One voice for farmers slips away

Ontario’s farmers had the opportunity to create one strong farm lobby and finally stick it to the political elite, which is something farmers wish for almost as much as for a good crop.

I say they "had" because that opportunity was three years ago and has only teased us since. The latest attempt has come as a cry from the Renfrew wilderness, resurfacing in the enthusiasm and desperation of Renfrew County auctioneer Preston Cull. While grassroot farmers across Renfrew have caught the imagination of "one voice" their leaders are repeating history. As soon as members of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario and the National Farmers Union get together the old fear resurfaces that only the OFA would survive after the dust up to make one voice happen. When one local leader argued that his organization, with a few thousand members, should be the choice for "one voice" then you know that not only has the idea not been fully understood but that all is lost.

Moosecreek crop farmer Alain Leduc saw all of these problems three years ago. He led 7,000 farmers across the province in tractor demonstrations in a two pronged-attempt to get $1-billion in aid for crop farmer and to get an Ontario version of Quebec’s coveted Union of Agriculture Producers. The Quebec farmers stick it to the politcal elite by getting what they want 90 per cent of the time, especially during an election year, said Quebec beef farmer Gib Drury. And they get it because every farmer is a member of the union. That’s one strong voice that emerges from the back room brawling. Leduc wanted for Ontario what Quebec has. He wanted to avoid all the public disagreements that ensure politicians and consumers are confused about what farmers are saying. He also knew that if he got enough farmers signed on to the idea of "one voice" the Ministry of Agriculture Brian Coburn would agreed to legislate it. But then as now, the movement needs strength from its strongest. For "one voice" to happen it needs the OFA to carry the ball, to do the survey, to present "one voice" to the province. The OFA would need to make it clear what "one voice" means. It has to mean that a new organization with a new name is formed and all farmers will retain their memberships with the existing ones.

But there are problems with that. The OFA shows no signs of interest and eastern Ontario farmers need the OFA to sell the idea to western Ontario. There has emerged no clear leader to get "one voice" rolling and Alain Leduc is adamant that he’s not the man for the job this time around. Neither is Preston Cull, who made it clear he was there to get the ball rolling. As it now stands, if our farmers can’t form one voice in a crisis like BSE then they will never form one voice, Cull says.

Never say never but there’s no sign "one voice" is going to happen now.

— Patrick Meagher