Dear Editor
A recent opinion piece by Derek Holton regarding a program on CBC radio, which was titled Does Canada Need Family Farms? I wonder if his article was more about attacking the CBC than about defending the family farm.
One would think that someone once in the news business, as he was, realizes that to draw interest, a discussion, program or article should have an attention getting title. Not only that, since when should he ignore the adage, "don't shoot the messenger?”
Throughout the years, the CBC (CBK in Saskatchewan) has given countless hours to reporting on agriculture. We looked forward to the Noon Show at one time as it was completely devoted to agriculture. Then there became fewer and fewer and fewer and fewer of us so the Noon Show became a general show. CBK did not replace their excellent agricultural reporter, Rosalie Woloski.
Is the shrinking rural population the fault of CBC? Hardly. Often it is our own fault. We have sat there and let our industry be gutted or put on the fringes. Now the rules are made by urban people.
And it's rather simplistic to end an article, as did Holton, by almost saying we should retain the family farm just to supply the NHL with hockey players.
How many NHL players are running a farm — ear tagging calves, hauling grain, attending local events every week, buying groceries or getting the mail at the nearest town?
Don't shoot the messenger. Find out why the message has to be so brutal. The CBC didn't gut the Wheat Pool, the CBC didn't hand the Wheat Board to the Saudis, the CBC didn't destroy the PFRA pasture system. And so on and so on.
Christine Pike
Waseca
