Newfoundland - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative

68 - DECKS AWASH
well. They tried out different ap- berries or raspberries. There is
pie trees in northern Sweden and also a market for fresh bakeapthat
particular dessert apple pies in Boston and the price s are
proved to be best suited to the cli- very attractive. People in Finmate
and soil conditions . And, of land are producing a liqueur
course, our Research Branc h is from bakeapples and selling it
developingsome equally exciting right here in St. John 's . Surely,
new apples varieties in Canada . we could come up with a better
"There may be some interest- product. Even if we didn 't, the
ing market possibilities for such research could be a lot of fun!
things as black currants, goose- Honey!s another good example
we could produce . As a federa l
government department, we
have the network to find out
what's going on in other countries
a nd the expertise to check
whether it's feasib le here."
If there 's anyone out there with
a farm product in mind, give
Tom Espie a call and he' ll beglad
to discuss the possibilities with
m
you. Something small could be
the sta rt of something big!
Editorial
here are some 450commercial farmers in
T Newfoundland - 450people who make their
living from fanning. We have been able to visit
only a few of them but we believe we have a good
sampling. Wethank them for giving us time from
their work.
Fa rmers work long and hard at their tasks ;
sixteen- hour days, seven -day weeks are not unusual.
They must deal with Newfoundland's rocky:
acid soil, a short, unpredictable growing season
and mainland competition. Added to these
problems are those facing farmers everywhere:
weather, insect pests and disease. to name a few.
Farming is a difficult and risky business in most
places . even more so in Newfoundland . Further,
most farmers have only seasonal income - that
must last yea r round. Fa rmers are ineligible for
unemployment insurance - they have few
safeguards against a ra iny day .
Then why do people farm in Newfoundland '?
There are number of reasons. As we've learned
(rom the farmers, once fanning is in your system .
there is no other life that appeals. Some farmers
have inherited their operations or their interest
from a family farming tradition. Some like the independence
and the challenge. Others see the IXJSsibility
of making a decent living.
Whatever the reason we should encourage their
commitment. There is a need for local produce
regardless of seasonal gluts caused by mainland
produce . The agricultural sector is one that has
potential for growth . and growth means jobs . Anything
that offers jobs in a province with such a
high ra te of unemployment deserves attention.
This potentia l for growth, however, depends uIXJn
the availability of cleared, improved land. Land
leasing is not attractive to farmers because the
cost and effort of making and keeping land fertile
cannot be redeemed for cash when fanners need
or want to retire. Unless they have children who
want to take over, they have no equity to show for
their lifetime of work. Purchasing land is becorning
more difficult as alternative land uses increase
. While no one will dispute tha t
Newfoundland's one per cent of arable land should
be reserved for agric ulture, should this policy be
at the farmer's expense'? In many cases , farmi ng
can provide a living but leaves little for sa vings.
As one farmer put it, wecan have good agrlcultural
land but it takes money to ma ke such land .
Also, there is capital needed for farm equipment.
Many farm ers have told us that were they to start
from scratch, they could never afford the sta rtup
costs . .
Agriculture depa rtment officials point out that
the farming should be self-supporting. In time, this
should be possible barring unforesee n problems.
Our land costs more to clear than that in other Atlantic
province s, but our farme rs must compete
in our markets. Yet Newfoundland is the only Atlantic
province without an agrt -tood development
a greement. By some standards our far ms are
small , but aren 't 5,000acres owned by several peer
pie just as impor tant as 5.000acres owned by one
person ? Sweden, for example, has effective policies
which recognize that 10people eac h growing
10apple trees contribute just as much to the economy
as one person growing 100ap ple trees . Initially,
some money. either in direct start-up grants
or in the form of low interest loans, is necessary.
Once the la nd is ready. it would then be up to 'the
farmer to mak e it productive.
Not since the Commission of Government days
(1934-49) has government placed priority on farming
and then it was because people were in the
midst of the Great Depression and a lternat ives
were few. Successive governments ha ve turned
their attention to fishing, mining, paper making,
offshore oil and gas exploration - the so-called
"bigger" sectors. The provincial government is
beginning to recognize the contrib ution the farm ­
ing sector makes but more support is needed. The
ns
public should buy local produce - it's fres her, it's
delicious and it's made in Newfoundland.