Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-08-17, Page 28PAGE 12A—GODERICH SIGNAL-tSTAR, THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1978 oar won't make advance begin crop sale White bean crops in the area have recovered from the early summer drought conditions and now are equal to the fields that . w.ere- devastated by last fall's incessant rains. Gordon Lobb, RR 3 Clinton, and his dog Brutus are shown checking inside the pods . for the condition of the steadily -maturing beans. Mr. Lobb decreased his total white bean acreage this year to 60 acres from the 100 acres he suffered a loss on last year. He is optimistic about the chances of getting this year's crop,.saying.that a farmer. with the right equipment needs only a couple of days to get a crop the size of his off. Last year's loss was the first he'd suffered since he -began growing beans in 1970. (Photo by Jim Hagarty) Jne loot in furrow' •rte So what? she said. If the police believed he had something which would help them in their investigation. then they - the police - had every " right togettl etnformation, •_............. .. Now. that scares me. Where did that statement come from'' Not from a red -necked monarchist` Not from a right-wing •conservative nor from a right-wing liberal but from a so called student radical. • - .. • • • I may lose a lot of friends over this because many tillers of the soil are supposed to be conservative in their thinking. The latest poll appears to indicate that Canadians want.to return to capital punishment. which scares hell out of me. I think that is regression. We have been told of police brutality We have half a dozen investigations in the province into charges of police brutality. The revelations at the federal government level have made a few eyebrows rise. Policemen in this country have been -illegally tapping telephones. opening mail and heaven knows how many other illegal activities— . • So ct.i.vitie. -..- So what? you say. How many "spies'. have been caught" •., How much good has all this illegal activity done? Since Igor Gouzenko. who has been caught spying in Cana- da? And even if spies were active in Canada. what have we got to reveal to them? Therefore. why, do our police forces have to engage in such illegal activities? Why are we in a police state? Personal freedoms have been gained over the years in this country by the blood. sweat and tears of a great many peo- ple. Are ;we going to allow them to be usurped so.easily, so Olson's Gravel Pit DUNGANNON, ONT. 529-7942 . 300 100 load PRICES ARE pER TON SANDY FILL B-2 GRAVEL B-1 GRAVEL DUST OR SAND 4" UNDER STONE ROAD GRAVEL CEMENT GRAVEL 5/8" 3/, STONE tons .30c . 40c . 50c 1.20 1.80 tons Prices .40c .50c .60c 1.20 1.30 1.35 1.90 OUR DELIVERY CHARGE IS LESS .54c • .64c 1.00 1.24 1.34, 1.39 .1.94 Dozer and scraper available for a good leveling • job Letters are appreceated by Bob Trotter Eidale Fd EIm ra Ont N3B 2C7 r quickly. by default. because a few power hungry policemen think we need their high-handed methods? I am the father of three daughters. two of them now mar- - -Pied:-N.ot.l.ang.. ago,.-.one..af_.them._.u_as....being.. driven„home,_to our house -which is a couple of miles out in the country Police stopped the car she was in and ordered her escort out of the car. He was pushed•around, made to stand with his hands against the- roof of the•car and searched like a com- mon criminal. He was not driving erratically. He was neither drunk nor stoned. Just stopped. searched and yelled at. ” It was the most frightening thing I have ever ex- perienced... said my daughter. Why should she and her friend he subjected to brutal and degrading behaviour" Something is wrong in a country where police have such arbitrary (Sowers. It is time every citizen decided to do so- mething about it. Maybe 1 am 10 years behind times. Maybe 1 should have been writing this when campuses - campi:' - were exploding because young people were angry at the es- tablishment. Maybe I should go hack to sitting and rocking on my front porch. But I cannot. I believe that freedom is like (.'hristianity. It has to be re -born in every generation. It is said that Christ has no grandchildren and 1 believe it. I think true believers have to be born every generation. that it cannot be inherit- ed. No can freedom. It has to be re -kindled regularly. It has to come from within.. And it is time to stoke those fires of freedom again. How Canadians can sit back and saC' "so what" when our individual freedoms are being eroded is beyond my compre- hension. Our forefathers must he writhing in their graves. WATER WELL DRILLING "76 YEAR§ EXPERIENCE" • FARM • SUBURBAN • INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL • • FREE ESTIMATES • GUARANTEED WELLS • FAST MODERN EQUIPMENT • 4 ROTARY & PERCUSSION DRILLS "OUR EXPERRENcE ASSURES LOWER COST -WATER WELLS" DAVIDSON' WELL DRILLING 4 Rotary and Percussion Drills LIMITED PHONE 357-1960 WINGHAM,• Collect Calls Accepted "ONTARIO'S FINEST WATER WELLS SINCE 1900" BY ALICX'GIBB, Thisq year, the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board won't be selling any white beans until they have them in hand. Bob Allen, a Huron County director of tl)e board, told members of the • Huron County Federation of Agriculture at their- monthly meeting in Crediton that the board won't be able to make any advance sales of the 1978 bean crop. In the past, the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board have made advance commitments to supply dealers with 25 per cent of the year's expected harvest of No. 1 Ontario white beans. Last year, heavy rains in September created problems for growers trying to harvest their beans, and much of the crop was lost. When the poor weather wiped out much of Ontario's bean crop, the board was able to supply the dealers with only about one-quarter of the 800,000 bags of No. 1 white beans they had promised to deliver. The dealers in turn had to fill orders "from European canning factories with— poorer quality beans, beans purchased from American growers or had to buy back the orders from factories with cash. The two largest dealers which the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board sell to, the Ontario Bean Growers Co-operative in London and W. G. Thompson's and Sons, blame the farmers for not meeting their com- mitments and so they are holding back the final payment for the beans, Allen Since the dealer s haven't made the final payment ..to the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board, they can't make the payment 'to growers. The' Board isnow suing the dealers for the final $5 to $7 million dollar payment and the two dealers are countersuing the board for a payment for the beans they had promised, but weren't able to deliver'. Allen told federation members he expects the -litigation Will be tied up in . court for some time; • which means it. will likely be at (east another year before growers receive their final payment for the 1977 crop. - Allen, a commercial bean seed grower from Brucefield, said he would try and explain "why the bean board is in the mess it is." In tracing the background of the agency, Mr. Allen said when his father started growing beans, in ' the early 1900's, the barter system was tale rule of thumb. If his father wanted a bag of sugar, he took a bag -of beans into town, and made a trade. ONLY A'YEAR Gradually marketing boards sprang up to handle beans for growers, in- cluding a 1935 board which was em- powered to buy and sell all the beans for the growers. This board lasted only , the year. Mr. Allen said the boards for the next 20 year period were "negotiating boards." For every bag of beans. growers delivered to the mill, the board would take 77 cents of the purchase price. Then, every few years when there was a five to 10 per cent surplus of white beans, the board would buy this up and dispose of it, so the surplus didn't bring down prices. But, improved insect Sprays and the use'of combines allowed bean growers to double their 'acreage and the board soon faced annual surpluses. Tn thelate-196US, the board decided -to build a mill in Exeter, and suggested taking 10 cents from every bag of beans brought in by ..growers.•._The growers voted down the suggestion, and the ,government took this as a vote of noconfidence in the board. Mr. Allen said some dealers wanted to be rid of the board anyway, so "trumped up false charges" against the agency which was put out of office by the government. The board member said the 'only other marketing board which sup- ported. the Bean Producers was the hog producers agency. In 1969, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture sent down a troubleshooter from Toronto to investigate the situation and he decided the charges were false and alerted farmers. The directors were re-elected and the Ontario Bean Producers Board was back in business. Allen said the board still faced the same old problem -"what to do with the surplus beans." WORLD PRICE . He said the board has to sell beans when the market wants to buy them. Since 80 per cent of the Ontario white bean crop is exported, the agency has to accept the world price that's being offered. Allen said for the three years before the agency marketed beans, the growers were averaging $1 per bag less. than Michigan growers and that they averaged $1 per bag more since the beans were handled by the board. The Ontario Bean Producers Board markets all the beans of Ontario growers although growers can hold their beans back after harvest. BUY ELSEWHERE Allen said the European buyers can beans every day of the year, and "if you hold your beans back, they'll buy somewhere else." He said the problem occurs when everyone tries to sell the crop at once, and the price of beans goes down. Although dealers sell tkte.majority of Ontario beans to Britain, Mr. Allen said 'last year's crop was sold in 51 other countries as well. He said three European buyers were touring Ontario this week, and that "they've got to have our beans and we (growers and board) "have to have them." He said the buyers in Britain have assured the board that they would never buy their beans all from one country. One grower in the audience expressed concern that buyers might purchase all their beans from the United States. American growers are ............ expecting a very good crop this year. In response • to questions from other bean growers in the audience, Allen said as far as the board knows, the dealers cannot put a lien on future bean crops. He said dealers can't take the debt from one -pool and carry it to the next. Allen also told the growers that under the federal government stabilization program for the 197.7 white bean crop, pedigreed seed growers do not qualify for assistance. PAYMENTS The . government stabilization payments are expected to be made to bean growers by the end of this month. In response to another question about Ethiopia's entry into the world bean market, Allen said although the country was the third largest exporter of beans for one year, this was because the government encouraged farmers to go into beans to get money to buy arms. Allen said the Ethiopian beans were sold largely to German canning fac- tories since the Germans can their beans in salt brine, and sell them in glass jars, rather than canning them in tomato sauce. The board member said the German factories preferred the appearance of the Ethiopian beans. In response to another question, Mr. Allen said growers would have taken ,more of the 1977 crop off the land if there -.hadn't been crop insurance He said if this had happened, there would have been more poorer quality beans to be sold to the Japanese market or to be made into dog food. The Japanese buyers use' the Beans to make bean jam, so don't require the highest grade of bean. Mr. Allen asked bean growers who had any questions about the .board to call him or the other three Huron County directors. He said the directors rarely receive calls, despite the many rumours about the board. FARM CLASSIFIED SECTION B." Custom work BULLDOZING, Allis- Chalmers No. 650, with six way hydraulic blade. Bill Robinson, RR 2, Auburn, 529-7857. —16tf Bean Day ug. 22 Ontario Bean Day will be. held on Tuesday, Angust-22-at-1-0 a.-rn-at-the— Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. The program will include a tour of the research plots. This will be from 10-12 a.m. and repeated from 1:30 3 p.m., highlighting new varieties, disease and weed control, early soybeans, crop rotation, Ozone and date of planting. At the lunch hour, there will be a market outlook and an aerial application demonstration. There will also be a ladies,;, program• --a=t 2 p.m. Farmers are asked- to bring their own lunch. D. Livestock AGGRESSIVE breeder boar, 275 lbs. Phone 482- 3149.-32,33 40 TON of mixed grain wanted: Phone 395-2404 noon hours or evenings. -32,33 CLAY — Silo Unloaders Feeders Cleaners Stabling Leg Elevators Liquid Manure Equipment Hog Equipment BUTLER — Silo Unloaders Feeders Conveyors FARMATIC — Mills Augers, etc. ACORN -- Cleaners Cleaners Heated Waterers WESTEEL-ROSCO Granaries • B 8 L - Hog Panelling LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS RR 1, Kincardine, Ont. Phone 395-5286 INSURANCE George Turton LIFE, AUTO, FIRE AND ALL OTHER LINES GODERICH 524-7411 DAVE HAYLOW ELECTRICAL Serving Industrial, Commercial, Residential Needs 524-6038 1978 HONEY CROP 7'5c PER LB. Bring your own containers OPEN: WEEKDAYS 8 A.M.-9 P.M. CLOSED SUNDAYS 236-4979 Ferguson Apiaries Hwy. No. 84 3 ml. E. of Zurich & 3 mi. W. of Hensel) We've got a new number! CLINTON , TELEPHONE CUSTOMERS, Now when you call our business office, dial 1-800-265-8515 (toll free). Please make a note of this new number for future reference. Bell Canada