The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-03-16, Page 411
how W s& a' Mardi Ito 14193
TrL :re s "OFL
by `FA and rea f
The vaunted Ontario s° arm
Adjustment Assistance Pro-
gram (OFAAP) is getting a
new name in much of rural
Ontario. Farmers are start-
ing to call it OFLOP.
. The program has been
Agriculture Minister Dennis
Timbrell's pet point in de-
flecting arguments that his
government is doing too little
to help strapped farmers.
That hasn't helped his image
much.
Farmers are starting to
question his commitment to
them. ''I don't see him as
doing anything," says Rainy
River dairy farmer Ralph
Hunsperger.
Hunsperger was one of
several Ontario Federation of
Agriculture (OFA) directors
who chastised Timbrell dur-
ing a recent meeting in
Toronto. Sounding fed up
with the minister and his aid
program, they passed a reso-
lution objecting to the gov-
ernment's "lack of commit-
ment" to farmers.
"What good is it
(OFAAP)Y" asked Perth
county cattleman Bill Os-
born. The program can pay
down interest rates to 12 per
cent but the prime has now
settled at 11% per cent and
could go still lower.
Huron county • egg and
cash crop farmer Jim Mcln-
tosh has found OFA mem-
bers in his area cricizing the
OFAAP too. It was announc-
ed as a $60 million program
yet only $16 million has been
spent. "They're questioning
whether Timbrell is going to
do anything to help them
out."
",The people 1 talk to call
OFAAP a flop," added Tees -
water pork producer Brian
Ireland; who represents hard
1
lasted
e
hit :;ruse county.
Huron county director
Merle Gunby, also an OFA
executive, recalled Timbrell
"came on very strong" after
assuming the farm portfolio.
"Anything he's done since
has been cosmetic."
Vice-president Ronald
White had,' °hearda lot" ab-
out OFAAP failures. But he
told the meeting that farmers
must propose specific alter-
natives to it.
Government officials
ought to be coming to. farm-
ers for advice, asserted
Lambton county pork prod-
ucer Jack Wilkinson. "1
don't know why the federa-
tion has to shake their
chains."
The government must be
"stupid" if it doesn't know
what's going on, he added.
"They know there isn't a
crop in the ground that'll
make a profit."
High energy costs have prompted farmers to try no tillage corn plantlng. Fewer tripe over the
field reduced the amount of gasoline and oil used resulting In lower costa.
OFA wants money channeled to financial service
The OFA directors would
like to see some OFAAP
money channeled into the
recently formed federation
financial advisory service.
Initial estimates put its cost
at SI million to 52 million in
the next six months.
Given initial approval in
January, the service would
1
counsel financially strapped
farmers. When necessary it
would mediate disputes 1 e-
tween banks and farmers.
After meeting with bank
and Ontario government of-
ficials mid-February, the
OFA executive came away
with "cautious support" and
no money. If the advisory
service handles an expected
1,000 cases in the next six
months, costing around
51,000 each, the bill could hit
51 million. That estimate
might be low.
"The banks are nervous,"
said OFA president Ralph
Barrie. Last month's penny
auction and farmgate def-
ence by the Canadian Far -
CENTRE
WILKINSON — KOMPASS
A SINGLE SOURCE FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS
I GENERAL WE CAN SAVE YOU; MONEY
HARDWARE -INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES
ENTRE
I STEEL SERVICE
Steel - Steel - Steel
Flats - Bars - Angles - Hollow Structural :I.
1
1
Mate - Galvanized Sheet
No Better .Prices - Anywhere
I All items of Steel Stocked Under Cover -
Assuring Clean Non . Rusted Stock
AN Prime Material.
NO CHARGE DELIVERY
(519) 396-7571
DISTRIBUTION WAREHOUSE
226 QUEEN STREET - KINCARDINE, ONTARIO - NOG 2G0
CALL TOLL FREE
1-800-265-3053
SERVICING — BRUCE — GREY — HURON COUNTIES
1111111111111111 11111111=1111 1.1111111111.1111 11111111111•1111 MMUS=
1
I
1
1
1
1
1
mers Survival Association
put them on edge.
Agriculture ministry offic-
ials are balking at commit-
ting funds to the OFA plan
ton. Barrie explained that
they don't want it to dupli-
cate their own programs.
Directors voted to proceed
with the advisory service
anyway. Hopes are to have it
running by the end of this
month with a full time
program co-ordinator to work
out of the OFA office in
Toronto. At first, one advis-
ory team would be assembl-
ed with more regional teams
in the offing.
A fund is being set up to
finance the service. Banks,
the government, individual
farmers and others will be
asked to contribute.
However, the government
appears to be the key. "We
need a government commit-
tment or it (the service) will
be stopped," said Welling-
ton county hog farmer David
Bosomworth.
COURTNEY
FARM SUPPLIES
•Plow shares & points
*Cultivator points & sweeps
•Disc blades & coulter blades
*Mufflers & clamps
*Hydraulic cylinders, hoses
& accessories
*Roller, flat steel & gathering chains
•PTO components
*Sprockets hubs & pullers
•Numerous other parts
COURTNEY FARM SUPPLIES
RIPLEY, ONT.
395=2915 DAY 395-5309 NIGHT
ASSOCIATED DEALER
M�Caw
Canadian Farm Supply