The Rural Voice, 1999-12, Page 3Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Gisele Ireland, Lisa Boonstoppel-
Pot, Bonnie Gropp, Ralph Pearce
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Sandra
Orr, Carl L. Bedal, Janice Becker,
Andrew Grindlay
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Joan Caldwell
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Christmas and the farm
When Christmas parades are held
in small towns across rural Ontario
there are often plenty of farmers
taking part but seldom as they do in
the Farmers' Parade in Rockwood
where farm implements are the stars
of the show. Deborah Quaile brings
us up to date this month on this
unique event.
Christmas can be a happy, carefree
time but it can also be a time of
intense stress when money is short
and families feel overwhelmed. At
times of low commodity prices like
those plaguing most areas of farming
this year, Christmas can be far from
the pleasant occasion we all wish it
would be. We talked to some
counsellors this month who offer
advice in dealing with stress.
As the year ends so does the
century, the millennium and an era in
agriculture in western Ontario.
December 31 will be the last day at
work for Murray Gaunt, long-time,
award-winning, voice of agriculture
on CKNX radio, and member of the
provincial legislature for the Huron -
Bruce riding for nearly 20 years. He
has seen so much and, as he prepares
to retire (looking incredibly young
for a man approaching 65), we took
advantage of his long years around
agriculture to get some perspective
on where agriculture has come from
,and where it's going to.
Memories of the 1998 drought,
and the lack of government assistance
for hard-hit farmers in Grey and
Bruce Counties, still brings bitterness
to the surface. In our news section,
Bill Davis, who headed the Bruce
County effort, expressed his
frustrations at the Bruce County
Federation of Agriculture's annual
meeting in Chesley.
Also in the news, poultry
producers got the latest information
on their industry at the annual
producer update information day in
Seaforth in October.
In the Rural Living section, Patti
Robertson tells some of her favourite
things about Christmas.
Bonnie Gropp has put together a
collection of Christmas recipes sure
to have visions of more than just
sugar plums dancing in your head.0
Update
So you think you've got problems
So you're a beef producer and you're sick and tired of the trade harassment by
Americans? Be glad you're not trying to ship hemp products.
There was a lot of excitement back in February 1998 when we carried a story
on the fact the Canadian government was going to relax the restrictions to allow
hemp production in Canada for the first time in decades. One of the industry
leaders, however, may be having a bit more excitement than he bargained for
these days. The case of a shipment of sterilized hemp seed from Chatham -area
hemp producer Kenex that was seized by U.S. officials shows that while Canada
has become more open-minded about hemp, the U.S. still refuses to differentiate
between hemp and its cousin marijuana:
U.S. Customs seized the $35,000 shipment of sterilized seed back in August on
its way to a U.S. bird seed manufacturer. Not only did it seize that shipment, but
U.S. officials told Kenex it must either recall previous shipments or face a
$500,000 fine. The officials said hemp and hemp by-products were considered
controlled substances and should be treated no different than marijuana.
However, hemp seed and oil are specifically exempted from schedule 1 of the
Controlled Substances Act's definition of marijuana.
Perhaps on the theory that the best defence is a good offense, officials offered
Kenex a deal: they would release the shipment if the company would promise not
to sue U.S. Customs or the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and if the company
would pay the costs of the illegal seizure — estimated at $5,000 to $10,000.
The Canadian Embassy in Washington has written the U.S. DEA threatening
action under the NAFTA and WTO trade agreements.0