The Rural Voice, 1992-12, Page 14Wishing you
aff the joys
of the Season.
Karen Haslam
M.P.P. Perth
Minister of Culture and Communications
Stratford Constituency Office
156 Huron St., Stratford
Mon. - Thurs. 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
For further information or an appointment call:
272-0660
or 1-800-461-9701
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10 THE RURAL VOICE
Robert Mercer
Look on the bright side
You don't have to be a world class
economist to know that these are de-
pressed times. In the farm market, it's
prices; in the cities, it's unemploy-
ment; in the financial markets, it's a
blood bath with
commercial real
estate from Cam-
peau to Canary
Wharf a leve-
raged nightmare.
Even when
things are down
there are always
some people who
are doing well.
These are the op-
timists, the posi-
tive thinkers.
However, they
are difficult to
find in agricul-
ture, as difficult,
they might say, as finding teeth in a
Rhode Island Red chicken.
Is it luck or attitude that helps some
people rise above adversity? Or is it
just hard work, both mentally and
physically? We have had our share of
luck, but we have always tried to make
something of it. We haven't won the
649 Jackpot, but we've made steady
progress with picking up business here
and there without complaining — too
hard — over what we've lost.
It's difficult to be positive in our
weekly newsletter where market facts
and truth are negative. But certainly
wherever possible we find the positive
and report it. Most news on TV, radio
and in print is negative. I like to
accentuate the positive. That's why
we've found two upbeat speakers who
are both practical yet positive for an
upcoming farm seminar. They will be
here in Ontario, one from Minnesota,
the other Colorado, to share their
thoughts and style of approach at a
marketing seminar we are running at
Woodstock.
One speaker is a former commodity
speculator, very successful — who
was on the U.S. Olympic cycling
team, and even feels guilty that he has
made money from commodities while
many who produce them hardly cover
the costs of production. He feels there
is no reason why farmers shouldn't
harvest the rewards of the market as he
has and he'll tackle the subject of
when and when not to speculate or
hedge. It's a good topic this year
when prices and market outlook is so
depressed.
The other speaker will tackle the
broader and more complex area of
financial and political awareness in the
farm markets. This is far more than
farm financial management as we will
be talking about asset management,
inventory protection, interest rates,
currency rates, globalization of
agriculture and how to plan to protect
your money, your farm and your
income over time.
Because the outlook has been bleak,
the weather unco-operative almost
continually throughout the season and
alternatives unattractive, it's time to
enjoy a little bit of positive thinking.
If you'd like some information for our
January 11 get-together, give me a call
— 416-642-2714 and I'll try to be as
positive as possible.
It's about four years since we've
held a farm marketing seminar with
outlook and market comment as we
felt the time was not right and the gov-
ernment was beginning to fulfill that
role with their Ontario Agri -Food
Outlook Conference. That conference
went out of the window under the new
political regime in Queen's Park, so
now there is a need and an opportuni-
ty. Commodity groups do an adequate
job of marketing information in their
own specialized fields, however here
we are trying to bring together what's
happening, with what to do about it, be
it corn, wheat, soybeans, hogs or cat-
tle. These are not easy times, but they
are times to get out and do something
about it. Hope to see you in January.
In the meantime give thanks for
home, health and happiness whenever
it can be found. Be happy that you're
not living in a concrete jungle with
traffic jams, crime and confusion.
Rural Ontario is a great place to live
and bring up a family. Look on the
bright side. And as that movie said —
"May the force be with you".
Season's Greetings.0
Robert Mercer is editor of the
Broadwater Market Letter, a weekly
commodity and policy advisory letter
from Goodwood, Ontario LOC 1AO.