For the next year, this column will mark The Western Producer’s 100th anniversary by taking a deep dive every week into a past issue of the paper.
The April 4, 1985, issue had an interesting story that shows how far we’ve come technologically.
The article described an information week run by Saskatchewan Agriculture and the University of Saskatchewan.
However, instead of being in the same room as the experts, farmers who attended the grain marketing seminar listened to speakers appearing on a screen via the technology of satellite television communications.
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Farmers gathered at nine locations across Saskatchewan to listen to the speakers.
The program cost $19,000, paid by the government, the university and registration fees.
It cost $4,762 to buy four hours of satellite time from Telesat Canada on the Anik C III satellite and $4,500 to rent satellite dish equipment.
In other news, the United States sent shock waves through the Canadian hog industry when it imposed a temporary countervailing duty on hogs and pork imports from this country.
The move was expected to reduce hog exports to the U.S. by 10 per cent immediately and 30 per cent over the long term.
The U.S. said the duty was in response to Canadian producers receiving subsidies from federal and provincial programs, resulting in unfair competition for U.S. hog producers.
The Canadian industry vowed to fight back.
In a classic half-glass-full approach to life, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association argued that the American duty on Canadian hogs would strengthen its industry’s case against European Community beef exports, which Canada said were subsidized.
Charlie Gracey, CCA executive vice-president, said that if the U.S. had a valid case against hogs and stabilization payments amounting to a subsidy, then the EC export subsidy should also be stopped.
This issue’s Open Forum section featured 15 letters on subjects as varied as Churchill, the Crow Rate, MP pensions, unions, the federal government, cruise missiles, satellite TV, soil health, prime minister Brian Mulroney, the fur trapping industry, United Grain Growers dividends and an elected Senate.
