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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 1981-06-11, Page 12PAGE 12—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1981 Over By Herb Shov eller More than 900 angry Ontario farmers including many from Huron and Bruce gathered in Toronto Thur- sday, and jeered and called down federal and provincial government ministers when they would not commit themselves to programs to protect agriculture from high interest rates and low production returns. Eugene Whelan, federal Minister of Agriculture, along with his provincial counterpart, Lorne Hen- derson, were targets of most of the farmers' frustration at the three-bour long public meeting to provide the agricultural community with an opportunity to voice its concerns. Ontario Treasurer Frank Miller was on the receiving end. c$, ,some of the twitter comments, while Premier William Davis, an "unin- vited guest" who spoke briefly, slipped out of the meeting early, unscathed. Ralph Barrie, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Brian Ireland, an OFA director from Bruce County and Leslie Van Trigt, a farmer from Haldimand-Norfolk who described his concerns about his future in farming, presented the farmers' position. Glenn Flaten, president of the Canadian 'Federation of Agriculture, also spoke. Though other issues such as foreign ownership were touched' upon, staggering interest rates , and . inequitable returns . on production remained the main issues of dispute. Throughout the steep climb in interest rates Mr. Henderson has maintained providing relief is a federal concern, and his insistence appeared to have paid off for farmers storm goverument offices him. After arriving late from Ottawa, Mr. Whelan was constantly called upon to answer questions concerning interest rates And whenever shots were aimed at the province, Mr. Miller fielded them. In the few instances when he did speak, however, the provincial agriculture minister was regularly at- tacked. When Mr: Henderson began his brief introductory address with, "Through the years the government has tried to respond to problems as we see them" an irate farmer hollered "Bull..." Let's talk Later, when he explained the government was in- terested and expected to hear from the farmers at the meeting, another audience member intemspted, saying, "High interest, let's talk about it." "I agree," replied Mr: Henderson, "and we're going to have the federal minister here" to discuss them. "Quit passing the buck," challenged another farmer. Twice during his five minute address, meeting chairman Mr. Barrie had to call the audience to order, and when Mr. Henderson sat down he received scattered applause sprinkled with a small chorus of boos. Mr. Ireland, the third speaker of the afternoon, set the tone for the farmers' anger with his opening remarks. "We are farmers, not mushrooms," he said, "and we don't have to be kept in the dark and fed a diet of horse ..." Some progress In an interview later, Mr. Ireland issued a cooler assessme>klt of the meeting's success. 'I would think we made some progress. They OAC Bankers School starts on June 7 Whet 65 to . 70 bankers, farm visits to two," he says. conte to the University\ of "We want to get right into Guelph June 7-12, . they VIM the nuts and bolts of how the spend more time.:, . in. ease -farm ,operates, and then tie 1ethan nk 'p a yi i : the classroom 'ands tlse a in his address. 'Years. workshop experiences more- "lig' s' a reals �pmblem in This change, says Dr- Stan closely with the farm visits." the beef industry: Part of the Young of the Ontario "The farm visits solution lies in, your own Agricultural College, will familiarize bankers with the hands," he told the make the 27th annual OAC farm and the farmer's way gathering. "There has to be Bankers' School even more of thinking," says. Dr. an awareness that part of the useful than past sdsools. Young. "Bankers need this problem lies with the in - "We're putting more em- knowledge to help farmers dist), itself." Oasis on case studies and effectively. The premier described the we've reduced the number of The course is designed for intent of the government the banker who deals with representatives at the farmers on a day-to-day seminar- 4-Haward basis.' Most of the bankers "I'm here to say there are who attend the school are limitations .., that a aha -Geigy is pleased tosmall.town Viers. In some government can in , fact once that the $500 Mown brandies, says achieve. As a provincial. Sc larship Award for On- Dc Young, farmers are the government, we are tario 4-11 Club members will . ' majority of a bank's Prepared to give certain be offered again in 1981. The customers. solutions to certain showed. concern by sending the premier and ministers here. We seemed to get some kind of commitment from Frank Miller," and managed to score a few "brownie points.", For Mr. Barrie, the suc- cess of the meeting will only be measured after disuc- ssions with the government over the next month. "This was really essential for us," he explained in an interview following adjournment. "The secret in negotiating with the government" is in proving "we are speaking for the people." The solid turnout Thursday provided the evidence. Still, he admitted, the talks will be difficult. "Frank Miller is a pretty astute guy. He's not going to put a lot of money into short term subsidies for the sake of long tenn stability." • An often mentioned remedy to provide an upturn in the fortunes of agriculture was a shift to supply management, particularly in the red meat industry. Over -supply is currently a major ailment, and it was made clear, by both • government speakers and agricultural spokesman, that the responsibility for better control of inputs to the marketplace rests with farmers. Though there are in- dications pointing in that direction, certain industries, notably beef, have resisted marketing boards and favour simple k free en- terprise. It is contended that a marketing agency would regulate flow of products to market to insure farmers recover their production costs and show a profit. "Hopefully, the farmers will admit they can't manage their way, and get off their ego trip, or we're going to have poverty on the harm,"said Andre Durand, a South Huron director on the county Federation of Agriculture. "The reason (for the current dilemma) is not interest rates, it's return on production. Milk has a quota, and they have no problems." Premier Davis touched on .1 11 I award, previously known as During the fiveday school, problems, but we can't solve "Stewart Seeds Scholarship the bankers use case studies them all." Award" will be presented by and classroom work to in- He echoed Mr. Hen - Ciba -Geigy Seeds Itd. for crease their knowledge 'son's comments on in - the first time this year. about production, farm deet gest rates, saying they Applications are accepted cions, farm finances, the were a product of the "policy from any 4-11 Club Mer problems farm financing of the government of this who meets the following Pry' farm appraisal coni„ guidelines: 1) Is entering the first year of the Agricultural Degree Program at the University of Guelph; 2) Is a member of an On- tario 4-H Club; 3) Has achieved a minimums of 66 percent in Grade XIII studies. Applicants will be judged on their leadership qualifies as demonstrated by their participation in 4-H, Junior Fanner and community ac- tivities. Ontario 4-H Club Members may obtain applications from the office of their Coun- ty of District Agricultural Representative. Applica- tions are also available from (iia -Geigy SeedsLtd_, Box 40, Ailsa Craig, Ontario, NOM IAO. To be considered, applica- tions must be received by September 11, 1981. and tax statements assure you we are Chartered banks and the prepared, with the Federal Business Develop - assistance of the farm ment Bank send employees community, to take some to the school and, for the first steps," added the premier. time this ,year, trust corn, "But they have to be logical, paries are "Peeled to par- they have to work, and they ticipate have to assist those in The school is sponsored by genuine need." the Ontario Ministry of Lucky ones Agriculture and Food, the Next, Mr. Ireland told the Ontario Agricultural College audience he had lost $60,000 and the Bankers in 1980, which meant his Agricultural Education family of six lived on $13,000 Committee. last year. "I can't afford to be this generous for another year," he said, "and I'm still one of the lucky ones." Along with government, Mr. Ireland also brought lending institutions under fire. "If the banks are such good corporate citizens," he asked, "why are they run- ning ads in the dailies to upgrade their image?" He emphasized Ontario farmers' anger over equalization payments by the federal government. Ontario pays $1.5 billion into the fund. xebec receives $1.8 billion. Mr. Van Trigt, a lifethne farmer, told the audience he was contemplatxjlig whether to quit farming because he is being pinched bylow markets and high interest. He said he had taken a job as a crop insurance agent to cover his "day to day costs." He, too, urged that pork producers go for a supply management agency. "I fail to understand why the hog industy has not been forced under supply management," he wondered. "Most people I talk to want farm management." Mr. Van Trigt challenged consumer organizations as well. "The consumer association wants input on our boards," he said. "That's great. Maybe we should have farmers on the consumer board, and the machine manufacturer's board, and the food store board,..." Son is 'farmer Mr. Miller opened his remarks by, telling farmers his son has been farming for eight years and he has yet to break even. The minister said he owned 49 per cent of his son's operation, so was quite familiar with the problems facing agriculture. Mr. Miller pledged to work "hard in the next two to three weeks" to find solutions. Mr. Flaten, CFA president, acknowledged the government and banks are not the sole culprits in the current predicament. "In fairness," he explained, "some farmers have ex- panded beyond their range of capabilities." The president also stressed many sectors of the Musty would be more stable if they had a marketing structure. "Farmers must remember that to get a degree of stability goes hand in hand with giving up certain freedoms. "All of us agree that the long term solution must be to get adequate return from the market," he continued. "In order to do that, we must design the best marketing system available. "We need farmers to pull together, a united front for what we want, because At $2375 We do perfect job 11HP Hydro Drive .4 A1tJP TM ,.4'1.1 1ill.t-,?.N_ Don't Be Caught Short! We start at $1250 8HP Electric Tractor OPEN DAILY 8 TO 5 SAT. 8 TO 12 Only Available at Henson Location VtLL7&LL( :F bF 14"+1 :SMa1'i11,F SY4' `NM1l10i':1X HFNSALL QRS 262®3002. 4624823 farmers are fragmented. Mr. Whelan, noting there was no one villain in the agricultural problem, added not all sectors of farming are suffering. "I've had no letters from egg producers, broilers or dairy," he said. "If these people are having problems, they 're not telling me." The federal agriculture minister outlined some of the financial support the province's fanners received from his government last year, which included Ontario's share of 28 per cent of the Farm Credit Cor- poration loan and the national government's $13.4 million contribution to the crop insurance program. Huron -Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell, left; Ron Jones second vice president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture; and Murray Elston, MPP for Huron=Bruce, chat during a stormy session In Toronto last week between farmers and federal and provincial politicians. (photo by Sheila Gunby) Huron home and farm news by John Heard, Assist. Aga Rep. Nip your alfalfa in the bud Haying time is nearly here. Harvesting your crops early should increase profits by several hundred dollars. The protein content of the alfalfa -grass hay crops drops rapidly as the plants approach full bloom. From bud to first flower, to mid - bloom, to late -bloom, there is a drop of approximately four to five percent crude protein over a 30 -day period, after first flower maturity for alfalfa. A drop of five percent in one ton of alfalfa hay means a loss of 100 pounds protein. You, as a producer, would have to add an additional 250 pounds of 44 percent soybean meal to each ton of grain mix ata cost of approximately $37 per ton grain mix more (at present prices), when you feed poor quality, late cut hay. Cows too will eat less of the late cut hay and as a result need more grain. Alfalfa weevil numbers are declining, however, in fields where numbers are still high, the best control measure is early cutting of the` crop )between late bud and first flower) Cutting the cropclose ayd hay -removal ,from the field ': soon as possible, deprives the larva of food and shelter, and ex- posure to the sun and predators is fatal. So, don't delay cutting your alfalfa - cut early and save both ways. by Don Pullen, Ag. Rep. Pork Congress 1981 The eighth annual Pork Congress is scheduled for June 23, 24 and 25 at the Stratford Coliseum. The Congress features over 50,000 square feet of industry exhibits. There are classes for purebred feeder and market hogs. Showmanship and judging classes are schedul- ed for junior pork producers. A sale of stock will be held each day. Interest items in- clude a celebrity cook -off, a pig art competition and a consumer program in the Upper Coliseum. Prize winn- ing innovations will appear daily on videotape. An educational program will be held each morning. Pork Congress is always a hive of activity. Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of it. Producer Education Programs There's an informative program each day starting at 10 a.m. The Tuesday pro- -gram has talks on animal behaviour - "The Suckling Pig - Can You Eliminate Diseases, Through Breeding?" and "Spotting Vitamin Deficiencies". Wednesday features presentations on Animal Behaviour - "The Suckling Pig (Part II) ; "European Housing for Piglet Produc- tion" and "Time Manage- ment" with pork producer Neil Hemingway of Brussels. Thursday's program in- volves two area pork pro- ducers. Bob DeBrabandere of St. Marys will describe his modified environment barn and Richard Hiscocks of Lakeside will speak on "Financial Success Other Than Through Production". Dr. Fiedler of West Ger- many is the third speaker. He'll describe "Housing Systems for Growing and Finishing Hogs in Europe". Consumer Program There's a consumer pro- gram each day at 1:30 p.m. The Tuesday program is a fashion show. Wednesday, the topic changes to a pork cutting and barbecue demonstration. On Thursday there will be three speakers: Paul Parlee on Ontario Family Law Reform Act; Gay Stewart on Making a Will; and Peter Huxtable on Federal Business Develop- ment Bank Services. 1 FARMERS IN HURON COUNTY "THINKING OF REAL ESTATE, THINK STEVE BUCHANAN" SPECIALIZING IN THE SALE OF FARMS FOR 26 THE SQUARE GODERICH CALL 524-4700 EvINGs 524-9097 OFFICE John Deere has a bigger compact utility tractor. Th 33 -PTO -HP: 1050 Diesel The John Deere 1050 Tractor is powered by a turbocharged 3 -cylinder diesel engine - an industry exclusive. And that means more power, better fuel economy and fewer emissions than most com- parable tractors with nsaturallyaspirated engines. The 1050 also has a Category 1 load - and -depth -sensing 3 -point hitch, continuous -running 540 -rpm PTO, color - coded controls. Plus a mechanical front -wheel drive option. See us today for a 1050 Tractor demonstration. Clean up quick with. this compact new washer. 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