The Rural Voice, 1988-04, Page 10COMPLETE LINE OF
ANIMAL FEED
— Hog — Beef
— Veal — Poultry
— Dairy — Pet
treleaven'
Jeuuvcc
wed. to wed.
1 1 ■
treleaven's
feed mill ltd.
box 182,,ucknow, ont. NOG 2H0
519-528-3000
1.800.265.3008
8 THE RURAL VOICE
FAMILY FARMS: IS
THE END IN SIGHT?
All farm organizations and farm
supporters insist that the survival of
the family farm is essential to the
quality of rural life. But farm organi-
zations can't define a famly farm. Do
we assume that the family farm is a
single-family farm, a "Pa and Ma"
farm where Pa makes the decisions
and Ma and the children work for no
pay, as it was in the good old time?
This definition just isn't acceptable
anymore. So is a "family farm" one
where the family does the financing,
lives on the farm, and does most of the
work?
But this description does not apply
to all farms, some of which depend
heavily on hired labour.
Many farms have grown through
the years. Let's look at a scenario of a
farm family. The children wanted to
farm, but there was no money or no
desire to buy separate farms. So the
family bought out a neighbour every
time one of the boys or girls wanted to
be part of the business. Soon the
operation became quite large, but it
was still managed and worked by the
immediate family. Nevertheless, it
was already far removed from the "Pa
and Ma" farm.
Then, for taxation reasons and
because of the number of people
involved, the farm was incorporated.
One of the children became a mech-
anic, another an accountant, and a
third a lawyer; still another got his
master's degree in business admini-
stration. Their wives were often
involved in non-agricultural work,
but they all held shares in the family
enterprise. Next, a grain -handling
facility was built and the world of
commerce was entered.
It is easy to see the trend. First the
single-family farm, then the multiple -
family farm, then the farm corpora-
tion, then the extended agricultural
enterprise. Any everyone in the chain
of events proclaims loudly and con-
vincingly that theirs is a family farm.
All the family members, whether male
or female, mechanic or lawyer, mount
the tractor in the busy times.
When the farm gets that big, there
is a pressing need for labour-saving
machinery. To be able to afford this
upgrading, the operators, instead of
getting a bank loan, may ask an out-
sider to buy shares. This way, only
part of the profit needs to be paid out
and no loan repayment is required.
The family still provides most of the
work and financing.
To get the most out of the new
equipment, more land is called for. In
reality, the family farm has become a
farm corporation owned by the clan.
These developments follow one
another logically. The problem is that
the high technology that this outfit can
afford is out of reach of the single-
family farm or of the modest multi-
family farm, which cannot compete
unless it follows the lead of the cor-
poration. Those farmers who do not
"progress" and who try to hang on will
eventually go bankrupt. This has hap-
pened in California, where virtually no
small farms are left. It is happening
everywhere at an accelerated pace.
The situation is sad, but it is a fact
of life. There is no indication that this
progrc -sion will stop, not even in
supply -managed sectors. As small
farms disappear, those farms remain-
ing de nand an increase in the maxi-
mum quota.
Or take as an example the hog
stabilization program. Ontario's
demand for a maximum of 3,000 hogs
that could be insured was strongly
protested as unfair by some large
Ontario producers and thrown out by
the Canadian Pork Council, as no
other provincial pork board would
support it.
It appears that the family farm as
we perceive it is doomed, except as a
sideline.0
Adrian Vos, from Huron County, has
contributed to The Rural Voice since
its inception in 1975.