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Times-Advocate, 1999-02-03, Page 25r. Wednesday, P bri ary 3. t999 Investing in processors will help rur Segsworth says the concept of hog producerslnwstingin By Kate Monk . tributing funding during .the, farm crisis TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF • _ could happen faster than Itis. If some of those government officials were facing the same problems, they'd move faster," he said. Some things have been learned through the crisis and producers are taking a closer look athow their prod- ucts are processed and marketed. "Niche markets are going to come into rural Ontario," Segsworth `predicted. adding farmers are excellent at produc- ing but marketing is "foreign" and they will have to look at farming from a dif- ferent light. "Producers are realizing now there is strength in numbers," Down said. She believes it's time to reassert marketing boards and single -desk selling. The Dutch auction system is no longer working because there are not enough buyers, Bonnett said. Global markets don't guarantee profits; either. "Global markets are no good to anyone if they're losing money," he explained. Segsworth is disappointed in the way the Ontario Whole Farm Relief . Program has been handled and hopes the govern- ment will fine-tune the relief program. He said the government spent one month creating the program and "two months to figure out how not to hand out the money." Nairn said the Perth Pork Producers put some pork farmers through the analysis and found three out of every four producers would not qualify for any funding. One of the problems is that negative margins. are not included. Figures can reach zero but can not go below zero in the formulas. "If you're in 30 feet of water, it doesn't help if you're given 20 feet of rope," Bonnett said. Segsworth believes the process of dis- Other programs such as the Net EXETER — Ed Segsworth, president of the. Ontario Federation of Agriculture, believes his organization can' help hog industry activist Ken Palen with his plan for independent hog producers to invest in independent processors. Segsworth, OFA vice-president Ron Bonnett, Huron .Federation of Agriculture president Pat Down and staffer Paul Nairn mat with Palen in Exeter on Jan. '27 during a tour of Huron and Perth counties. "It sounds like an interest- "WHY NOT PROCESS ing idea," Segsworth said (MEAT) HERE? IT after the meeting, adding It WILL CREATE ALL would give producers a say KINDS OF JOBS AND in what happens to their HELP REVITALIZE hogs after they leave the RURAL ONTARIO." farm. ED SEGSWORTH While the OFA is keeping its hands out of farmers' OFA PRESIDENT marketing decisions,. Segsworth emphasized the OFA -will "stand four-square" behind them once their decisions are made. With Palen's proposal, Segsworth said the OFA can help with the political aspects such as provincial funding and help "speed up the process." Bonnett added the OFA can' help iden- tify partners such as other investors and the government: Segsworth believes increased invest- ment in small to medium sized abattoirs Will not only help farmers, it will also boost rural Ontario. "Why not process (meat) here? It will create all: kinds of ,lobs., and help revital- iZe rural Ontario," Segsworth said. He said the concept can also apply to other commodities, especially beef :Which is also in a tenuous price situa- tion. 23 l 4ntario: Segsworth rocessors will help the industry `1 Ontario Federation vice-president Ron Bonnett, left, Huron' Federation of Agriculture president Pat Down and OFA president. Ed Segsworth take a close look at the Ontario Whole Farm Relief Program.They agree the program needs to be fine-tuned.. Income Stabilization Assistance (NISA) can handle the small fluctuations in prices but a disaster program is needed for last year's drought, ice storm and price crash, Segsworth said. "We need to convince the government it's an investment in the industry," Bonnett said. "The government supports other industries," Down added. "It's easy to give hand outs to large corporations qui- etly." With respect to the impasse in the fed- eral aid program, Bonnett said the fed- eral government needs to "show some leadership" to get the process moving. Segsworth is concerned with the impact the commodity price crisis will have on rural. Ontario. People who have just started farming are highly lever- aged. "Is this going to sour them? Will they go to work in town?" he asked. "We can't afford to lose a generation of farm- ers." Older farmers have lost their retire- ment funds during the past few months, Bonnett said. "It's very stressful when you're looking at losing your farm and you have no retirement fund," Segsworth lamented. Plan to pay more (at first) for Lucan Biddulph zoning changes By Craig Bradford TIMES ADVOCATE STAFF those properties at 10 per cent in '98 and five per way to maintain the memorial if no one else will. cent in both '99 and 2000. Affected property owners must appeal their tax LUCAN BIDDULPH — Those looking to change the bills to fall under the 10-5-5 program. Reymer said zoning status of their property in Lucan. Biddulph about. 12 property owners have appealed in Lucan will have to shuck out more cash, at least up front. and possibly the same number could in Biddulph. At last week's regular meeting, council improved The tax cap greatly complicates levying taxes on an upfront planning fee of $1,000 for rezoning,sev- those properties for municipal tax collectors since erance and minor variance applacations, with $500 the '98 tax bilis have long been issued. refunded to applicants for rezoning and severance Reymer was hoping to issue two interim tax bills requests if the matter doesn't go to an Ontario and two final ones in February, May, August and Municipal Board hearing for a ruling. The township November. He said the February deadline is impos- will refund $650 to the applicant if a minor vari- sible since Middlesex municipalities are reliant on ance doesn't go to' the OMB. If the applications go the county "bankrolling" these changes. to the OMB, the township will keep the entire The county has brought in Municipal Tax Equity upfront cost to help pay for the OMB :hearings. Consultants at a cost of about $25,000 to help the The former Village of Lucan charged $500 for county and its municipalities administer the 10-5-5 rezoning and severance applications and $300 for program. All parties met in London last week with minor variances while Biddulph charged $750 for rezonings and severances and $500 for minor vari- ances. Other notes from the meeting: Pig barn hearings Two Ontario Municipal Board hearings will be held on Feb. 16 at Lucan Community Memorial Centre's Leprechaun Hall to deal with complaints tiled on former Biddulph Township committee of adjustment grana, to minor variances .involving proposed hog operations. The hearing to deal with Martin VanArenthals' application for land at Saintsbury Line and Breen Dr. is at 10 a.m. and the hearing to deal with Fred Knip's application f',r land along Hwy. 4 South of Dashwood Industries is at 2 p.m. The hearings are open to the public. First tax bills in April? Chief administrator Ron Reymer said the town- ship's first interim tax bills may not go out till April. The hold up is due to the province's 10-5-5 municipal tax cap on industrial,' commercial and multi -unit residential properties. Thtkprovince's plan calls for municipalities to cap tax increases on the consultants. Reymer said the county is hoping to get a provin- cial grant to pay the entire consultanting fee. The township's corporate services committee will take a look at how to issue the interim tax bills at its next meeting. Memorial I elp Former Granton Women's: institute member Muriel Lewis sent a letter to the township outlining her concerns about the upkeep oldie Granton War Memorial grounds The Institute looked after the grounds .since the group spearheaded the memori- al's erection in 1921. The Institute disbanded last March but continued to care for the memorial grounds till the end of the year. Lewis has asked a neighbour, of•the memorial to cut the grass and has asked the township to help ensure it will be maintained. Township staff will ask the neighbour if they will maintain the proper- ty. Even if the neighbour says no, the memorial has a friend: Lucan Heritage president Mika Anderson was at the meeting and said Heritage would find a A 2nd -class citizen? The shackles were up on Deputy Reeve Robert Benner's back after he heard a tale of how a Lucan homeowner was treated by the former Union Gas, now Union Energy. • A village resident contacted Benner Jan. 21 about what happened • to them. The homeowner called Union Energy about a water leak in their gas hot water heater the prior Sunday. The homeowner said not only did Union Energy not come to fix the problem, they hadn't bothered to call back. Benner then called Union Energy himself and was told the delay in service was due to the fact the Lucan area is. not in the "core" London area of ser- vice. Benner's intervention seemed to work -- the water leak was fixed by Union Energy the next day. While Benner admits Union Energy staff are extremely busy with the deregulation of the natural gas energy and the spin off business, he said there is no excuse for the shoddy service. "We need to make it clear to Union Energy that "despite the fact we're not in London, we expect and deserve the same kind of service," Benner said. You're appointed Doug Anderson will sit on the Biddulph Blanshard Fire Board instead of George Marr. The change was made to Lucan Biddulph's various boards and com- -; mittees `appointments last month after the Times - Advocate story was appeared. POLICE BRIEFS 4Runnei , stolen from Huron Park HURON PARK — A '90 Toyota 4 -Runner was stolen from Columbia Dr. in Huron Park overnight Saturday, London OPP Const, Myra Rusk said. •