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Champion Country, Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - A21 Looking for municipal solutions to farming problems tuîc s liIhsncil 'aoes. Pixing whfat currently ails agriculture is going so require input and co-operation froin a multitude of sources, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is pre- pared to work to a successful conclusion. Agriculture bas historic links to municipal governintents, and we believe those links could yield some snswers to curing the indus- try's issues. Last year, aa an example, Ontario farinera paid $101 million in municipal taxes, and since 1998 these taxes paid by farinera have risen about $2 million per year. The OFA ia aware that municipal taxes are essential to keeping modemn infrastructures functional. Without roada and bridges, farinera and those who service thein. with everything froin live- stock feed to farin equipinent and veterinary services couldn't get their jobs done. But there are areas where efliciencies could be acbieved and coss to farinera reduced. We're asking that municipalities take a look at somne of the reg- ulatory bylaws that bave been enacted, resulting in increaaed oper- ating cos for fariera. Somne mnunicipalities have approved nutri- ent management regulations to deal witb local situations, îgnoring tdie focus of the provincial laws and creating bamrera to competi- tivenesa for their own farinera. For yeara, farinera bave been encouraged to find niche markets and do more value-added pro- duction on their farina. Ina somne areas, tb;ese efforts bave been met with local laws and new taxes that defeat wbat the farinera are attempting to do - finding new ways of generating incomne for Farusers made up the majority on municipal councils in earlier times, but amal- gamations and sbifting demo- graphics have OEA Ron onf Commentary resulted in loca coundcils dom-inated by non-farro counicillora. This bas resulted in counicils lacking knowledge and under- standing of the issues of agriculture. To partially overcome tis difficulty, some areas of tbe province have established Agriculture Advisory Committees so provide an operating link between urban- domrinated counicils and the farmirg sector. T'he OFA wants to see agriculture maintain and expand its posi- tion ira rual Ontario - a position that over the years bas seen farining serve as an engine to drive the rural economy. Economie recent years, provide ample proot'os the value of tarming to the rural Ontario econon-ic picture. The results provided by these studies bave made il clear to all levels of governaent that agriculture makes an important contri- bution, information that municipal counicils need to remember as tbey develop plans for future economie developinent. The posai- bilities are only limited by the imaginations of tbose involved - everything foin ethanol plant developinent to the promotion of deer and elk marketing as a tourisin attraction. As Ontario's non-farin rural population expanda, tbere's an incressed need to expand agricultural awareness programs, even in rural Ontario. Municipal councils have regular lines of commu- nication with their residents, and the OFA would welcomne the opportunity to work witb municipalities to help deliver agricul- tuire's message to society. Ron, Bonnett is president of thre Ontario Federation of Agriculture. inM 55 Onaio St #'A4queriums, Fish & Supplies, SmalI Animais & Supplies Cd Kittens, A Rirds, Reptiles