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The Rural Voice, 1997-11, Page 29First, what if all change is not inevitable? What if we have a choice? I am aware that determinists and predestinarians of various sorts have argued that we have no choice, no freedom of will, at all. I am also aware that many people in the mainstream of our tradition have argued the opposite. It is apparently not possible to settle this difference by means of proofs. But we ought at least not to forget that our idea of human dignity and worth rests upon the assumption that we have real choices to make and that we are, because of that, responsible for ourselves. We should remember too, that implicit in the possibility of real choice is the possibility of choosing wrong. The second question, therefore, is: What if we've been wrong? What if farmers, farm families and farm communities are not expendable "extras" in the drama of industrial progress in agriculture, but instead are indispensable to the health and the long-term survival of our food supply? What if good farmers belong inalienably to the "land resource", and that without them the resource would inevitably There is much evidence the farm population is not expendable decline in productivity? What then? Well, then, we must hope to think and work our way to a better result than mere circumstance can bring us to. And we must remember that, although the farm population has been generally regarded for half a century as expendable, we have no evidence that this is true, and much evidence that it is not. Kentucky, until now, or until recently, has been somewhat an exception to the rule. Our farmers and rural communities have survived somewhat better than those in other places, thanks to tobacco and the tobacco program. And it is largely because of the intensifying threat to tobacco that Kentucky has become exceptional in another way: Kentucky farmers and their allies have moved very quickly into the forefront of those, in this country and elsewhere, who are working to protect and enliven local rural HOG EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS For all sizes of hog operations • NIPPLE DRINKERS • CRATES • DRY SOW STALLS • PLASTIC SHEETS • NURSERY PENS • FEED CARTS • HOG SCALES • BROODER SHIELDS • ROTARY, CORNER & FEED SAVER FEEDERS • PIGGY TUBS • ALL FLEX EAR TAGS (VOLUME ORDERS ONLY) GREAT PRICES ON CRYSTAL SPRING FEEDERS, 4' VAPOUR PROOF FLUORESCENT FIXTURES, STAINLESS LAG BOLTS, PHILIPS HEAT BULBS & ACCESSORIES, VENTILATION & ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT, PVC PIPE & FITTINGS, FANS. can -con WYREm3 SPECIALIZING IN STAINLESS STEEL PIPING 112"83/4"•CUT AND % _THREADED TO ORDER RR #1 NEWTON, ONTARIO (519) 595-8025 Small volumes available at Targe discounts Z ' S has your New Replacement Quality Tractor Parts YOUR MASTER WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTOR FOR: A;ncul Nnal InJuNn.,l NEW REPLACEMENT PARTS Seats Suspension $184.5° Combine Belts MF 850 main drive belt $90133 We Rush Anywhere in Canada Over Night! Costing Much Less Now At Your Local Dealer! Water Pumps Ford 3 & 4 cylinder $59.'9 Brake Discs Int. 706,806, 1206, 966, 1066 $21.15 We manufacture and distribute Nowart da of NEW TRACTOR and COMBINE PARTS Addlbona Items re being .dried constantly Original m.nol.c. Ives .pec/fictions ars followed. producing conp.r.bie high quality parts A t I parts ant warranted for one year. longer Nan the Industry standard. Compare our quality and craftsmanship MN competitive products and learn why youTl recent more for less MN A i L Rasp Bars JD 7700 • JD 7720 $295.18 Tie Rod Ends To fit MF, Ford, II IC, JD, etc. from$33.34 Now Available for Combines • Grain Bins • Straw Walkers • Straw Walker Pans • Conveyor Augers • Elevator Chains • Rubber Elevator Paddles • Augers • Cornhead Snouts • Cornhead Dividers • Center Snouts • Conveyor Drums • Auger Tubes • Unloading Auger Extensions Most of the parts to rebuild your corn & grain heads. FOR MASSEY 8 JOHN DEERE COMBINES Also • Spindles • Tie Rod Ends • Wheel Hubs & Bearings • Steering Arms • Axle Supports • Rims (Front & Rear) • Power Steering Pumps • Hydraulic Pumps • Concaves & Rap Bar Sets • Brake Discs & Linings • Tractor & Combine Belts • Flywheels & Ring Gears • Fuel Pumps • Seats & Cushions • Sway Blocks • Drawbars • Radiators • PTO Shaft • 3PT Hitch Arms • Clutches • Planetary Gears & Shafts • Fenders • Grills & Hoods • Crown & Pinion Shafts • Oil Pumps • Steering Wheels • Hydraulic Pump Shafts • Manifolds • Brake Drums • Instrument Panels • Sway Limiters • Front Axles • Carburetor Kits • PTO Discs • Transmission Gears • Camshafts • Cornhead Parts • Threshing & Separator Parts Dealer Inquiries welcome Pustinch, Hwy. 6, 3 km S. of 401 Your A & I Warehouse Distrbutor • Now Available (519) 837-0710 Fax (519) 837-0307 at many Local Farm Equipment Dealers Mon. -Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-12 noon (fenced yard - no after hours without appointment) NOVEMBER 1997 25