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«0” 03‘“ 'i Qt .\(Q0 “omen ham to lace the tear of iii.tking mistakes headvon. if they mint to hone more impact in the mainstream agricultural organizations in Ontario. according to Ontario t-etleration of Agriculture President Brigid P} he. "\\ hen people make the decision to \[fp outside their ordered lives. they insiiiictiicly go “here they will be appreciated atnd their \ iews listened to Thei go nherc they think they can make an impact. Some people delibr crutch pick sale havens. Some women tecl sater e\prcsstng their opinions .iiiiongst u group of women," said \lrs. P) he. “omen and men should challenge themsest right now, added the presi- dent. e\p|.tiritng some people wait too long. for the moment to bEjusI right, illld then the opportunity has gone. "It's Ct lot liLe motherhood actually. II “omen nailed until they were ab- \UIUIEI} sure they were ready. there \mtild be fewer children in this world. 7 Instead we get in there and just do it.“ K:tie suggested the same applies to norkmg \HII‘I rtiralragricultural 0r- gzini/ntions. “Get in there and let the chips titli “here the) may. If you IIchIV.‘ a mistake. tough. everyone makes mistakes." she added. “If yon tiltitiys do things and go places that .ire safe. you are cutting yourself off lrom some \altiable esperiences!‘ said Mrs, Pyke. Ihe president ot‘ Ontario's largest Itlrll'l organization (about 24.0“) memv hers). I‘cels there are probably some itistit'inhle reasons for women formâ€" ing their own organizations rather [Itillt joining the DEA. Perhaps the (HA doesn‘t meet their needs. for in \llllICC. But. Mrs. Pyke said some of reasons could be overcome through better communications. Al, though she hasn‘t taken any at‘iirmav tiie action measure yet. she said. “I reel that inst by being here I‘m send- ing .1 message that women are \vel- crime in the OVA." In an etlliort to improve communiâ€" cations \HIII Women‘s Institute mem- bers in Ontario. Mrs. Pyke has ac- cepted tin ||'l\‘lIL][IDrt to speak on a panel iii the 90th anniversary eon- \L‘IIIIOI‘I in North Bay this summer. "I want to explore our (the OFA's) relationship with other rural organi- lIliisL‘ J. H & t' April. May. June 1987 zations. It's a matter of having the time to get around to them all, but certainly Women‘s Institutes are on my listi' said Mrs. Pyke. The Feder- ated Women’s Institutes of Ontario are one of many commodity groups and other rural organizations who are on the board of the GPA. “The pur- pose of having a seat on our board is to communicate their issues and concerns to us. We view that very seriously. We expect to be lobbied by the Women's Institutesl' explained Mrs. Pyke. Informal communication lines are kept open with other groups who are not represented on the board. “I talk on a regular basis to Women for the Survival/Support of Agriculâ€" ture," added the president. Like many other organizations in rural Ontario today, the GPA is facing little or no growth in terms of mem‘ berships. “If people understand the issues, they are more interested in joining the OFA. I think I can convert Brw just about anyone I get a chance to talk tol’ said Mrs. Pyke. But, she feels there is apathy amongst potential members. “Some people are quite content to let their neighbor do their part. They know we need a farm or- ganization and they know we need the money to run it, but they conveniently forget the structure that’s needed to maintain the organization? she added, People who don’t belong to some sort of organization in support of tarm- ing, be it the OFA, Concerned Farm Women or anyone else, is not doing their share. "There is no excuse for not belonging? Mrs. Pyke added. She feels the GPA is open to opinions and ideas, and like any other group. they are listened to, and voted on. If they are voted against, then that's the way the system works, and on to the no“ project. ' The OFA has observed no particu- lar trend other than attrition for continued 0n .0- 15