The Rural Voice, 2006-03, Page 48News in Agriculture
Don't be so nice, Bonnett, Mistele told in Huron meeting
From the moment the floor was
opened for questions when Ontario
Federation of Agriculture President
Ron Bonnett and vice-president Paul
Mistele met local farmers in Blyth,
February 10, the message was clear:
stop being Mr. Niceguy.
Bev Hill of Varna, one of the
organizers of a demonstration at the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs's Guelph
headquarters the following Tuesday,
drew attention to all the white hair
among the 30-40 farmers present
saying there's a 20 -year gap in the
farm population. Unless something is
done immediately to improve farm
incomes, he said, "this industry is
going to die! Your organization
(OFA) is going to die!"
Hill suggested there would have
been more farmers at the meeting but
so many have to take off -farm jobs to
keep going. "It's disgusting so many
farmers have to work off the farm,"
he said.
Grains and oilseeds farmers need
at least $100 per acre support from
the government immediately in order
to get the spring crop in the ground,
Hill said. If the warm weather arrives
and the OFA hasn't been able to
achieve that funding, he said, "then
my organization will have failed me
and my neighbours. The time for
quiet diplomacy is gone."
He warned Bonnett and Mistele
that all the government had to do was
stall on funding until farmers were
busy planting and the momentum
will be lost.
"We need sound, decisive action
now," he said.
But Mistele argued that OFA has
been getting action from the
provincial government with a quieter
approach. At the premier's summit
on agriculture, he said, Premier
McGuinty set aside his agenda to
discuss the farm crisis and what he
intends to do about it. With the
exception of a short time to attend to
other business in the middle of the
day, the premier spent the entire day
at the summit, Mistele said.
Mistele said the biggest change in
44 THE RURAL VOICE
the attitude of the provincial
government was brought about by the
number of formerly Liberal rural
ridings that went Conservative in the
January 23 federal election, perhaps
because of farmers unhappy with
farm policies.
Stephen Thompson of Clinton told
the leaders that the provincial and
federal governments need to be given
one simple message: give Ontario
farmers equity with U.S. farmers.
"Quiet lobbying makes no sense,"
Thompson. "Just say 'equity with
U.S. farmers'. Anything longer than
four words gets them confused."
Thompson, who also operates a
farm accounting business, warned
Bonnett his 85 farm clients were
asking what their OFA membership
is buying.
"I've never seen before what I'm
seeing now," he said. "People are
saying they want to pull their
(membership) money back."
But Mistele said he was tired of
people saying their farm
organizations don't do anything for
them. He pointed to funding gained
after the United Voice march on
Queens Park last spring to more
money for nutrient management
programs and other initiatives as
proof that farm organizations are
working together for the betterment
of farmers.
Mistele argued that when he gets
abusive phone calls he isn't likely to
listen to what is being said and if
farm leaders humiliate politicians in
public, they're not likely to listen to
farm leadership either. He assured
those present that when OFA leaders
met government officials face-to-
face behind closed doors, there was
harsh criticism of the government.
He said the grassroots movements
like Hill's can be helpful in allowing
farm leaders to say their members are
pressing for action but OFA has had
trouble getting farmers to turn out in
support of protests in the past, he
said. Leadership needed to know it
had the members backing, Mistele
said.
But Les Falconer of Clinton asked
what had happened to a resolution
sent from the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture to OFA a
year ago which was passed by the
provincial directors. That resolution
called on OFA to organize
withholding of property taxes by
farmers if the government did not
come up with adequate funding by
January 2006.
"Why didn't you do anything?"
Falconer asked.
Mistele said the OFA's finance
committee looked at the resolution
but then dozens of letters began
arriving from municipalities
supporting a call for federal and
provincial funding. Three other
municipalities including Huron East
allowed farmers to delay paying their
property tax until fall harvest. With
all this support OFA leadership
didn't think it was wise to hurt
municipalities with a property tax
strike, he said.
Mason Bailey of Blyth, who had
proposed the tax strike, recalled the
similar effort in 1970 which was led
by the Huron Federation that
withheld property taxes until the
provincial government came up with
a plan to take the school portion of
property taxes off farm land.
It took a lot of work to get
province -wide support for the plan,
Bailey said. "I personally made about
200 calls. We got what we wanted."
It was proof that if enough farmers
work together they can get the
government to act, he said.
Bailey said farmers need to be like
bees: bees can be peaceful but if you
start messing with them, they sting.
Bailey said what he would like
from the meeting was a clear
indication of what farmers wanted
their organization to do. "The leaders
heave to know," he said.
Bonnett and Mistele promised to
take the opinions of those attending
the meeting, plus other meetings in
Huron and Perth during their two-day
visit, back to the OFA for
consideration.