Times-Advocate, 1985-04-10, Page 11A WISE OWiL — Children attending an endangered species program
presented by Toronto Nature Centre director Jim Lovisek at the Ex-
eter Librory'had a chance to closely examine a great horned owl.
Some people never learn.
Some people are masochists. They
like to get kicked and then stepped on.
You would think the Ontario Hog Pro-
ducers Marketing Board would be
happy to have its members produce
hogs, something they do as well as or
better than anyone else in the world.
But nope. At their annual meeting.
members voted 93 to 91 to prepare a
feasibility study on. for geir5dness
sake, getting into the meat packing
business{
The hog board has just been stung
with a zillion -dollar debt because
members voted a decade to to get in-
to the restaurant business. They open-
ed a pork shop right beside Ilonest
Ed's famous steak house in downtown
Toronto. The board could not make a
go of it. They did not have an lionest
Ed to make their eatery successful.
They poured lots of money into their
Toronto hole -in -the -wall. They tried
all kinds of methods of getting the
place on its feet. it didn't work. Hog
producers are not restaurateurs.
Hog producers grow pork.
Now, this group of producers want
to buy their own meat -packing plant
and go into business in competition
with the established companies such
as Schneiders, Burns, Canada
Packers, Swifts.
I have been an observer of the farm
scene for too many years. maybe. 1
remember 20 years ago -- or
thereabouts -- when a group of
farmers decided to get into the meat
packing business. Remember FAME
-- Farmers Allied Meat Enterprises`'
How many farmers remember losing
bucks on that ill-conceived venture''
Heck, farmers contribute jthe time
and money. FAME even bought land
for a packing plant and then the whole
thing died.
----
It's not
too
late...
We still have
some good seed
com numbers
lett. But you'd
better call now.
Seeds
Chuck Ford
237-3767
Doug Ford
237-3216
Over the yeah; every time any type
of investigation has been held on the
food chain, the meat packers have
come out looking better than anyone
else along the line. The only major
complaint about them has been lack
of modernization. But their profit pic-
ture has rarely been questioned as too
high. The packers' skirts have been
clean.
And if a handful of pork producers
belive they can do a better job than
-the experienced people in the meat-
pcking business in Canada, then I
would say, let 'em 'ave a go at it.
Then. the packers can stand back and
chuckle while the producers lose
millions.
if the hog producers are sincere
about it. goodness knows, there are
plenty of packing plants for sale.
These plants are silent witnesses that
is extremely difficult to make money
in that end of the business. The huge,
recently -closed Burns Foods Ltd.
plant in Kitchener comes to mind.
Alberto farmers became so angry
with packers they bought a Red Deer
firm called Fletcher's Fine Foods
Ltd. it was an attempt to soothe the
troubles waters in the West. All it did
was make -everyone angrier.
1 predict the same thing will happen
here.
Surely. reasonable people in the
production and in the processing of
hogs can get together and solve
mutual problems to the satisfaction of
all concerned. I am firmly convinced
that the records of FAME and the pork
restaurant are mute testimonials to
the fact that farmers should stick to
growing hogs and stayto hell out of the
meat packing business.
Will auction
winning eggs
The Ontario Egg Board hopes to
raise more money Than ever for
Easter Seals this week. as the best
eggs produced in the province go up
for auction.
The board's fifth annual auction of
prize-winning eggs wiII beheld April
10 during the Poultry industry Con-
ference and Exhibition at London's
Western Fairgrounds Winning en-
tries trona seven classes of the Egg
Quality Contest will go on the block.
The contest. in which eggs are judg-
ed meticulously according to strict
standards of external and internal
quality. is one facet of the Board's
commitment to the promotion and
marketing of high-quality eggs in the
province.
Representatives from the poultry
indusIry and local businesses will hid
on the winning eggs at 3:(x) p.m..
wit filial! of etch winning hid going to
the Easter Seal Society in support of
physically disable children. The other
halt will be awarded to the producer
01 the eggs
New
Say candidates will listen
Federation
ns
(ere
t{onCavindid{sttesen totfiin the pe—rocraelec
e
trds an expansion of the Ontario
farmers the president of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture OFAi,
Harry Pelissero said in a recent let-
ter to Ontario's county federations of
agriculture.
"If you look at the results of the last
election, you will find that the 16 rural
seats were decided by Tess than 10
percent of the vote. With many races
that close, the candidates will have to
listen to the concerns of every voter
in the riding. That includes the farm-
ing community," Pelissero said in the
letter, which is part of an election
campaign organized by the OFA. The
material sent to the county federa-
tions encourages them to organize
meetings with the candidates in their
ridings and to seek their responses to
specific OFA policies. They have been
encouraged to add their local
concerns.
Pelissero said recording the par-
ties' positions on particular issues will
help "gauge our potential leaders'
knowledge and interest in farming
topics...By raising these issues, we
help to educate the voting public on
farming. And we work towards fair
and reasonable provincial
agricultural policies."
The OFA will be asking the three
party leaders for their responses and
for a timetable for the implementa-
tion of changes in existing provincial
policies. These will be released at the
OFA's monthly board meeting, April
17. The OFA has also invited the three
parties to send representatives to the
board meeting to speak to its
members.
Following is a summary of the
OFA's provincial agricultural issues
platform:
Finance
To counter the problem of high in -
Spring Specials
Model 610 Tandem Wheels 500 gal.
Electric Solenoid Controls.
A must for tractors with Cabs
42 ft. boom large pump
A Bargain at $4/000
Model T310 Single Wheels 300 Gal.
Manual Controls 35 ft. boom
Tow away Cash Pt ice $2400
Check our Targe stock of sprayer parts
Give us a call at (519) 235-1380
EFE
wig
EXETER FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED
Tr4E BEST 1,4 r ARM MACHINERY
242 Main St. North. E■.ler. Ontario
Farm Adjustment Assistance Pro-
gram, a provincial program to assist
farmers in financial difficulties.
:'knowing more farmers to use the pro-
gram, and expanding the program to
subsidize more types of credit at
lower rates, would bolster the farm
economy.
The federation also calls for a
Capital Loans Program to provide
funds to improve environmental stan-
dards and productivity. To introduce
new sources of credit and financing
options, the OFA calls for a study in-
to the feasibility of establishing a
'Farm Bank', as well as continued
provincial support for an agri-bond
program to provide credit at affor-
dable rates.
Environment
To- protect farmland from urban
development the province should
Tirnes-Advocate, April 10, 1985 Page 11
--allow-landowners-to designate their responsible practices. To ensure this.
a system should be introduced to in-
vestigate farm pollut ion complaints.
with the power to assess costs and fine
guilty parties.
Marketing
To assist the grape industry the
federation recommends using
revenue from sales tax on wine to
strengthen the industry and develop
ways to counter the threat of subsidiz-
ed wine imports.
To assist the tobacco industry the
government should stop its high taxes
of tobacco products and use at least
one percent of ad volarem tax
revenues to develop new products and
markets and to develop alternative
crops. The province should also assist
producers in developing a federal
marketing structure.
Affirmative Action
The government should provide
suitable facilites for child care in
rural areas; support reforms to cor-
feet inequalities in the federal pension
system; extend sdbsidized wage pro-
grams for Care -givers to rural areas:
develop affirmative action programs
to end the wage gap between men and
women: and set up rural drop-in
centres.
Labour
Make the Farm Safety Association
responsible for education in the rural
community in any amendments to
Workers' Compensation regulation:
develop safety programs that include
all sectors of the agri-food industry:
standardize training across the pro-
vince; and provide a wage subsidy of
85 percent for employees taking
courses.
Education
Develop a textbook grant system.
along with other provinces, for the
publication of agricultural resource
material.
property as an agricultural reserve.
This zoning should take precedence
over local zdning regulations.
Municipalities should also be required
to notify local federations of
agriculture to comment on applica-
tions to sever agricultural properties.
To counter problems of soil erosion,
an Agricultural Conservation Board
should be developed. The board would
oversee efforts to control erosion and
take a lead in research and training
the agricultural community in soil
erosion methods.
_To protect farmers from, legal ac-
tion by neighbours who from,
about traditional farming practices.
such as the noise of tractors or the
spraying of crops, right -to -farm
legislation should be introduced to
protect historical farming practices.
In return, the farming community
should have to follow accepted and
Hullett work ends
A Canada Works job creation pro-
ject, based at the Hullett Provincial
Wildlife Area, northeast of Clinton,
reached completion on March 29. The
11 -week project, a cooperative effort
between the Wingham District
Ministry of Natural Resources and
the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority was geared mainly to the
improvement of wildlife habitat.
Under the supervision of biologist
Doug Puffer' a crew of labourers,
seven men and two women, cleared
slash and logging debris, constructed,
landing docks for recreational small
craft use, and bulit and installed
many wood duck boxes. Sixteen
kilometres of hedgerow were pruned.
An important aspect of the program
was the hand placing of rocks at dams
and culverts in order to control wind
and wave erosion which have been
problems in the past.
Officer -in -Charge Glen Sturgeon
said the project, "All targets have
been achieved or exceeded. This has
most definitely been a worthwhile
endeavor, enhancing both wildlife
habitat and viewing opportunities."
Through the Canada Works Pro-
gram, funding is made available by
the Federal Government to create in-
cremental, productive term employ-
ment for unemployed persons. The
Wingham District has been suc-
cessfully involved with several such
projects to date.
Mr. Farmer:
This spring let Thompson's supply your 1985 Crop Inputs
Expert advice by a qualified staff to assist you in your planning. Backed by 60 years of serving the
agriculture Sector
r~.
We offer:
Computerized Soil Reports - Micro Nutrients
Distributor for all major farm chemicals
"Export" malting barley contracts
"Export" Nattawa soybean contracts that p a y
$5.00 bu. premium for cleaned seed over board price
Forward Grain Contracting
Grain Marketing through our own Brokerage
Department.
/11i\PLANT THOMPSON HYLAND BRAND SEEDS
Hyland
\\_
Forage seeds, soybean seed, seed corn, cereal seeds
"Nitragin" soybean inoculant
Highest Rhizobia count for maximum nitrogen fixation.
Thompson's were our sole supplier of high yielding Angusta, Houser fall wheat. Let us now
custom apply the nitrogen to achieve the yields on all your wheat acreage. Book it now.
12 floater units to serve you with liquid or granular nitrogen products.
4 locations to serve you.
Phone us collect at
0
Glamsteentsame
n
0
n
Pt. Albert
Mitchell
SEEDS FERTILIZERS
529-7901 Ailsa Craig 293-3223
348-8433, Hensall 262-2527, Granton, 225-2360
t