The Rural Voice, 1982-06, Page 23VOICE OF A FARMER
Lack of understanding
by Adrian Vos
It still amazes me how little understanding there is by
farmers of the problems of consumers.
It amazes me no less how little understanding professors
at the schools of economics often have about the problems
of farmers.
Maybe my amazement stems from the
fact that I have been both an adult
consumer and a farmer.
Of course, the professors live in an ivory
tower and see the real world only in
figures.
The sad thing about their frequent
public announcements is many city editors
of our daily newspapers accept their
statements as pronouncements of the
gods.
I can't remember ever having heard
these 'oracles of the universities' denounce the monopolies
of the Weston empire or others of like ilk.
When will the Economic Council of Canada (ECC)
publish a study on the effect of corporate farming on the
consumer?
At the same time farmers don't seem able to understand
that labor is also desperately trying to keep pace with
inflation which has pushed incomes down from second in
the world to 12th or 13th place today.
Bankers seem to be fair game for everyone, but the guy
who calls in a loan from a farmer he has dealt with
satisfactorily for many years has to make a gut -wrenching
decision. But no one seems to care that the percentage of
local bankers with ulcers has increased tremendously
lately.
Bankers are there to invest money on behalf of investors;
people like you and me and our friends and relatives who
have a savings account. To do that they have to make sure
that money is safe. 1 believe many would gladly take risks
with their own money, but their duty to many small savers
comes first. Yet, they are blamed if a debtor can't guarantee
repayment anymore.
It is strange that farmers, through their organizations,
refuse to sit down with labor unions to try and find a better
way rather than to jeopardize a whole year's work and a
large investment with a strike but that is the case.
To come back to the economics professors and their
parroting -newspaper -editor -followers, they seem to accept
the right of unions and corporations to demand their share
from the economy, but when farmers are threatened with
extinction and take part in rigidly organized marketing, it is
almost considered sinful.
When the newspaper's way of getting their product to
market, the post office, goes on strike they editorialize on the
folly of giving the right to strike to workers in essential
services, theirs.
While union busting a hundred years ago was done by
goon squads. the unions of farmers are attacked by goon
squads of economists.
Farmer/writer Adrian Vos likes to be provocative, "to
make people think...they don't have to agree." He
welcomes comment and suggested column topics from
readers.
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THE RURAL VOICE/JUNE 1982 PCi. 23