Huron Expositor, 2005-03-16, Page 3News
Hicknell elected first women president of
agriculutral society in its 160 year history
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
The Seaforth Agricultural
Society has elected its first
woman president during its
160th anniversary.
Marie Hicknell, who's
been an associate director for
years, has been a director of
the Agricultural Society
since 1996.
"I've been a farm girl from
the beginning and on the
farm when a job came up,
you did it. You didn't say,
'That's a man's job,— she
says.
"There's no reason why a
man or a woman can't run
the thing (the Agricultural
Society)," she says, noting
that three women are coming
up in the Society's executive.
As president, Hicknell's
top aim this year is to
improve communications
both within the Agricultural
Society and between the
group and the Seaforth
community.
To that end, she's
encouraging directors to get
their names known in the
community so that interested
volunteers can connect with
the people they know on the
Agricultural Society board.
"We need to get out there.
You can call on your
neighbour if you know he or
she's involved in the Ag
Society," she says.
Hicknell says she's hoping
to draw more volunteers to
help out with the
Agricultural Society's three
big events each year, the
Tractor Elimination Draw,
the Midwestern Ontario Toy
and Craft Show and the
Seaforth Fall Fair.
Susan Hundertmark photo
Marie Hicknell was recently elected as the first woman
president of the the Seaforth Agricultural Society. The
agricultural society is also celebrating its 160th
anniversary.
"People don't realize the
good work that we do. We
give out $16,000 in prize
money at the fair and that's
no small sum," she says.
The money makers for the
Seaforth Fall Fair, which has
no admission fee, are the
elimination draw and the toy
and craft show, both of
which draw large numbers of
people into town.
"A lot of people come to
the draw and make a
weekend of it at our
campground. We've had a
big map for a lot of years
where people mark where
they're from and they come
from all over, even into the
far north," says Hicknell.
She says close to half of
the 2,000 tickets for the
elimination draw have been
sold so far for this year's
July 2 event.
"We're selling them as
wtr11 as we can. You've got to
keep pushing," she says.
An interested couple is
being sought by the
Agricultural Society to lead
the planning for the
Christmas toy and craft
show.
"Some people are willing
to work but they have to be
asked. The hard part is
knowing who they are," she
says.
Planning has just begun on
the "Happy Anniversary"
theme for this year's fall fair
and Hicknell says the
Agricultural Society is open
for community suggestions
about how to commemorate
the fair's 160th.
"We're looking for any
ideas at all, some little extra.
We've got to spread the work
around," she says.
Two new directors on the
Agricultural Society this year
are Joyce Braecker and
Derrick Van Driel.
The rest of the directors
include first vice president
Ethan Wallace, second vice
president Betty Jermyn,
secretary -treasurer Sharon
Flanagan, Home Craft
director Betty Glanville,
John Bennett, Paul Dodds,
Joanne Flanagan, Jim Floyd,
Gord Glenn, Lyle Haney,
Kelly McNichol, Frank Nigh,
Winston Powell, Ross Ribey
and Fair Ambassador Ashley
Marion.
Local corn producer wonders if Queen's
Park even realizes farmers are in trouble
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Both the provincial and
federal governments have
been riding on the coattails of
off -farm income instead of
providing the same financial
support that U.S. and Quebec
farmers get, said Wayne
Hamilton, of the Huron
Federation of Agriculture.
Hamilton attended last
week's corn, soybean and
wheat producers' annual
convention in London, Ont.
The Huron County
federation has close to 2,000
members, most of which are
affected by the income crisis
of grain and oilseed producers
since they grow their own
feed or do cash cropping.
Hamilton said he saw "huge
discontent" among corn
producers and participated in
voting on 46 different
resolutions concerning
"government support or the
lack of it."
"It's very frustrating when
U.S. producers get support
payments of about $105 an
acre, Quebec farmers get a
little bit more at $115 an acre
and we get $25 an acre from
both the province and the
federal governments
combined. Quebec's support
diffuses the argument we
can't afford to do it in
Canada," he said.
Hamilton said it was most
discouraging to view a
presentation on farm income
that showed a five-year
average income for Ontario
farmers as $310 million
before 2003, a $45 million
income for 2003, a negative
$36 million income for 2004
and a projected negative $229
million income for 2005.
"Hello
Queen's
Park. Are
y o u
listening?
We're
losing
almost a
five-year
avarage in
one year.
This is a
very, very
serious
problem in
Ontario,"
he said.•
Hamilton
said the
situation is
even more
pitiful
when you
consider that current levels of
government support are
included in the negative
income levels.
Hamilton raised the point at
the convention about how
inadequate the CAIS
(Canadian Agricultural
Income Stabilization)
program is.
"The CAIS progratn was
advertised as stabilizing farm
income but it does not even
remotely come close to doing
that," he said.
While U.S. farmers have
already been partially paid for
their 2005 crop, Hamilton
said Canadian farmers are still
working on their 2003
applications for support.
"In most
cases, it's two
years before
we ever see
our support,"
he said.
Hamilton
said he was not
impressed by
Steve Peters
blaming the
federal
government
for stalling a
$300 million
aid package for
farmers.
"He said he
feels our pain
but he's not
willing to
invest any
money, even
though he admits we need it.
What's to prevent the
province from stepping up to
the plate before the feds? At
least, start out with
something," he said.
Hamilton said a recent
study on farm income shows
that 73 per cent of farm
income comes from off -farm
jobs.
"In effect, that's our
Quoted
`Hello Queen's
Park. Are you
listening? We're
losing almost a
five-year average
in one year. This.
is a very, very
serious problem
in Ontario,'—
Huron Federation of
Agriculture member,
Wayne Hamilton
INDIAN RIVER DIRECT ak,
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I can't keep asking my wife to
sustain my farm with her job,"
he said.
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, March 16. 2005-3
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