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economist suntribune agriculture saturday nov 23 2002 old 0mmhtj 3m hunters dance saturday november 23 open 7 days wild boar venison fully licensed rabbit quails live band featuring the four stars reservations recommended 198main w unionville 9054 vv-2- vi 5 farmland in trouble minister told a store where staff are friendly knowledgeable and willing to help you a store that will deliver assemble repair and even offer sound advice when you need it a store that doesnt look like a warehouse and actually puts prices on the products a store where livingbreathing people will answer thg telephone not a frustrating automatedpijip machine staff photomike barrett ontario agriculture minister helen johns listens to area farmers during a conference in stouffville with representa tives from several levels of government and the agricultural community thats don fieldhouse of the ontario federation of agriculture in the background do you have copd ifhh a store that supports local events charities and gets involved with the community a store close to your home with ample parking remember what it was like j t we do and were still doing it markham pro hardware 5762 fflghway 7 e 905 2942443 since quality products 1959 exceptional service doctors across canada are now recruiting participants for a copd study if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease you may be eligible to participate in this research study looking at a new investigational treatment for this debilitating disease to qualify for the study you should be male or female 40 years or older diagnosed with copd emphysema or chronic bronchitis a current or exsmoker i for more information about this study or copd please call fsafe 1888333safe 7233 by joan ransberry staff writer urban growth is marching north and will soon gobble york regions remain ing farmland ontario minister of agriculture and food helen johns was told during a visit to the region on wednesday were spinning our wheels in a few short years all the farmland 176000 acres will be gone and well be the sad der for it it will never be recovered said gary johnson of aurora politicians from three levels of gov ernment along with representatives of agricultural groups joined york farmers in a threehour brainstorming session to discuss ways for government to work collaboratively with farmers mrs johns pointed out her job is to protect the vitality of the agriculftire industry including the family farm she stressed the importance of finding ways to preserve the agricultural sectors im portant economic activity in york region since total farm revenue in york region is estimated to be 1786 million much work is needed to be done farm ers pointed out the meeting chaired by tourism minister and oak ridges mpp frank klees was held in whitchurch-stouff- villes municipal office one of the saddest things about farming in york region is the poor income said john holtrop 58 of georgina so many farmers in my gen eration have not been profitable said mr holtrop and thats turning the next generation off agriculture as a career and lifestyle the average york region farmer is older than 55 stressed 00011168 john doner mrs johns said shes deter mined to make agriculture such a profitmaking business that young people will want to work at it fulltime farmers shouldnt have to take a sec ond job or send their spouses out to work in order to survive she said kettleby chicken farmer hugh mitchell said although hes from a fifth- generation farm family its doubtful any of his four children will follow in his footsteps we have to provide tax incentives safety nets and other ways to attract young people to farming said mrs johns adding shes targeting the 35-and- yunger age group one of the ways to discourage farmers from selling their land to developers is to make sure the next generation makes enough money establish private pension funds the farmers stressed if they have security for their senior years they wont have to sell mrs johns was told in the last five years york region has lost 16 per cent of its farms and is now down to 1020 reported don eastwood of the york region agriculture liaison group mr eastwood also requested a com prehensive agriculture policy to address the importance of farmland and have it identify the areas to be preserved the provincial government is quite aware of the need to address urban growth stressed mrs johns nmwrnm one stop shopping v new or used vehicles any make or model entry level to v t hlllt l t m b i n u jkjpfjmtf i i prompt personaltervice tzttm 9q5zq78sj leases tailored tc barry cox yf sm v specific needs bcoxiancimarkieasingcom buy what appreciisflease what depreciates tradeins accepte for quote or information call barry at 9053054783 8920 woodbine ave markham 3 lights north of hwy 7 at hooper st