HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-10-17, Page 19(a()DERICH SIGNAL•STAB. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 178. 19744PA9E 3A
Current trends in agriculture
and society are threatening the
future of farmers, Gordon Hill,
president of the Ontario
Fe.4eration of Agriculture war-
ned Thursday night in Hensall.
Mr. Hill warned members of
the Huron County Federation
of Agriculture. that a com-
bination of risi•ng.' input . costs
and consumer resentment to
higher food costs are pushing
farmers into a corner. He said
farm input.cos.t have been going
up for some time' but the past
couple of years they've soared.
He Panted to the cost of
petroleum 'products and fer-
tilizer, the fact that some farm
machinery has increased 30 per
cent in the past year and could
go up an equal 'amount in the
coming year, the cost of credit,
labour and building materials.
Mr'. Hill said livestock
producers, were in the worst
positiim. He said that in 1970 it
was estimated it cost $156 to
produce a calf. Today, he said,
based on- the rise in input costs
since that time, it should cost
$236. He told of a farmer he
knew who kept cattle all last
-winter and this .sumrner and
got $10 less per head when he
sold them this fall. -
This bleak outlook, he said,
is ,combined with a "deter-
mined onslaught" to destroy
marketing legislation. Mr. Hill
said the big city press is part of
this onslaught by "people who
don't want to see farmers welt -
organized and in a position to
do something in the market -
.place." , •
Mr. ' • Hill �` pou:ited to the
situation over the spoilage of
two and a quarter million
dozen eggs and said no one had
anything good to say for the
Canadian ' Egg Marteting
Agency during the uproar. No
one • pointed out, he said, that
C.E.M:A: saved consumers,
money last fall by prohibiting
exports•to the U.S. No one poin-
ted out, he said, that C.&M.A.
had offered all the eggs that
spoiled for, sale lout there was,
no,.buyer. •No one"pointed out
that'C.E•``M.A: tried to get the
government .to buy the eggs for
foreign aid but the government
wouldn't buy. No one pointed
out that .C.E.M.A. ,tried to sell
the'eggs to' the• breaking trade.
The press, he said,' didn't try
toy be fair.- They dealt with
numbers of eggs • saying 28
• million, not talking in terms -of
• dozens as eggs are usually
• numbered. The press pursued a
policy of "keeping it in ,front of
the public as long as possible"
Mr. Hill. said, as they .worked
on a little detail each day.
Recent treatment , of
C.E.M.A., in the Press which
ridiculed sending of eggs from
Newfoundland to British
Columbia was, also unfair he
said. The facts,' Mr. Hill said,
were that the .eggs had gone
beyond their, normal shelf life
and. C.E.M.A. tried to find a
breaker who could handle them
• before they spoiled., The only
breaker who coup handle the
•eggs was in the West. One ship-
ment ,took, only seven days and
. arrived in excellent condition.
Another took three weeks and
was shifted from one box -car to
another •-at least• once during
the trip leading to considerable
breakage and spoilage for
which Canadian National
Railways ,had accepted full
responsibility. ,This, however,
Mr. Hill said, had not been
mentioned in' news reports:
Mr. Hill said the "Committee
to Reform Egg Marketing"
which has been formed by some
discontented • egg producers
would destroy C.E.M.A. and
warned that farmers are. being
asked to finance the •destruc-
tion of their own marketing
board- by supporting the com-
mittee. He said those against
marketing boards want the con-
trol of farming to go back to
those who "continue to farm
farmers." He said farmers that
don't support .marketing
legislation are digging their
own graves.
Mr Hill said: "We as far-
mers are going to . have to be
pretty going to have to look
carefully at things put before
us. Nobody's .against farmers
until. the farmer tries to do
something about improving has
income."
He called Professor Forbes
who leaked the Forbes Report
to the press last week, a "shady
charleton who picked up a bun-
dle of federal' money to do a
study and said before he made
it he knew what the conclusion
would be."
Mr. Hill said he is even con-
vinced Mrs. Plumptre is being
usedby • those opposed to
marketing. He pointed out that
farm marketing boards are the
only groups she has zeroed in
cin after giving both the food
chains and processors very lit-
tle crit icisrr;i. .
Mr. Hillshowed the dif-
ference between farm• prices.'
and supermarket •. prices by
looking at ,a one pound bag of
white` beans which •costs 26
cents from the farmer but
became 74 cents on the super-
marketshelf. He said he'd •like
to find out why the cost had to
go so much higher and thought'
perhaps Mrs. Plumptre •.might
take the time` to find out after
she had "vented, her"wrath on
the farmers and established her
board as a permanent agency."
He warned the farmers "If
. we don't get serious we could
lose this battle...could lose
marketing jegislation"y and
without orderly marketing, he
said, the farmers haven't • got
any control and faced with
• spiralling costs, he said, far-
mers would be , in the worst
. position for some time.
"Some people want to see free
enterprise in farming, ' he said,
but if farmers have to work un-
der free enterprise they will be
the only group that is entirely
under the free enterprise
system. • Everybody else; he
• said, can control supply.
He said he firmly believes
farmers will have to 'Move -to
production. 'controls, not
'marketing controls. Farmers
are • going to have to decide, he
' said, if they're going to con-
tinue to be "nice guys". Far-_
niers are going to have to start,.
looking , on food as a product,
he said, and on farming,
bargaining and marketing as
business.
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The Lake Huron Zone of the
Ontario Municipal Recreation
Association has scheduled its
annual conference for Hanover,.
October 19. • •
Proceedings will get under.
way in the Hanover Coliseum
at 9:30 a.m. and will terminate
at approximately 3:30• pa -n.
A, highlight of this year's cop-.
ference will be a- presentation
and discussion on "Area
Recreation"and "Cost
Sharing!" As well, urban and
rural people will have the op-
portunity to • discuss the
overlapping of services and the
lacking of . services between
neighbouring municipalities
along with the sharing `of ser-
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Many rural' and urban com-
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will be made by Civic officials Recreation Bureau Of the On-
• from an Urban/Rural area ., tario Ministry of , ommunity
where . the concept' has- been and Social Services; and from
tried androven. the seven "Cluster" gimps
Every municipal recreation throughout the Zone.
:committee within the Lake The present L.H.Z. -
Hurc>n Zone should have at O.M.R.A. executive includes
least one delegate at this im- Presiderit .Jack Bird; Past
portant conference, as this sub- President, Clare Christie, Owen
ject alone pertains to all of•us Sourld; Secretary -.Treasurer,
in Western Ontario. because e f Marj Metzger, Hanover; com-
our urban/rural environment. mit.tee •member,,' Ruth Wolfe,
Lake Huron Zone President, Clifflird; Sports and Recreation
Jack Bird of Owen Sound, Bureau - Consultant, C.M.
states that 'Zone Re- "Bud" 'Bitton, Hanover; and
Organization" and "Reports" Recreation. Director's
from the .Zone executive will Association n+liaison, Don
Gravett, Hanover.
Anyone requesting to attend
the conference in which dinner
•
also be.'•cin the conference
agenda.
Special reports, including one
by John Neill;' president of the
Ontario Municipal Recreation
Association, will he delivered
as well as from the Lake Huron
is included in a $5.00
registration fee,. should contact
the Sports and Recreation
Bureau office in Hanover at
364-1626 as soon as possible.
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