HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-08-18, Page 1212
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Wednesday, August 18, 1999
Farm ne
Study to find economic value of Perth agriculture
By Katherine Harding
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
MITCHELL -- Farming is
the backbone of Perth
County and the county's
Federatioilipf Agriculture
wants toowj ust how
deep that connection runs.
Last Wednesday, the
Perth County Federation
of Agriculture (PCFA) offi-
cially launched an agricul-
tural economic impact
study intended to estimate
direct, indirect and
induced links between the
farming industry and the
county's economy.
The Huron County
Federation of Agriculture
conducted a similar study
in 1997.
Direct impacts involve
farms themselves while
indirect impacts involve
services to agriculture
such as trucking and
banking. Induced impacts
Upcoming seminar discusses
future of rural communities
EXETER -- Agriculture is an
extremely profitable business --7 if
you're not a farmer.
In 1988, General Mills made 222 per-
cent return on equity and Quaker Oats
made 165 per cent while farmers
averaged less than three per cent
return on equity, according to figures
from the Catholic Rural Life
Conferences (CRLC). •
The inequity of this situation 'and
finding solutions to it will be the focus
of a series of meetings featuring Dr.
William and Judy Heffernan in
Lambton, Huron and Bruce Counties.
The Heffernans will be in Exeter at
the South Huron Recreation Centre on
Tuesday, August 24.
The afternoon session entitled .A
Passion for Rural Ministry is aimed at
clergy, pastoral teams, and members
of church congregations and will be
held from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
The .evening session, also . at the Rec
Centre from 7 to 9:30 p.m., is aimed at
a more general .audience of rural and
urban people and concerns the future
development of rural communities �as a
whole.
Entitled A Different Road: Developing
Rural 'Community as if People and the
Environment Mattered, the session is
open to everyone.
The Heffernans believe traditional
rural institutions such as churches can
become focal points for-
:connecting
farmers and consumers and develop-
ing equitable alternatives to the cur-
rent food system.
Their expertise with alternative sys-
tems has encouraged churches to
become involved in presenting the ses-
sions - one of which will focus specifi-
cally on church and rural ministry and
the other which will focus on riral
cominunity development as a whole.:: =r
There is no charge for the •events but
a. freewill offering will be collected. An
Informal meal (subs or sandwiches)
will be offered at cost for those stayingnomic value of farming by
for both sessions. •4T-. ::farm gate sales and the
Dr. Heffernan spoke at Kings number people
College's annual gathering last employed directly on
November and is returning to Ontario farms.
this summer, along: with his wife Judy. Farm gate sales in Perth
The Heffernans are respected for County (total sales by
their academic and practical work in Perth County farms)
defending the family farm; reached $430 million in
More information on the Exeter 1996, making it the fourth
meetings is available through Tony largest agricultural county
Beernink, 786-2285, the CRLC office at in Ontario behind Huron,
1-519-683-1008 or Pat Milliken (farm Holland -Norfolk and
and rural resource minister of . the Middlesex -Kent respec-
United Church's London Conference) Atively.
519-672-1930 or 519-844-2278.{.� "A study like this has
; ! ` '`1' never been done before in
involvethe busfl es
benefitting from agr cul-
ture such as restaurants
and retail.
The project is expected
to cost $30,000, with
$25,000 in funding from a
federal Human Resources
Perth County," said
McIntosh. "The exciting
thing is that this will be
new news. It isn't some-
thing that has been done
five years ago and we will
be just regurgitating those
Development Canada pro- "The federation's theme
gram and $5,000 from the has always -been `the busi-
federft btk It is : ness of agricul-
expected to "Agriculture is a ture creates
start by the basic service that jobs' — but we
end of August don't tell that
with results drives )obs in the story* well,"
scheduled to be rest of the 045-w said McIntosh.
completed byeconom There's ` Some of the
March 2000.. . Y study's objec-
PCFA has more (jobs) off the lives include:
enlisted the farm than on the • • Identifying
help of Dr. farm:'.. the number
H a r r y'
Cummings
from the
University of
G ue-lph's
School of Rural • 'to. target
Planning to carry out the 'Areas of agriculturally
study!- Cummings has related- employment and
extensive experience in training opportunities to.
researching this type of complement the Avon
study, including recent.: Maitland and Huron -Perth
and on-going, projects in Catholic School Boards
plan to offer agriculture
co-op programs;
• to inform the public on
the importance of agricul- .'
ture to the county's econo-
my;
• to identify areas of
growth * in agricultural
related businesses and
industry.
The study will survey
isinesses in the county to
accumulate data. .
"We're trying to list all
the businesses in Perth
County that we do busi-
ness with. ... There are a
lot of people that don't
think they are involved in
agriculture but they actu-
ally are because they sup-
ply a service to us," said
McIntosh. "This study is
going to be very compre-
hensive." The project has
already listed 700 busi-
nesses and are aiming to
catalogue 1,000.
The federation has also
assembled a nine -member
steering committee of
Perth County business
representatives to add
their support and skills to
the project.
"We are pleased with the
-- DR. HARRY anutypes of
CUMMINGS agricultural
UNIVERSITY OF related jobs
GUELPH created in the
county;
Huron County, Simcoe
County and five Counties
in Eastern Ontario.
Cummings said the
object of the study is to
show the role of agricul-
ture as it exists presently.
"Agriculture is a basic
service that drives. jobs in
the rest of the economy.
There's more (jobs) off the
farm than on the farm,"
he said.
Impact study committee
co-chair Mary McIntosh is
enthusiastic about the pro-
ject because previously the
federation has only been
able to measure the eco -
steering committee. It's
quite a high profile group
of people in Perth County
all interested in agricul-
ture," said McIntosh.
Some of the steering
committee members
include Perth"'"County
Warden Dave Shearer,
Alan Rothwell, a planner
for the county's planning
department, John
Bancroft, a representative
from Stratford's OMAFRA
office and Howard
Famme, the owner of
Famme and Company
Chartered Accountants
which is based in St.
Marys and Stratford.
A small research team
will work with the steering
committee to assist in
interviewing businesses:
When the economic
impact study is completed
next spring, the federa-
tion, which represents
more than 1,800 farmers,
hopes the -data will assist
their organization with
presentations to govern-
ment ministries, federal,
provincial and municipal
authorities, county eco-
qpmic planners and devel-
opers.
McIntosh said the infor-
mation will also be open to
federation members and `t
government officials toy
use.
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