The Rural Voice, 1985-09, Page 15dustry, no matter what their dreams
are, should postpone entry for now.
"1t is better to discourage a•son from
working with Dad at this time than
getting them both into trouble," says
Brinkman.
• Change our attitudes to the measure
of success so that survival is a
measure of success "and not whether
you have a new tractor out front."
• Farmers may have to be willing to
pay taxes instead of buying new
equipment, etc. in order to avoid pay-
ing taxes at all costs.
• A willingness to look for non-farm
employment to supplement the farm
income is needed.
Finally, Brinkman recommends
that financially troubled farmers
"leave agriculture before all their
equity is lost." As difficult a decision
as that would be, leaving before the
bailiff comes means "there's some
chance they can come back into the
industry at a later date."
cer
0
ed
Brinkman's message is sobering;
parity may not be the solution that
will bring prosperity back to rural
Ontario. Maybe the realistic response
is that farmers just have to keep pull-
ing their wagons into a circle and
making some tough personal manage-
ment decisions. One thing everyone
agrees on: there are more tough times
ahead for agriculture. Parity has yet
to prove itself as the much needed,
even desperately needed, "quick
fix."
Ontario's top yielding
winter wheat
farr
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1036a/eveyid-filar
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SEPTEMBER 1985 13