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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-01-25, Page 14Page 12 Times -Advocate, January 25, 1995 IARMJJPba • Power of attorney documents essential to every farm New legislation will freeze all assets, unless power of attorney has been taken care of, a lawyer told the HCFA membership CLINTON - Property owners, and particularly farmers, should make sure they have designated power of attorney to more than one family member or friend in case they become mentally incompetent. Dave Murray, a Seaforth lawyer, spoke at Thurs- day'Huron eounty Federation of Agriculture meet- ing in Clinton on the subject of power of attorney and how it relates to the province's new Substitute Decisions Act, proclaimed this January. "The way it stands now, the Power of Attorney (process) is fairly simple, but it leaves a lot of holes," Murray told the audience at the meeting. Should power of attorney not be designated by someone before they become incapable, a close family member can file to act on their behalf, said Murray. But they will have to file a management plan with the Public Trustee, and post security for the entire value of the estate. That point, he said, makes power of ,attorney documents an especially important thing to have. One woman asked that if her husband, a farmer, became mentally incapable of managing the farm, could she sell the property without power of at- torney? "No you can't. Everything's frozen," said Murray, again noting that emphasizes the importance of pre- paring such documentation in advance. MPP Paul Klopp attended the meeting and spoke out in favour of his government's new legislation. He said that while the old power of attorney forms can be used for the next six months, the newer forms simplify the process. "It probably won't hurt to go through your law- yer," said Klopp, but noted the forms c8n be filled out by the parties themselves. "They're fairly easy to do." Klopp said the old legislation proved costly for the government to administer, and made it hard to track down those who had power of attorney over certain estates. "People have come into my office with some very hard luck stories," said Klopp. "I think it's worth the investment for all of us." Murray, on the other hand, disagreed with Klopp that people should be encouraged to fill out the power of attorney form packages themselves. "I don't recommend the packages," said Murray. "Who's going to look after [the completed doc- umentation], and does everybody understand what's going on?" He also said the government form packages only include one set of documents and lawyers usually recommend at least three sets be in existence, one of which is safeguarded in the law firm's vault. Mur- ray said legal fees to prepare a power of attorney package usually cost about $150. Later in the meeting, the members of the Huron Federation of Agriculture paid tribute to Blaine Ste- phenson who has been their Ontario Federation of Agriculture representative for 12 and a half years. Stephenson is leaving the OFA for a position at the Hay Mutual Insurance Company. The new field representative for Huron is Paul Nairn. Time to take inventory CLINTON - It's inventory time for those farmers who keep books on a January -to -December basis. Meaningful financial statements result from an accurate beginning - and -ending inventory for both crops and livestock. The inventory figures determine how cash sales have been influenced by the inven- tory change in the barn or in the bin. Also, these figures are needed to complete an annual net worth state- ment to provide a picture of the to- tal assets, liabilities an equity of the farm business. To assist you with your invento- ry, the following table provides some suggested feed inventory val- ues. Item Beginning Ending value value Jan. 1/94 Dec. 31/94 $110 $105 110 115 Oats Barley Soybeans 300 280 Shelled Corn 135 1 10 Mixed Grain 110 105 Feed Wheat 110 110 Hay* 50to90 50to90 Straw 50 50 Corn Silage 20 20 Haylage 30 30 Grainlage 30 30 * Depends on quality These beginning and ending in- ventory values are suggested! Use these values as a guideline and ad- just them according to your farm situation because of variations in quality and market conditions. If you have purchased feed or sup- plies in the latter part of 1994 use the actual.purchase price. Market livestock should be val- ued at current market values and breeding stock is commonly main- tained at the same beginning and ending values. Along with inventory figures, the following values are needed to pro- vide a complete picture df your farm business: • Market value of purchased feed and supplies • Beginning and ending value of accounts receivable and payable • Market value of machinery, quota, equipment, land and build- ings • Value of investments (RRSP, NISA, CSB, etc) • Beginning and ending amounts for operating loans, term loans and mortgages. To assist you with recording your farm inventory, request.OMA- FRA's Farm Inventory Notebook and publication No. 37. With an accurate recorded inven- tory, your present farm business sit-, uation can be examined and future decisions can be made. Livestock medicines course for producers CLINTON - Ensuring human and animal safety through the re- sponsible use of livestock medi- cines is important to swine pro- ducers, to other sectors of the animal agri-food industry and ul- timately to consumers. Recogniz- ing the importance of this issue, a Livestock Medicines Course for Swine Producers is being offered at the Clinton OMAFRA office on Wednesday, February 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The main objectives of the pro- gram are to use medicines with due regard for the safety of hu- mans and animals, to prevent ille- gal residues in food derived from animals and to protect the quality of medicines. Some of the subject areas are: * livestock medicines - residues and responsibilities * label interpretation * calculating dosages and with- drawal times * extra -label drug use * injection guidelines * vaccination strategies * preventing antibiotic residues * purchase, transportation, stor- age, inventory and disposal. The course is not a short course in veterinary medicine; however, it is recognized that owners do treat their own animals. The course does not describe or diagnose dis- ease conditions, describe specific treatments, or recommend specific products. Each course participant receives a manual that uses "plain language" and is presented in an easy -to -read manner. It provides technical information encouraging the safe and effective handling and use of livestock medicines. Registration is required by Wednesday, February 1 by sending a cheque (payable to the Minister of Finance) for $35 -per person to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Box 159, Clinton, Ontario NOM ILO. For further information, contact the Clinton OMAFRA office at (519) 482-3428 or 1-800-265-5170. Holding conference for farm women LONDON - Farm women from across Ontario will gather in Lon- don, Ontario on March 24 and 26, to attend the Annual Meeting and Conference of the Ontario Farm Women's Network (OFWN). "Building on Strengths Within" is the theme of the Conference, which is being organized by Mid- dlesex Women for the Support of Agriculture for OFWN. The focus will be on the strengths of farm women - strengths within them- selves, within their families, their communities, and within the prov- ince. The program includes work- shops on: Programs and Opportuni- ties, Marketing Social Change, Fear on the Farm, and Balancing Life as a Volunteer. there will be speakers on family relationships and person- al growth as well as a panel discus- sion with farm women who are in leadership positions. The Great Ide- as Showcase will allow participants to sec and emulate local initiatives from across Ontario. The objective of the program is to give a renewed sense of energy and self-esteem to Ontario Farm Women. For further information, a confer. ence brochure or to register, contact Connie Bontje, Conference Co - Chair, RR 2 Thorndale, Ontario, NOM 2P0 phone/fax (519) 461- 0515. One Foot in the By Bob Trotter Problems with marketing boards Ever since the Ontario Farm Products Control Act was amended in 1946 and its name changed to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Act,' marketing plans, as they were first called, and marketing boards have been under fire. In 1955 when the act was again amended and the powers of marketing boards were better de- fined, these boards have been hated and loved, damned and praised, heralded and hunted, even by those who benefitted mightily from the boards. [ have heard farmers curse the Ontario Milk Marketing Board with a vehemence and an origi- nality that was awesome and yet this board, above all others in my humble opinion, has done mote to stabilize dairying in Ontario than any other thing. When driving around the boondocks in Ontario, the dairy farms can be spotted every time because they look clean and prosperous, a far cry from 30 years ago when dairying was in sch ess. When the tobacco board was formed, the press screamed and yelled at the power handed to it. I remembera farm writer, a colleague on the daily newspaper for which I was' working, screaming that "they (board members) could come onto a farm and burn the crop if the grower didn't plant the right amount." But no board has been through as much tur- moil, especially from the inside, as the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board. Back in the early days, the infighting for power, prestige and positions was almost deadly. Since then, the board tlas had more ups and downs than an eleva- tor operator's nightmare and they are at it again. A recent management review by Price Water- house painted an ugly picture. It said the board was "dysfunctional and seriously divided," spending too much time on issues seen to be nei- ther of critical importance or top priority. Produc- ers, the report indicated, had lost confidence in the pork board and in the general manager. Even the work ethic of the board staff was questioned. Ontario's Pork computer and accounting sys- tems were said to be out of date. "The situation (at the Pork Board) can be lik- ened to that of standing on a raft which is burning out of control". The Price Waterhouse report rec- ommended an action titan. The board adopted the plan. As a result, the board's long-time general man- ager was fired. Another senior manager will be let go within a year and many of the ways the board has been doing business will change dramatically. I am not a pork producer but [ have several friends who are. One of them is solidly behind the report and the changes taking place. He told me changes were long overdue and if something hadn't been done soon, the entire sys- tem would have collapsed under its own weight of inertia. Yet another producer, only a few miles down the road, said he was appalled at the way things were handled and he did not think things were nearly as bad as painted by Price Water- house. "They were just a consulting firm trying to justi- fy their existence," he said. "We could have solved the problems without these drastic meas- ures." Both agreed something was wrong and changes had to be made but they disagreed on how it was done. This board has been knocked around so much in the last 30 years that I'm sure it will weather this storm. Canadian pork is so important to agricul- ture in this province that this hoard will emerge from this latest battle in better condition than ever, ready to promote and market this great product better than ever. But I do wish these solutions -- these problems - - hand been handled years ago in the proper manner by men and womennvho can work together for the common good. Maybe, just maybe, the board has learned its lesson this time. But don't hold your breath. These people have been fighting for 30 years. • Swine Research Update KIRKTON - The 14th annual Centralia Swine Research Update will be featured on Wednesday, February 1 at the Kirkton Commu- nity Centre from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Over the years, this informa- tion day has become well estab- lished as a means of reviewing current areas of research and top- ics of interest for all members of the swine industry. Dr. Mike Tokach, Extension Livestock Specialist at Kansas State University, is the feature speaker. He is well known for his expertise in the practical aspects of swine nutrition and has a particular research interest in starter diets for the early weaned pig. Dr. Mike Tokach will speak on "Practical Considerations in Segregated Ear- ly Weaning Nutrition" and "Re- cent Developments in Sow Nutri- tion". With the current interest in the segregated early weaning com- ponent of multi -site production, Dr. Tokach will have very timely information. A unique feature of this Swine Research Update is the number and variety of topics to be covered. Other timely topics include, Devel- opments in S.E.W. Heating Sys- tems, The Effect of PRRS on the Ontario Swine Industry, Financial Survival in Tough Times, Does Raising Entire Males as Market Hogs Make Sense?, Multi -Site Production - A Word of Caution, Predicting Infertility by ' Semen Evaluation, Alternative Feeds for Swine, Immunology, Growth and S.E.W. Technology, 15 Practical llriltiaC.Isammen) • Specializing in Farm & Business Income Tax • Computerized Bookkeeping • Capital Gain elections • In Nome Service 194 High St. Ailsa Craig NOM 1A0 (519) 293-3388, Fax (519) 296-5999 75 Main St. Thedford NON 2N0 (519) 296-5380 1-800-304-3986 Ask for Ron Steeper Vissmommaxmodi Points in 15 Minutes from the Liq- uid Manure Application Systems Conference, Composting - A Real Alternative to Dead Stock Remov- al plus many more. Printed pro- ceedings will be available on all the topics discussed during the program. Registration is required by Fri- day, January 27 by sending a cheque for $25 per person (made out to Centralia Swine Research Update) to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Af- fairs, Box 159, Clinton, Ontario NOM 1 L0. For further information contact your local OMAFRA Of- fice. Notice Township of McGillivray Residents Public Meeting January 26 7:30 p.m. in West McGillivray Hall regarding road names. to implement 9-1-1 service Please plan to attend QUALITY SKID -STEER TIRES HELP YOU GET MORE DONE • Heavy-duty sidewalls resist punctures, scrubbing and tears • Reinforced bead area reduces potential failure • Rim guard protects against flats from debris between wheel and bead • Self-cleaning lug sheds mud, rock, debris • Improved construction reduces bouncing • Flat profile provides more ground contact, greater traction, extended wear All al the price you want to pay. 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