The Rural Voice, 1989-11, Page 12lilidciau�Iis ,
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10 THE RURAL VOICE
FARMING IN THE '90s
— SOME SUGGESTIONS
A letter came in the mail recently
which superseded any antics Super
Wrench could come up with. It was
from the Ontario Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Food. They're taking their
show on the road and it's called
Priority Planning in Agriculture for
the 1990s. Catchy title, huh? My
input was requested as to what direc-
tion farming should take in the future.
Sure, I could prepare a very wordy
and professional report, using the "in"
words like agri-biz, futures, inter-
national trade, and environmentally
acceptable, but I won't. I'm a woman,
farming and working off the farm full-
time. My partner is doing the same.
My concerns are closer to gut level.
During seeding and harvest, I can
spend my entire month's paycheque
on one broken-down piece of stuff we
call equipment. What we need is
OMAF to buy all the junk equipment
in Ontario, set up a huge yard, and
allow farmers free access to any piece
needed to fix whatever's broken on
their own place. Farmers would be
allowed to bring their own torches,
hacksaws, and labour to do the job.
With the concerns about polluting
the environment, maybe researchers
should get to work and find ways to
use the weeds we can't afford to spray.
Quackgrass quiche has a nice ring to
it, and perhaps lamb's quarters fricas-
see would become a big hit. Just think
of the profits if you could bale twitch
grass, velvet leaf, and pigweed and
find a market for it.
By now you're likely thinking that
I've got milkweed fluff for brains, but
I haven't even got to the heart of the
matter.
Any plans I might come up with in
response to the OMAF letter would
have to be on a provincial level. But
how much power would a province's
policy have if it didn't fall in line with
Free Trade or GATT? If our main
trading partner gets itchy when the
Alberta govemment takes over
Pocklington's meat plant and screams
like a professional hog caller that it's
unfair subsidization, what would it do
if we demanded at least cost of pro-
duction for our products in Ontario?
What we desperately need is a crop
that will mature in 30 days, and can be
grown twice in one season here in the
banana belt. This would give better
returns on investment in land and
equipment.
We also need a better line of
communication with Nature. This
early and late frost business has to
stop. There should be an even distri-
bution of rain and sunshine and high
winds must be abolished. We could
also use longer days. Finding enough
hours to do the jobs at home after
working off the farm is a major
concern for many farmers.
OMAF could also offer a course in
quick cookery for farm men. It would
be so nice to get home from work and
find a tasty meal ready and waiting.
These days Super Wrench is dealing
with mid-life crisis and it all revolves
around the freezer, the stove, and the
barbecue. Any woman who has come
home to what's left of lunch, and it
was barbecued liver, knows what I
mean. Super Wrench claims it was
delicious, but what stuck to the grill
and burnt to cinders made even our
dog run to the bush.
None of the points I've brought up
will likely make it into an "expert's"
report. There is a question I do keep
asking myself, though. We're just
barely recovering from farming in
the '80s. What more can the '90s
possibly do to us?0
Gisele Ireland, from Bruce County,
began her series of humorous columns
with The Rural Voice. Her most
recent book, Brace Yourself, is
available for $7 from Bumps Books,
Teeswater, Ontario, NOG 2S0.