Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.07.1988, Blaðsíða 1

SEDIjAFANKI ISLANDS 30KASAFN JAN 89
KALKÖFNSVEGI 1
150 REíKJAVIK IC3LAND
Lögberg
Heimskringla
LÖGBERG Stofnað 14. janúar 1888
HEIMSKRINGLA Stofnað 9. september 1886

100. ÁRGANGUR
LÖGBERG CENTENNIAL YEAR, FÖSTUDAGUR 15. JÚLÍ 1988
NÚMER 27
Farming has become big business
It is difficult to realize the implica-
tions of agriculture of today com-
pared to the 20's in the Interlake.
Thinking back to that era, the origi-
nal pioneers had packed it up. Age
had caught up with them, and they
were thankful for having been able
to maintain a full larder and saved a
few hundred dollars for their old age.
The succeeding generation was in
control; and were happy to have a
hundred or so head of cattle and 640
acres of land, with haying permits on
more land in the area. They were not
overly prosperous but nothing was
wanting, and the luxury of owning a
car kept them happy. There was not
an overabundance of cash but money
could be found for sons and daugh-
ters who aspired to a high education.
Now that we are approaching the
last decade of the twentieth century,
it is interesting to look at farming to-
day. It was over a sumptuous dinner
we were able to get a first hand feel-
ing of the implications of modern
farming.
As guests at a banquet we shared
a table with Leslie Jacobson and his
wife. They farm in the Framness area
just west of Arborg. Leslie is the third
generation on the land his grand-
father from Iceland owned. Mrs.
Jacobson comes from Hnausa and
her heritage is Ukrainian.
Today in partnership with his
brother and father Ernest Jacobson,
they farm 2700 acres. It is a combi-
nation grain and hog production ef-
fort. They maintain a total of 300
sows, which produce large litters.
The equipment for tilling the land
and maintaining the hog production
represents a big investment. It does
not take long to come up with one
million plus capital investment for
the operation.
Leslie has been a member of the
Hog Marketing Board for 20 years.
As an interesting sideline, they
have for many years been host to
youngsters from continental Europe,
such as France and Denmark to men-
tion two countries. This has worked
out well. They find these young peo-
ple enjoy staying with them on the
farm and are eager helpers.
Their son is following in his
father's footsteps by attending
university. He is taking agriculture of
course.
With this kind of an operation it no
longer is a hit and miss operation, but
requires skilled management. It is
quite understandable that higher
education is important. In spite of the
bigness and higher education they
have not lost their will to work. They
carry out the farm tasks with the
same diligence of their Icelandic and
Ukrainian forefathers, who came
with only two hands to carve out a
living in a land which lay barren
beneath their feet, created at the be-
ginning of time, and tilled for the first
time when the grandparents arrived
full of hope and an empty stomach.
Therein lies the strength of our
modern farm community, descended
from different heritages, to meld into
a truly Canadian people, yet with a
pride in their heritage and a respect
towards their forefathers.
It was a good dinner and it was a
pleasure to meet and share their com-
panionship at a banquet.
Gimli in the wake of the storm
We saw Gimli the following morn-
ing, some 14 hours after the gale
force storm of the night before. It was
a destruction of nature reminiscent of
the devastation which struck towns
and villages in Normandy, France
during World War II. Lacking were
bullet holes in the walls and shell
craters. All the other characteristics
were there.
Trees were laid flat across houses
and lawns reaching onto the street.
Roofs of houses torn open and
stripped of their protective roofing
material. Tense faced citizens were
out busy cleaning up the aftermath,
with chain saws or any piece of
equipment which would sever the
tree trunks and branches to be
hauled away by the truck load. When
disaster strikes the human urge
comes to the fore and as the danger
recedes the clean-up beings, and so
it was in Gimli last Saturday
morning.
Gimli Park after the storm
During the evening before, on Fri- aggravation.
day, June 24 at 8 p.m. the dark and
eerie clouds could be seen darkening
the sky and tumbling towards the
town at high speed. The weatherman
described it as gale force winds. A
black funnel had been spotted west
of Gimli. They did not define it as a
tornado because it did not reach the
ground. The winds were extensive in
southern Manitoba. Gimli was hard-
est hit which included heavy rain
most areas escaped this added
Senior housing co-op
Housing Minister Gerald Du-
charme today participated in the offi-
cial opening of Manitoba's first
seniors-only housing co-op.
Sponsored by the Betelstadur
Housing Co-operative, the 74-suite
building is located at the corner of
Sargent Avenue and Erin Street.
Ducharme says the capital cost of
the project is estimated at $4.9 mil-
lion and is being met with a 30-year
index-linked mortgage loan from
Manitoba Housing. He adds it is the
first seniors’ project in Manitoba to
utilize this new type of mortgage
linked to the inflation rate.
The mortgage is insured by the fed-
eral government and will have in-
terest rates and monthly payments
adjusted each year in line with the
consumer price index.
Approximately 40 per cent of the
suites in the new co-op will be avail-
able to low-income clients, who will
pay rents basd on 25 per cent of their
income. Subsidies on these units are
expected to cost Manitoba Housing
approximately $49,000 per. year.
The six-storey building contains
several suites which have been
adapted to suit the needs of the
disabled.
Province of Manitoba News
Release.
Proceeding to Gimii Park to wit-
ness the signing of the Social Securi-
ty Agreement between Canada and
Iceland we were met with the
devastating sight of the beautiful
stand of tall trees north of the open
air stage. About one-third had been
felledby the storm, uprooted or
snapped in half at varying heights
above ground level. The result is
beautiful stand of trees is thinned out
and the line of sight extended to be-
yond its perimeter.
Even this early in the morning
clearing of the debris had been taken
care of, by removal of obstacles in he
way of the signing ceremony. Piled
in the lee of the storm torn evergreen
tall tree stand.
Nature knows no mercy in its
wrath, except in this instance the
news media report no personal inju-
ries while word of mouth informs us
one woman suffered injury but not
seriously.
When Gimli hits the news it is big
news, remember when the Air Cana-
da plane glided in for a forced land-
ing, having run out of fuel over Red
Lake, Ont. Then as now, it was a
close escape but fortunately not a
personal disaster.