The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-09-13, Page 30No grain corn board .for a while yet
BY ALICE GIBE'
Bruce Shillinglaw, a
Londesboro farmer who's
a member of the
provisional corn
marketing committee
trying to organize an
acceptable grain corn
marketing, told
federation members
there likely won't be a
•vote on - the proposed
board for at least a year
and a half.
Mr. Shillinglaw was
speaking at the regional
meeting for Huron
County Federation of
Agriculture members in
the north of the county,
held at East Wawanosh
School, Belgrave,
Thursday night.
Mr. Shillinglaw said the
volunteer committee
studying the corn
marketing proposal has
had "quite a growing
pain problem" which had
included losing a number
of members and
changing the original
concepts of the board.
Mr. Shillinglaw said the
committee now suggests
fashioning the corn board
after the soybean
marketing board. This
means the corn board
would be a non -agency
type of board, which will
deal only with the grain
corn being resold by the
farmer, rather than with
corn sold in farmer -to -
farmer deals or used on
the grower's own farm.
Mr. Shillinglaw said the
proposed cost for the
board handling the grain
corn would be 20 cents
per metric tonne.
The corn grower said
there is currently 1.7
million acres of grain
corn grown in the
province of Ontario, but a
large percentage of this is
either fed to livestock on
the growers' farms or is
in. storage at elevators.
He said it would be too
great a problem for the
proposed marketing
board to try and control
all the corn in storage.
Mr. Shillinglaw said the
board has been proposed
FARM
CLASSIFIED
SECTION
A. For sale.
SEVENTEEN acres of
standing field corn. Call
529-7970.--37ar
B. Cr,tom work-
/
CUSTOM combining of
oats, wheat, barley, and
corn. Sivathing, • also
available. Phone Philip
Steckle 565-5324 or Arnold
Steckle 565-5329.-29TF
C. Wanted
CATTLE - We pay good'
prices for reasonably
injured or unthrifty
cattle. Easy loading
trailer with winch. Call
collect 238-2796 Grand
Bend. -37-39
D. Livestock
FOR SALE: Purebred
Hampshire boars,
Yorkshire boars, also
York X Landrace boars
and Hamp X York boars.
Reasonably priced for
today's market. Bob
Robinson, RR4 Walton
345-2317.--35-37
CLAY —
Silo Unloadors
Feeders
Cleaners
Stabling
Log Elevators
Liquid Manure
Equlpmwnt
Hog Equipment
BUTLER —
Silo Unloadors
Feeders
Conveyors
FARMATIC —
Mills
Augers, etc.
ACORN —
Cleaners
Heated Waterers
WESTEEL-ROSCO
Granaries
L - Hog Panelling
LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS
RR 1, Kincardine, Ont.
Phone 3113-32111
because "we need a
spokesman for corn
growers in Ontario." He
warned corn growers in
the audience that the
price of seed corn will be
going up 25 per cent next
year, since the Seed Corn
Growers Association
voted to raise their
prices.
• -Mr. Shillinglaw said the
corn marketing board
could deal with seed corn
companies. Also, it could
negotiate advance
payments and assist in
administering them.
Presently corn growers
can't obtain advance
payments for their crop.
Mr. Shillinglaw said the
stabilization plan
currently in effect has
been developed by the
government, with no
input from growers. He
said a corn marketing
board could also
negotiate these payments
on the growers' behalf
and "could be a watchdog
to keep handling and
storage rates' Within
reason."
He told audience
members a marketing
board could also try and
get a share of the
premium payments paid
for good quality corn by
Large firms such as
Kelloggs. Right now, Mr.
Shillinglaw said, the
elevator owner, rather
than the grower, is
getting these payments,
which may amount to as
much as an extra 50 cents
per bushel.
He said the proposed
board would also have a
WATTS line for growers
which would supply daily
updated reports on
current corn prices.
Thespeaker said the
board should also in-
vestigate export . op-
portunities for the grain
corn grown in Ontario. He
said once you get beyond
what the industry can
use, this tends to depress
the prices and "while this
may be good for the
livestock producers, it
isn't for the corn
growers."
Mr. Shillinglaw told
federation members
15,000 brochures are
being printed up on the
corn marketing proposals
and will be circulated to
growers across the.
province.
There will also be
county -wide meetings set
up this winter to discuss
the proposals further.
Mr. Shillinglaw was
asked about a National
Farmers' Union (NFU)
proposal asking the
Canadian Wheat Board to
take over control of all
Turn to page 12A •
bne foot in the
furrow' "o.t
Nor has the world a better thing, though one should
search it round, than thus to live one's own sole king,
upon one's own sole ground.
So said the English poet Wilfrid Scawen Blunt at the
turn of the. century. He was right. It is a great feeling
to own a piece of property. It seems a number of
people from outside Canada would like to own a piece
of this country.
The number of acres of farmland now owned by
foreigners in Ontario is infinitesimal if word from the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food is true. A
recent OMAF report indicates that foreign ownership
is far from a huge threat to the farming community.
Only three foreign owners are listed for Waterloo
County, 17 in Wellington, nine in Perth - all Americans
- 39 in Bruce County, six parcels of land in Dufferin, 19
in Grey and so on.
In other words, it isn't a problem. Yet.
Some farmers, especially in Huron County, are
concerned; not too worried yet but concerned. They
want an accurate method of finding out the extent of
foreign ownership of farmlands. They intend to get
statistics they know are accurate, take them to the
Ontario Federation of.Agriculture 'and use them to
fight for legislation that could prevent "foreigners"
from buying up farm properties.
I'm of the opinion their fears are unjustified at this
point but perhaps now is the time to demand action
before the situation becomes serious.
Certainly, when a closer look was taken in the
United States, researchers were surprised at the
amount of land now owned by people outside the
U.S.A., especially the number of acres owned .by
Canadians-. _
Some provinces in Canada already have legislation
which limits the amount of land which can be owned
by outsiders. Prince Edward Island, for instance,
restricts the buying of property by non=residents - and
Letters are apprec.ated by Bob Trona Eidare Rd EIrnua Ont N3B 2C7
that means other Canadians - to 10 acres or less than
96 metres of shore frontage. The only way outsiders
can buy more is to get special permission from the
provincial Cabinet.
Sounds like good legislation to me. It will certainly
go a long way to prevent those great, red fields or
potatoes and grain from falling into the hands of less
desirable owners.
Quebec charges foreigners a 33 -percent surcharge
tax when they buy land. Ontario charges foreigners a
20 -percent tax for recreational and woodland pur-
chases but anyone can buy farmland.
Saskatchewan limits non-residents to no mo'r`e than
160 acres of arable land. Manitoba and Alberta limit
purchase to 20 acres but 'there are exemptions for
foreign corporations or certain other developments.
British Columbia refuses to sell Crown land to
foreigners but allows anyone to buy other lands.
However, purchasers of farmland must keep it in
production. Nova Scotia requires out -of -province
buyers to file disclosure statements when property is
bought, a•good way to keep a direct handle on foreign
ownership.
I don't know what the answer is. Tt appears obvious
that foreign ownership is not yet a problem but those
who should know are certainly expressing concern.
Whether that concern is justified remains to be seen:
Perhaps it is time to explore the various types of
legislation across Canada and other parts of the free
world..Get the laws in operation now before it becomes
a problem.,
It will be too late when the best lana' is in the hands
of those who may not care a hoot w.liether Canadians
eat or not.
It is well to remember that only about six percent of
this vast .country called Canada has land that can be
called arable.
The next decade
may be the most challenging of all
for Canadian Farmers
f�
MEW HORIZONS
at the1979 International Plowing Match
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1979—PAGE 11A '
Can anyone top George Cutler's tomatoes? The two
he proudly holds here are almost 18 inches around
and weigh two pounds each. Mr. Cutler, a Clinton
resident and an employee of Green and Parent
Ford Mercury Sales Ltd. in Goderich, says
everything in his garden has gone wild this year
since he had it spread with chicken manure. He has
lots of other tomatoes this big as well as corn, peas,
beans and potatoes "with stalks as big as corn
stalks". (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
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II
"ALL OF OUR IfACILITIES ARE TO SERVE YOU BETTER"
v.
•