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The Citizen, 2001-08-22, Page 10Discussion Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Jack Wilkinson, left, talks to Huron president Charles Regele, and others when he made a stop in Huron last Wednesday for a round-table discussion at the Winthrop-area farm of Ernst Gubelman. (Mark Nonkes photo) northhuron.on.ca Northern Huron's foremost source of information when you: • Need to check the weather • Need a plumber • Need to see what's on at area theatres • Need to build a barn • Need to find the money to build a barn • Need to read reviews on theatre presentation • Need a lawyer • Need to rent a crane • Need to order take-out food and don't have the telephone number • Need to find a real estate agent • Need an accountant Check it out at www.northhuron.on.ca (an online service of The Citizen.) The Radford Group would like to introduce our new CLASS A Auto Mechanic & Licensed HEAVY TRUCK MECHANIC Greg Field. Greg comes with 30 years experience in the automotive industry. Look what's new Radford will now service and repair your cars, vans & pickup trucks too. Call our service manager Robert Higgins for an appointment 523-9681 or 1-800-276-4163. August 22 - September 22 Special Buy a new exhaust system and we'll install if for FREE. We have 3 licenced HEAVY TRUCK MECHANICS on staff for all your truck repairs Order your fall LANEWAY GRAVEL now TRIM BULLDOZING AVAILABLE BLYTH LOCATION ONLY Call 523-9681 or 1-800-276-4163 PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2001. • OFA president makes stop in Huron By Mark Nonkes Citizen staff Farmers have to work towards educating the public about the farm- ing industry, the Ontario Farmer's Association president said before a group of 30 at a gathering near Winthrop last Wednesday, Aug. 15. In a round-table discussion at the home of dairy-producer Ernst Gubelman with Huron County farm- ers, OFA president Jack Wilkinson stressed the importance of educating the public about farming. Ontario farmers have a lot going for them. According to Wilkinson in a recent study, consumers said food safety was very important. Food that comes from Ontario farms is the safest out there. Ontario is more advanced than many other countries with use of pesticides, Wilkinson said. According to Wilkinson, Ontario has the best food inspection system in the world. Farmers have reduced pesticide use by 50 per cent in recent times, but no one knows about it. "We have got to market these things an awful lot better," Wilkinson said. Educating the public was a major issue for many of the farmers at the meeting. Neil McGavin, who owns a farm dealership in Walton, said peo- ple are not buying locally grown products because of a price differ- ence. "People need to know the advan- tages of growing in Ontario and eat- ing Canadian," McGavin said. More people would buy Ontario- grown food if they knew the advan- tages of eating it, Wilkinson said. "People are taking agriculture for granted.' Wilkinson said. The importance of getting people to understand where their food comes from is vital for continued farming success in Ontario. A lot of people go to the grocery store and don't think of where the food comes from, McGavin said. For this reason, OFA is sponsoring a study by the University of Toronto that would show how valuable the food industry is to Ontario's econo- my. One of the problems with trying to educate people is the lack of funding. The government has decreased fund- ing towards farming education by 10 to 15 per cent, Wilkinson said. "We are not where we should be or where it was 15 year ago," Wilkinson said. Wilkinson said he was very disap- pointed with the federal Agricultural Minister, Lyle VanClief. VanClief who he feels has not fufilled his duties as the minister that should be supporting farmers. "There is a lack of commitment," Wilkinson said. VanClief has denied farmers many things, like not giving compensation to drought stricken farmers in the western provinces, he said. "We really need to be aggressive with the government," Huron County's OFA President Charles Regele said. The best way to get the message across is to let the commodity boards and the OFA know what needs to change, Wilkinson said. These groups are the voice of the farmers at the different government levels. More money needs to be invested into research and advertising for a national campaign about the advan- tages the farming community sup- plies, he said. Change is possible though, Wilkinson said. "I don't think it will be easy but I think we have to work very hard to get it done," Wilkinson said. F.E. Madill Secondary School Grade 9 Grade 9 students are invited to drop in to the school Tuesday, August 28 through Thursday, August 30 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to familiarize themselves with the school. All Student Timetables Grade 9 - OAC will be distributed in homeform on Tuesday, September 4, 2001. Timetable Conflicts As many as possible of the students with conflicts will be contacted prior to September 4, 2001. New Registrations will be done Thursday, August 23 and Thursday, August 30. Please call the school for an appointment time. Call 357-1800. ' NOTE: The first day of classes will be a full instructional day.