Loading...
Times Advocate, 1991-01-23, Page 14Page 14 Times -Advocate, January 23, 1991 FA J Service diploma - In recognition of the 25 years service given by El- son (left) and Jean Lynn to the Exeter Fair Board, this diploma was presented to them by Bob Tindall at the board's annual meeting Fri- day evening. Elson began by helping with the school fair division and went on to organize the heavy horse shows at the fair. His wife Jean has been a long-time exhibitor and has helped with the flower and school divisions of the fair. "We now live by the market", said Owen Jennings, a farm leader from New Zealand, "It is dynamic and exciting; more risky but more rewarding." He spoke to a group of farm lead- ers in Toronto last fall and was re- ferring to the fact that New Zealand dropped all its farm subsidies six years ago. The nation, according to Jennings, simply could no longer afford to subsidize agriculture. He maintains the last six years have been exciting. "It is revolutionizing farming, taking us into new markets, new products and new opportunities. It is attracting superior management, quality research and development, skillful promotion and marketing," he said. New Zealand, at one time, tried to insulate itself from`the rest of the world with protective fences, licenc- es and subsidies in every sector, he said. Banks, interest rates, key in- dustries, airlines, truckers, taxi driv- ers, shopkeepers and fisherman were all regulated. Subsidies became widespread in agriculture. Costs increased and profits were squeezed but the over -valued econo- my continued to crucify the coun- try, especially in world markets. Even though a socialist labour gov- ernment was elected in 1984, the crisis was so great that the politi- cians took action acid slashed the value of the dollar by 20 percent. They embarked on a re -shaping and restructuring of the countrys econo- my. cono- mFarm subsidies were virtually ab- olished overnight. Despite huge problems, farmers have supported the changes, said Jennings. Decisions are driven by the mar- ketplace and not by government bu- reaucrats or by political desire for electoral favors. Farmers, he said, have improved their business skills and streamlined their operations. Some costs have ben slashed by as much as 50 percent and, most important, in the export markets, New Zealand products cannot be slapped with countervailing duties because New Zealand products are not subsidized. Sounds Utopian, doesn't it? Could it happen in Canada? Sure, it could but it would be an entirely different picture here. It is my hum- ble opinion that most farmers would be happy to produce without government largesse. But as long as this country maintains its present cheap food policy, it will not work in Canada. Canadian farmers have been helped by government for more than 100 years. It is a tradi- tion ingrained in our political sys- tem. Canadians are still elitist in their philosophy. They are quite willing to let the bureaucrats take over. Pluralism has not yet instilled it- self in the Canadian psyche. Farmers have fought too hard and too long for their marketing boards to be persuaded to return to a free marketplace and I, for one, do not blame them. Geographically, our tho�tlttry is a disaster, The natural ovement of all goods and servic- es is north to south but we go east and west. From sea to sea may be a great motto but it is almost im- possible to maintain. These Utopian remarks are fine in principle but in practice they are not as simple and as lovely as they sound. New executive - Elected Friday evening to lead the Exeter Fair Board this year are homecraft president Linda Johns (front left), president Alan Powe, and secretary treasurer Ruthanne Negrijn. In the back row are past -president Adriaan Brand, school division president Dianne Shapton, second vice-president Cathy Seip, and vice-president Wayne Shapton. WINTER COURSES AT CENTRALIA COLLEGE PERSONAL INCOME TAX PREPARATION This is a basic workshop on the how-to's of personal income tax prep- aration with discussion on new tax credit calculations. February 4 (7:30 - 10:00 p.m.) Fee $10 PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING Become master of your own financial destiny. Attend this two part short course instructed by Gary Bean, and learn how to borrow or invest money and how to obtain optimum interest rates. The first evening will cover investments such as stocks, bonds, etc., and the second evening will be spent discussing RRSP's. February 5 and 12 (7:30 - 10:00 p.m.) Fee *20 LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Take a look at beat environmental problems and solutions, including soil erosion, water quality, forest resources, wildlife habitat, natural are- as and conservation. Fielld trips will comprise most of the class time. 3 Mondays, Feb. 11,18,25 (7:30 - 10 p.m.)Fee $30 THE GREEN KITHEN With the increasing concern 'about the environment, there are many things we can do right in our own kitchens. In this course, a variety of areas are expbred, "Recipes" for cleaning products aro prepared and compared to commercial products. Everyone takes home samples. February 21 (7:30 - 10 p.m.) Foe $15 To register or for more information call Centralia Col ContinuingEducation Oepertmsnt (19) 228-6691 Ext. 285 CE_ TRA IA COLLEGE Ministry of Agriculture Ontario. end Food Huron Pork, Ontario NOM 1VO 619-226-0691 GATT talks seen as crucial to dairy sector. TORONTO - Milk producers will resolve whatever issues might arise from a new deal expected to be reached at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GA'I'T) nego- tiations, according to John Core, Chairman of the Ontario Milk Mar- keting Board. Current world trade talks are still the most crucial short-term issue producers face this year, he said in his address to more than 600 per- sons attending the Board's 25th An- nual Meeting, Canada has firmly supported supply management, but the GATT negotiations are not ex- pected to conclude until later this year. Core also identified several other challenges he expects the dairy in- dustry will face during the 1990s, and took issue with critics of sup- ply management. Among those challenges is the trend to lower fat dairy products. It will shrink the industry "unless new market opportunities are found," he said. Meanwhile, as it continues to respond to markets, the Board plans to introduce multi- ple component pricing and re- evaluate the milk supply allocation system. Core also saw the need for "renewed co-operation between pro- ducers, transporters and processors if we are to maintain a vital and strong dairy industry m Ontario." Some cntics, such as the Consu- mers' Association of Canada, have claimed falsely that supply manage- ment has led to inefficient produc- tion and consumers being over- charged for milk and dairy prod- ucts. Since supply management be- gan, however, Canadian producers have increased production per cow by 70 percent. This gain has been 46 percent in the U.S. and 25 per- cent in the U.K. during the same Buchanan at show TORONTO - Ontario's Minister of Agriculture and Food, the Hon- ourable Elmer Buchanan, will at- tend the opening day of the Canadi- an International Farm Equipment Show at the International Centre in Toronto. Buchanan will speak February 5 at a noon -time meeting of farm journalists and equipment industry people. He will address his remarks to a joint meeting of the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers' Association and the Board of Directors of the Canadian Farm and Industrial Equipment Institute. The Canadian International Farm Equipment Show runs February 5 to 8 at the International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga. It is Canada's largest indoor farm show and attracts more than 50,000 visitors each year. The show is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tues- day through Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. Marketing courses CLINTON - In these times of un- certainty, the problem for many ag- ricultural products is not to produce more, but to sell for a higher price. Producers are not able to control the market price, but we can learn to manage the price risk associated with many farm products. It has been said that it is more cost effec- New lights at show TORONTO - The Canadian Inter- national Farm Equipment Show is taking steps to help the environ- ment through energy conservation. As a result of efforts by the Farm Show's organizers, the entire bujl ing in which the show is presented may convert to energy-efficient lighting. But for now, the Farm Show will lead the way with the in- stallation of special energy-efficient' lighting over select exhibits. The Canadian International Farm Equip- ment show begins February 5 at the International Centre in Toronto, and runs until February 8. The switch to energy efficiency is in keeping with current trends in agriculture and agri-business, say organizers. tive for farmer to increase storage prices they receive than to increase average yields. Improving the aver- age price received for a commodity is not black and white, as it in- volves an understanding of what af- fects the market. Still, many producers have im- proved the price they received for their product by improving their marketing skills. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food and OATI are offering two In- troductory Marketing Courses in Huron during the month of Febru- ary. The courses will provide hands on marketing training for those who have not previously completed a marketing course. Course I will be held at the F.E. Madill Secon- dary School in Wingham. The course will be held each Monday and Ttieday evening from 7 - 10 p.m. for four weeks beginning Monday, February 4. The second introductory course will be held for four weeks beginning on Wednes- day, February 6 at the Boardroom of the Hensall District Co-op in Hen- sall. Cost for each course is $35.00. Pre registration is required. Enrol- ment is limited to 15 people. For further information and to pre regis- ter contact the OMAF office in Clinton at 482-3428 or 1-800-265- 5170. Cattlemen's Association's annual meeting TORONTO - The annual meet- ing of the Ontario Cattlemen's Association will take place at the Skyline Hotel in Toronto on Feb- ruary 20 and 21, 1991. Any beef cattle producer may address or speak to any issue or motion, however, only voting delegates elected at county/district meetings will be eligible to vote on motions or resolutions pre- sented to the meeting. Any person selling cattle s - ject to OCA licence fees int e period September 1, 1989 through August 31, 1990, is eligible to vote for the election of a direc- tor, alternate directors, and vot- ing delegates to the OCA annual meeting. A producer whose name does not appear on the county/district membership list may establish voting eligibility at the county/district annual meeting by providing to the county/district secretary, proof that OCA licence fees were de- ducted from cattle sold during the previously stated time period. CO.OP period, Core said Moreover, from January 1985 to January 1990, the consumer price index rose 25 percent. Ontario's producer prices went up just 3.7 percent for fluid milk and 6.3 per- cent for industrial milk during those years, he said. Comparisons between Canadian and U.S. prices are misleading, he added. A study commissioned by Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) found American dairy farmers ben- efit from subsidies as high as $12 OMAF farm labour course CLINTON - An intensive two day course designed to help farm and agribusiness managers improve their skills in attracting, keeping, and motivating farm labour is planned for February 26 and 27, in Ingersoll. Enrollment in this coume is Ijm- ited to 15 registrants. 'Ills is to ensure maximum participation in relevant agricultural case studies focusing on recruitment, compen- sation, employment policies, and personnel problem solving. Dis- cussion throughout will centre on current issues and participants will have a chance to share ideas and concerns with other farm manag- ers/operators and agribusiness man- agers from across the province. For more information and regis- tration forms contact the Universi- ty of Guelph (519),$24-4120, Ex- tension 3862 or the local OMAF office at 482-3428 or 1-800-265- 5170. CAN find the best GIC 1 0.6259' Ons Year Let us shop the market for you Galser-Kneale Exeter Grand Bend Hensall 235-2420 238-8484 262-2119 to $13 per hectolitre of milk Pro- duced Supply management critics who call for "free trade" in all farm conitnodities to raise producer pric- es have particularly infuriated Core. "What foolishness! Firstly. we will never havefree trade worldwide no matter what trade deals are signed; and secondly, the only way to drive up prices in a so-called free market environment is to short the market, and do you know of any developed country in the world that will allow its popu- lation to be short of food for very long and survive politically?" home comfort people "Fumaces• Air conditioning * * Heat pumps * io,P8stICi Course i )i•,i(C) Grower Pesticide Safety Course Place - Hensall Legion Date -January 31/91 Time - 9 a.m. Cost - $35.00 per person Lunch provided Please contact: Hensall 262-2527 By January 25th Town & Country store 3 convenient locations Jan. 23 - Jan. 26_ Blue Bomber Style Winter Coat Reg. $64.95 $49°5 Sale Assorted Sizes & Colours insulated Shirts 25 Snowmobile Suits Reg. $84.95 Sale '65 Golden Goose Down Filled Parka Size 38-40, 2 only Reg. $98.95 1/2 Price Doe Skin Cotton Shirts Large Sizes '10 Insulated Coveralls , Remaining Stock only Regular sixes `55 Tall Si Oversize: $59 i Mom may not be as Illustrated Hensall store only ensall District Co -o er tiv H el p a *mall • Zurich • Seatorth 262-3002