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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-09-26, Page 44 THE HURON EXPOSITOR SEPTEMBER 26 199tJ 11 .1/21 4 TIM ANNUAL 1 », reser was ,,,U,,. Investment & Taut Planning Mw• irivesswiens Pv dwols ... Irma people yam ow Mast t SEAFORTH 96 Mann St. 527-0420 Seaforth Recreation Department Children's Tap Dance Pam Nesbitt will instruct the children through 8 weeks of recrea- tional tap dance. There will be 2 different groups being; 3 to 6 years of age and 7 years of age and up. START DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1990 TIME: 3-6 YEARS - 9:00 TO 10:00 A.M. 7 YEARS AND UP - 10:00 TO 11:00 A.M. PLACE: SEAFORTH AND DISTRICT COMMUNITY CENTRES - UPSTAIRS HALL COST: •30.00 FOR 8 WEEKS - 3 OR MORE IN FAMILY WILL RECEIVE A '10.00 DISCOUNT For information please call the Recreation Office at 527-0882. Registration can be done on the first day of class. If not enough participation, the Recreation Department has the right to cancel this program. SERVICE SPECIAL OIL CHANGE •Includes up to 5 Litres of Oil •New Filter ALL FOR ONLY CARS AND LIGHT TRUCKS HART MMMwr air nA Ms NN liege 95 BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY ORD MERCURY 1 Government must co-operate with agriculture BY DAVID EMSL.IK CUNTON - Cooperation with Ontario's new govcmrneot will be very unpasrtai►t to clic agriculture industry , sue cd the firstvice- resident of the Ontario of Agriculture (OFA), Roger George. Mr. George was the guest at the Huron County of Agncultu e's animal regional meeting, held last Thursday. . Alsoorrto attendance to hear Mr. George speak was the eorg new Huron , Paul Klupp. The guest speaker was tine of four Ontario residents who were approached by the Federal Minister of Agnculture, Don Mazankowski, to look into safety nets for the grains and oil seeds industry. Nineteen farm representatives, and 14 bureaucrats from the federal and provincial governments have been meeting in Winnipeg since 1 anuary. They have looked into establishing safety nets, as grain farmers' incomes have been damaged over the past few years due to recurring droughts, and a long, damaging trade war between the European Community, and the United States. "We spent an awful lot of time -looking into the intricacies going into grains and oil seeds," Mr. George said "Ontario said they wanted a meaningful safety net, and affordable. It was quite a challenge coming up with what we did. What the Grain and Oilseed Safety Net Committee did come up with were two voluntary programs, the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan (GRIP) and the Net Income Stabilization Account (NISA). "I think we've developed a program where the target price will leave the necessary support," Mr. George said of GRIP. "It is a combination of crop insurance and stabilization." Under GRIP, a form of en- hanced crop insurance which takes both yields and prices into ac- count, a target revenue would be established in the spring for each crop or combination of crops grown on a farm. According to information from the Grains and Oilseeds Branch of Agriculture Canada, this revenue would, "...reflect the minimum return the farmer should expect to receive. Farmers would get payments whenever their actual market revenue returns were less than their target revenue. "Farmers could sign up their eligible crops in the spring at the time they usually sign up for crop NEW FAX NUMBER For The Huron Expositor 527-2858 Effective Wednesday, September 19, our machine will no longer connect to our old number (527-0242) after Tuesday, Sept. 18. For further information about using our FAX LINE, call THE HURON EXPOSITOR tnsurat►tx. The pram is much law .:rup li nee ui the way ac: s adjenta and prenuums would be handled. After harvest, yields would be verified and an interim asaeatsment of lass and grade would be made in the fall or early wintse'. At that ume, farmers would collect the bulk of their payout its an interim payment. A final payment would be trade when complete price data for the crop yew was available." Once GRIP is in place, fanners could join the program any tune during its first two years. New participants would then be eligible for 50 per cent of payments trig- gered in the fust yew, and 75 per cent in the second. Beginning fanners could join the program, without penalty, at any time. During negotiations for the programs, Mr. George explained, the Ontario Minister of Agricul- ture, David Ramsay, was informed that farmers would not be able to pay more than one-third for GRIP. With the federal government also offering one-third, the committee needed the support of the province. "To his credit, Mr. Ramsay did go to cabinet, and got Treasurer (Robert) Nixon to agree to put up one-third," Mr. George said. Now, however, with the change in government, all agreements with Mr. Ramsay and Mr. Nixon are null and void, as GRIP payments were not budgeted items. Mr. George stressed the need to contact the new minister of agriculture as soon as possible. "It is going to be important at this time to get the Ontario government to give some money. It will be important next year to get some matching funding. "11 is going to be a question of all of us working together, the OFA and commodity groups, to make our pitch to the government." INCOME STABILIZATION Once the programs are in place, farmers will have the opportunity to join either GRIP or NISA, or both. NISA is a program tailored to the individual farmer, based on a farmer's income. According to the branch's press release, "It is designed to help fanners manage their operation more effectively by allowing them to put money away in good years for use in bad years. "Both farmers and governments would contribute to an in- dividualized trust account. Contributions would be based on a percentage of the farm's qualifying sales. Qualifying sales would be gross sales minus specified expenses." ESBIT ELECTRIC LTD. 229.8222 *Electrical Contracting & Maintenance •Electric motor sales & service •Pole Line Construction •Bucket Truck Service •24 Hour Emergency Service after 6:00 PM Call TOM RAPSON 527-1643 When a farmer's calculatrAl margin fell below the previous five-year margin, or when the net farm income fell below a specified level, payouts would be made. Payouts could not exceed the account balance. "Fanners would place after-tax dollars into their own trust ac- counts. That money would not be taxable when u was withdrawn. Gu v errunents would also put money into the account. Netthu the govcnunetnts' contributions, nor the interest earned by the account would be taxable until withdrawn. In this way, farmers would not have to pay taxes until they actually received the money," the release reads. Although the committee originally hoped to have the programs in place for the 1991-92 season, Mr. George didn't think it would be possible to meet this deadline. "It's time for next year," he stated. He added that it would be necessary to put some of the concepts into use, and have some sort of assistance ready for next year. "We need to work on two fronts, to get GRIP and NISA in place,, And if they're not in, we looking at (some) assistance for next year." TRADE TALKS Mr. George also addressed the issue of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks, which are beginning to wind down. He explained there is a serious need to get rid of the European - American trade war in grains and oil seeds, and to get rid of export subsidies. "They are driving the grain prices down, and our farmers can't compete." One card Canada might hold in the battle to stop these subsidies, he continued, is Article 11 in GATT, which allows supply management to exist, as the Americans are concerned about this article. He stressed the importance of beefing up Article 11, to give Canada better bargaining power, but added, "Depending on how the talks work out, we could beef up Article 11, but still lose el- sewhere." The Huron County Federation of Agriculture, and local farmers, must send off letters to their MPs, he urged, to give their support to Mr. Mazankowski to beef up Article 11, because if anything bad happened to supply management, it would totally change the face of agriculture in Ontario. If the nuttier can't be solved to Canada's benefu, Mr. George feels it would be bettor to have no deal at all. "We c crawly don't want a bad deal. 11 is better to struggle along as we are. "The deal that's done in Decem- ber is going to be the deal that's done. 1think it's better to have no deal at a11, than a bad deal." FARM CREDIT Concluding his presentation, Mr. George spoke of the need for a tong -term farm credit program in Ontario, which is a long -terms loan at fixed percentage rates. "Ontario is the only (agricu- ltural) province that doesn't have a long -germ credit program," he said. "We've got to convince our provincial government to get back into the long-term credit business. "We've got to know we've gut safety nets for the long term. We've got to continue, as we have been for many years now, convin- cing the provincial government, bashing it into them, the need for a farm credit program." PAUL KLOPP Mr. Klopp, Huron incumbent MPP, also addressed the federation, discussing what he hopes to see out of a New Democratic Party (NDP) government in Ontario. • "If we continue to go the way we are going, we are going to see corporate farming at its finest," he warned. "We're going to have to listen to what the farmers want." The direction he would like to see the government take in On- tario, he said, was to be putting more money in farmers' hands, with less bureaucracy. Noting that not just one person can bring about change, as there will be 74 in their caucus, and not all will agree, Mr. Klopp stated, "I think we're going to listen very openly." Since the election, Mr. Klopp has been asked what he would like to hear after four years of NDP government. "I hope to hear, after four years of government, farmers saying their sons are coming back to the farm, and daughters are coming back. "We'll all have to work together. That's not easy, but it's not an excuse. "We're looking for your input, but also hoping to get some ac- tion." CIVIC CORNER SEAFORTH COUNCIL will hold their regular October meeting Tuesday October 9, 1990 at 8 p.m. AMSTERDAM $4 FALL/WINTER "WHITE" SALE DEPART: Oct. 14/90 -Mar. 31/91 BLACKOUT: Dec. 14-24 and Jan. 2-8 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS FLIGHT Dec. 13 -Jan. 1 BOOK NOW/BEAT PRICE INCREASE VALENTINE TRAVEL 672-3161 or 1-800-265-1141 CALL THE EXPERTS (Registration #1148988) Swing Savinnc intongs at Kid Kloze into SEAFORTH 5%OFF SUGAR KAI SEPARATES Large Selection Girls' Sizes 7 to 16 e e vim ;31 a tow► 1 1 1 WWII 2O%OFF SNOWSUITS MAIN STREET 2p% OFF JESSIE DOLLS OR 2 for '79." IlEAFORTH 627.2320 for Parents and Kids offers CHILDREACH PROGRAM Organized Children's Activity Presentation/Discussion for Parents WED. MORNINGS Sept. 26 to Nov. 21 9:30 am to 11:30 am Egmondville United Church Centre St., Egmondville REFRESHMENTS & SNACKS ALL WELCOME For further information call Children's Aid Society of Huron County at 1-800-285-5198 or 524-7358. or Joan Tahhart at 522-2087 •