The Rural Voice, 1978-03, Page 5weak basis for an organization, he sags. You'don't develop a core
of . support.
The members of the CFF share their faith in their religion and
because of this faith try to come up with policies which benefit
that belief. Because of that, there is not a high priority to become
a large organization as far as membership is concerned. The
strength comes from a common bond, not numbers.
The organization also doesn't feel it must speak out on all
issues confronting farmers because it must represent all
farmers. It doesn't have to give a watered down stand on issues,
Mr. Van Donkersgoed says. "We don't claim to speak for every
member but when we speak, we have support of most
members."
This kind of small base means there must be tremendous
support for the group. While other farm organizations are
constantly struggling to convince members to cough up with 525
or 535 a year. the membership fee for CFF is 5100. Moreover,
while that's the basic fee. members are urged to contribute
more. The goal is 5140 per member and Mr. Van Donkersgoed
says it has come very close to that mark so far this year.
Costs of running the organization are relatively high. The
membership is spread out with locals from Strathroy in the west,
to Niagara. to Dundas county in the east and Thunderbay in the
north with 10 other locals scattered in between and members at
large scattered here and there throughout the province. The
staff -to -members ratio is probably larger than any other farm
organization: with three full time and two part-time staffers.
The organization continues to grow. There are information
meetings planned in such plaees as Dresden and Wyoming in the
near future to see if people might be interested in setting up new
locals. The locals have voting rights within the provincial board.
The board meets usually quarterly and the executive meets
monthly.
The issue that the CFF has been most consistently involved in
er the past Live •cars. Mr. Van Donkersgoed says. is land use.
both at the provincial level and with local plans. It has dealt with
the code of practices and scverences. It has battled the provincial
government. If the province won't take responsibility for the
control of the basic land base. Mr. Van Donkersgoed argues,
then it can't really claim to control agriculture in the province.
The province's,decision that the responsibility for land use is a
municipal issue leaves much to ,be desired.
The group is also becoming more involved in the question of
marketing. Mr. Van Donkersgoed says. as its recent decision to
get involved in appealing a roleback of chicken quotas shows.
The group. he says. decided last year that it must do more
than just state its views on topics, that it must look to other ways
of getting changes. legal methods such as appeals.
He'd been accused, Mr. Van Donkersgoed says, of talking out
of both sides of his mouth about marketing. "First," he says,
"we want to talk about basic principals." The CFF is in favour of
planned production, he says, "Producer -planned production
gets very basic and strong support from us." The group believes
in planned production both on the individual enterprise, the
provincial and the national scale.
"We have a responsibility to control production because we
use valuable resources to produce food," he says. If the farmer
over produces and turns food over to the consumer at less than a
realistic cost it is a squandering of -resources and the concepts of
stewards1llip and husbandry, Thus. he says, planning production
is crucial.
The question is how to do it. The producer, not the
government must control the planning process, Mr. Van
Donkersgoed says. "Producers have to take the responsibility
not government. We can't shove our responsibility onto
government for everything. We don't want government planning
production."
That is why, he says, his group is critical of the situation in
industrial milk which is definitely not, he says, producer
planning.
The next question, he says, is what kind of structure for
planning production. The "tool" for planning is the marketing
Before you buy:
fertilizer
Seed Grain ot
forage Seeds
CHECK OUR PRICES FOR YOUR
Spring Requirements.
OPNOTCH
TOPNOTCH FEEDS l !MlTEL)
Phone 527-1910
Seaforth
Spring's Coming... get ready
We sell by the package and from our bulk supplies.
Broad selection of vegetables and flowers. Also all
gardening and house plant needs.
"Quality merchandise at a fair prl^.e."
Baker's Farm and
Garden Centre
22 Isaac St., Clinton -482-9333
your
><tir. RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1978, PG. 5.