The Huron Expositor, 1979-09-13, Page 17F.ei
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e s;
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''' one o . Canada's,thatboards arebeneficial and that
p Ckua; world isf..., tczltteluded marketing ....,
Why in the -cottony n
biggest Magazines against farm marketing boards? uotas should be allowedto transfer freely between or
Reader's' DiSest,, agai* this month, has a lengthy story among farmers.
on Canadian agriculture, Much of the material, in the In other words, high quota prices reflect greater
article is excellent, especially on the profligate squander- . efficiency by the farmer willing to buy quota. The good
uig and abuse of agricultural land, a subject on which this farmer, the efficient farmer, hasthe cash, available—or the
credit --to buy more quota from a less efficient farmer. To
put it bluntly, quotas tend to reward .efficiency,, not to
foster inefficiency.
The Di$est article suggests' thatfarmer-run marketing
boards have become monopolies.
That may be true in one sense; they monopolize what
they sell; they know what they are going to get for their
product at the farm gate. More power to them. If
marketing boards were made illegal, then watch how the
big, multi -national conglomerates would fast become more
than monopolies. They would become dictators.
THE KIR
A..s:Ossment.
BY ALICE CIBB
Assessment commissioner
Jenkins, enkins, speaking to
Lattftf apptaCN
.. ,ad by Bob reoltM Eldala Rd EM+aa oM N3S 2C7 � Huron Federation of Agncul
N!
Lure me mbers in Beigrave
•
st vs, marketing boards
corner has harped for a dozen years..
But right in the middle of the story is a statement that.
will make many farmers very angry indeed, The writer,
Gordon A. MacEachern, an active member of the
Agricultural Economics Research Council, of Canada,
maintains marketing boards --all marketing boards --are a
classic idea of a good idea gone wrong.
An unaware reader would get the idea that all :of the
more than 30 marketing boards in Ontario have quota
systems. To my knowledge, only five or six in Ontario set „
quotas which tell a farmer how much he can grow.
An uninformed city dweller would: read the article and Marketing boards were set up: to give: the individual
think at everyagricultural commodityis strictlyoliced', farmer some real clout in the market place, enough clout.to
8 keep big business from gouging the public, enough clout
by marketing boards- and that every farmer is told: how
much he can grow, to give farmers a fair, return on their labor and investment.
MacEachern says marketing boards, drive food costs up, In my humble opinion, they have done just that and
holdproduction down and foster. inefficiency,; To, my nothing else,
e, whenever an Investigation has been held on It is the second time in less than 20 months that the
knowledge, Reader's Digest hastaken a slap at farm marketing
quota -setting marketing boards, those same boardshave. boards. 1 can't help wondering why a big magazine would.
come up smelling pretty sweet, .
stoop to fighting farmers who have fought long and hard
If I' remember correctly; the quota system in eggs, for for the legal right to market their own products.
instance, only adds 1•'/: centsa dozen to the price of eggs, Is it because the foodchains and the liquor interests
a paltry sum to smooth out the marketing system and allow advertise in big circulation magazines?
producers a decent.;retufn. The chains buy from marketing boards, The distilleries
And only eggs, some dairy products, tobacco,chicken all use grain,
broilers and turkeys are under the quota system. Other in ; the last issue of one such famous magazine, the
products are not in this category so how can production b e major advertisers were Kraft Foods,, Libby, Christie,,
held .down. in others? Sealtest, General ,Foods; Betty Crocker, Catelli, Seagram,
Torefute the suggestions --nay, it is stated as fact and no Gilbey, Gordon, MacGuinness, Smirnoff, Alberta Rye,
proof is given: --that marketing boards foster inefficiency,' . Corby; Kahlua, Tia Maria; Cointreau, Bacardi,
: Schenley,
one only has to consult the results of two separates studies Amaretto and Carioca Rum.
made recently in Canada. One came from British Columbia The clout of those advertisers is enough to stagger any
another from the. University of Guelph.. ;Both' studies editor.
Wheat sales double last year
Ontario wheat producers.
have sold. about 543 000
tonne of this year's wheat
crop to date,' which is about
79 per cent of the .estimated
production figure,
According to figures re-
leased by the Ontario,. Wheat
Producers' Marketing Board,
the volume sold to the end of
August is average . for the
size of the crop which has.
been placed at 'between 600
000 tonne and 685 000 tonne.
Last year at the same time,
producer sales totalled only
267 300 tonne because; of the
small crop resulting from
poor seeding conditions and.
winterkill. Total producer
sales for 1978 crop were 320
to domestic processors for
domestic human con-
sumption is $173.00. per
tonne f.o.b. country shipping
point for September, and the
price for October and
November will be set by the
board September. 14th.:
Thursday night on the sub-
ject of tax equalization fact-
ors, told his audience "some.
body organized a horse race
before there were any,
horses."'
He said the big change is,
that factors for rural munici-
palities have decreased to.
greater extent than they have
in urban municipalities
across the county. This
;means. "costs to rural tax -
Payers, "willincrease much
(more rapidly than to urban,
municipalities," the assess
-
meat commissioner said.
He told the :audience he
doesn't know how these.
factors will be used in
assessing 198Q, taxes and
said "anything you hear or
read is strictly supposition at
this time."" He said a "wait
and see" attitude is called
kw.
Mason Bailey, an audience
member , told. Mr. Jenkins,
"I don't . think the public
cares about all this, riga-
marole other than how much
money we're, going to pay.
Mr" Jenkins said, "You
don'tknow and I don't know
that our taxes are going to go
.up.,•
- Mr: Jenkins did assure the
audience equalization factors
would be calculated on valid
farmer -to -farmer ' sales . of
land across the county.
The matter is now in the
hands of the provincial
government and a decision:
from the legislature is ex-
pected early this fall. Then
municipalities will 'have be-
tween that time and Novem-
ber 1 to appeal the equali-
zation factors.
600 tonne which has all been Q
sold by the marketing board. Low tender at '168 , 083
Marketing board sales of
1979 'crop producer deliveries
to date total 339 623 tonne for
both domestic and: export:
markets. About 82 000 tonne _
has already been exported
and another 144 000 tonne
will go in September and.
October.
The marketing board price
Farm
8 1
us �ess�
What affects , ield
Y ..
BY GLENN THOMPSON
As, each planting:. season
occurs, considerable stress is
placed on the:. importance of
planting the corn crop at the
proper time. Yield losses as
the planting date grows later
are well', documented
Unfortunately, 'there aie
many other factors that can
affectyield besides planting.
date. ` In 1979 numerous
farmers suffered severe.
damage in their corn fields•
from cutworms.' . This was
unexpected since cutworms'
are generally not a problem.
In most cases damage was
well advanced before, the
problem was noticed; Resin.
lar inspections of corn fields
would have provided' earlier
detection and an opportunity
for control measures.
Corn fields should also be
. inspected regularly -through-
out the season to determine
what weeds have escaped the
weed control program, We
frequently get questions in
January and February re-
settling the identification of
a weed.. It's difficult to
identify from a descriptiong -
it's much easier if we can see
the weed. And if necessary
we'll send it on for identifi.
cation.
• First, identify your weed,
then determine if it is
susceptible to the herbicides
that you used. If not, make a
note to take remedial action
next year.
Publication No. 505,
i Water Well
!DRILLING'
W.D. Hopper
and Sons
4 MODERN ROTARY
RIGS ,
Nell 521`-1737
Doti 527-0820
al
Jim 527.11715
s
"Weeds in Ontario" is an
excellent guide to weed
identification. It . can be
purchased from Information
Branch, Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food, Tor-
onto, for $2,50,
S
build
Grey Township Council accepted ,the
tender of Looby Builders of Dublin of
S168,083 for the building of a new bridge; on
Concession Road 1 and 2, opposite Lot 6 and
7 in Grey `Township at its regular council
meeting Tuesday night.
Other tenders were MacLean -Foster Con -
,a struction of St. Marys - S172,909:60; Logan
Contracting Ltd. of Stratford - S215,228.65;
and Owen King Ltd. of Walkerton
$182,233.
Grey council also, discussed the proposed
equalization factors for tax assessment. At a
recent Huron County Council meeting where
the proposed assessment was discussed,
many of the township reeves and deputy -
reeves had expressed dissatisfaction as the
proposed equalizationfactors would increase.
the rural area assessmentwhile lowering
that of the towns. '
Under; the new system, which has not yet'
been made law, Grey Township's taxation
would be as follows; In secondary education
their 1979 apportioned actual requirement
was $113,757.
bridge
If the Provincial, Equalizing Factor had -
been used the apportionment would have
been 8145,718. That would represent an
increase of 831,961 or 28.1 per cent,
In;' elementary education: the actual 1979
apportioned requirement was ' S128,901
whereas if the PEF had been used the
aportioned requirement would have been.
8165,990. That would represent an increase
of 837,089 or 28.77 ner cent,
In Grey's County apportionments for the
1979 General and Highway Requisitions, the
actual requisition was $92,702 but if the PEF
had been used the apprortioned requirement
would have been 8107,080, an increase of
814,378 or 15.5 per cent:
Because the discussion. at County Council,
on the proposed assessment.had been a bit
confusing. *conned decided to set up a •
meeting with Floyd. Jenkins the assessment
commissioner from Goderich so he could
explain it in more detail to them.
Mr. Jer kuis, :said there
isn't any, way to fund out
more information until the
provincial government
mares a decision,.
Another federation mem-
ber asked the assessment
commissioner if the basis for
calculating; the ,educatcnal
SEPTCPAIER1
commissioner on hot seat
pay for those services.
Many members of the,
audience still seem per.
plexed at how the equali-
zation factors will affect their
mites and township mill rates,
in the coming year at the
conclusion of the Meeting
In reviewing us past Year.
YOUR
ONE-STOP SHOPPING"'
CENTRE FOR ALL YOUR
FARM SUPPLIES '
SEAFORTH FARMERS CO-OP
Phone 527-0770. I Seaforth
r
tax isn't wrong, theman
said "houses, not land, send'
duldren to school and.
asked whether "we should
He pointed out the price of
farmland' has increased
drastically since 1971 when
the provincial government
put a freeze on assessment.
Mr„ Jenkins told the feder-
ation members, "Inflation in
values, in urban municipal-
ities has not been as great as
inflation in rural municipal-
ities.",
unicipal
ities. He saidwhile land.
prices . have gone up for
farmland, they . haven't
increased as much in towns
like; Clinton and Goderich,
- Mr; Jenkins concluded by
saying the change in the
equalization factor , will
eventually affect all tax-
payers. Under the present
cost sharing system in effect,
the towns and villages in the
county pay a greater share of
minty expenses. However,
township residents claim
urban populations gain. much
grater benefit from county
services such as sewers and
.: water systems and should.
Act and the institution of the.
farm Price Index, which
shows the consorter where
'.his food; dollaris going,
F. Gunby said the :utdeat
Whichis carried it Pliin,y
;newspapers across the ,per!-
ince, "quite often shows-
farmers are not responsible
for the increase in food,
Prices."
He said the OFA's great-
est failure was "we failed to
as a member of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture
board of directors, Merle
Gunby told federation mem
bers he believed the, most
significant activity was the
food industry inquiry initi-
ated by Peter Hannam.
He said he feels the food
inquiry has pointed out the
need for the Ontario .Feder-
ation of Agriculture. and
marketing boards to improve
their marketing -. activities and.
pointed out the practise of '.
discounts and allowances in,
the retail foodindustry to
consumers.
He said other significant
--steps had been the amend''-- -
meat to the Petty Trespass
USE;
EXPOSITOR
WANT ADS
phone 527-0240
Hf & N DAIRY SYSTEMS --LTD
I Sales, Service 8' Installcfon.f '
ril417-1
8874363
pipelines &
milking, parlours
R.R.4
WALTON
get the government to mice
agriculture seriously."
Among .erampks of this he
said they had .filled to get the
govern ,nt to take action.'
and: pass "decent farm.
machinery legislation", had
Wed to ' .imports of
agricluttnral products and
that GAAT" tradenegoti-
ations in
egotiations.:in Tokyo proved Ws -
appointing from an agrkkul-
• tural point of view.
Olean Defoliating
Applied by
Jim's Flying Service Ltd.
Y 9.
Eliminate
econd Growth" 8 "Weeds"
GET AN EARLIER HARVEST
&'EASIER COMBINING
Contact: _,
Milton J Dieu eta.
R. R.. 4,;' Seaforth
Phonel .527-0608'
ON.MASSEY-FERGUISON'S
HANDY 16-81" HORSEPOWE
FUEL EFFICIENT —_ —
It's Action Time '79.at 'our dealership. That.
means it's easier than ever for you to own
the tractoyIl ��cedy
You
' getdiesel power and economy in
MF 16-81 PTO horsepower tractors. You'll
hold fuel costs to a minimum, get the lug-
ging power you need around the farmyard,
small or large acreages,and at construction
sites.
We've been given a factory settlement
allowance of from $250 to $400, depending
on the model,.. which means extra savings
for you.
Plus, we're trying to earn our own sales
bonus, so we'll be dealing even harder than
usual. You get savings on top of savings.
If you're in the market for a tractor, this
is the time to buy, Call us or stop by for the
details.
This offer expires September 28 and
is subject to available inventory.
oyes Farm Supply
Seaferth Oat. Masse y -Ferguson 527-1257