video, slides regarding local rivers, ice safety and rescue techniques, warm/cold water experiments and activity sheets are included in an action -packed one hour program. In a controlled setting, the students learn about the dangers of being near a lake, river or stream at this time of year. "It is dangerous to be playing near a flooded waterway; this message is something the Conservation Authority wants children to understand," said Haist. Much snow has been falling on the ABCA watersheds, many rivers have large snowdrifts and the banks • of the river are far from being visible; be wary of such places. This year the program will operate for eight weeks prior to March Break and the demand is steep. Bookings are received on a first -request, first-served basis. The following schools are booked for the program: Warwick Central, Huron Centennial, Holmesville, Precious Blood, Vanastra, St. Patrick's (Dublin), Clinton Christian, Usborne Central, Bosanquet, Exeter, JAD McCurdy, and St. James (Seaforth). The booking schedule is not yet full; interested schools may call the ABCA office at 235-2610. irdWPF The Gaiser Kneale Mak investment News Royal Life Seg Funds are HOT ! W ith interest rates declining to the 5% - 6% range for five year investments, many clients are seeking alternatives to these low yielding GICs. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for retirees Who arc attempting to live off interest income, to balance increasing costs against declining income. The first alternative many face, is dipping into their precious principal which is a double edged sword. The problem is that their source of income becomes smaller and smaller, and as a result, their income becomes lesser and lesser. However, there is a solution... Royal Life's Segregated Funds! There are four sets of funds in this family that have enjoyed exceptional re- turns while offering investors security of principal and eliminating most of the risks associated with mutual funds. 14. • Nay From small acoms, large oak trees grow... Remember that this also applies to your Investment portfolio. Time and compound interest are truly amazing!! Seniors dependent on government pensions live in poverty. Freedom al 55 may be Just a dream for most Canadians. id you know that you can purchase these funds on either a non -registered basis, or as an RMP. Compare these returns to the balance of your portfolio! There are many other significant advan- tages to these products. If you would like more information on these invest- ments, or any other funds, please contact us to arrange a meeting. Unit Value 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year Y.T.D. Equity Fund Income Fund Balanced Fund 22.31% 14.73% 18.32% 12.51% 12.89% 12.94% 14.80% 12.55% 14.89% 22.31% 14.73% 18.32% Don't forget to do your RSP this year. We can transfer your other plans for you! emember, we also shop the market to find thc most competitive GIC rates for you! Ron Rau Manager, Financial Services 235-2420 (Exeter office) Joyce Fulton 2384484 (Grand Bend office) Barb Lovie 482-9747 (Clinton office) Janet Cameron remember... • There are significant tax advantages to non -registered segregated fund Investments. • Ask me how to take advantage of the $1,000.00 per year pension Income deduction. • Your 1993 RSP limit Is 18% of your 1992 Income to a maximum of $12,500.00 You may be able to take advantage of income splitting by using a spousal RSP.