The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-04-19, Page 9;�.NZ
By BONNIE GROPP
Special to the Advance -Times
BRUSSELS — The winds of change
are carrying agriculture into the fu -
tyre.
Change was the operative word
when agriculturalists and interested
individuals gathered at a meeting in
the Brussels Legion last Thursday
evening to discuss the future of
fanning with Lindsay Barfoot. A
director of agriculture with Price
Waterhouse in Kitchener, Barfoot
is a former Grey County resident
and was invited to speak at this
meeting by Provincial Progressive
Conservative candidate Helen
Johns and the Huron PC Associa-
tion.
In leading the discussion, Bar -
foot said he felt like a bit of a fraud
being there because he didn't really
know the future. "But I believe that
politicians 'need to listen as well as
talk and this meeting is giving Hel-
en the opportunity to hear what you
people have to say about the future
of fanning.
"When I think of the futtire the
operative word is change and the
challenge facing those in the farm
industry is to manage that change."
Barfoot said that change is driv-
en by many things and there are
three options for handling it. "We
can ignore it, resist it or understand
it."
He noted several change drivers
which he felt were impacting agri-
culture. The move worldwide to in-
crease trade, he said, had major im-
plications for the agricultural sector
due to the necessity to compete out-
side the provincial boundaries.
Though he admitted this does
pose a threat it could also create op-
portunities. "If we are going to sur-
vive, and we will, as a healthy in-
dustry we'll respond to that," he
said.
Another impact is the govern-
ment deficit. "It is almost a certain-
ty that this is going to have a direct
effect on agriculture. There will be
less government support and we
will probably need to start doing
more of our own funding and re-
search."
Information technology ishaving
an impact on how business is being
done. Individuals, he said, can have
the capability of major corporations
for direct transfer.
Biotechnology is clearly a revo-
lutionary impact, he said, while
connectivity between producers
and downstream customers is also
affecting agriculture by "providing
a certain product to be used by a
certain customer at a certain time."
Agriculture, he said, needs to at-
tempt to be more customer fo-
cussed.
"As customers ourselves we like
dealing with people who meet our'
needs best. provide the service of
someone will out compete us."
The last impact Barfoot noted
was environmental concerns which
he said may be one of the biggest.
Youth
present
Easter
Sunday
sunrise
service
31WSSELS--Pastor Tom Wamer
preached from John 12:12-19 on
Sunday, April 9. Thelma Steinman
was the worship leader for the ser-
vice. The children had a palm -
branch processional around the
chapel during the prelude to the ser-
vice.
Lucy Hesse and Nancy Elliot -
Greenwood were in charge of the
congregational singing. Tobi and
Tania Farrell provided special mu-
sic on the piano and flute. Christine
Knorr and Phailop Larprom led the
children's singing.
A congregational meeting was
held April 10. On Easter Sunday,
the youth presented a sunrise ser-
vice at 7:30 a.m at the church. The
service was followed by a breakfast
and the regular service followed at
9:15.
The fellowship held a worship
service at Huronlea in the after-
noon. Preparations are being made
for a talent auction -silent auction to
be held April 28.
"It is something we want to manage
and manage (wisely)," he said, add-
ing that the consulting business of
his company is now 30 per cent en-
vironmental.
Barfoot asked those gathered for
their ideas on w the biggest ob-
stacles that areing farmers to-
day are. The first)omment came
from a dairy -farina who said he
was concerned that he would not be
able to afford the quota to expand.
Changes in the dairy industry
have made the value of market quo-
ta a concern, he said. Buying more
makes economic sense if it main-
tains its value, but if not the farmer
could face difficulties.
"I see the industry being exposed
to change. I think the dairy industry
has resisted change and is now
fighting to catch up,' he said. Bar -
foot projected that the dairy indus-
try will be responding in the future.
"They are probably going to be do-
ing things differently than in the
past."
Former Huron -Bruce MP Mur-
ray Cardiff said he felt confidence
was a big obstacle for farmers.
"You can't legislate it, but you
have to do things to provide that
he need for chang
confidence," he said.
Barfoot agreed saying that he
had compiled his own list of obsta-
cles and number one on this was at-
titude.
"Any fact facing us is not as im-
portant as the attitude towards it be-
cause that determines the success
or failure, he said, adding that gov-
ernment must provide leadership
and fiscal responsibility to help.
Also, individuals can . become
more confident through education
and progressive thinking. "Keep up
to date," ha said.
Though the world economy is
improving there is. concern over
keeping up with the competition
and how, to go after the markets.
"The markets aren't going to
come to us. We have to find them,
'take them." In the dairy industry it
was discovered that the Canadian
industry was 20 to 30 per cent less
competitive than the U.S. in cost
structure. For example, the cost
structure on a 40-50 cow operation
in Canada was higher than a 150-
200 head operation in Wisconsin.
"That's not sustainable. We have to
do something about that."
Though he wouldn't say there is
THE WOMAN ADVANCETIMES
in fermi
no future for the small farmers,
Barfoot says he believes they
would have to work twice as hard
to compete so he sees them re-
sponding to the Local niche market
instead.
"To me the biggest obstacle is re-
sistance to embracing change,"
Barfoot said. Government and or-
ganizations in the industry have a
"pretty slow decision making pro-
cess to respond to change."
"There is a natuial resistance to
this in an organizational structure.
The most opportunity for change
tends to be on a one vote basis."
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%Nun i4O
1995 • 12