The Rural Voice, 1999-02, Page 50BRUCE
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
Email. brace a ola on ca 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
• The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce
County Farmers by the BCFA.
Profit and growth not the best indicators of success
Spring seeding will be here before
you know it. The seed salesmen have
been double-parked in the lane for a
month now. The options at seeding
time are phenomenal. Roundup
Ready, Liberty Link, B.T. and the list
goes on. Every year something new
hits the market.
The pure science of Biotechnology
is not bad. There are more people in
the world to feed every minute.
My complaint is that the cost versus
benefit is out of sync. The farmer
who uses the technology still
takes all of the risk. The $4 corn will
be up and down the price roller
coaster a couple of times before it
settles at $2.50 during harvest. The
biotech company on the other hand
has its technology fee long before
harvest no matter what the weather or
price.
Farmers are going to have less
control if this trend continues. The
day may come when farmers are
reduced to serfs raising food for
billions of people for no reward.
The profits of food production are
falling more and more into the hands
of large corporations. I take
exception to the aggressive nature in
which corporations are protecting
their interest. Rumors that farmers
will be sued for keeping back seed
for their own use, points to the day
when farmers will no longer have
control over any aspect of food
production.
The control of the pork industry
today is being wrestled out of the
BRUCE COUNTY
FEDERATION OF
AGRICULTURE
Directors' Meeting
Monday, February 22, 1999
8:00 p.m.
OMAFRA Boardroom, Walkerton
Members are welcome to attend
46 THE RURAL VOICE
producer's hands by big businesses.
On one hand wages at packing plants
are being rolled back. On the other
hand producers are giving away their
hogs.
Guess who is in the middle taking
the consumers' dollar, and giving less
to the wage earner and less to the
farmer.
What are we going to do to change
the situation? I am not one to stand in
the way of progress if this is what
you call it. Farming has been
changing since the beginning of time.
There needs to be a change in the
way these companies view success.
Profits and growth are not the best
indicators of success. They lead to
aggression and pit the rich against the
poor. Since we are talking about
basic human nature now, I don't see a
change coming too soon.0
Submitted by Jim Farrell
Huron Township Director
Bruce County Federation of Agriculture
COUNTY EXECUTIVE:
Past President Gerald Poechman
President Murray Clark
1st Vice President Jayne Dietrich
2nd Vice President Rick Robson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS:
Peter Canning
Bill Davis
Lloyd Graham
Ken Holtby
REGIONAL DIRECTORS:
Bruce South Bob Bregman
Bruce North Allan Smith
Bruce West Lloyd Schnurr
SECRETARY/TREASURER:
RR 2, Walkerton NOG 2V0
RR 4, Kincardine N2Z 2X5
RR 5, Mildmay NOG 2J0
RR 4, Kincardine N2Z 2X5
Phone Esm Email
364-5657 6112
395-3452 3452
367-2740 5930
396-3501 5130 robsongh @ pnmehne.net
RR 1, Clifford NOG IMO 327-8877 8942 argdowns@wcl.on.ca
RR 2, Dobbinton NOH 1L0 353-5446 4345
RR 1, Lucknow NOG 2H0 528-2406
RR 4, Kincardine N2Z 2X5 395-2232
RR 3, Teeswater NOG 2S0 396-6272 8461 marindal@wcl.on.ca
RR 2, Tara NOH 2N0 934-2928
RR 3, Walkerton NOG 2V0 881-3998 1691
Donna Spitzig 446 10th St., Hanover N4N 1P9
OFA MEMBER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE:
Gertie Blake 446 10th St., Hanover N4N 1P9
TOWNSHIP DIRECTORS 1998/99:
Amabel Jim Shirreff
Allan Smith
Gerald Poechman
John Travis
Emest Young
Peter Canning
Jayne Dietrich
Tony Morris
Lorne Underwood
Bob Bregman
Joe Detzler
Ruth Ann Scott
Bill Davis
Chris Freiburger
Lloyd Schnurr
Grant Collins
Jim Farrell
Murray Clark
Ken Holtby
Jim Young
Kinloss Lloyd Graham
Saugeen Adrian Dykstra
Peninsula Jim Rodgers
Dir -At -Large Rick Robson
Arran
Brant
Bruce
Carrick
Culross
Elderslie
Greenock
Huron
Kincardine
RR 3, Allenford, NOH 1A0
RR 2, Tara, NOH 2N0
RR 2, Walkerton, NOG 2V0
RR 2, Tiverton, NOG 2T0
RR 3, Tiverton, NOG 2T0
RR 1, Clifford, NOG IMO
RR 5, Mildmay, NOG 2J0
RR 1, Mildmay, NOG 2J0
RR 1, Clifford, NOG IMO
RR 3, Teeswater, NOG 2S0
RR 3, Teeswater, NOG 2S0
RR 3, Teeswater, NOG 2S0
RR 2, Dobbinton, NOH 1L0
RR 3, Walkerton, NOG 2V0
RR 3, Walkerton, NOG 2V0
RR 1, Kincardine, N2Z 2X3
RR 3, Ripley, NOG 2R0
RR 4, Kincardine, N2Z 2X5
RR 4, Kincardine, N2Z 2X5
364-3050 4119 bruce@ofa.on.ca
364-3050 4119 gblake@bmts.com
934-2181 2181
934-2928
364-5657 6112
368-7426
368-7575
327-8877 8942
367-2740 5930
367-2136 5644
327-8573
392-6272 8461
392-6486
392-6479
353-5446 4345
881-1658
881-3998 1691
395-5131 5131
395-5628 3928
395-3452 3453
395-2232
RR 1, Tiverton, NOG 2T0 368-7177
RR 1, Lucknow, NOG 2H0 528-2406
RR 1, Southampton, NOH 2L0 797-5439
RR 1, Mar, NOH 1X0 793-3839
RR 4, Kincardine, N2Z 2X5 396-3501 5130
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