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10 THE RURAL VOICE
is a zero growth kind of mentality,"
says Coyle. Instead of using profits to
expand their operations automatical-
ly, as happened in the 1970s, Coyle
says farmers can turn their attention
to other farm problems such as soil
erosion and more sensible crop rota-
tion practices. If they don't, "even-
tually we won't have the land to
farm."
Grey County pork producers
Gertie and Ivan Blake of Ayton,
authors of a brief titled A Plan To
Restore Profit to Farming, are very
persuasive proponents of farm parity
— but they've given a broader defini-
tion to the concept.
"We started out with the idea that
parity pricing would be the answer to
the farm problems because we see the
basic problem on the farm as being
poor price for product...." But after
the Blakes presented their initial brief
to the OFA directors and began
speaking at farm meetings, they
decided that parity alone wasn't the
answer to the current crisis.
America so we don't really need to
encourage an increase in the supply,"
Blake says.
"Now in the long term I believe a
true parity pricing system would
balance the supply with the demand
... right now farmers are basically
behind so there would be a surge of
production as a catch up. Then 1
think you would see farmers saying,
'Hey I can make a good living pro-
ducing at a certain level so I'm going
to establish that level,"'says Blake.
At a recent information night held
in Stratford, Blake noted that under
current conditions, a 100 -sow farrow -
to -finish operation brings in about
$18,000 annually. But if pork prices
could be increased by 17 cents a
pound under a parity system, and
production were cut back to 80 sows,
the producer would bring in $36,000 a
year.
"The effect of parity in the longer
term would be to level out the
marketplace to the demand, but on
the short term, I would see supply
Gertie and Ivan Blake, Grey County pork producers and
authors of the brief titled A Plan to Restore Profit to
Agriculture: "(We) would see producer groups, whether
they're marketing boards or whatever ... setting their
own prices using a formula that includes the cost of pro-
duction plus labour plus profit."
"Making parity work, we believe,
depends on the dedication and, I
hesitate to say this, but the honesty of
the politicians and the businessmen
involved," notes Gertie Blake. Un-
fortunately, in the immediate term at
least, business doesn't really stand to
gain anything from parity in the farm
sector alone.
Now the Blakes advocate "parity,
hand in hand with a supply control
of some sort, not necessarily supply
management in the traditional sense
of the word" as the route farmers
should go.
"I would see producer groups,
whether they're marketing boards or
whatever, the producer groups setting
their own prices using a formula that
includes the cost of production plus
labor plus profit," explains Blake.
But while that's being im-
plemented, Blake can foresee some
problems during the transitional
stage. For example, what if pork pro-
ducers were guaranteed a profit for
every pig produced? "I would do my
utmost to produce as many as I
could. And there's already an abun-
dant supply of pork in North
management as having to be used to
make that happen," notes Blake. She
predicts that the transition period
would take roughly a decade.
Since speaking at farm meetings,
Blake says she's discovered a surpris-
ing number of people simply aren't
familiar with the realities available
under the Farm Products Marketing
Act, which can virtually guarantee
parity for farmers. She points to the
egg and broiler industries as two
groups who have used the act to en-
sure cost of production returns for
those commodities.
One argument Blake often en-
counters against supply management
is that once the system is introduced
for a commodity, farmers lose their
export market. Blake counters: "If
you're getting a good price for your
domestic product, maybe you don't
need the export markets to survive."
Then there's the more general argu-
ment that consumers simply won't
support farm parity unless a par
economy is implemented right across
the board. The problem, Blake notes,
is that if pork producers, for exam-
ple, got their parity increase, "the
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10 THE RURAL VOICE
is a zero growth kind of mentality,"
says Coyle. Instead of using profits to
expand their operations automatical-
ly, as happened in the 1970s, Coyle
says farmers can turn their attention
to other farm problems such as soil
erosion and more sensible crop rota-
tion practices. If they don't, "even-
tually we won't have the land to
farm."
Grey County pork producers
Gertie and Ivan Blake of Ayton,
authors of a brief titled A Plan To
Restore Profit to Farming, are very
persuasive proponents of farm parity
— but they've given a broader defini-
tion to the concept.
"We started out with the idea that
parity pricing would be the answer to
the farm problems because we see the
basic problem on the farm as being
poor price for product...." But after
the Blakes presented their initial brief
to the OFA directors and began
speaking at farm meetings, they
decided that parity alone wasn't the
answer to the current crisis.
America so we don't really need to
encourage an increase in the supply,"
Blake says.
"Now in the long term I believe a
true parity pricing system would
balance the supply with the demand
... right now farmers are basically
behind so there would be a surge of
production as a catch up. Then 1
think you would see farmers saying,
'Hey I can make a good living pro-
ducing at a certain level so I'm going
to establish that level,"'says Blake.
At a recent information night held
in Stratford, Blake noted that under
current conditions, a 100 -sow farrow -
to -finish operation brings in about
$18,000 annually. But if pork prices
could be increased by 17 cents a
pound under a parity system, and
production were cut back to 80 sows,
the producer would bring in $36,000 a
year.
"The effect of parity in the longer
term would be to level out the
marketplace to the demand, but on
the short term, I would see supply
Gertie and Ivan Blake, Grey County pork producers and
authors of the brief titled A Plan to Restore Profit to
Agriculture: "(We) would see producer groups, whether
they're marketing boards or whatever ... setting their
own prices using a formula that includes the cost of pro-
duction plus labour plus profit."
"Making parity work, we believe,
depends on the dedication and, I
hesitate to say this, but the honesty of
the politicians and the businessmen
involved," notes Gertie Blake. Un-
fortunately, in the immediate term at
least, business doesn't really stand to
gain anything from parity in the farm
sector alone.
Now the Blakes advocate "parity,
hand in hand with a supply control
of some sort, not necessarily supply
management in the traditional sense
of the word" as the route farmers
should go.
"I would see producer groups,
whether they're marketing boards or
whatever, the producer groups setting
their own prices using a formula that
includes the cost of production plus
labor plus profit," explains Blake.
But while that's being im-
plemented, Blake can foresee some
problems during the transitional
stage. For example, what if pork pro-
ducers were guaranteed a profit for
every pig produced? "I would do my
utmost to produce as many as I
could. And there's already an abun-
dant supply of pork in North
management as having to be used to
make that happen," notes Blake. She
predicts that the transition period
would take roughly a decade.
Since speaking at farm meetings,
Blake says she's discovered a surpris-
ing number of people simply aren't
familiar with the realities available
under the Farm Products Marketing
Act, which can virtually guarantee
parity for farmers. She points to the
egg and broiler industries as two
groups who have used the act to en-
sure cost of production returns for
those commodities.
One argument Blake often en-
counters against supply management
is that once the system is introduced
for a commodity, farmers lose their
export market. Blake counters: "If
you're getting a good price for your
domestic product, maybe you don't
need the export markets to survive."
Then there's the more general argu-
ment that consumers simply won't
support farm parity unless a par
economy is implemented right across
the board. The problem, Blake notes,
is that if pork producers, for exam-
ple, got their parity increase, "the