MARCH 2005

Cow in mist

by Brenda Campbell of Dalkeith

The Farmers Forum received 39 entries to its first farm photo contest. The photo above took first place. It was submitted by Brenda Campbell of Dalkeith. She wins a $50. gift basket.

 LEAD STORY 

• Catching a tiger
  Can Ontario's farmers and the Lanark Landowners' Association get along?
  Go to story

EDITORIALS 

• United we stand
  Farm leaders have erroneously believed our political elite is reasonable, that it would actually do a reasonable thing, if not the right thing.
   Go to story

OPINION 

• Blasting assumptions like consumers won't pay more
  Some of our favourite assumptions are being challenged during the Christian Farmers Federation's seminar series: "What about the Farmer's Fair Share?"
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 ARTICLES 

• The Perfect Storm - everybody's mad
  Ron Bonnett hasn't seen farmers this angry since the early 1980s when interest rates went through the roof.
  Go to story

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• Fertilizer price up 10% to 15%
  A 25 cent increase in the value of the Canadian dollar and dismal commodity prices should have lowered the value of a tonne of fertilizer. But the opposite has happened.
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• U.S. grain farming success: Just own land and a mailbox 
  Unless a major grain producing country takes a hit from nature, Canadian farmers will take no solace this season.
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• Bromleys and Bullocks compete for Ontario's Young Farmers of Year
  Two Eastern Ontario families have been nominated as Ontario's Outstanding young Farmers for 2005. 
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• Articles for our subscribers

• Federal budget cuts CAIS deposit -  The Federal budget offered little for farmers although the CAIS deposit will be eliminated, said Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Bob Friesen.

• Organic soybeans hit $19 a bushel - The competition to buy organic soybeans has driven the price upward to $19 per bushel on forward contracts. 

• Glengarry Farmers support 3% food tax - The Glengarry County Federation of Agriculture wants farm leaders and the provincial government to endorse a three per cent food tax that would go to farmers.

• Organic hero attacks his demon: GMOs - The introduction of Roundup Ready alfalfa will sound the death knoll for organic agriculture, says David Orchard, former leadership contender for the Progressive Conservative Party.

• Man fined for selling imitation maple syrup as the real deal - A Caledon East man was fined $1,000 for selling a substitute product and advertising it as "pure maple syrup" at a farmers' market.

• Global farming - Harm Sikkenga started farming in 1966 milking three cows in Holland. Through perseverance and good fortune he now milks 1,120 cows on three farms in three countries: Holland, the United States and Canada...

• Casino, not farmers, get funding - Ontario is spending big bucks on a casino but no money to help corn and soybean producers, suffering through record low prices.

• WTO talks: an embarassment - World Trade Organization (WTO) talks are scheduled to close next December but don't expect that to happen and don't expect the final outcome to have much affect on the Canadian dairy industry.

• Greenbelt land freeze will destroy farm life - Lawyers, developers and farmers have become unaccustomed bedfellows over greenbelt legislation or Bill 136.

• Lindsay debates giving chickens the boot - The city of Lindsay is considering banning chickens.

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  THEY SAID IT:       
"Today a (U.S.) farmer can plant whatever he wants. he just has to have a mial box."

—  Cal Whewel,   Ohio farm consultant

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  FARM FACTS:
Amount Ontario farmers are asking from the province for grain and oilseeds producers.........$300 million

Amount Ontario will give to one casino....$400 million

Amount Ontario corn producers earned last month from one tonne of corn....................$85