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BETWEEN THE LINES Mrs. Keith Hiepleh President Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario Dear W.I. Members: I: is a cold sunny afternoon in February as I write to you to-day. The recent snowfalls have covered the fields with a deep blanket of snow. Various species of birds are eating a special blend of cracked grains and sunflower seeds as they gather around the bird-feeder nestled among the spruce trees. Just as the birds require food for their survival, so do humans. Recently, the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food, The Honourable Lorne C. Henderson, convened a two day conference in Toronto focusing on the theme, "Growing With Agriculture In The 80’s". The Federat- ed Women’s Institutes of Ontario were represented by four delegates and myself at this conference. Agriculture is fundamental to the economy of Ontario with one in five residents employed in agriculture and related industries, Our province has some of Canada's finest Agricultural land and a climate that allows us to grow the country’s most varied range of crops. The preservation of the soil through good field management practices and crop rotation is a principal goal of our farm community. Farmers have made tremendous strides in production, especially corn, soy- beans. apples and grapes because of improved technol- ogy. World population growth is expected to continue at a rapid pace until the end of the century and beyond with most of the increase taking place in developing coun- tries. Global food production capability is of vital importance especially when we are told that there will be more starving people in the world by the year 2000 than there are now. Technical assistance is needed in the developing countries to improve their agricultural pro- duction. Improved farm management practices and cultivation techniques need to be shared with them. Any short-term surplus we have should not be shipped to a “developing” country, as this simply destroys the local incentive to produce. It was suggested that perhaps surplus food should be stored and used for a real emergency situation such as a drought. Farm machinery in Ontario is designed with producâ€" tivity in mind. With toâ€"day‘s technology, farmers are able to both plant and harvest crops much faster and more efficiently. By reducing tillage, we could be coming into a decade of conservation farming. Emphasis will be placed on reducing soil erosion and restoring clean waterways. In to-day's combine or traCtor, the farmer sits in a comfortable control centre. The farmer is insulated from the noise of the machine and the 4 outside elements. There is instant access to data m engine perlbrmance, ground speed, and other fummns through a touch response of electronic monitoring devices. Future advances will see the sensors nut jusl monitoring but automatically making adjustments. Ta. day‘s machinery is doing a good job so remote Comm} guidance equipment is still years away. It is evidc ll mm high management skills are necessary for the 80%: The Bank’s roots in the farm community 0ft “no go back a very long way. In recent years the ban' have made considerable progress in upgrading the! mm services. Farmers are increasingly turning to i to; their credit. On many farms it is the wife 0 is responsible for the accounting system. There is ;o 3 trend towards the multi-family farm, consis: ; or family farm corporations or partnerships betw fa. thers and sons and sometimes daughters, or part mm between brothers. More than six hundred delegates enjoyed l5 All- Ontario meals featured at this Agriculture Com m The aim of serving these meals was to increase are. ness that consumers can prepare delicious and nu on; meals any time of the year with Ontario growr: 'Id5_ The menus were prepared by the Market Devel- cnl Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture M and in coâ€"operation with the cooking staff of the line Hotel, Toronto. The meals featured apples, wter vegetables such as rutabaga, carrots, potato Jnd onions. Fresh from Ontario greenhouses were i .m- bers and lettuce. Lesser known products such as \ «ed trout and wild rice were included with beef, ct en. bacont sausages. eggs, milk and wine. Honey r: ced the sugar bowl and hot beverages included apply der and herbal tea. The range of Ontario‘s firs ass agriculture and food products was impressive ant lis- factory to all. In addition to the Agriculture Conference, I 'i- l to share with you another occasion. It was my prlvll - to present the winners of the Federated Women’s Ina [es of Ontario Macdonald Awards with their certific .at the College of Family and Consumer Studies. Ur. ’si- ty of Guelph. Fifteen students were chosen to ' we awards and twelve girls were able to be present. Dean Janet Wardlaw of Family and Consumer id ics, Miss Molly McGhee Director of the Home Ec m- ics Branch, Miss Joyce Canning Regional Sup-'2‘ or. Mrs. Virginia Campbell, Academic Assistant = the Dean, and myself enjoyed a social time with th: ‘rls following the presentations. The Awards of 5: 00 each are presented after the successful complel of one semester of the degree program at the Univ itli‘ The College of Family and Consumer Studie: 9:35 established in 1969 and now has a total undergra- die enrolment of nearly 1,350 students. This enro= cm includes in addition to the students in the progrzi - of Family and Consumer Studies. also those in the :va- gram of Hotel and Food Administration. Opporti: Ales to serve seciety await these students upon graduati ' As a Women‘s Institute member, you hat“: [he Opportunity to become involved in an organizatimv llifll has enriched many lives throughout the world. all“? your leadership in your community, become invohad ll'l decision making and help formulate solutions {0' ‘0‘ morrow. You have much to offer.