The Rural Voice, 1978-11, Page 43OFA workload getting too heavy,
Hannam tells Perth
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture
has reached a crucial point in its
development says president Peter Han-
nam. Speaking to farmers at the Perth
County Federation's annual I.S.M.
meeting in Mitchell. Hannam said that the
heavy workload that has been placed on
the O.F.A.'s staff and elected officals is
just too much.
"Government departments are anxious
toget out input before a bill comes before
the house . . . right now our staff is
working in detail on at least ten major bills
that effect farmers."
As well they're expected to work with
scores of non farm groups to discuss farm
policy said Mr. Hannam. The 23,500
federation members are also placing more
demand on the resources of the head office
in Toronto.
"All of this has just come crushing down
on our heads and its just far more work
than we can accomplish with the present
staff and elected people" he said.
Mr. Hannam stressed to the farmers that
the Federation has reached a point where it
is being recognized by government and
other bodies as an established repre-
sentative of Ontario's farmers. "We've
looked forward to a situation for 20 years
where a farm organization would have
some clout and now that we're acheiving
clout and high public profile;we're feeling
very great strains within the or-
nizaton."
Y.
Among those issues the Federation is
currently wrestling with are: revisions to
the Line Fence Act, the labor departments
imposition of more stringentfarm safety
regulations, property tax reform, and farm
machinery parts and service legislations.
Mr. Hannam said that for the past few
weeks he has been submerged in the
Canadian Federation's study of the Can -
Farm computer record keeping.
Mr. Hannam said that for the past few
weeks he has been submerged in the
Canadian Federation's study of the Can -
Farm computer record keeping operation
which assesses the efficiency of farm
operations for farmers.
The federal Government announced in
August that it would no longer subsidize
Can -Farm. Most of Can -Farm's work is
done by a staff of 187 people and a
computer at the University of Guelph.
Because there is a definite need for
Can -Farm in the agricultural community
the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is
seriously considering taking over the
operation itself.
Mr. Hannam is currently heading a
committee for the national organization to
study the feasibility of the take over.
The study is a race against time as the
government wants all bids for Can -Farm in
2weeks. "We're under the gun . . . it took
12 years to build up the Can -Farm service
to where it is now and yet the government
expects all of the final bids to be in by the
25 of October."
1 was hoping that the provincial
government could form some kind of
consortium to pick this up but there just
wasn't any initiative, said Mr. Hannam.
Although the provincial governments
were not interested several foreign based
multinational corporations were. "It was at
that point the Federation said we don't
want Canadian farmers serviced from
THE BIG
PERFORMERS
abroad and we don't want the mass of
production information that Can -Farm has
in the hands of a multinational cor-
portation."
Mr. Hannam said the Federation is likely
to propose a new organization sponsored
by the provincial federations. "I think its
probably the biggest move that any farm
organization has ever undertaken in
Canada!
Can -Farm has been working on a budget
of 51/2 million dollars a year but 40 per cent
of that has gone toresearch and develop-
ment leaving an actual working budget of
around 3 million.
Now that the ground work is complete,
Hannam said, the system could be
economical to operate. "There are a
number of large companies interested and
I think they know there's profit to be made
particularly in other countries."
There are about 14,000 farmers using
Can -Farm.
The Perth Federation's annual meeting
also involved the election of a new board of
directors and delegates to attend the
O.F.A.'s annual convention to be held in
Hamilton in November.
The new Directors are as follows: South
ftrth, Ken Green, R.R.1, St. Pauls, North
Perth. Peter Stulp R.R.1, Atwood, East
Ftrth, Bill Osborn, Monkton. West Perth,
Clara Keller. Mitchell.
5259
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THE RURAL VOICE/NOVEMBER !978 PG. 43