Fall 2004

Rural Phase Out
Hello, and welcome to our Fall Newsletter. Those of us in the agricultural community should be seething mad, upset, bent-out-of shape, etc. In a recent
Financial Post article dating back to April 21, 2004, our wonderful Ontario Government run by Mr. McGuinty has commissioned a report in which the panel (and I quote) “concluded that much of rural Canada is economically unsustainable, that it is futile to try to artificially sustain rural industry, that population decline is inevitable, and that the government should abandon regional development programs.”

The whole idea is that when this is all said and done, all of our rural areas by implication, suggest an eventual abandonment of much of rural Ontario. I quote further, “The province should phase out regional economic development programs, such as the provision of subsidies and tax incentives to businesses, which risk promoting permanent government-induced dependency,” the panel states.

Just this past week Mr. McGuinty very proudly got up on a stand and was so pleased to tell you and I, (the taxpayers) that he’s taken $100 M of our hard-earned tax dollars and given it to the Ford Corporation to help it invest in new equipment and build new plants so we could employ more people. By the same token, this same government has taken $200 M out of the agricultural portfolio and given it elsewhere.

I quote further, “The panel based its conclusions on “Small Rural, and Remote Communities: The Anatomy of Risk”, a background study it commissioned to tackle the politically explosive issue of how to manage rural decline. Although the background
study couched its recommen-

Continued on next page...dations in gentle language, it was often brutally honest in its assessment of the prospects for rural areas, which it defined to include most of Ontario, including much of Southern Ontario.”

They go on to say, “Rural areas have a rapidly aging population that inexorably declines as young people leave, the study states. These areas have few industries, thin labour markets and little ability to attract
Continued on next page...either educated workers, entrepreneurs, or immigrants.”

It’s interesting that they also say in the article that rural towns need provincial subsidies to cover up to 90 % of their infrastructure needs. Rural industry and agriculture above all need subsidies. If the subsidies vanish so too would most farming, logging, and mining in remote areas. For those of you who are interested, a copy of the article follows in this newsletter.

I do not understand and cannot believe that we would have people in the government, bureaucrats or politicians who have so little understanding of how much subsidy is given to big cities; how much subsidy is given to big industry; how much subsidy is taken from taxpayers’ pockets to prop-up a health-care system that is not working, and then would have the gall to suggest that rural agriculture needs to be phased out.

We have already seen what Mr. McGuinty has done. He has already cut funding to the tile loans that were available to farmers for many, many years; and which helped to give Ontario a distinct edge and advantage in terms of growing better crops on well-tiled, well-drained soils. It goes on to laud the Norwegian, the Swedish, and the Finnish plans that they have had in shutting down un-viable rural communities by re-settling residents in regional centers. An important issue of debate is whether communities that cannot survive the absence of disproportionate senior government funding should exist at all.
If we get right down to it, there is no city that can even exist without handouts. They need all kinds of handouts not only local taxes that they raise but also provincial taxes that are given to them, as well as federal handouts. So how in the world can these people have the audacity to say that we in the rural part of the country are a drain on the money aspect of government?

Chinese People Power
One of the things that impressed me after my trip to China was the fact that the Chinese made tremendous use of their people-power. Much of the work was done with people. Crops were planted by hand, crops were weeded by hand, crops were harvested by hand. There is very little machinery. The Chinese really do not want much machinery of any kind in China, as they feel that it takes away from the ability of people to work together in harmony and as a group. It’s very interesting to see that in this country everything has been done to divide farmers. To make one farmer bid against the next farmer. To pay more for land, to expand—to not care about the other farmer making a living. By trying to sell for five cents less than your neighbor so you get your sale. Much of this has severe implications, and one of these days down the road Canadians are going to wind up paying a tremendous price for this so-called “cheap-food” policy.

While we have all kinds of legislation in Canada, regarding water, our rivers, streams, and our air, we can continue to dump all kinds of different chemicals on our soil. We can have all this wash off on our rivers, but our cattle can’t graze in the rivers! We want pure water, and clean air, but nobody wants to pay the honest and real cost of producing this kind of material in this country. So we would rather go to China where the sulfur smell from the coal plants almost kills you when you land in Beijing. And as you go from there to wherever your destination is, you will smell nothing but the sulfur smell of coal as these coal generating stations continue to spew out this toxic material that people breathe. However, we’re real proud of this fact because we can go to Costco, Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, and we can buy these very cheap things which allows these big giants to make mega dollars in profits while at the same time we’re saving big bucks. At the same time without realizing it, we have countless people on welfare roles unemployed, etc. because we keep shipping our manufacturing jobs outside of this country for the sake of saving a buck.

Avian Flu Epidemic
We all know that bigger isn’t better. I came across an interesting article during the Avian flu epidemic which raged among factory farms in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley in the spring of 2004. The head veterinarian, a guy by the name of Dr. Ron Lewis wondered out loud “Why chickens on free range farms haven’t been infected?” This was asked in an interview on CBC Radio News March 23, 2004. Yet, the government proceeded to kill all kinds of fowl that had nothing to do with anything.

If this indeed is the case, free-range chickens with access to open pasture, green feed, and no antibiotics should have been more vulnerable to the virus than the wonderfully overcrowded, drugged, and vaccinated factory birds. However, this was not the case. Of course we know that thousands of perfectly healthy chickens, racing pigeons, rare fowl were killed at great economic costs and lots of distress. It was supposedly “assumed” initially that it came from wild birds. Which kind of gets you thinking if that indeed would have been the case, then why didn’t the wild fowl they took and diagnosed ever have it? We do know that many of these factory chickens (as I tend to call them), are raised with very bad nutrition, and given all kinds of antibiotics to prevent infection. This means they have a seriously compromised immune system. Is it any wonder then, that farmers start looking for alternative ways?

ABM Farms Tour
One of the most positive trips that I’ve had on a day off the farm, (and outside of the business), was to the ecological farm tour at ABM Farms up near Brussels. This is a family-run operation, where Elmer and Leonard Martin as brothers run ABM Farms, and Elmer’s sons Rodney and Gerald have their own individual farms. One of the greatest successes that I believe will come down the road in many years will be Field Gate Organics Inc. that Elmer has helped to found.

It certainly is a new and novel way of looking at small niche markets to try to get your product that has a significant difference and diversity from the mainstream of society. Many farmers are starting to understand just as did the Field Gate people that there are consumers who are looking for, and willing to pay for good quality, good nutrition and value as well as good tasting meat. My thoughts are, if M&M Meat Shops can make a big margin by putting conventionally grown meat and prepared meals in their stores and make more money than big supermarkets, why could Field Gate not also become very successful at the same thing? I take my hat off to the Martin’s and the work they have done to show the rest of us in the farm community what can be done.

Just maybe, then we can prove Mr. McGuinty wrong when he and his government want to phase out rural agriculture. If we had small local slaughtering plants that could handle the demand, we could actually process our food and do the value added and sell it to the consumer at the same price they would pay at the grocery store. Then, just maybe rural agriculture might have a chance of surviving and showing these politicians and government bureaucrats that maybe they might be a little bit on the wrong side of things.

Murray’s Musings
Effect of Bio-Lac on Feed
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Feeding Bio-Lac will help to:
Improve immune system function by strengthening helpful microbial populations and suppressing harmful bacterial growth;
Counteract ill effects of antibiotic treatment by sustaining good bacteria;
Improve overall health & productivity of all species;
Enhance utilization of protein & increase conversion rates;
Lower pathogen loads in manure.

A stable product with an extensive shelf life, Bio-Lac can be incorporated into a grain ration or top-dressed. Bio-Lac increases both absorption and assimilation of nutrients at the cellular level. This is where the cell responds to the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and oxygen brought to the cell in response to feed inputs. Our unique formulation provides the bacterial and enzyme boost to make the cellular conversion “fire”, giving maximum feed conversion.

The feed quality for 2004 crops will be compromised. The lack of sunshine has resulted in reduced protein and lower energy in our crops this year. Feed sampling is highly recommended so that we can provide you with an appropriate ration. The addition of Bio-Lac in your feeding program will ensure your livestock are getting the most out of your feed!
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Bio-Ag Newsletter
Bio-Ag Consultants & Distributors Inc.
Fall 2004
September 10, 2004
Murray’s Musings1-3Effect of Bio-Lac on Feed1Inner Strength3Wanted / For Sale4September & October Specials4Inside this issue:
dations in general language, it was often brutally honest in its assessment of the prospect for rural areas, which included much of Southern Ontario. They go on to say, “Rural areas have a rapidly aging population that inexorably declines as young people leave. These areas have few industries, thin labor markets and little ability to attract either educated workers, entrepreneurs, or immigrants.”

It’s interesting that they also say in the article that rural towns need provincial subsidies to cover up to 90 % of their infrastructure needs. Rural industry and agriculture above all need subsidies. If the subsidies vanish so too would most farming, logging, and mining in remote areas. For those of you who are interested, a copy of the article follows with this mailing.

I do not understand and cannot believe that we would have people in the government, bureaucrats or politicians who have so little understanding of how much subsidy is given to big cities; how much subsidy is given to big industry; how much subsidy is taken from taxpayers’ pockets to prop up a health-care system that is not working, and then would have the gall to suggest that rural agriculture needs to be phased out.

We have already seen what Mr. McGuinty has done. He has already cut funding to the tile loans that were available to farmers for many, many years, and which helped to give Ontario a distinct edge and advantage in terms of growing better crops on well-tiled, well-drained soils. It goes on to laud the Norwegian, the Swedish, and the Finnish for plans that they have had in shutting down unviable rural communities by resettling residents in regional centers. An important issue of debate is whether communities that cannot survive the absence of disproportionate senior government funding should exist at all.

If we get right down to it, there is no city that can even exist without handouts. They need all kinds of handouts not only local taxes that they raise but also provincial taxes that are given to them, as well as federal handouts. So how in the world can these people have the audacity to say that we in the rural part of the country are a drain on the money aspect of government?

Rural Phase Out (cont’d)
Page
Bio-Ag Newsletter
should have been more vulnerable to the virus than the wonderfully overcrowded, drugged and vaccinated factory birds. However, this was not the case. Of course we know that thousands of perfectly healthy chickens, racing pigeons and rare fowl were killed at great economic cost and lots of distress. It was supposedly “assumed” initially that it came from wild birds. Which kind of gets you thinking if that indeed would have been the case, then why didn’t the wild fowl they took and diagnosed ever have it? We do know that many of these factory chickens (as I tend to call them), are raised with very bad nutrition, and given all kinds of antibiotics to prevent infection. This means they have a seriously compromised immune system. Is it any wonder then, that farmers start looking for alternative ways?
ABM Farms Tour
One of the most positive trips that I’ve had on a day off the farm, (and outside of the business), was to the ecological farm tour at ABM Farms up near Brussels. This is a family-run operation, where Elmer and Leonard Martin as brothers run ABM Farms, and Elmer’s sons Rodney and Gerald have their own individual farms. One of the greatest successes that I believe will come down the road in many years will be Field Gate Organics Inc. that Elmer has helped to found.

It certainly is a new and novel way of looking at small niche markets to try to get your product, that has a significant difference and diversity, to mainstream society. Many farmers are starting to understand just as did the Field Gate people that there are consumers who are looking for, and willing to pay for good quality, good nutrition and value as well as good tasting meat. My thoughts are, if M&M Meat Shops can make a big margin by putting conventionally grown meat and prepared meals in their stores and make more money than big supermarkets, why could Field Gate not also become very successful at the same thing? I take my hat off to the Martin’s and the work they have done to show the rest of us in the farm community what can be done.

Just maybe, then we can prove Mr. McGuinty wrong when he and his government want to phase out rural agriculture. If we had small local slaughtering plants that could handle the demand, we could actually process our food, do the value added extras and sell it to the consumer at the same price they would pay at the grocery store. Then, just maybe rural agriculture might have a chance of surviving and showing these politicians and government bureaucrats that maybe they might be on the wrong side of things.♦

Inner Strength
If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things,
Then you are probably the family dog.