The Rural Voice, 1983-01, Page 22AT THE CHRISTIAN
FARMERS' ANNUAL
Tom Oegema, a turkey farmer from
Elgin county has been elected the new
president of the Christian Farmers
Federation of Ontario. Bill Jongejan. hog
farmer from Huron county was elected as
vice-president.
It is the second year the CFFO has
elected a young board. Oegema is 37 and
has served as treasurer for two years, and
as vice-president in the last term. He is
also involved as chairman of the CFFO
Research Committee, member of the
finance committee and on the Quota
Transfer Committee as well as being
president of his local in Elgin.
Jongejan, 34. is also president of his
local in central Huron, has represented
CFFO to the Farm Income Stabilization
Commission for three years, and is a
member of the CFFO Pork Producers
committee. Aside from his involvement
with the CFFO. Jongejan, is the secretary
of the Foodland Hydro Committee and
was active at the Consolidated Hearing in
Stratford earlier in 1982.
At their annual meeting in Guelph,
December 8, the delegates approved
membership fees for the coming year to
be set at $283.30 plus any extra that may
be added as a result of the 1982 deficit.
A resolution was passed that en-
courages a move to sustainable
agriculture through individual farmers
gaining a better understanding of the im-
pact of their farming practises. The
resolution also called for greater govern-
ment support for programs such as the In-
tegrated Pest Management and other
alternatives to the use of chemicals in
agriculture.
Soil erosion has been identified at a ma-
jor destroyer of the productivity of the
foodland base and a polluter of water
resources. Continuous cropping practises
and pesticides are having profound effect
on organisms that help keep the soil alive
and fertile. The resolution continued that
the food production practises have
become dangerously capital intensive and
dependent on uninterrupted and large
supplies of non-renewable resources such
as fossil fuels, fertilizers and pesticides.
Good soil is the heart of farming. The
speakers for the day emphasized the
preservation of soil as their main point.
Dr. Uko Zylstra, faculty professor of the
biology department, Calvin College,
Grand Rapids Michigan, talked in depth of
how farmers have to be responsible and
accountable for the land. His opening
remarks stemmed from the bibical
references and how there is no such thing
PG. 22 THE RURAL VOICE, JANUARY 1983
Tom Oegema, right, a turkey farmer from Elgin County was
elected president of the CFFO at their annual meeting held in
Guelph. Bill Jongejan. left, a hog farmer from Huron County
was named Vice president.
Panelists at the recent CFFO annual meeting include, from
left: OMAF crop specialist, Pat Lynch; Herb Eldridge, Natural
Farmers Association; Ron Goldsmith, Ryerson and new
president of CFFO, Tom Oegema.
as private ownership but that farmers are
stewards of God's possession and must
be responsible to Him to maintain the
agricultural system that provides life and
supports others (creatures of God).
In the biological sense,the eco -system
on our farms is changing. The more com-
plex the system, or versatile, the more
stable it is. On the opposite end of the
scale, simple systems like cropland are
fragile and can be easily upset.
One of the key components in the soil is
the decomposers and "we tend to ignore
the bacteria and worms" said Dr. Zylstra.
Soil fertility is closely related to the soil
structure which in turn helps control the