Tobacco Farmers in Crisis Protest
May 11, 2007
Monte Sonnenberg SIMCOE REFORMER Simcoe leaf eliminates seasonal and full-time jobs The decline of tobacco farming continues to send shockwaves through the local economy. Yesterday, Larry Phillips, president of Simcoe Leaf Tobacco in Simcoe, confirmed that the plant will use a single shift this fall to process the 2007 crop year. The move means the loss of two shifts, 155 seasonal jobs and 12 full-time jobs. Simcoe Leaf normally runs three shifts during peak operations. It has traditionally hired 250 seasonal employees. "We’re right-sizing the operation," Phillips said yesterday. "We are going to one shift, but it’s not a big deal. We’re downsizing along with the industry. This is nothing but getting in line with what’s going on elsewhere." Simcoe Leaf has been a traditional provider of seasonal employment for local workers who labour in the fields and at the tobacco auction exchange in Delhi. The plant has been a long-time processor and warehouse storage facility for manufacturers of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Simcoe Leaf’s season normally runs from October until late March or early April. Simcoe Leaf swings into action two weeks after bales go on sale at the auction exchange and runs until two weeks after the last leaf of the season is sold. Phillips said the decision to go with one shift was made in part to preserve the viability of Simcoe Leaf’s operations. Simcoe Leaf is responding to the rapid collapse of tobacco farming in south-central Ontario. Seven years ago, the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board routinely negotiated annual crop sizes in the range of 100-million pounds. The crop has been shrinking ever since as manufacturers reduce their requirements. A 2007 crop size has yet to be confirmed, but some estimates peg it as low as 35-million pounds. Last week, Tobacco Farmers In Crisis said only 66 per cent of greenhouses that would normally produce tobacco plants have been seeded this spring. Read
'There will be suicides' -ON May 05, 2007
John Paul Zronik Local News Tobacco farmers vow action against government Frustrated tobacco growers say federal government inaction on a buyout plan for their industry could soon lead to suicides and a more militant stand by farmers. “The way politicians are treating farm families is shameful,” said Mark Bannister, vice-president of Tobacco Farmers in Crisis. “If something is not done in the near future, there will be suicides. And we will not have blood on our hands. It will be on the government’s hands.” About 25 tobacco growers gathered in a Simcoe park on Friday for a media event reacting to comments made this week by the director of communications for federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl, who said a straight buyout of growers is not being considered and that the government would work to transition farmers to other crops. The tobacco growers have been negotiating with the federal government for what they hoped would be a $1-billion plan allowing all farmers to exit the beleaguered industry. “If (transitioning to another crop) was possible, we wouldn’t be here right now,” said Brian Edwards, president of Tobacco Farmers in Crisis. “Where is this magic crop? Where is the living we require to pay off the debt we have?” Forcing tobacco growers into different commodities would only hurt other farmers, Edwards said, because most are already affected by low commodity prices. Such a policy could also result in a “war” among commodity groups, he said. Others said the suggestion shows the government has little understanding of the situation tobacco growers face. “To suggest we should switch to an alternative crop, full bore, shows a lack of understanding by Minister Strahl,” said Tobacco Farmers in Crisis chairman, Hank Chromczak. Edwards said growers are fed up with federal inaction and are prepared to take a new approach to get the government’s attention. “Clearly, the calm, rational approach isn’t getting results,” Edwards said. “If that approach isn’t good enough, I’m not willing to hold these farmers back. I’m going to turn them loose. “I’m at the point where I can’t tell my farmers to be nice.” One grower at Friday’s event warned the government: “Desperate people will do desperate things.” Bannister said growers are ready to take a more confrontational, but peaceful, approach. “The message to government is that none of our farmers will be put out on the street — not without a fight,” Bannister said. “We are (treated like) nothing more than third world peasant farmers in a first world country.” The farmers say the federal government is negotiating in bad faith, not offering alternatives to a suggested $1-billion buyout proposed by growers, only saying that cost is too high. The growers have twice lowered the price tag of their proposed buyout, but say they’ve heard nothing positive from the government. “We’re supposed to throw a dart at a dart board and pick the right number,” Edwards said. Edwards said farmers are struggling to pay off their debts, not knowing if they should plant a crop this year, while the government collects $9 billion a year in taxes from tobacco products. On average, 40 per cent of tobacco farmers carry a debt load of $400,000. “Tobacco is not an agricultural problem,” Edwards said. “This is the result of government trying to eliminate tobacco in Canada — period. “Where is the action to fix our communities? Why in the world isn’t there action, a timetable that will allow these people to move on with their lives? This is the country I’m supposed to live in? This is the country I’m supposed to be proud of?” Chromczak said the federal government is only trying to protect its own interests in not offering tobacco growers a buyout package. “The government, despite its rhetoric about protecting the health of Canadians, is only trying to protect the tax revenue from tobacco,” Chromczak said. “They, along with the (tobacco) companies, are responsible for the situation we find ourselves in.” Growers on Thursday expressed disappointment that Haldimand-Norfolk MP Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, has not been able to convince her colleagues in Ottawa of the desperate need for a tobacco buyout. “There is an election coming and I’m sure Minister Finley would like to be re-elected,” Bannister said. “I’d like to help her get re-elected, but if there is no solution, that will not happen.” The growers also expressed anger over news that federal government representatives will be sent to area tobacco farms, asking farmers to open up their financial records. Edwards said the move is an implication by the government that some farmers may be selling tobacco illegally, some of it to native cigarette makers. “We’re told they’re going to visit our farms on a regular basis,” Edwards said. “Are we driving our farmers to do something illegal?” If the government fails to respond to the crisis, the farmers say they will, as a last resort, consider a class-action lawsuit. “We should go for $100 billion because of the emotional stress,” Edwards said. “What we’ve been through, nobody should go through in Canada.” “We’re trapped. We have no escape.” Read
Farmers fume at Finley -ON Daniel Pearce SIMCOE REFORMER
Monday March 26, 2007 Tobacco growers calling for her to resign over failure to help them Warning they are “dying a slow, cruel death,” angry tobacco farmers turned on local MP Diane Finley in a placard-carrying protest in front of her office Friday morning. They blame her for not getting them a buyout and are calling for her resignation. “We thought she was going to get the job done. Obviously she hasn’t,” said Walsh area grower Jerry DeCarolis, who crammed the parking lot in front of Finley’s office in a tense demonstration with other farmers. “We waited for the federal budget (for an exit package). There was nothing, a complete zero.” Demonstrators carried signs that warned the Harper government it faces “war” with farmers. “They don’t give a shit about anybody in this riding,” said farmer Jon Lechowicz. “If they did, it would have been addressed in the budget.” Growers blame their demise - the tobacco crop has shrunk by more than two-thirds in less than a decade - on anti-smoking policies and increased imports of leaf. They are calling for a buyout package similar to what tobacco farmers in the U.S. and Australia were given by their governments. Friday’s protest comes only days after hundreds of growers held a rally in front of Finley’s office during which she was declared a “friend” for her attempts to lobby Ottawa on tobacco’s behalf. But many farmers now say they are desperate as spring planting approaches for a season in which they will be allowed to grow about 10 per cent of their quota - not enough, they say, for any of them to survive. They had hoped the government would announce an exit program in last week’s budget. “I’m not going to grow this year, that’s for sure,” said Turkey Point area farmer George DeLeebeeck, whose family has planted a crop every year since 1948. “This is life and death we’re going through.” Lechowicz warned that he plans to start growing outside the current regulated system, which requires farmers to own quota and sell through a marketing board.
“If there’s not an exit plan, the government better be prepared for the wild west,” he said. “I will survive by serving any market I see fit. Many farmers are going to do the same.” Eden grower John Stewart said he has heard a lot of farmers say they too are willing to break out of the marketing board system. “When a guy’s gotta put food on the table, he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do,” said Stewart. If that happens, however, they will be breaking the law and could have their quota pulled, warned Rick Cerna, a director of the Ontario Flu-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board who attended the protest. At the same time, however, Cerna of Aylmer agreed government must act now. “These are desperate, desperate people out there,” he said. “We’ve been led to believe all along that this program was achievable and she (Finley) would do everything for us. It’s taken a year (of lobbying) and we’re no farther ahead.” Many farmers, Cerna added, have hit a wall in which banks are refusing to lend them any more money, making it impossible for them to plant another crop.
“We’re dying a slow, cruel death. We’re slowly starving to death.” Finley could not be reached for comment. Read
Ottawa says no to exit proposal March 06, 2007
Monte Sonnenberg TIMES-REFORMER Tractors set to begin picketing politicians’ offices tomorrow Tobacco farmers will step up their protests now that the Harper government has turned down their proposal for an exit package. Following a year of negotiation, federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl told the annual general meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture that the buyout package sought by the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board was too rich. Speaking at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last week, Strahl told delegates that the board was seeking nearly $1 billion for 600 growers. Strahl said the proposal was a non-starter for his political colleagues in Ottawa and Queen’s Park and for other farmers in other sectors. “I just don’t think I can sell it politically and I think…I guess I’m encouraging the discussion to switch from that kind of package to something that is more doable and I’m just being blunt and honest, folks,” Strahl said during a question-and-answer forum. “I just don’t think I can sell it. I can’t sell it in the cabinet, and I don’t think I can sell it in the greater ag community.” Now that tobacco farmers have their answer, they are preparing to take their displeasure to the street. Stepped-up protests begin tomorrow with tractor pickets at the offices of Local MPP Toby Barrett and local MP Diane Finley in Simcoe. Another protest will be held Friday at the Tillsonburg office of Oxford MP David MacKenzie. It’s Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston’s turn Monday in St. Thomas, with a simultaneous protest at the nearby office of MPP Steve Peters, minister of labour in the McGuinty cabinet. All protests are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last till noon. Brian Edwards of LaSalette, president of Tobacco Farmers in Crisis, said farmers are furious with Strahl because he has misrepresented their position. “The answer was very disappointing,” Edwards said yesterday. “It’s upset a number of farmers. They have decided to escalate with tractor protests.” On their behalf, the tobacco board is seeking a buyout of 271-million pounds of quota at a price of $3.30 per pound. Quota is held by 1,450 producers past and present along with their families. The buyout at issue, which amounts to nearly $900 million, is not being sought on behalf of 600 growers. Edwards said some farmers want to bring traffic to a stop in the tobacco belt by moving tractors and implements onto area highways and concession roads. However, for the time being, they have been persuaded to confine their outrage to protests outside political offices. At the CFA conference, Strahl said he could not sell a “$1 billion” exit package “for 600 farmers and then tell 200,000 other farmers that I’ve got $50 million for you to divvy up somehow. I just don’t think - and I’ll be quite frank with you - I don’t think politically I could sell that to the greater farm community.” Moderating the question-and-answer forum was CFA president Bob Friesen. Yesterday, Friesen said the CFA supports the tobacco board’s request for a buyout because that is the position adopted by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Friesen distanced himself from Strahl’s suggestion that other farming sectors would have difficulty with Ottawa being generous with tobacco growers. “They (the politicians) know something has to be done,” Friesen said. “We’ve known something has to be done a long time ago. We’ll continue talking to minister Strahl and OFA on this one. We’ve always said the entire (farming) industry should be looked after.” In his remarks, Strahl mentioned that he has discussed a tobacco buyout with Ontario agriculture minister Leona Dombrowsky. Strahl said the parties - the tobacco board, Ottawa and Queen’s Park - are far apart on what needs to be done. Read
Protest planned for Wednesday -ON January 16, 2007
By Bruce Urquhart AGRICULTURE REPORTER Tobacco farmers will gather in front of MPP Ernie Hardeman’s office WOODSTOCK - With the continued silence from the provincial and federal governments about a proposed exit strategy for the region’s tobacco farmers, the organizers of Wednesday’s rally want to reinforce the urgency of their situation. Starting at 2 p.m., the Tobacco Farmers in Crisis (TFIC) plan to gather in front of the offices of Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman, the Conservative municipal affairs critic, to voice their acute frustration with this senior government inaction. The rally, a sequel, of sorts, to December’s protest at Woodstock’s Sutherland Park, should serve to underpin the TFIC’s message of urgency about the considerable problems facing the region’s growers. The intent, in part, is to have Hardeman take this message back to Queen’s Park to help convince the Liberal government that a response is needed as soon as possible. Hardeman, a supporter of the requested exit strategy, agreed that area tobacco farmers required a quick answer. With the greenhouse season “fast approaching,” Hardeman said growers needed to know about provincial and federal exit-strategy sentiments “to arrange financing to plant their crops.” “They haven’t got a ‘No’ from either (the provincial or federal governments) but they haven’t received any commitments,” Hardeman said. “A decision needs to be made now, one way or another, on what they’re going to do about (an exit strategy).” While there are reports that provincial and federal officials have met to discuss an exit strategy, the region’s growers are fast approaching the point of no return. Faced with chronic market uncertainty and mounting financial woes, the roughly 700 remaining growers would like an appropriate exit strategy that would help them transition to another crop or industry. “A lot of farmers have been told by their banks to find another lender for next year,” said Brian Edwards, the TFIC president, in a December interview, “but where do you go when your assets are worthless? "Tobacco farms are only growing 20 per cent of their quota and will be growing a smaller crop size next year, if they're growing at all.” The region's tobacco farmers attribute the sharp decline of their industry to high taxes, increased smuggling, and aggressive provincial and federal government policies intended to curb tobacco use. In 2004, Canada's federal and provincial governments collected an approximate $9 billion in tobacco taxes while manufacturers collected about $1.5 billion in profit. The high cost of tobacco products has prompted manufacturers to purchase an increasing amount of leaf from overseas growers. Edwards also described the growing "underground economy" associated with contraband and illegally manufactured cigarettes, which he estimated at between $1 billion and $2 billion. “The crunch is here and the crunch is now,” Edwards said. “Farmers can’t pay their bills. What is the timeline? What is the drop-dead date?” The Ontario Flue-Cured Marketing Board is pursuing a buyout that reflects the traditional agricultural funding formula, anticipating 60 per cent from the federal government and 40 per cent from the province. Despite this year's target crop of about 24.75-million-kilograms, the board is hoping to retire 121.95-million-kilograms of quota for $1.49 per kilogram, which translates to an almost $900-million package for the beleaguered industry. The TFIC Blueprint for Action is seeking a similar buyout of about $1.88 per quota kilogram, an appeal that translates to $100 million per year over the requested 10-year period. This blueprint, which represents about one per cent of the annual tobacco taxes, asks for less than half the per-kilogram compensation provided by recent American and Australian exit packages. If senior government officials have a difficulty with these proposed strategies, Hardeman said they should suggest an alternative proposal to growers. Hardeman described the exit strategy as likely using a staggered approach, providing a package for growers who immediately wanted to leave the industry. This, he said, would make the crop more viable for the few remaining tobacco farmers who wanted to continue in the industry. Read
Elgin County : Tobacco Farmers Rally in St Thomas 2006/11/24 The first of two stops for Tobacco Farmers rallying for the exit plan was at MP Joe Preston's office in St. Thomas today. The mood was light as Preston addressed the 65 farmers gathered outside his office. He commented that farmers are finding themselves in the situation they do, because too much tobacco has been imported, and illegal ways have been found to sell it. Preston goes on to say that foremost the Government must find a way to fix those issues. Read
Tobacco growers fume at Finley Vicki Hartlen Delhi News-Record Wednesday November 22, 2006 They ask why is buyout plan taking so long? SIMCOE – Tobacco growers have brought their anger and frustrations to the front steps of Haldimand Norfolk MP Diane Finley’s office. “It’s been two years and still nothing.” “You’re dragging it out.” Those were the words some tobacco growers shouted when Finley addressed the more than 75 growers and their families who gathered Thursday morning for a protest. The protest was organized in response to the ongoing delays in producing a buyout package for the tobacco industry. Growers also learned last week that some tobacco manufacturers could raise the price of cigarettes yet again. Such a move would cancel a special levy, which growers understood might be added to cigarettes to finance a buyout for growers. “The anxiety is showing and people are getting worried and sick about this, sick,” said Linda Vandendriessche, a director with the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board who was at the protest at Finley’s office. “This industry is under pressure and we need help.” Finley greeted the protesters shortly after they assembled in front of her office. Farmers put several bales of tobacco, which was either rejects or no-bids at Delhi’s Tobacco Auction Exchange, at Finley’s feet prior to her address. Finley told growers she was supposed to be in a tobacco related meeting that day, but when informed of the protest “figured (she) needed to be here.” While Finley assured the crowd that she has “made considerable progress” in developing a buyout package, she wanted growers and their families to understand the four reasons work is progressing so slowly. “(No.) 1, so many agricultural sectors are in deep trouble,” Finley explained. “(No.) 2, there is a political thing about tobacco, it’s considered a dirty word. (No.) 3, tobacco has been the most profitable crop for any years…and (No.) 4, tobacco is such a localized crop, only grown here in Ontario.” Regardless of the reasons, Finley assured growers Canada’s Minister of Agriculture is “very, very aware of the situation” and “considerable progress has been made.” Despite her words, growers spoke up. “The biggest partner in tobacco is the government, who manages to rake in $9 billion per year,” yelled one grower. “Why cant the money made from the tax of the product be use to pay for a buyout?” asked another grower. “It’s been discussed,” said Finley, “as well as many other ideas.” When asked about why companies will be allowed to raise the prices on cigarettes again, Finley said they “are private businesses that can set prices whenever an where ever they want.” Finley also encouraged those at the protest to “go to MPPs” with the same message. “Get your provincial government to step up to the plate,” said Finley. “We are willing to get a buyout package together, but there will be nothing if not given the assurance of the province’s participation. The province has gotta get on side with this.” Gord and Shari Hamilton said they hoped something would come out of the protest. “There’s an urgency for a buyout,” said Gord, who has grown 27 crops of tobacco just outside of Vanessa. “Something has to move forward. For two years we’ve been living in limbo with no real answers…(Growers) need local politicians, like Diane Finley, to champion our cause for us, but instead we’re blockaded and not listened to.” “I’d like to get all the politicians to come down here and live a week in our lives,” added Shari. “Then they’d know first hand the stress we’re dealing with.” Brian Edwards, chair of Tobacco Farmers In Crisis, said “something needs to be done now.” He pointed out that growers are frustrated with the no-bids and rejects – which are averaging 18-19 per cent – at the auction exchange. “Farmers are overwhelmed,” said Edwards. “We’re seeing marriage breakups, bankruptcy, depression and even worse with tobacco farmers and their families. Something has to be done.” Read
Tobacco buyout a hot potato -ON November 17, 2006
Monte Sonnenberg SIMCOE REFORMER Ottawa wants Queen’s Park to help; Barrett says Liberals missing in action Another Caledonia-type impasse is shaping up between Ottawa and Queen’s Park. This one involves the future of tobacco farming. At issue is who will buy out growers now that the province and federal governments have committed themselves to a smoke-free Canada. Following years of punitive taxation, anti-tobacco legislation and declining consumption, the Ontario Flue Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board is seeking an orderly exit from the industry. It has asked Ottawa and the province to compensate growers for the investments they’ve made in good faith so they can move on to something else. The board was hoping for an answer in September. December is approaching and growers still don’t know where they stand. Time is of the essence because growers have to prepare for 2007. But there is nothing on the horizon - not even a commitment from tobacco manufacturers that there will be a crop. Thanks to poor prices and harsh grading at the Tobacco Auction Exchange in Delhi, nearly 200 growers and their families brought their plight to the steps of MP Diane Finley’s constituency office in Simcoe yesterday. Finley cancelled a flight back to Ottawa Wednesday so she could meet with them. Farmer Morgan Kicksee of Simcoe told Finley that politicians must stop “pussyfooting around.” “You guys have taxed us out of existence and now you don’t want to compensate us,” Kicksee said. “It’s about time we got fair treatment. (Prime Minister) Harper kicks back every time he doesn’t want to give something to the farmer or anyone else.” Finley replied that she’s frustrated too and that she continues to lobby on the growers’ behalf in Ottawa. In an interview, Finley spoke of the negotiating environment in Ottawa, which she says is fully engaged and working on the problem continuously. At bottom, Finley said the Harper government will expect Queen’s Park to pay at least 40 per cent of any buyout. A 60-40 sharing of costs, Finley said, has been the traditional formula for funding agricultural programs in Ontario. As well, the management of quota and the marketing of tobacco are provincial responsibilities. Trouble is, the McGuinty government considers compensation for tobacco growers to be a federal responsibility. Yesterday, local MPP Toby Barrett said Liberal MPPs and Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky are having as little to do with the compensation issue as possible. “I have no evidence that she (Dombrowsky) is doing anything about this,” Barrett said. The flipping of hot potatoes between Ottawa and Queen’s Park is becoming an increasingly familiar theme. The bottom line is nothing gets done and nobody accepts responsibility for pressing issues. Meanwhile, innocent people who look to government for help are getting hurt. “The relationship is dysfunctional,” Barrett said. “It almost sounds like a strategy; to defer, to stall.” OFCTGMB is seeking $3.30 a pound for 271-million pounds of quota, spread over several years. Warehouse workers given notice -ON October 24, 2006
Daniel Pearce - Times-Reformer Tobacco auction exchange informs employees this may be the last year Another sign tobacco is in its final days is here: workers at the warehouse in Delhi where the crop is sold every fall and winter have been warned this may be their last season. The 150 people who haul bales of leaf, run forklift trucks, work in the office, help with selling, and serve food in the cafeteria were given a letter when they started work in October. “We want to be up front with them,” said Chuck Emre, manager of the auction exchange warehouse. “We told them this is the last season we can safely say we can give you employment.” The announcement comes amid ongoing talks between the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board and the federal government over a complete buyout of the province’s tobacco farmers. Word that the workers were given notice has fuelled speculation among some growers that a deal must be near and that this could be their last crop. However, Jason Lietaer, general manager of the tobacco board, said the letters weren’t formal layoff notices, as reported in other media. “We wanted to give people the heads up that there’s a lot of uncertainty out there,” Lietaer explained. “Quite frankly, we’re not sure we’ll be in a position to hire them back next year.” The tobacco growing industry has shrunk drastically in recent years and is down to 55 million pounds a year, about one-third of what it was a decade ago. Board officials are saying the industry is no longer viable and are calling for the government to pay off growers and wind up the industry completely. Lietaer said “signs are encouraging” the board will get a deal but he could not say when it will be finalized. If a buyout comes through, it will mean the end of a way of life for some warehouse workers. Many have been employed there 25 years or more, working at farms during spring and summer and at the exchange during winters. Emre estimated that the warehouse’s closure would put another 50 to 100 people employed by cigarette companies and trucking firms onto the unemployment line. “A buyout is one thing, but what about all the people who depend, directly and indirectly, on tobacco?” Emre asked. He also warned that the future of the warehouse is in danger even without a buyout program. If the crop size gets much smaller, the fees charged to farmers to sell their leaf at the auction won’t be enough to cover the cost of operations, Emre said. - with files from Canadian Press Daniel Pearce (519)426-5710 ext. 132 dpearce@bowesnet.comRead
October 20, 2006 Under US Federal and State Laws,citizens of New York may import up to 5 pounds of Tobacco (for personal use) at a time. Canadian Tobacco farmers,in co operation with Brazilian producers, will be providing "Custom Personal Blends" via New York franchised outlets "TAX FREE TOBACCO". The growers that supplied Imperial Tobacco and it's parent company BAT believe that after decades of farming a product they could be proud of,only to have it chemically altered into a "Chemical public Hazard" must be dealt with. After failed talks with the cigarette makers to resolve these issues and more, the Tobacco giants responded by closing down all Canadian domestic production site,and moving to Mexico. This action in Bad Faith by the industry has resulted in a coalition of farmers setting their sites on a complete restructuring of the supply chain.The concept was developed by Brian Downey of Canada U-Grow Co Op in BC Canada. In plain terms it takes"Big producers" and Government out of the producer too consumer supply chain.The results;no complex chemical formulation that may increase addiction/consumption rates; and no contribution of funds into Government coffers for their seeming disregard for public health impacts of these formulations and deceptive marketing strategies.In a quote from Brian Downey "if the Governments will not protect the public,and the industry only avoids it's responsibilities to their consumers,then we farmers will work to make it unprofitable for them to continue acting as they do now.Irresponsibly." Good News for self producers. After a lengthy and exhausting Court process the rights of Canadians to produce tobacco,beer,or wine for personal use(or sharing) have been upheld.The Governments position" that self producers are defrauding the General Revenue Fund of income"has been dropped.Judge McArthur,in an Abotsford court,directed the task force made up of BC Tobacco Taxation,the RCMP,and Revenue Canada to return all items siezed from Brian Downey/Canada U-Grow,and it's members.Further,it was agreed between councel for the Crown and Brian Downey,after calculations by the presiding Judge,that for tobacco inventories siezed but destroyed by Crown ,an acceptable rate of compensation would be $72.00/200 grams.This figure translated to Co-Op member losses translated into $103,460,000.00 (including punative damages).It was further agreed at a speacial meeting after Court that Brian Downey would direct the collection of the funds to the BC Supreme Court for aportionment(which Government department would pay what portions of the amount).While awaiting the outcome of this second and final process Canada U-Grow will proceed with it's extention of it's program into Ontario,Quebec,and Alberta.The non Tobacco divisions of the Co-Op,fresh Organic :Vegetables,Dairey products, and meats> will be expanded.The new "Tax Free Auto Fuel"program will start in the spring of 2007 with member fuel cost for methane set at $.08/litre plus convertion kit costs. For further comments or details email fryguy92@hotmail.com
Hail rips tobacco cropsMonte Sonnenberg SIMCOE REFORMER Friday September 08, 2006 Damage reported to 835 acres so far; Research station crops ruined Simcoe Reformer — DELHI - Staff at the Delhi Research Station are assessing the damage after a violent hailstorm tore through their experimental plots this week. Fourteen acres at the Agriculture Canada farm represent the leading edge of tobacco research. Plots are devoted to breeding the next generation of tobacco plants, testing pesticides for eventual certification, and testing for optimal mixes of fertilizer. “All programs were affected,” Dan VanHooren, team leader of the Canadian Tobacco Foundation’s research at the station, said yesterday. “Anything we harvest to measure yield and quality was affected.” Hail fell as part of a severe thunderstorm that sliced through the heart of the tobacco belt Wednesday afternoon. Damage in Norfolk appears limited to an area between Delhi and Tillsonburg north of Highway 3. As of yesterday, the Agricorp crop insurance firm had fielded 28 damage reports encompassing 835 acres. Damage was reported in Aylmer, Courtland, Delhi and west of Simcoe. Most claims came from tobacco growers and orchard operators. Wind caused some of the damage. Hail shredded some tobacco plants. But in other fields the hail was small. However, it accumulated in places in such large amounts that leaves broke from the stalk. There are also reports that hail damaged apples. These will likely be turned into cider. “It’s funny,” said Doug Green, Agricorp’s local regional manager. “It was so hot last year and we had hardly any hail. It hasn’t been that hot this year and we’ve had lots of hail.” This week’s storm was especially disheartening to farmers in the La Salette area. Locally, they bore the brunt of the big blast that flattened crops, cut power and toppled trees across southern Ontario Aug. 2. The McElhone family of La Salette planted 120 acres of tobacco this year. They lost 35 acres in last month’s storm and another 10 acres this week. Bob McElhone reported yesterday that insurance will partially cover the loss. “We had three-quarters of an inch of rain in about 20 minutes,” he said. Tobacco harvest is well along in most fields. However, the most valuable leaves and much of the weight come from the top of the plant. These pickings are only coming off now. “There’s a lot of weight; a lot of crop out there yet,” said Linda Lietaer, spokesperson for the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board in Tillsonburg. “I’m hearing some farmers saying they’re going to need all of September. Some will be wrapping up this week.” Lietaer added that Wednesday’s storm damaged nearly 300 acres of tobacco. At the Delhi Research Station, four pickings have come off most plants, with two more to follow. VanHooren noted that the most sensitive experiments involve the controlled cross breeding of varieties for eventual certification with the federal government. Because these experiments are so important and painstaking, staff at the Delhi Research Station maintain backup plots outside Delhi to reduce the impact of bad weather. Most experiments at the research station take three years to complete. Read
Farmers turn their noses up at tobacco -ON July31, 2006
ANGELA PACIENZA CANADIAN PRESS MIGHT GROW HAZELNUTS INSTEAD Shrinking profits drive growers into debt TORONTO When smokers try to kick the habit, they often turn to alternatives like gum, water and fresh air. Some Ontario farmers, however, have high hopes for hazelnuts, sweet potatoes even lavender. They're not trying to quit smoking the stuff, mind you they're trying to quit growing it. And scientists in a province that has a long history of growing tobacco are instead looking at some pretty unconventional alternatives. Ontario farmers could one day be growing hazelnuts, traditionally grown in warm Mediterranean countries, for a new chocolate factory operated by Italian confectionery giant Ferrero in Brantford, Ont., makers of the popular Ferrero-Rocher chocolates. And lavender is the latest trend in cosmetics, offering some farmers a whiff of a profitable future in the pretty purple plant. But time is running out. Admitting defeat at the hands of the anti-tobacco movement, many farmers say this will be their last year growing tobacco leaves. Shrinking profits are driving them into heavy debt as they try to sell a product that governments are discouraging people from using, and manufacturers can get more cheaply from countries like Brazil. The Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board has asked federal and provincial governments to help with an exit package so the industry can be completely shut down, ending Canadas longstanding tobacco farming industry altogether. It hopes to have a deal this fall. Luckily, farmers at Canadas 680 remaining tobacco operations down from 4,500 in the 1960s are sitting on prime land, the majority of which is located in southwestern Ontario. The problem? Most of them, along with government and other agriculture experts, are at a loss as to what would make the best replacement. Many believe switching tobacco plants for corn, strawberries, soybeans or other produce would only hurt an already ailing sector. Vegetable farmers struggle as it is to make ends meet, given competition from the U.S. and other countries that offer cheaper produce, said Mark Bannister, a grower and member of the Tobacco Farmers In Crisis group. Whatever the future, farmers like Bannister hope it comes soon. People are scared. Depression is at an all time high, he said. People want to move on with their lives, whatever it ends up. Somethings got to happen and happen quick. Read
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