Times Advocate, 1994-01-19, Page 13FARM1IPD TF
Times -Advocate, January 19, 1994
One of the topics at last Wednesday's Huron Soil and Crop Spring Update was on fertilizer ap-
plication. From the left are president Peter Rowntree, vice-president Keith Black, guest speak-
er Steve Hawkins of Purdue University and Brian Hall of the Clinton OMAF office.
At last Wednesday's Spring Update at Holmesville, sponsored by the Huron Soil and Crop Im-
provement Association, former Clinton ag office staffer Stan Paquette talks with Stephen town-
ship farmers Garry Baker and Tom Hayter.
Invite farmers to take part
HOLMESVILLE - Beginning
this week Ontario farmers will be
offered participation in new prov-
ince -wide Environmental Farm
Plan workshops.
In Huron and most counties, the
local Soil and Crop Improvement
Association will be sponsoring
these workshops and peer reviews.
Agriculture and Agri -Food Cana-
da has committed $1 9 million of
federal Green Plan funds over four
years to deliver Environmental
Farm Plans. An additional $5.7 mil-
lion is earmarked to deliver an in-
centive program providing up to
$500 per farm business making
positive changes which have been,
identified in the EFP Action Plan.
Environmental Farm Plans are
documents voluntarily prepared by
farm families to raise their aware-
ness of the environment on their
farm.
Through the EFP process farm-
ers will highlight environmental
strengths on their farm, identify ar-
eas of environmental concern, and
set realistic goals to improve envi-
ronmental conditions.
These plans will consider all farm
property, including rented land un-
der cultivation and farmers will
complete only those of 23 EFP
worksheets that apply to their farm.
Completing an EFP will enable
Ontario farm families to take a
broad look at the environment on
their farm and identify areas where
they are already effectively manag-
ing environmental concerns and
have their plans reviewed by peer
farmers experienced with farm en-
vironmental issues.
Farm families will realize the ec-
onomic benefits that may result
from changes in management prac-
tices and qualify for future govern-
ment assistance programs of an en-
vironmental nature.
They will provide simple,Danony-
mous statistics to help farm organi-
zations highlight environmental ad-
vances made by Ontario farmers
and identify high priority needs for
farm environmental research.
Those participating will qualify for
up to $500 per farm business imple-
menting change identified in their
EFP Action Plan.
This is a province -wide effort to
enhance farmers' role as stewards
of the rural landscape.
Speaking at last Wednesday's Hu-
ron Soil and Crop Spring Update at
Holmesville, Huron's EFP co-
ordinator George Thompson said,
"Soil and Crop groups have a histo-
ry of good land stewardship and
this is going to be an efficient way
to get to farmers."
Thompson continued, " This is a
farmer driven program designed to
help farmers. It's not a government
program. Federal grants come
through Grcen Plan funds. It will
help safeguard your health and pre-
serve water quality."
He added, "Participation in this
plan is completely confidential and
voluntary. It will be on a first-
come, first-served basis and your
replies on the survey will be kept
secret and your identity only
known by number."
For more information, any farmer
can call the Ontario Soil and Crop
Improvement Association toll free
at I -800-265-9751.
Workshops will consist of two,
one -day sessions that walk partici-
Beef Feedlot Day
HURON PARK - The final Western Ontario Beef Feedlot Day will be
held at Centralia College on Wednesday, February 2. The program is de-
signed for people interested in feedlot production and the industry.
Topics on this year's program will include "Current Beef Research Areas
at Cornell University", "Bunk Management to Maximize Daily Gain",
"BVD Update", "Carcass Competition", "Pasture Management" and a pro-
ducer panel that will deal with the topic "How I Stay Competitive in the
Beef Industry", Dr. Ted Terry, a researcher from Cornell University will
be addressing the first two topic areas. Various company displays will also
be present for viewing.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the program running from 10 a.m.
to 3:15 p.m. The fee has been set at $21.40 ($20.00 + OST) per person
which includes lunch, and a copy of the proceedings.
For additional information or to register for the program call Centralia
College (519) 228-6691, Extension 285.
pants through environmental risk
assessment and EFP Action Plan
development. Small workshop
groups will enable farmers to ex-
change ideas about simple, practi-
cal ways to enhance the environ-
ment.
Page 13
One Foot in the Furrow
By Bob Trotter
One of Big Five going belly up?
It was more than a year ago --
November '92, if my memory is
right -- that the president of Lo-
blaws Supermarkets predicted the •
demise of one of the five major su-
permarket chains in Ontario.
Too much is chasing too little, he
said, by which he meant that the
food - buying public is not well-
heeled enough or that not enough
are out there to keep the chains
growing and making money. This
can only end with the withdrawal
of one of the major players.
Now, ain't that a shame? When
most major leagues are expanding,
the food chain is shrinking?
At the time, the speaker, David
Williams, was responsible for all
wholesale and retail activities con-
ducted by Loblaws companies in
Ontario. As well financed as the
chains are, they cannot continue to
grow and prosper.
The big five are Loeb (IGA), So-
beys, Oshawa Group, A&P and Lo-
blaw. Most of us with a little grey
in our hair can remember when
there were a few more players such
as Dominion Stores, along with
hundreds of corner grocery stores,
competing for the food dollar. The
teams consist of just five big boys
now. No little stores are left.
I find it difficult to believe that
one of the big teams is going belly
up. These people have been work-
ing for 40 years gobbling up com-
petition and concentrating buying
power. Farmers have been worried
and angry for more than a decade
about the clout, the power, the food
chains already have. If even an-
other disappears, it can only mean
more concentration in the hands of
fewer people.
A provincial inquiry back in the
mid-1970s examined the problem
at a very lengthy series of hearings.
A recommendation steaming from
that inquiry was to establish an
agency was supposed to conduct in-
vestigations and issue reports.
The idea went over like a cast-
iron kite.
At one time, too, the Ontario
Food Council was available to be a
watchdog but the dog was put
down by the provincial Conserva-
tives.
You can imagine„ I'm sure, the
power these people hold. They
make the decisions as to what new
products will be on supermarket
shelves. They also decide where
and when the products appear. Sup-
pliers of food have to be very wary
about how they deal with these big-
time buyers. They have enough
power to demand special deals, spe-
cial prices, special packaging and
anything else.
When four or five companies
make such momentous decisions, it
is well-nigh impossible to explore
segments of the market, to find a
niche for something different and
to charge a little more for better
quality or a different service.
It can be stifling. The little guys,
the innovators, are about as popular
as a skunk at a cookout. They can-
not afford the kickbacks or the list-
ing foes or the discounts or the
placement fees -- call it whatever
you like -- the big chains demand
to stock their products, let alone
promote them with a special.
That wheeling and dealing,
whether anyone will admit it or not,
is going on in a big way and the
fanner at one end of the chain and
the consumer at the other end of the
chain take what they get.
The chain stores will bleat and
cry about competition from fast-
food outlets, drug stores, conven-
ient stores, hardware stores and
even places like Toys R Us for car-
rying food items. But they have so
much clout that this competition, I
think, is no more bothersome than a
mosquito on an elephant's backside.
It is interesting, though, to make
a guess at which of the Big Five is
suffering. Is Dave Nichol leaving a
sinking ship? Is Sobeys going to
leave Ontario? Will it be Loeb or
A&P or the Oshawa Group ?
Anybody taking bets?
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