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Pace 12 The Claringion/Courtiee lmlependen!, Bowmanvillc, Friday. April 9. 1900 :l .. j l Down on the Farm Program Helps Rural Youth Getting Started In Business Rural youths between the ages of 18 and 30 can get help starting their own business. business. Women and Rural Economic Development (WRED), a non-profit organization that specializes in creating alliances and providing resources for rural businesses, is holding a 42-wcck self-employment seminar - Entrepreneurship Training for Rural Youth (ENTRY). "There arc a lot of people who have a business idea who jump into it without any kind of business background background and have dismal results," said Dorothea Helms, a trainer with WRED's central Ontario training team. "We give step-by-step lessons on everything from what it's like to be a business owner to having a business plan and following through with it." WRED started self- employment training for rural women of all ages in 1994. This year, the program program is open to men as well. But, the age has been restricted in response to government funding. "Right now, the government government has money for youth, so we arc running it for people people 18 to 30 years old," said Helms. The program is being funded by the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy and Human Resources Development Canada. It covers everything from record keeping and time management to marketing strategics and business plan development. Participants benefit from a step-by-step approach to starting and maintaining their businesses and satisfying tbeir career goals. For Bowmanvillc resident resident Jackie Sutherland, the program allowed her to get the background she needed to get ber business, Primrose Dried Florals, off the ground. "I was only working part-time then and without the program I would not have been able to get the business training," she said. "I knew I wanted to open my own business but it would have taken a lot longer." Business has picked up for Sutherland since she graduated from the ENTRY program in February. While lier dried and silk flower arranging is a home based business right now, Sutherland is hoping to expand it in the future. "I'm getting a lot more orders than I used to - and not just from friends and family," she said. "In the future, I would like to get into doing more weddings and open my own shop." The program provides entrepreneurs with a $200 per week living allowance in exchange for a commitment commitment of 35 hours towards developing the business. "The whole purpose of WRED was to boost economic economic development in rural communities," said Helms. "This program is intensive training which provides a good business background." The group of 10 entrepreneurs entrepreneurs meets twice a week for three weeks in the classroom and, as the program program nears the end, it moves to a more one-on-one consultation. Training for the 1999 program begins in May at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in Port Perry. Enrolment is limited to 10 people. A free, one-day information workshop will be held on April 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To register, or for more information call Bobbijo Roberts at 1-800- 407-6419. DURHAM FARMERS COUNTY CO-OP Grafton Hwy. #2 (905) 349-2411 Orono Hwy. 115 and Taunton Rd. (905) 983-9134 FEED AND CROP PRODUCTS CONSUMER GOODS t Eveiyone is invited to shop DURHAM FARMERS' COUNTY CO-OP "for Value Added Service" , Farm Equipment Purchases... At Bank of Montreal, we can help you pre-arrange a Line of Credit specially for purchasing new and used farm equipment. That means whan you arc ready to buy your now or used farm machinery, you simply write the cheque. Designed with your individual needs in mind our Farm Equipment Lino of Credit can help you make purchasing quick and convenient. ✓ Pro-approved loan limit ✓ Flexible repayment achodulo ✓ Fixed or floatinp interest rate To find out more about a Farm Equipment Lino of Credit, call the local branch of Bank of Montreal. Donna Wagg John Jones 6234478 432-6714 E Bank of Montreal IT 9 I'OnillULG' Field of Dreams Agriculture Remains Strong in Clarington Gross Receipts of $52.8 Million Despite the increasing urbanization of Clarington, farming remains an important segment of the municipality's economy. Data from the 1996 agricultural census shows the Region of Durham having 2,001 farms on 337,000 acres of land. Of that, Clarington accounts for 529 farms equalling 86,000 acres. The gross value of farm production production in Durham is $208.2 million which represents represents a 7.9 per cent increase in sales since 1991. The vast majority of farm businesses arc family-owned and operated, with dairy the leading farm type. Dairy farms account for about $48 million in sales. Other major types include beef ($25 million), field crops ($25 million), broilers ($15 million), mushrooms, pork, horticulture, nursery, vegetables, eggs, apples and berries. Across Durham, there is an estimated 16,500 horses. This gives the Durham Region the distinction of being the second largest horse county in Ontario. The estimated economic economic impact of the horse industry in Durham Region is $29.4 million. Clarington's gross farm receipts total $52.8 million. An Open Invitation to Community Residents As Chief Nuclear Officer of Ontario Power Generation, I would like to invite Clarington residents to join Darlington Site Vice President Charles Packer and me at a community meeting on Wednesday, April 14,7-9 PM at the Clarington Beech Center, 26 Beech Avenue, Bowmanville. View displays at 6:30 p.m. - meeting at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is one of the ways in which Ontario Power Generation is focusing on our goal of being more open, accountable and responsive to neighbours' concerns. One of the purposes of the April 14 meeting is to report on the progress of the Integrated Improvement Program, specifically in the areas of public safety, environmental performance, employee safety and production performance. The staff of the Darlington Nuclear Station are highly skilled professionals dedicated to improving the performance of the station on every measurement. This includes a commitment to building a stronger and sustaining relationship with the local community. Staff members will be at the meeting to answer questions and listen to your concerns. We look forward to seeing you on April 14, sharing our progress with you and hearing your views on how we can do better. ONTARIOrUWtR Darlington Nuclear GENERATION If you would like more information please call: 905-623-7122