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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2005 THE NEW TANNER 19 Standard contract key tofarmers _ . supplementing hydro says former MP BY MAGGIE There, wind generation The scheme has worked This is the second in a three part series on agriculture. The previous column pointed out that Canadian farm incomes have dropped dramatically in the recent years, especially in non- supply managed sectors of farming. What are the causes? One problem is that our farmers have inherently higher input costs than oth- er jurisdictions, especially in the developing world. We have higher standards, from more stringent food safety standards to stricter environmental controls, and higher land costs, es- pecially in Ontario. These all create higher baseline input costs for the Canadian farmer. Another problem is depressed commodity prices, a result of the "green revolution" - the massive increase in global agricul- tural output due to new technologies. Yet another problem lies in the fact that European and Ameri- can governments provide greater subsidies and sup- port for their farmers than do we. Some say that the solution is for more productivi- ty. My guess is that the greatest productivity gains have been had. No other sector has increased its productivity over the last 50 years like agriculture. Any additional gains would probably not be sufficient to compensate for the drop in farm income and could likely only be achieved through even larger farm operations, leaving no room for the family farm. Others say that the solu- tion is to move to freer trade by eliminating import restrictions, let the cheapest producers prevail and allow the marketplace to deter- mine what food will be sold here. The problem with this is that U.S. and European counterparts may not hon- our these trade agreements. LET US WELCOME YOU! Veteame Wagon: SINCE 1930 Our Hostess will bring gifts and greetings, along with helpful information about your new community. Call Betty Ann 853-1944 Witness what happened with the unjustified U.S. pork countervail duties that were applied to Canadian pork, or the recent border closure to Canadian beef, or the current woes in our softwood lumber industry. You cannot have freer trade if one of the two parties to the deal will not abide by the rules. But even if freer trade was agreed to and the rules fol- lowed, our farmers would not necessarily have a level playing field as they would still face higher~baseline input costs than other ju- risdictions. They may also still face low commodity prices. This could all lead to even greater Canadian consumption of foreign foodstuffs to the determent of domestic production. Last year, governments in Canada made $6.3 billion in profits from gambling, double the amount that Canada's farmers made. There is something inher- ently wrong with the setup of things when govern- ments make twice as much from gambling, as those who pu ble make from farming. We have presented many of our farmers, especial- ly those in many parts of Southern Ontario, with a Faustian bargain: Keep farming and make so little money that you have to take one, or even two off-farm jobs to pay the bills, or sell your land for great profit. Given this choice, it is a wonder that many farms still remain. PETRUSHEVSKY The New Tanner Provincial acceptance of a standard contract for generating electricity is the key to getting farmers into supplementing the prov- ince's hydro production a former politician says. Julian Reed, former Halton MPP and MP, is now Special Advisor on Renewable Fuels for the Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture and Food. Reed says he has spent the last few months working on astandard offer contract for electricity generation. This contract would set the price producers would be paid by the government for power they generate and feed into Ontario's power grid. If the price is realistic, Reed believes it will en- courage farmers to use assorted methods from biodigestors, to wind plants and small water power plants to generate their own power supply, and pass on any surplus to the province's power grid. But the price has to be in line with production costs for _the producers. Net metering already became law in Ontario last December, he points out. That means people who have their own power sources can run their metres backward and have their consumption .calculated once each year. They will then pay the difference be- tween what they used and what they produced and contributed to the provin- cial supply. Morning Coffee. We're there. _ At Lunch Break. We're there. Even Bedtime. We're there. The New Tanner is always there with local _ news, editorials, sports and events. There's also classifieds, Constable George's Cor- _ ner and much, much more. It's your one stop for everything Acton, Rockwood and surrounding area whether it be morning, noon or night. THE NEW TANNER 373 Queen St. East. 519.853.0051 Julian Reed "If you produce as much power in a year as you consume, then you pay nothing," he says. This of- fers individual producers the security of creating their own supply without having to go off the Ontario Hydro grid. Efforts to establish wind power production in On- tario is "very spotty", Reed notes. Manitoulin Island, Wolfe Island, some places along the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Erie have windmills in operation but there hasn't been a lot of widespread interest in the technology. Germany found an in- teresting way to address the issue, he says, when its politicians ran into fears that clusters of wind farms would be established which would. disrupt. the. vistas. TIRE SPECIALS LIKE YOU HAVE was opened to all farmers regardless of opposition. Then for the next five years, the government paid these operators 15 cents U.S. a kilowatt for what- ever they generated. At the end of that time they deter- mined whether is was more or less than the farmers were spending to generate their power and adjusted the rate accordingly. in favour of wind power and prevented the cluster- ing of the mills. In Ontario, availability of wind is fairly local- ized. But there should still be room to make wind technology work, he says, and he is hoping an at- mosphere will be created where farmers feel com- fortable to put up a wind power plant. Denture Clinic Tnashscon 130 Mill Street East, #103, Acton (519) 853-0079 ' NOVA Zeewz denture cleanser. Traqy M itchell D.D. Now camie a great denture cleaner. NOVA Zeaz It is a chlorine free white powder, which when mixed with water is an antibacterial solution made from natural ingredients. The solution is then effective _ for 7 days.Keep your mouth and dentures as fresh as they can be. 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