The Rural Voice, 1979-06, Page 8Recent CCAT grads include, from left
Brian Gilpin of New Lowell who won an
award as top student in the farm analysis
project, Adrian Van Nynatten, Mitchell,
Ken Ruston, Sebringville, Harry Hulman,
Sebringville who was top student in ag
business management and most proficient
in Soils and Rick Demaray, Bluevale.
What will farming be like
in the year 2000?
What will farming be like in the year 2000? The farmers who'll
be middle aged then, Rural Voice asked some of the current crop
of graduates from Centralia College of A gricultural Technology.
Here are their answers,
RICK DEMARAY, BLUEVALE, hopes to own his own farm by
then with 30,000 layers, which he feels would be necessary in
order to make a living. Solar energy will be more developed.
Barns will be very well insulated. Corn dryers will use propane or
solar heat.
JOHN GRAS, STRATFORD. says there will more automated,
sophisticated equipment and not as much manual labour. Ther
will be a lot of new ideas and a great deal of money will be
funneled into agriculture as by then people will realize that food
is a basic necessity. Farms will be very large and will employ
large numbers of people.
According to BRIAN GILPRIN, NEW LOWELL, farms will be
large and owned by a few people. Farms will be more efficient
per unit of product produced, in terms of labour and energy.
Brian says more than half of the students are going back to work
on their family farm. He came to Centralia because he knew he
was going to own his own farm and thought it was a good idea to
get a bit of education first.
BRENT IRELAND, TEESWATER jokingly said that
everybody would be broke. Cattle will continue in the same up
and down cycle. There would be more government support
programs, particularly aimed at helping young farmers get
started. Corporations would be taking over more and more
farms, even though he believes that the family farm is still the
most efficient. Export sales would be even greater than they are
today. Brent feels that the Ontario government is doing a good
job of exporting Ontario agricultural products but they need to
keep pressing.
Two graduates of the Animal Health Technology course,
Here's what some new ag graduates think
ANNE BAILEY, BRACEBRIDGE and SHARON DYCK, ST.
THOMAS had some interesting ideas about future farming in
Canada. They both thought there would be an increasing use of
horses on the farm, also that farms would continue to become
more specialized. They agreed that veterinarians would become
more specialized, rather than a vet knowing everything about all
animals. They even felt that there would be vets specializing as
bone surgeons. They also think that before very long ,vet
technicians will become certified.
A couple of officials at the CCAT graduation also had opinions
on farming in the year 2000. DR. J. CLARE RENNIE, Asst.
Deputy Minister of OMAF in charge of Education, Research and
Special Services Division says "there will continue to be
tremendous challenges in agriculture, and it will continue to be
big business and highly technical. There will be an even greater
need for farmers to have advanced and specialized education.
Research will continue to develop new technology in all areas.
We will continue to have the normal fluctuations of prices and
diseases."
JACK UNDERWOOD, Head of Engineering at Centralia
College of Agricultural Technology says "In the next 20 years
there will be a fast change in agricultural technology. If we get
into the "food crunch" there could be a food shortage
(worldwide) brought about by population growth which is now
3 percent per year. This ri:'ans that in 22 years we will have
double today's population. fhe world needs zero population
growth in order to avoid this; unless a war or major disaster
alleviates the problem. As we are now., we would not double: our
food production. If a "food crunch" comes we must utilize our
land and res.,urce • much better than at present. There would
have to be land use control and production control."
BILL NEWMAN, Ontario's Minister, when asked the
question, said: "Farms will be owned by Canadian citizens."
PG. 6 THE RURAL VOICE/JUNE 1979