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The Citizen, 1992-02-26, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26,1992. Local farmers fight for livelihood at huge rally in Ottawa, Friday Fighting for supply management became a personal issue for the hundreds of Huron County farmers who journeyed all night to attend Friday's rally on Parliament Hill. Many got help to get the chores done at home and spend more than 24 hours, much of it jolting along on buses, to attend the rally. For the Hallahans of East Wawanosh, it was a family affair. Jim Hallahan recalled attending a rally in Ottawa in 1967 when he was just a young farmer starting out. This time he had sons Jamie and Patrick along, both wanting to carry on farming and both wonder­ ing if there will be a future in the business for them if the proposed GATT agreement wins acceptance. The compromise proposal would see border restrictions necessary for supply management turned into tar­ iffs, then gradually reduced over the years. The family now milks about 62 cows but Jim projects it might be necessary to milk 200 cows to try to survive under an open market system. Maurice and Bill Hallahan , Jim's cousins, represent a family that has been synonymous with diary farm­ ing in the area for decades. Maurice recalls his father Simon started shipping milk to Stacey's dairy in 1942 and later was instrumental in working with other Blyth-area farmers to start the cheese factory in Blyth. Today Maurice's sons Jim E., Joe and Dennis carry on the family tradition. Maurice can remember the days before the Ontario Milk Marketing Board was pushed through by Bill Stewart, Ontario's Agriculture Min­ ister. There was such an oversup­ ply that processors had total control.He recalls taking 10 cans of milk to a processor and being sent back with eight of them. Since he hasn't had to lay out big money to buy quota, Maurice says, he may be able to cope better with any changes than farmers who have paid out a quarter million dollars for quota. If the GATT changes are adopted, be thinks farmers will have to band together and go back to starting up small processing plants to create local markets again. Nick and Joan Whyte of Hullett township were among the broiler producers who joined the rally. The Whytes have about 50,000 birds in their bam at any given time. Nick was a student at the University of Guelph when Bill Stewart pushed through the marketing board for chicken but he remembers how things were for his father before orderly marketing came in. With serious overproduction often a farmer wouldn't receive enough from the sale of a chicken to pay for the feed and the baby chick. Vertical integration also was taking over the business, he says, with companies starting to control pro­ duction from the hatching of the chick through feeding, to process­ ing the meat. Marketing boards stopped that because they imposed a limit on the amount of quota any one producer could own. If the GATT proposal is accepted vertical integration will likely return to Canada, he said. There are no fami­ ly farms left in the chicken business in the U.S., he said. Federation starts membership drive The Huron and Perth Federations of Agriculture are aiming to recruit 200 new members from March 2 to March 13. The kick-off starts on Monday, March 2 at 8 p.m., at St. Columban Hall. Volunteers from Huron and Perth Counties will meet with Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Roger George, and for 10 Len Stamper, R.R.l, Bluevale, and his friend Garry Grubb of Mildmay were among the many in the audience who aren't the typeof people who would normally take part in marches. They speak quiet­ ly, reluctantly about the situation. Len milks a 50-cow herd and just Farm support Mrs. David George of Blyth pins on a green ribbon last Friday to show her support for the farmers who marched on Parliament Hill to demand government support marketing boards in GATT talks. Fred Tilley of Blyth Mini- _____Mart was providing the ribbons to any interested patrons. Ridge-till key to peak profits, speaker says GARDENERS! TROY-BILT Titter Ridge-till planting is a key to keeping profits on the peaks and out of the valleys, Doug Smith of Thamesville told farmers at the Crops Update meeting at Holmesville Wednesday. Mr. Smith told farmers at the event, sponsored by the Huron County Soil and Crop Improve­ ment Association "I plain and sim­ ple can't afford to till." "If we’re going to survive in Canada in cash crop production, we've got to do it with a lot less input costs," he said. "If we can't there are others who will." Ridge tilling lets him get on the land earlier than neighbours who use conventional tillages because the soil warms faster on the ridges and the soil drains more quickly. There have been years when he has been finished planting before tradi­ tional farmers have started, he said. It cost him a $15,000 investment to get into ridge-tilling where the soil is heaped into peaks and val­ leys with the crop planted on the tops of the ridges. It was an invest­ ment he didn't mind because he sold a 220 hp tractor he didn't need any more because he wasn't doing such heavy cultivation. He predict­ ed it's the way of the future. "I wouldn't want to be selling a plow about five years from now," he said. And, he said, ridge tilling will work anywhere, not just in southern areas. Those trying ridge tilling on days they will be travelling the rural roads to recruit new members. Huron Federation President Brenda McIntosh stated, “The big Ottawa rally proved that farmers really stick together. This should help to sell memberships.” For more information, please call Blaine Stephenson at (519) 482- 9642. doesn't know what effect the GATT proposal would have on his future. Garry is a beef farmer but he also works for a feed supply business and it's because of the impact the decision might have on feed sales to dairy and poultry farmers that he's come along. sloping land, however, will want to get an electronic guidance system for their cultivators but he claimed he could buy a new cultivator each year with the savings he has in chemicals. Those savings come about because both fertilizer and herbi­ cide are applied only on the ridges, not on the valleys, meaning less area to be covered. In addition, crop residue is thrown down off the ridges into the valleys helping pre­ vent weed growth there. He now spends about $10 per acre on spring weed control, he said. Cultivation only encourages weed growth by burying seeds, he said. Fertilizer is injected into the soil because fertilizer on the soil will encourage weed growth. Mr. Smith feels the less chemical on the crop, the better the yield will be because he feels many chemi­ cals put stress on the crop. In June he goes over the crop with his cultivator, reshaping the ridges and knocking any weeds off the ridges into the gullies. That's the last time he'll be on the field except for harvest. Mr. Smith is also a firm believer in strip intercropping which he said increases yields. The more light com gets, the greater the yield, he said, and so growing strips of com interplanted with strips of a shorter crop, allows more sunlight to the com. He began experimenting with corn and soybeans in which the beans would allow more sunlight to the com while the com provided a windbreak for the beans. The prob­ lem was that beans were shaded by the taller com. He solved the prob­ lem in 1988 by planting three crops in strips. Wheat was planted on the side of the com that would be most shaded, then beans were planted next to that, then com and so on Continued on page 22 F arm 40,000 attend Ottawa rally Continued from page 1 position that calls for the reduction of trade-distorting export subsidies, while allowing the retention of bor­ der controls essential for the suc­ cessful operation of supply management for the supplying of national markets. "Your presence here today will certainly strengthen our position and strengthen our resolve to fight on your behalf." Jean Chretien, federal Liberal party leader raised huge cheers when the familiar green stetson of Eugene Whelan was spotted beside him as he entered the stage with a large Liberal delegation. Mr. Chre­ tien said he was a member of Par­ liament when marketing boards were created and called Mr. Whe­ lan "the father of marketing boards". A country should be self- sufficient in food production, he said. "Subsidy for export is one SAVE FROM !75.°°TO ’280“ • Easy to use, guide it with JUST ONE HAND® • 6 sizes to choose from...perfect for any garden DOUBLE BONUS FREE HILLER/FURROWER AND BUMPER WITH ORDERS BY MARCH30/92 Lawn & Garden CENTRE (A Division of Huron Tractor) BLYTH HWY NO. 4, N. _____________________________________(519) 523-4244 thing, but producing food for the people of Canada is something else," he said to loud cheers. "That's why we want clarification of Article 11 of GATT. We've been with you, we are with you and we'll remain with you." As the Liberals left the stage there was a loud chant for Mr. Whelan to speak but he declined the invitation. Audrey McLaughlin speaking for the NDP said tarriffication is not the answer to trade problems. She promised her party's support for Prime Minister Mulroney "if he is sincere in supporting a strength­ ened Article 11 and making sure that we in Canada can do the best for our agricultural sector and for our consumers in this country." Just as the Free Trade Agreement deci­ mated urban Canada, the GATT negotiations could destroy rural Canada, she said.