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L E T T E R S
Ontario farmers cut pesticide use by more than halfI want to thank Jim Dalrymple for his excellent feature on pesticides in the November issue of Better Farming ("Let's stick to the facts about Pesticides"). I would like to add some recent data from Ontario to back it up.According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food's most recent pesticide use survey, Ontario farmers have reduced their use of pesticides by 52 per cent since 1983, as measured by total active ingredient (a.i.), due to advancements in education, science, integrated pest management (IPM), and biotechnology. As farmers, we should be proud of this achievement and tell everyone about it. As Dalrymple correctly reports, pesticide use is a hot topic these days. Get the story in your local paper. Tell it to your local council if they are considering an anti-pesticide bylaw. It is important to note that these significant reductions in pesticide use are due to advancements in science and education, not regulation.
Greg Hannam,
What are the drivers pushing up loan levels?Kudos to Better Farming for a very interesting article that should capture the attention of all farmers who intend to stay in the farming business ("Lending seen as a risky business," November, 2004.)The charts and graphs provide considerable information and raise some very important questions for farmers. The total value of bank loans to farmers has risen by 30 per cent in the past five years and, as noted, total Farm Credit Canada loans have doubled to more than $10 billion in five years. One can ask what is the basis for increasing farm loans so dramatically in the last five years. Assuming inflation in Canada has risen by about 12 per cent in the past five years, what are the reasons for increased borrowing requirements? Commodity prices do not support much optimism for cash crop farmers, although ethanol demand may rescue some Canadian farmers if our governments legislate the use of ethanol. Concerning the quota-based farming segments, the retirement of many farmers may be forcing buyers to borrow to pay for quota. I believe that bankers looking at the chart on dairy debt would (should) find it rather frightening. How much of this debt and related assets supporting the loans are like balloons at risk of deflation from aggressive action at the World Trade Organization? Given that dairy farmers constantly struggle to have 50 per cent of producers meeting the "Cost of Production" formula, border closures and so on, what are the drivers pushing up loan levels? Although farmers constantly complain about conditions, we must be determined and convincing optimists to be able to persuade bankers to lend us more money. Farmers must hope that market conditions improve before lenders tighten loan criteria or interest rates rise to "normal" levels.
Bruce McPherson,
"Fear-mongering" about Wal-Mart's Canadian operations?In November's Short Takes section, an article outlining Wal-Mart's impact on groceries and employee pay bounces between suspect U.S. statistics and vague claims about the company's Canadian operations. The article starts by fear-mongering, saying Wal-Mart's Sam's Club stores are "poised to challenge" the Canadian grocery industry, despite there being just six Sam's Clubs today, all in southern Ontario.Further, it notes that "Wal-Mart has chewed up Canada's traditional department stores," ignoring analyst estimates that Wal-Mart Canada has approximately 10 per cent market share and fewer Canadian stores than several competitors. At the heart of the article is a claim that Wal-Mart's wages are 31 per cent lower than other retail stores -- attributed to a California study, since criticized by academics and media for its objectivity and accuracy. The San Jose Mercury News, for one, said it offered a "highly suspect number from the biased Berkeley Labor Center," a union-supported group with contributors known for strong anti-Wal-Mart sentiments. The situation in California is muddied by this report and the statistics it offers. To set the record straight, in most cases annual wages for U.S. Wal-Mart associates are significantly greater than those at non-union retailers and virtually identical to unionized grocery workers. In fact, Wal-Mart's average hourly wage in the United States is more than 90 per cent above the federal minimum wage. More relevant to Better Farming readers, the Canadian situation is equally simple. Despite clichéd rumours to the contrary, we do not have a single minimum-wage job in our Canadian stores, and the majority of in-store jobs are full-time, offering a full range of benefits, including competitive salaries, profit sharing, stock ownership plans and health and life insurance. Finally, the fact that Wal-Mart Canada has been consistently ranked Canada's best retail employer, most recently in Report on Business Magazine's January 2004 issue, speaks volumes on this subject.
Kevin Groh, Write to usWe welcome the views of all readers. To be published letters, must be written exclusively to Better Farming and include the writer's name, address and telephone number to allow for verification. Letters may be edited, condensed or rejected. Due to space limitations, we suggest a length of less than 300 words.
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