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Rustic Dreams of Farming
When I was a kid every Sunday I would watch an agricultural television show called Country Calendar. It had a catchy tune, somewhat like a Strauss waltz.
The show was often shot on location. Large lone farmhouses surrounded by fields of waving wheat gave me an idea of what the people on the farms were doing.
They were working. I always wanted to be there in those large country kitchens when the pies were baking and the smell of gravy was in the air. Unfortunately for many, the gravy is all but gone from farming, but for many its still a good life.
I thought living in the country would be grand. But the two farms in our family -one at Camrose, Alberta and other at Dominion City - were sold before I was 10. Maybe it was good luck.
Something happened. Farming became big business and 165 acres couldnt turn a profit anymore. Towns dried up. People came to the city.
There are those of us who have never been on a farm. And those of us who are from the farm and never want to go back. But, its an industry that will always be profitable for some, and it creates many off-farm jobs. Sadly, students headed to university dont see the connection between the new farming and jobs. We deal with that in one of this months features - the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba is looking for more students.
In addition, we feature a Q&A session with the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, Hugh McFadyen. Hugh is not that well known yet but, at 39 years old, he offers a new way for the Province of Manitoba. He will lead a strong challenge to the New Democrats in what is expected to be a spring election.
Hugh has a strong background in public policy and I was impressed with his capacity for large thinking on tough issues that face this province in the future. None of the questions were sent to him in advance, and his off-the-cuff remarks on all topics were clear and thoughtful.
He believes that the current government is not being managed at a level consistent with taking the economy forward. These are critical times for Manitoba. Our disposable income is the lowest in Canada and our young people are abandoning ship at an alarming rate. According to McFayden, outside opinions are that the NDP management of health care is poor and social services spending is high. He says its time to end seven years of socialist rule.
Hes quietly dropped the gloves, and the fight is on as he drives the back roads of our province listening to the electorate.
With only six months to go before an expected election, he and his band of 20 Tories will have to go hard to knock off the entrenched NDP. A lot rests on how young people respond to his ideas to reverse the shrinking economy. There has to be more hope. McFadyen may be it.
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