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The Rural Voice, 1999-11, Page 33advantages are good land, a good climate, top research and proximity to the market, Eby said. However there must be more flow of information from the market right back to the cow -calf producer, he said. "Information flow will allow rewards to farmers meeting (high) standards," he said. Bragg predicted that biotechnology will lead to more diversification in farming as well as reducing cost of production. "We need this technology," she said. But government must also continue to guarantee there is competition in research so that farmers aren't captive of large companies, she said. Core urged more people to study agriculture, noting there were several job offers waiting for each graduate of agriculture at the University of Guelph, yet the number of students entering the course is decliping. He also urged all farmers to use sound financial planning. "If it doesn't make sense on paper, it won't make sense in the barn," he said.° News Eastern Europe farmers future parnters Scmidt says Central and Eastern European farmers will be partners with Canadian farmers in the future, said Maria Schmidt, as she told Perth County Federation of Agriculture members about her tour of farms in the region this past spring. Schmidt was one of 30 participants in the Advanced Agricultural Leadership tour of Austria and former Soviet Block countries in March. The Canadians witnessed a wide variety of agricultural conditions, she told 140 people at the Federation's annual meeting in St. Pauls, October 14. The former communist countries are struggling to varying degrees to adapt to free enterprise, she said. In the Czech Republic, for instance, food consumption has dropped because of low incomes. Employment in agriculture has dropped 38 per cent Now through December 31, 1999, you can reserve a quality Hesston® machine for spring delivery and lock in 1999 prices. This offer includes Hesston's most popular models from self-propelled windrowers and mower conditioners to round and square balers. As every Early Bird knows, the Hesston line combines reliability and ruggedness with the advanced features you expect to boost productivity, cut maintenance and get maximum profit from every bale. See your Hesston dealer before December 31st for Early Bird prices on equipment that's a cut above the rest. SQUARE BALERS 4910 Deposit $1.500 4755 Deposit $1,500 4790 Deposit $1,500 4690, 4655 Deposit $1150 4590, 4570 Deposit $750 ROUND BALERS 845 Deposit $750 545 Silage Plus Deposit $750 846 Deposit $750 855 Deposit $750 856 Deposit $750 856A Deposit $750 514 Deposit $750 MOWER CONDITIONERS 1270/75 Deposit $1150 1260/65 Deposit $750 1365, 1340 Deposit $1150 1320 Deposit $750 S.P. WINDROWERS 8550 Deposit $1,500 8450 Deposit $1500 8250 Deposit $1,500 81105 Deposit $1.500 1200 Pull -Type Deposit $750 NEWTON Alma Shantz Farm Equipment Ltd. 519-638-3317 -- 1-800-430-5057 Chepstow Mullin's Farm Service 519-366-2325 - 1-800-561-1801 while input costs tor farmers have increased 231 per cern. Nearly all the former state farms have been privatized. Slovakia had moved ahead strongly in dairy production, with every third cow being bred artificially by a Canadian bull. Of the 300.000 dairy cows, only five per cent are bred naturally. Our production standards have been met by some 1300 farms. In Hungary, Canadians o1 Hungarian origin have played a large part in reviving the economy, helping start new businesses. Partnership have also been started with Canadian processors to manufacture food products. In some cases large co-operative farms (one Slovakian farm had 4700 hectares and 1500 dairy cows' have set up their own processing facilities. In Austria, in contrast, the small size of the country means some farmers are literally farming in the city. Austrian fanners are having to face competition from the former communist countries.° In farming, more than anywhere WHITE EXTRUDED PLASTIC Plastic Flooring Plastic Sheet illf Plastic Rolls Inv Plastic Lumber UMHW Sheet & Bar Mouldings & Trim Plastic Rivets Fibre Glass Coated Plastic Plastic Coated Plywood WIRE PANELS 34 inches x 16 feet 52 inches x 16 feet WOVEN WIRE HOG FLOORING Steel Beams Rebar Cement Mesh Angles Flat Bar Tubing Call or Fax for pricing. FARM -CO PLASTICS P.O. Box 1, Goderich, Ontario N7A 3Y5 (519) 524-2082 • FAX (519) 524-1091 NOVEMBER 1999 29