The Rural Voice, 1983-11, Page 20Head for Monkton
and enjoy
a home cooked
meal and the friendly
atmosphere at the
Red +Maple
Delicious
Homebaked pies
HOURS
Mon. - Wed.
11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thurs. - Sat.
11:30 a.m. • 12 midnight
Sunday
12 noon - 9:00 p.m.
Red Maple
Dining Lounge •
Highway 23, Monkton, Ont.
Licensed under L.L.B.O.
347-2974
WE HANDLE
EVERYTHING (almost)
BUTLER
Ring Drive Silo Unloaders Barn Cleaners
Big Jim Silo Unloaders Volume Belt Feeders
Single Chain Conveyors Oswalt Ensilmixers
Convey -n -Feed Cattle Feeders
FARMATIC
Blender Hammer or Blender Roller Mills
Blender Mills for Ground Hi -Moisture Corn
Augers Leg Elevators
ACORN
Cable Barn Cleaners
WESTEEL-ROSCO
Grain Bins - 1350 to 250,000 bu.
Bulk Feed Tanks
ACME
Fan -Jet Ventilation Systems
HOULE
Liquid Manure Pumps, Cleaners, Steel Trusses
B&L Complete Hog Confinement Systems
SLURRY -SLINGER
Liquid Manure Spreaders
Parts & Service for CLAY equipment
ALSO
Electric Feed Carts Fibre Funnels
Straw Choppers Ritchie Heated Bowls
Hurst Equipment
44u44v 744m
Svtemd .zed.
Al Amb.rIIy
IR. R.Il, Kincardine} Pelona 395-52110
PG. 18 THE RURAL VOICE, NOVEMBER
FARM NEWS
Fifteen farm groups present briefs
to N.D.P. Task Force hearing
Mel Swart, MLA Welland -
Thorold, the N.D.P.'s agriculture
and prices critic and Donald Mac-
Donald, caucus chairman and former
N.D.P. leader, were in Wingham on
October 5 conducting the first of a
series of hearings throughout the pro-
vince. Over 50 people were at the
Wingham Town Hall to present their
concerns about the agriculture in-
dustry. Fifteen farm organizations
presented briefs to the N.D.P. Task
Force.
The Bruce County Cattlemen's As-
sociation pointed out in their brief,
presented by Clarence Ackert and
Loren Peters, that beef producers in
other provinces have been getting
subsidies from their provincial treas-
uries which the Ontario farmers have
not received. "Provision must be
made in any national program for the
Ontario farmers to make up this
shortfall," Ackert explained. Swart
responded that "the farm community
is the main generator of our
economy. We in the N.D.P. feel that
low farm prices were the beginning of
this depression."
Tony McQuail, president of the
Huron County Federation, presented
a brief on behalf of the county's
2,000 federation members. He ex-
plained that although the heads of
banks may be telling the Minister of
Finance they want to be in the lending
business to farmers, the experience of
farmers at their local bank branches
is quite different. "The banks are not
interested. They are referring farms
to Farm Credit Corporation; the
banks do not want to take any risk
whatsoever," McQuail said. "The
Farm Credit Corporation must have
more funds to lend farmers."
"The average disposable income of
Grey county farmers was only $700.
last year," explained Clayton
Schwegler of the Grey Federation of
Agriculture. "A very high number of
our farmers exist far below the pover-
ty line." He went on to decry the cuts
in funding to the OMAF field offices.
Swart replied: "We have asked the
minister to reconsider funding to this
OMAF front line service. We have
heard that gasoline for travel has
been reduced to $35. per car per
1983
month. This won't take a field
worker very far in Huron County!"
Mark MacAuley of the Bruce
County Pork Producers explained
how the new technologies in the pork
industry have cut out the traditional
pork cycles and suggested that supply
management would be the answer to
improving market prices. "In the
U.S. they now have operations that
house 32,000 sows," MacAuley in-
formed the task force. "Eight opera-
tions of this size could supply all of
Ontario with pork." He warned
farmers that "supply management
saved the egg producers in Canada.
In the States, where they do not have
supply management, 85 per cent of
the production is in the hands of a
few corporations, effectively destroy-
ing the small family operation."
Kathryn Burnside from the Grey
County Goat Association explained
the anger she felt at not being taken
seriously as a farmer and being con-
sidered a hobbyist. She said: "The
meat, angora wool and milk from
goats are all serious alternatives to
other farm products." She hoped the
N.D.P. could assist in keeping the
foreign markets open to Canadian
goat products.
Harold Poechman, president of the
Bruce County Federation, said:
"While we do not want government
interference in agriculture, we feel
that government has a responsibility
to provide a fair and equitable
framework for agriculture so that the
industry can prosper. For this to hap-
pen, agriculture must have a top
priority and must have a consistent
long term plan. Parts of the plan
would include better commodity
prices, ongoing provincial programs,
lower interest rates, consumer educa-
tion, reduction to $5,000. income to
qualify for the property tax rebate,
lower input costs and higher priority
for agriculture in government plans."
"What do you mean by no govern-
ment interference?" questioned Mac-
Donald. Poechman replied: "We
want control of the marketing boards
and no heavy handedness by govern-
ment."
There appeared to be agreement
that the fault of the present govern-
ment has been in not taking enough