Times-Advocate, 1988-03-16, Page 32The days are warmer and much
longer. The cold bite of winter has
disappeared and the rush of spring is
almost audible. •
It should be a happy, eager, bit-
ing time of year for farmers, the
time to prepare for spring plough-
ing and planting.
But so many farmers inust be
feeling cheated by spring- these
days. Although the season pulses
with new life and growth beckans
in -the meadows, the gurgling
spring freshets must sound hollow
to.nutny in agriculture.
Farmers have been responding to
spring for many -thousands of years,
since man ceased to wander and be-
gan -planting seeds. The glowing ea-
gerness of a ney` season has stirred
the inner beatings of many hearts
for thousands of generations. -
But it must seem futile to a great
many farmcrs.this year.
1 think of a inan and his wife
only a few miles from here. They
have known nothing but farming.
Both were born on farms. They
married young, raised a family of
four on a family' farm. The walls of
the century -old farm house rang
with laughter for more than 20
years. They were filled With enthu-
siasm and optimism. They took the
advice of their friendly hanker 10
years ago, expanded the farm with
the help of the assistant county ag-
ricultural representative and then the
roof fell in.
• They struggled to -put a son and
daughter through university. But
now, those two are strtiggling with
a young family and have nothing to
offer their parents. The two younger
children are lcx)king for work. One•
will -end up in an automobile plant,
the other is hoping to stay on the
farm. But lie can't. The father and
1, mother are caught in the cost -price
squeeze and may sell out just to es-
cape losing the farm.
1
Corn
HL 2275
LG 2350
,HL 2570
Soy Beans
Apache
Marathon
Crusader
Dennis Pfaff
R.R. 2 Crediton
234-6471
Barry Heaman
R.P. 3 Parkhill
294-0177
bne' lootin
lurrow' a,
�•,t„s �„ eOpmc.aled bp 000 lion*, tidbit Ro bm .• Opt We 1C f
The "friendly” banker has moved
on.. A new manager is sending them
threatening notes and they arc ready
to quit.
They are not exceptions. On an-
other farm down the road, the For
Sale sign is obvious. The owners
simply left.
Across the concession, two other
neighbors who had been friends for
years, no longer talk to one another
'because of a land deal. One man
bought 40 acres from the other in a
forced sale.
"I guess 1 should forgive and for-
get but it is damned difficult watch-
ing a guy you thought was your
friend working rind i used to own,"
said the one man and bitterly expec-
torated on the brown ground.
• A neighbor of mine is an imple-
ment dealer. January and February
have been terrible months although
. marginally better than last year.
"1 had to layoff two men this
year. Both of them had been with
me for years,"• he said ruefully.
"One knew more about parts than
anybody else in the business around
here. 1"!l really miss him at seeding
time when my customers want
part.; in a hurry. But 1 had no other
choice. Maybe he'll come back
when busincss picks up, if it ever
docs."
Hc, as are most people connected
with agriculture, is an optimist. He
is always hoping for better things.
But he has also been forced to be-
come ruthless since the glorious,
misguided 1970s.
Rural ibciety has changed. City
folk see farmers as hard-working,
sturdy chaps whose -word is as good
as a signed contract. But a hand-
shake deal is a thing of the past. No
more arc farmers the trusting, trust-
worthy pillars of honesty. They
have been too badly hurt by the
changing times. Thcy arc wary and
weary, too.
They are keenly conscious of the
empty farms, the broken marriages,
the family quarrels, the children
gone astray, the early grave -markers
in the cemeteries caused by extra
stress and strain.
Ah, yes. They will plant their
crops to feed hungry people. They
will pray for better times and better
prices. Their optimism will return.
the hurting just keeps right
But
on.
Vote to withdraw pork
The hoard of directors of the Onta-
rio Federation of Agriculture has
voted to have pork withdrawn from.
the so-called Grenville Resolution.
- The Grenville Resolution, named
after its originating county, was
passed at the OFA's 1986 conven-
tion and was further endorsed by the
Apply for OFFIR
before May 18
The dcadlinc for the 1987 OF-
FIRR Program is May 18, 1988. If
previous years are any measure,
there wilt he a large number of ap-
plications received in the OFFIRR
office near the deadline.
Now is a good time to apply -
when the numhcr of applications
.received is low. Why not get your
application finished and send it in •
this. month?- The OFFIRR staff
will then be able to process your
application quickly and get your re-
bate to you early.
If you need information about the
program application forms or help
with your application, please calf
us at the Agricultural Office.
CHAPARAL FENCING
R.R. 1, Lucan
Ontario NOM 2J0
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w
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convention 01 1987. It called for th,.
Ori to work with red meat Coln -
modity groups and the Provincial
Government to put in place 'a refe-
rendum on marketing methods for
all red mats, on an individual com-
modity basis.
The resolution has proven contro-
versial, raising concerns particularly
among hog farmers as evidenced by
debates at their regional meetings
leading up to the Ontario Pork Pro-
ducers' Marketing Board annual
meeting to he held mid-March.
The •decision taken. by the OFA
hoard of directors cfenionsttatcs thk'
extc:r; (,f the concern the Federation
has about the situation. The move
should reassure pork -producers that
the Grenville Resolution • will no
longer be pursued as it relates to
pork, and that their membership in
the Federation is highly valued.
.�i
ft
4
Times -Advocate, March 16, 1988
Page 1;A
ATTEND SEMINAR - Kenpal Farm Products Inc. hosted a dairy nutrition seminar in the Lucan Community Cen-
tre. Shown during registration and refreshment time are dairy farmer Beatrix Coinclissen. Kenpal president Ken
Palen, guest speaker dairy nutritionist Dr. Mike Hutjens and dairy farmer Roy Beuermann.
1
CUSTOM CLOVER
SEED APPLICATION
• March & April is the time to apply clover because it will get a
better catch in the spring
• Our Honda ATV & broadcast spreader offer an even spread with little
soil compaction.
• Applying clover now means that you can apply "N"_ at your leisure.
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Case International will introduce their new 900 series
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Bob Tumble of the Hardi Corp. wiil review the latest teth
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Gift of Wings
Canadian Aviation history was made recent-
ly when Carl E. Hiebert of Kitchener, Ontario
piloted an open -cockpit ultratight 5000 miles
from Halifax to Expo '86 in Vancouver.
The flight holds a further fascination, for Carl
is a paraplegic and is basically confined to a
wheelchair. His flight was conducted on be-
half of the Canadian Paraplegic Association
and attracted national attention.
Carl's story is of a person who dared to dream
- and then made his dream become reality. As
a lifelong adventurer, he refused to let a
wheelchair rob him of a productive and mean-
ingful Ii(e. ,
As a result of his successful venture and
for the inspiration he has provided.fellow Ca-
nadians. Carl has been presented with nu-
merous awards, including the King Clancy
Award and a prestigious Vanier Award (1986),
given to recognize outstanding Canadians.
Although this epic flight is over, the dream
lives on. An accomplished photograher, Carl
centres his presentation around a spectacu-
lar and humorous 'aerial travelogue' slide
show of Canada, which has consistently de-
lighted his audiences.
"GIFT OF WINGS" is a fascinating story that
will be shared with you. Listen to a man who
can simultaneously entertain and inspire by
example.
<14ARE31
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TRAILER
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