Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 23, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free april 15 farm report crop switch promises better income Manitoba economist Calls subsidies too Rich Glenn free press by Larry Kusch instead of Matching Europe an and american agriculture Canada should encourage Farmers to diversify their production and guarantee full time producers a decent a Manitoba agriculture department economist Errol Lewis said that for the past decade Manitoba farm incomes have remained fairly constant if government payments Are Dis during that he the Rise and fall of farm incomes have More or less followed the peaks and valleys in direct subsidies and government stabilization Lewis said the billion special Canadian grains which compensated Farmers in 1988 for Low prices caused by the Pean Community Trade was too Rich a program at that time and raised expectations by giving Farmers an artificially High level of Manitoba producers Are expected to increase Grain and livestock sales this year by 15 per cent and two per cent he Ottawa is predicting a 57 per cent drop in the provinces realized net farm income for reduced payments and Lewis said the much Public sized income drop is due entirely to reduced government the net income forecast does not take into account the Federal governments recently announced million subsidy which is contingent on Matching provincial Lewis said the problem with and hoc subsidy programs is that they treat the symptoms but do not cure the agriculture Industry chronic ailment Low farm we have to design policies that Are going to look at the entire makeup of the agricultural sector right from the primary product Ion level to processing to the Type of crops we its up to the farm the business the lenders it has to be a United action for the Benefit of the Lewis said that the United states and with their Large Grain big Domestic markets and seemingly bottomless trea leave Canada As Price takers in the International mar Canadian Farmers also have Little say in their country fiscal and monetary which have seen the Dollar grow in value to the detriment of Grain Export profits and interest rates he there Are lots of economic fac tors that agriculture just has to Lewis but he said there Are also things that governments and the business Community can do to try to enhance the profits of the first is Totake a look at the crops we including our dependence on the traditional High protein hard red Spring a number of Industry observers feel Canadian Farmers should grow More higher yielding medium qual Ity which often bring farm ers better returns than our internationally famous hard red offer incentives maybe we dont have to produce these High Quality maybe the world Market Doest need and maybe were not getting the margin of returns or the increment of returns that we should for the production of this High protein Errol Lewis its up to the farm the business the lenders to diversify markets for Farmers and to bolster the provinces Sag Ging Rural governments May need to offer incentives to spark investment in agricultural processing Lewis people May frown on but i think if we Are to build a strategy to ensure the survival of Rural com then i think the govern ment has got to provide incentives to ensure that the business person puts his or her Money in value added types of Lewis said governments should also ensure that full time Farmers those who rely on agriculture for their livelihood receive some form of guaranteed annual instead of offering Blanket subsidy programs that Aid High income producers As Well As Low income farm ers and support Par time Farmers As Well As those whose sole income is from the according to the most recent census of there Are farms in but the census counts any operation with or More in sales As a Keystone agricultural producers estimates there Are to commercial Farmers in Manito guaranteed level Farmers would prefer to earn a living from the Sale of commodities rather than through a government he but for full time producers through no fault of their cant make ends i can see no reason Why such individuals cannot be supported under some guaranteed level of Selling such a concept could prove the problem is that in Agricula everybody wants to get the same Wayne free press keeping water fresh Norm Maness shows a Koenders Pond Aerator sold by Avonlea farm sales of the unit promises to reduce the amount of algae in dugouts in the summer and keep water fresh in the it Sells for Lively first Day for hog Leader Pacific rim to Thunder Thunder up the City will continue to operate As a port As Long As markets for Canadian Grain continue to grow in Pacific rim a spokesman for the Grain transportation Agency said it Means if we have enough of a crop we can ship a maximum of about 18 million tonnes through the West coast and the rest is going markets key Bay port through Thunder Peter Thomson but Thunder Bay is unlikely to regain its primary port status unless it becomes too costly to ship out of Western Thomson Only 30 per cent of the Grain shipped in Canada last year went through Thunder critics say the Western Grain transportation act subsidies make it cheaper to move Grain to Western How do you like your new Job it came As no Surprise that Neepawa Farmer Weldon Newton was chosen to succeed Bill Vanags As chairman of the Manitoba hog for the past nine years new ton has served As Vic chairman to Vanags rhymes with hogs and its but on his first Day on the Newton found himself amidst a near revolt by hog producers who want to Send a Bill to neighbouring provinces for up to for the Hurt their subsidies have caused Manito Bas after producers passed the resold Newton was careful to Tell reporters that he understood the intent of the but sounded reluctant about an action that would Rock the boat with other but others suggest that is part of the resolutions and producers Are expecting some vigorous leadership on the Nan Bob former editor and publisher of the Manitoba Cooper and a Mentor to this once is Cresant is on the move Hainstock has left his Post As general manager with Kentville publishing in Nova just As Bob used to talk of his apprenticeship under former Winni Peg Tribune business editor Harry Mardon shoes had to be Spitzo listed every Day passed lessons on to a Pride of Young reporters in his care at the co he began his career As an 18year old sports reporter for the Brandon there he gave special coverage to local athlete Judy and then exclusive coverage he married so much for objective journal he is also a former president with the Winnipeg press and business writer with both the Winni Peg free press and Winnipeg trib Bob took on the Kentville Post just two years Kentville publishing is owned by the old Money Cameron family of Nova Kentville publishing includes six a farm some entertainment papers and other and a Large commercial printing Bob said he is looking although a Prairie he and his family Are enjoying the Atlantic sea he May yet stay in the newspaper where he has worked the past 26 but another Prospect is that he May go into business on his buying a tree Nursery Complete with three Flower you can write that Hainstock is finally going into he Odd Newton near revolt watch by Bill Redekop the average even the average Doest realize How massive the support system is in the United said a 20 Brief to the commons standing committee on Tom Cowan is Vic president of cold Springs farms an Ontario family farm operation that began with a few turkeys in an abandoned Dairy and is now an integrated company dealing in Turkey hat feed and commercial sow product cold Springs has also expanded into Michigan and with that Cowan com pared farming on either Side of the we have found and they Are he using Corn the largest crop in the United states As an Cowan said that an american farm by idling 10 per cent of his becomes eligible for a tar get Price of a Price position terminated the target Price is a guaranteed and the american Farmer knows in the december before he plants his crop that that is the minimum Price he will As the american Farmer is paid half the about an acre in just around seeding so the Farmer is guaranteed a Price before he and gets half the government subsidy before the seeds he must set aside 10 per cent of his but usually that is his poorest and he can still grow crops Only not Cowan suggests the american sys tem protects Farmers better than Canadas the result controls Supply and Guaran tees the by Ontario Corn growers take the Market Price that in february was under a Bush expenses Are also much lower in in we can grow an acre of Corn for less than we can in it is primarily due to two things the Cost of seed and the Cost of those products Are significantly cheaper Down he for a bag of Corn seed Sells for less in Michigan than in even though it is the same product from the same As fuel is 25 per cent cheaper in Cowan borrowing costs Are percentage Points lower in and in Michigan a company Doest have to pay a payroll tax of per As the maximum tax in Michigan after is 34 per the lowest we can get our tax Down to in Ontario is 42 per Cowan if you listen to the rhetoric from the United you would think they had that they Are the greatest free traders in the but nothing could be further from the Cowan Odd the Federal standing committee on agriculture has passed a motion asking Csc radio to reconsider its decision to terminate its agriculture reporter position out of the position has been held by George Price for 23 but in its latest budget the Csc Hierarchy terminated the Csc president Gerard Veuilleux has been asked to appear before the committee on this the motion was introduced by Liberal a critic Maurice Ann the Manitoba government will not compensate cattle producers who Are owed for cattle lost in the East West packers i guess it really comes Down to seller agriculture minis Ter Glen Findlay was quoted saying the big hand of govern ment cant always come to the he Twenty seven cattle producers Are owed More than in lost re their Only Protection is a Security Bond the meat Packer posted with the the Bond will pay just 20 cents on the Dollar on producer Canada urged to target damage from intensive farm practices Reg in a up a Regina pro Fessor says Canadian agriculture should pin its Hopes for an end to the subsidy wars on the european ecological movement rather than Gatt Trade Brian Fowler of the University of Saskatchewan said Canada is missing a major Opportunity by not targeting the environmental damage caused by intensive farm practices in the european eco nomic part of the University crop development said in a release Canadian Money now de voted to gait negotiations might be better spent financing Europe an Green Europe moist climate and High food prices have resulted in an agricultural management system that uses far More fertilizer and farm chemicals than in Western intensive agriculture banished Europe postwar but led to surpluses along with excessive subsidies and import created a subsidy War with the United states that is hurting Fowler said the Power of the environmental lobby to affect farm practices has already been Felt in great ;