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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-07-24, Page 13711 :_41)1X'04,..:19.84 13. • • • Lebots arieoporiootoO by Bob Vow Eldato P Om Nis 267 .001.0 farmers are broke: • 7 1 "HOW can you sit in your ivory tower and tell me that fareners are suffering?" said a city -born friend of mine just a week aio. "My sister is married to a hog farmer and he took in S150,000 last year. He sure isn't suffering with an income like that!" I'm not an account In feet, mathematics always leaves me confused. I ca ot add a column of figures withopt an addingsnacithie seta -different answer four -- times in four attempts if I do not have a machine. But lean readily understand how farmers are suffering from the present economic situation in Canada. It took only a few minutes for a dumbbell like me to see the facts when I asked a ,neighbour, a hog farmer, how an income of $150,000 a year leaves him in a bind. "Look, my friend," he said. "This farm and these buildings and this land are worth about S400,000 total. Those are my only assets. "When we bought this farm we had about S50,000. We have paid more than $100,000 off. In other words, we still have liabilities around S300,000. My net worth is about S100,000. "You got that? Assets are $400,000. Liabilities are S300,000. Total cash income last year was S150,000. But I can show you figures to prove theta cost me $105,000, last , year just to keep this place going. My interest payments alone were S35,000. I managed to pay only $20,000 on the 'principal. It cost me around $15,000 to keep my family fed and clothed. "Total it up, man. It comes to 5175,000. That's what it cost me to keep going last year. I made only 5150,000. I lost s25,000.. Why? Because input costs -that S105,000 -were too high. He paid more for fertilizers, herbicides, replacements, interest. He received less for the final product than in the four previous years, so he is in a financial bind. What can he do? He knows that all the guessperts in Ottawa, Toronto and the universities are predicting a further 12 per cent decline in farm income this year for the same reason as last year: costs are soaring, especially energy. And the final price for his product is going to be less. Hog prices have dropped from about 53 cents average last year to 48 Cents this year. That's a drastic drop .for him. It means he'll have to do a lot of figuring and cutting and scrimping and saving if only to keep his losses as low aslast _year. Where will he cut?' Well, he'll lower his standard of living. He'll try to chop three or four thousand dollars from his family expenses. He will not get his already -dilapidated, truck repaired. He will not get a holiday but he hasn't had one for three years anyway. He will mit hiiy any new equipment unless he has a major breakdown. He is like many others. And that is why Massey - Ferguson has had to lay off so many people. „ Hell have a long talk with his blinker -and ask .for deferred payment on his principal. He may get that deferred payment but his interest rates will increase and he'll pay the bank more money in interest alone --in fact, more than twice as much --as he pays himself. And he's lucky. He has enough equity in his operation to do it. Pity the poor farmer whose net worth is much less than 5100,000, the young guy who started on a shoestring and is in hock to his ears. The banks will not --they, cannot -extend more credit. The equity is reduced so low that the risk is too great. And that's why some farmers are going broke. In fact, too. many are going broke. Just check the • auction sale listings in the pages of your favorite newspaper. They tell a sad story of broken dreams while the rest of the nation sits back and lets it 'happen hi a world where food shortages will be chronic in the next decade. We should be doing everything possible to keep people who can grow food on the land where they belong and right where they want to be. BY TOY N.rillignaster Approximately 1,350 Perth County farriers have 'paid SP' individual memberships in the Ontario ,Federation of Agriculture. The O.F.A. is always at work for all Ontario farmers but paid up' I.S.M.'s can have additional benefits such as insurande packages, and the O.F.A. would like to see more people take advantage of them. Theee will be a member- ' stiii-driVe, starting Monday, July 28th in the north end working right through the • county ending on Thursday, July'31st in the south. They would like to hear from people wanting to go along for a day or a few hours with a director or fieldman to contact other -farmers, or if you don't htiVea member- ship and would like to talk to them, please contact A local Federation director or leave your name etc. at the nearest Co-operators Insurance off- ice or call 273-2032. — A BAD DREAM THAT'S TIUJE The other night I dreamt I had agreed to help an area hog farmer with his chores. He had left for the weekend and all I had to-do was the feeding and some cleaning. „Whenehe got_ back, -he -was - quite upset. Some pig pens - had 6 inches of feed on the floor. The pigs in those pens hadn't eaten half of what I gave them. More was kicked „down through the sloti at the back of the pen. hi other pens, the pigs were squealing like you wouldn't -believe. They were starving. Needless to say, the owner was quite upset, lie asked me what I had one. I told him I gave every pen the same ernount of feed. Ten big -shovel fulls, twice a day. Then he really got upset and asked mei why I did that. I told him l' thought that Was the way he wanted It done. I had seen his cropping pro- gram and that's the way he treated his crops: He put the same herbicide on all the fields. fieniever eheciced to see *h weeds were there. jeljust sprayed theni all the same, regardless of the weeds. He never walked the fields in the summer time to see what weed escapes he had. This is the part of the dream that has come true. This year I have seen too many fields with bad weed escapes. These weed* just Old cars coming to St. Marys Approximately 100.antique and Classic cars will be in St. Marys on Saturday. August 2. The cars will assemble at The Flats-. a picturesque sports field on the Thames River. from 10 00 a.m. to about noose The public is invited to come and view the cars. There will be no admis- sion charge. The oldest car will be a 1919 Model T Ford while one of the most interesting will . 1 Retarded to attend regular high school BY GERRY BLACKWELL A new program that will see a limited number of mentally retarded students integrated into the Occup- ations program itt Stratfotd Northwestern Secondary School was approved at last week's regular board meet - lug. A pilot project for the crograza will begin in Sept- ember of this year. The program will have * "heavy Life skills orienta- tion," assistant superintete deal A.P. Shetratt told the board. Students will earn grade 9 ctedits in traditional academic subjects but the emphasis will been practical applications. Language Secondary School" In the studies might include in- future. struction on how to read a - SOCIAL PROBLEMS? looking into the problem. The committee had rejected It, he said, because of "on- going budget consider- ations." The study group's recom- mendation would have seen programs set up at Llstowel District Secondary School as well. It would have meant hiring one new full-time and one new belf-time teacher immediately and spending $1000 per class to get the programs started. If the 1980 pilot project for the modified program is suc- ceesful, the committee's re- port says, "very serious con- siderations should be made to involve Listowel District .menu, he said, while elemen• taty mathernsties might be applied to simple banking procedures. The basic aim of the program Ls to help the stud- ' ents "live and cope produe- thielY," Mr. Sherratt said. The program will met the board $500 to establish in - 1980, a report from the board's Advisory Committee on Schools for Trainable Retarded Children says. The The last meeting of Sea- renant war= however, that if forth 111 Watchful Wanderers ttip'ijot project ts successful was held, at Brenda De - and more students are enrol- Jong -'s. Members discussed led le future Vers, more the display for Achievement staff would have to he hired. DIY. This was followed by a Committee chairman Ron barbecue- The books were Boyce told the boatil a more eheeked and the colours for extensive program along the covers chosen. Members saute Roes had been teem. went outside and discussed mended by a study group their skit. Trustee W.E. Jones ex- pressed concern that integr- *tires of mentally retarded students 'night cause "sotiel problems" in the school. "Are any special efforts Wanderers hold lost 4 - H meeting Guaranteed Investment Certificates NOW 3/ percent Annual interest for FiveYears vic-ToRm AND GREY TRusr • Since1844 Contact us in Strafford at OneOntariott 271-2050 'ComerCH Meier &Ontario 271-5011. •operisaioumfays CartsdS Deposit insurance CloponstIon being made to prepare the school," Mr. Jones asked. "This is quite a new thing." Superintendent of pro- greftaKeith Thompson re - sure d the board that the adminstretion --was sensitive to the problem.. "We don't want to Mlle a difficult Nitiitiatt,' it said, But, beertuse of tUeir smell numbers, the retarded stu- dents were "pot going to be that conspicious," he said. • In other areas'where there are retarded students, inte- grated into regular class- rooms there have been few problems, Mr. Thompson' sold. "There have always beettseiree'(regiiiiir students) who wanted- to help, II • he said. "Of course there have always been a few trouble- makers." While costs for establish- ing the program are minimal, the board may lose some grant money, superintendent of finance. Leigh Anderson said. Trainable mentally re- tarded students are counted as 1.75 for granting pur- poses. _ . Mitchell-Seaforth CABLE TV For service, account, installation, local announcements, line locates Call 345-2341 11 Channel selection! Supplying 8 networks and dependents to over 1250 homes. NEW ISSUE $815,000. Munici lity Of the Township of Hay Non -Callable Serial Debentures Principal Amount ($) 204,000 611,000 To Be Dated: August 1,1980 Coupon Rate (%) 111/4 12 PRICE:100 Year,of Maturity 1981-1990 1991-2000 We have purchased the above mentioned issue sub- ject to the approval of council, and satisfactory legal opinion. Interest is payable semi-annually. Ail deben- tures will be fully registered as to principal and interpst. All orders are subject to prior sale or change in priae: dREENSHIELDS INCORPORATED London, Ontario TeL (519) 679-0260 Mr. T.A. Browne Sarnia, Ontario Tel. (519) 344-8831 Mr. R.C. Casselman be a 1934 ,Packard Coupe in which Benito Mtissolini is repute'd to have ridden. , Staged as part of a tour by the Antique and Classic Car Club of Canada. the event is Every week more and mare people discover what mighty jobs are accom- plished by low cos( Huron Expositor Want Ads. Dial 527-0240. co-ordinated by the Forest City Region of London. ' Owners welcome visitors to view their ears but ask, please Don't Touch! Every week more and more people discover what' mighty jobs are accom- plished by law cost Huron Expositor Want Ads. Dial . 527-0240. didn't. suddenly appear. They have been building up for the past 2 or more years. They could have been con - ;trolled earlier. I am seeing triakine resistant lambs,quar- ter, proso millet, velvet leaf. just to name 3 of the goodies. All can be controlled. Now you knew I didn't dream about feeding some- body's pigs for a weekend - I've got better things. to ' dream about. I am just trying to make the' point. How can , Yen Itoesibly pick the right herbicide 'combination for next year if you don't walk your fields this year to see what weeds you have? And while you are walking the field, why don't you take a soil probe and do some soil testing too. , viumnaWilimmo■••• H & N DAIRY- SYSTEMS LTD. Sales, Service 8 initallotion of pipelines & • -.milking parlours R.R.4 WALTON 887-6063 • Fall is the best time to control quackgrass With Roundup: iliokragivmeari ANalys road and folow label drectsons for RourAlup Roundup* is a tt.ered taderrm* of Monsanto CorrOlny eMonsanto Company, 1930 RCM 60-80 Monsanto Canada EIC 'Montreal. Toronto, Winrepeci, Reg 1 -rat C4ary. VancouvaT After harvest. you lolow just Acre to find your worst quackgrass infestation. So when You see them, plan to destroy therm with a fall application of Roundup e herbicide by Monsanto. Here's how Roundup fits into your fail schedule. Delay plowing to let quackgrass regrow. Roundup wonse on activety growing quackgress that's at lease 8" high. Piewing just breaks up the weeds Roundup destroys treated quackgrass. rhhornes anti an. and stops it horn spreading or regrowing, That's why it pays to delay your fall plowing until the weeds are reedy for Roundup. Roundup can de1verP5-99% control of quackgrass. For exceent quackgrass control apply Roundup before the Restveeed- 4aning noe1. and give the herbi- cide frve days to work on the weed before plowing, Fonow good agronomic practices. Roundup stops where the treated weeds stop. Roundup goes wherever the treated weeds go. Then it stops Because Roundup works in the weeds. not in the see Next spring. you can pant any Labeled crop corn. soybeans, wheat oats, barley or potatoes Hit guackgrase wherever you see a.. Booauee fan is the best erne to contol quackgrass with Roundup See your dea!'er today and ask about the new Monsanto There's never been a herbicide Ike this before. For further information, contact your local dealer MILTONJ. DI LIMITED Purina Chow — Sanitation Products — Seed Corn — Provimi Feeds Ventilation (Wholesale & Retail) Pesticides — Spraying Equipment SEAFORTH, ONTARIO NOK 1WO Phone 519-527-0608 0".