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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1970-03-05, Page 15Lengthy experiments obt et • amp. When scientists •here alined for rapid growth and haekfat in an egperiment with the Lacombe breed of hogs, they Made the most progress by , picking hogs that have the best Combination. of the two traits. • The experiment was designed SO that, one line • of pigs was selected for rapid growth alone, • another for minimum backfat thickness .alone and a third was • 'Wed . on an index combining growth rate and minimum fat, The growth rates were bAsed on the length of time it took the. hogs to reach 200 pounds; backfat thickness was prObed at six locations when the hogs were 200. ounds, , Dr. Howard Fredeen, head, of the animal and poultry breeding section at the research station, designed the eXperiments so that most of the selection' would be based on the sire side. All boars. produced were left entire (uncastrated) and fed in litter groups until they were 200. pounds. • . "Then we weighed them, probed them and.- turned them. out to pasture until we could study our data to. chOose the boars we would use for breeding purposes. We progressed one generation each year, using 48 boars and 144 females each generation. "All of our gilts were reared on pasture, starting at weaning' time. We have tested about 350 to 400 boars every year since 1962 in this program. "Farmers are interested, in both traits we were studying," said Dr. Fredeen. "The faster the growth rate; the quicker the pigs will get to market, freeing space for the next group of pigs. "And; with the , introduction of the new hog grading system,. farmers are paid More money for - hogs with less backfat. "Naturally, . then, farmers would like to make improvements on both -traits as fast as possible, Our experiments indicate that it can be done by selecting those hogs- with . the best combination of both traits as breeding stock." In 1969,, one boar from the line being selected for the best combination of both traits completed the test at .200 •ipounds4,,,,the reeord, „. time of,„ 1112daysw with 'average ibackfat (based on Six probes) of 0.87 of an inch, Several_ other boars in the program completed test at 200 ter bacon 02.14144 at ages less than 129 clayS ,And fat less than Q.9 of :an. inch. 1,4e9Mbe: hop were first diatribtited to the ptiblie in 195$ after they were tleVelOpect by the Canada Department :Of Agriculture tinder the leadership of' the researchers at Lacombe, • Alta., inelutling(Dr. Fredeen. More tban 150 breeders, bought breeding .groups of • three gilts and a boar between 1958 and October, 1960. Very few ptirebred Lacorribes were released from the research station between then. and 1969 when ,160 head were 'offered for public sale at Lacombe' and 25 head at Stratford, Ont. • Priced. at those sales averaged $319 for boars, $192 for., open gilts and $200 for open sows, The high prices were $750 for a boar, $420 for an open sow and $350 for an open gilt. A Lacombe boar, bred by ;Henry Reise of Winnipeg, set an all-time Canadian record ,for purebred , boar prices sold through public auction .at the Brandon fall sale last year, The price; $780. Mr. Reise's herd is the largest privately-owned Lacoinbe herd in the world. 'Results of the Canada-wide Record of Performance testing program indicate that Lacombe hogs reach market weight a week to 10 days faster than Yorkshire and Landrace. There is little evidence of any breed differences in feed conversion and carcass merit. Lacombes have . proven popular for crossbreeding in Canada. • On the Prairies, Lacombe or ' Lacombe cross. parents are involved in the production of 40 percent or more of the commerical pigs marketed. Lacombes have been exported around the world, the ,most recent sale of 40 head going from Saskatchewan arid - Manitoba breeders to West • Germany in May, 1969. Canadians have also sold Lacombes to England, the U.S.S.R., Italy, Spain, Japan, Mexico, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic and Indo-China. ' "Although Lacombes have not sorpasSed other major breeds in catcass,„merit,,,they,,, have tended,.•„unite, 'of reproductive capacity and rapid growth, to be more efficient in lean meat production,” says Dr. :Fredeen. • Check before buying swine breeding stock • Crop •insurance benefits near $1 i limark ,clirrti70 ThgrOPyt Marph. 45, IWO r . r flan e most ependable eed killer vallable for Soybeans, White Beans, Snap Beans The higher your bean yield, the better your profit picture. 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FARM CENTRE "Quality lifinhandise ii t A Pair Price„ 22 Isaac St. Phone 402-9333 Open to Serve You daily and Oriday 8vening Closed Saturday Afternoon Otily'' 101i ew! asso 4 or corn and cans The most remarkable herbicide ever developed. HARRISTON FERTILIZERS Division of Cyanamid of Canada Ltd, 1-10wArib rvicKtN,oRY RALPH BU1=F1NGA 523-9266 4$2-192,7 CLINTON 482.9133 ar If BUSY 482.9938 fourgenerations for desired strains., not been selected , Such Selections Alq0..a.hPWOO a .111W4P4. advantage rPr the rParPaSa .feetPr aale§ in backfat, breast fat and fleshing, .However, they had no advantage in conformation when • .slaughtered at the conventional market date for turkeys, to. X) weeks for females and. 21 to 23 weeks for Plalea. When females were killed three weeks ahead of the males they showed an advantage over males in all faefors except breast fat. The significance of such work,. said Professor Hunt, is that it shows turkey strains can be improved when selected for rapid weight 'increase at 1g weeks of age, This improvement willnaturally benefit the producer, giving him. a heavier market' bird at maturity, and. one that has the characteristics required to attain a high grade, leeause of the - increased intramuscular fat, these birds are potentially more flavorful and juicy — a point that has great interest for consumers. New insurance plans for peas, corn, apples Farmers buying swine breeding stock should investigate before buying, says Mr. Ron Denniss, Swine Specialist with the Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food. It pays to ask questions, says Mr. Denniss, and suggests some important areas for investigation. Has the stock been officially weighed and backfat probed? If so, what is the average backfat thickness and age at 200 pounds? Mr. Denniss submits the following averaged for boars and gilts weighed and probed by the Live Stock Branch, Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food in 1969, that buyers may use for evaluation breeding stock, Average backfat thickneSS: Boars, .90 inches, gilts,' .95 inches. Average age at 200 Pounds: boars, 158 days, gilts 165 days, What is the significance of the weigh.probe index? Taking the above averages as 100, a weigh-probe index above 100 means ,that the boar or gilt is better than average, while an index below 100 means the stock is belOw. average. Mums Fuels Ltd 482.66'31 CLINtON bistributor for Mil Shell Oil Products SHELL; SHELL CHEMICALS The term Specific Pathogen Free (S.P.F.) has been loosely used to determine that a herd is healthy, said Mr. Denniss, so that exact health status of the herd should be checked. If the herd is enrolled under the Certified Herd Policy supervised by the Veterinary Services Branch, Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food, it will fall into one of the following herd health categories, 1. Certified free of Atrophic Rhinitis and Virus. Pneumonia. 2. Certified free of Virus Pneumonia. 3. Enrolled under the Policy. These categories are based upon postmortem examinations of the heads and lungs. Because there are a number of Other S,P.F. herds not enrolled on the above policy, but, which were derived from breeding stock from Certified or enrolled herds, Mr. Denniss notes that the buyer should find out the exact health status of the herd. General herd health can vary considerably. If the seller quotes the average market index of litter mates or pigs of the same breeding, buyers should Mk for the average age at market, as market index figures alone can be' very misleading, if the age at market is high. The guarantee that the seller offers is also important. Both buyer and seller Should clearly define their reaponsibilities in case a bOar or gilt does not breed satisfactorily. This guarantee should be in Writing, says Mr. Denniss, particularly if a considerable expenditure or a large number of animals is involved: If beef cows can be economically confined and fed a low-cost ration such as corn stover silage, Ontario could supply a greater percentage of its own requirements for calves to go into the feedlot. This is the opinion of Mr. Fred Schuld, Livestock Division, Ridgetown College of Agricultural Technology, who says that information is needed on the cost of harvesting and storing this feed, as well -as on the value of the feed in beef cow rations. He notes that the performance of beef cows in a confinement system throughout their productive life must also be examined. —Previous short-term trials at Ridgetown have indicated that corn stover silage as the only roughage could support dry beef cows over winter, thus reducing ration costs considerably, Long-term effects and effects of feeding corn stover silage the year round have not been examined. Research on the problem of harvesting and storing corn stover silage is continuing. Mr. Schuld reports that the trial presently under way is a long-term trial with two groups of beef cows. One group is receiving a ration consisting of hay for the dry period, and hay Plant certified seed Agriculture Minister H. A. (Bud) Olson today declared March Good Seed Month. He stressed the importance of using pedigreed seed, citing his own experience in establishing seeded rangeland oil his ranch in southeastern Alberta. Farmers would be wise to study the merits and economics involved in using Pedigreed seed, the minister said. Pedigreed seed has been produced under the standards of the Canadian Seed Growers' AssociatiOn. "It has been produced specifically for seeding purposes," Mr, Olson said, "so a farmer who buys pedigreed seed knows he is getting the variety and quality claimed on the label.' Pedigreed seed is inspected in the field and ' again after processing by officers of the Canada Department of Agriculture to ensure that it is true to variety and meets the standards for purity and germination. Certified seed is available in either sealed bags or bulk. Poundation and registered seed are available only hi sealed bags. the wet conditions that followed resulted in heavy losses. Now its third year of operation, the Crop Insurance Commission is underwriting over $7 million in crop risks, It is interesting to note that very few of the losses reported were caused by hail damage, coverage for which is available from private insurers. The comprehensive protection offered under the joint Federal and Provinpial crop insurance program covers virtually all perils including that of hail damage, With ' these three years' experience which it now has to go' on, together with many excellent suggestions received from farmers, the Crop Insurance Commission hopes to make improvements in some of its existing' plans as well as introducing new plans in 1970. Department of Agriculture and Food officials point out that participation in the crop insurance program offers a farmer the independence of obtaining indemnity for crop losses as well as a matter of legal right. supplemented with grain during the nursing period. The second group is receiving Corn stover silage supplemented with protein for the dry period, and whole plant corn silage supplemented with protein for the nursing period. Each of the groups will be housed in one section of an open front shelter with a concrete floor and an adjoining concrete yard, providing approximately 30 square feet per animal under the roof and approximately 50 square feet of yard per animal.. Corn stover silage will be fed out of an adjoining horizontal silo. The animals ' have been" artificially bred in confinement and will calve in confinement, Data will be recorded on cow weight changes, breeding efficiency, calving percentages, birth weight and weaning weight of calves,, feed intake, and feed utilization for maintenance and for reproduction. Mr. Schuld said it, is hoped to work out a recommended system for cow-calf operations under confinement using low-cost feeds such as corn stover silage. Ontario produces about Percent of all .Canada's turkeys, and 4.4*-e7 .research Is. an important part of the work of The Depattrugut of 'Poultry Science, 'University of 'Guelph,. Professor E. C, Hunt of the Department ..reports that over the past six years, Pr, O, W. Friars and his eCMvP*P0, have been selecting birds for their ability to .grow rapidly to n. weeks of age. This work IAA .00P4 sponsored jointly by the •canada. Department of Agriculture and the Ontario. Department of Agriculture and Food. Commercial strains of the turkeys used were bred for two generations to Make their populations genetically stable. These strains were then selected for four generations on the basis of their 12-week weight.. and grown to maturity. Professor Hunt reported that such selections .far early growth over four generations revealed that strains so selected has a 1 to 1/4 -pound mature weight advantage over strains that had Green peas, sweet corn and apples will be added this spring to the list of crops insurable through the Crop Insurance Commission of Ontario. This makes a total of 13 crops covered under the joint Federal and Provincial Crop Insurance program. Other crops already insurable in Ontario are winter wheat, oats, barley, mixed grain, forage, grain corn, soybeans, white beans, tomatoes, and potatoes. The new apple, green pea, and ,sweet corn plans introduce several new ideas into crop insurance. In the apple plan, for example, not only the level of coverage but also the premium rate is to be based on the grower's own loss experience over the past six years. This plan was developed through discussion with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association, and was unanimously approved by the Apple Growers' Committee of the Board. In both the new green pea and the sweet corn plans, insurance coverage will be based, upon -the 1`04efir &rage for each processing plant. These records are available through the Ontario Vegetable Growers' Marketing Board, The Crop Insurance. Commission is working in cooperation with the Ontario Vegetable Growers' Marketing Board and the Ontario Food Processors' Association in providing protection to growers of these crops. The insurance plan protects growers of these crops H"D"'"Monsanto from loss due to uncontrollable weather perils as well as uncontrollable insect infestation and plant disease. Wildlife damage is also covered in the sweet corn plan. The Commission will insure only green pea and sweet corn crops grown under contract to a processor. In green peas, quality will be taken into account because of the relationship between the yield and the tenderometer reading. Premiums for all plans are reduced 30 per cent by contributions from the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. All administrative costs are shared equally by the two Governments. * * Each year, the Canadian Red Cross gives emergency assistance to more than 11,000 victims of house fires across the country. The tally of crop losses in Ontario last year contains some interesting figures. The year 1969 was the worst for weather in living memory in the Southwestern portion of the province. Indemnities paid by the crop Insurance Commission of Ontario for crop losses reflect this situation. Claims paid by the Commission will amount to over $865,000, The greatest proportion of this amount went to the southwest in payment for losses on tomatoes, soybeans, and winter wheat. The tomato crop loss alone accounted for nearly a quarter million dollars of crop insurance claims, Tomato insurance is based of the grower's own - average yields as obtained from records of the Vegetable Growers' Marketing Board. Nearly 75 per cent of the growers in Kent county and a large • number in Essex county bought insurance when it was introduced late last winter. The spring that followed proved that ,buying insurance was a wise decision. A late frost required many growers to replant, and Corn stover silage is economical ration • Needs no incorporation. • Lasso 4 will not damage your crops or ruin your rotation plans. After it has done its job it breaks down harmlessly in the soil. • Lasso 4 by itself kills a wide variety of grasses in corn and soybeans. • Lasso 4 mixed with Atrazine 80W controls both broadleaf weeds and grasses in corn. • Lasso 4 gives excellent'results with at little as 3/10-,inch of rain, yet won't leach out with heavy rain. • Lasso 4 works consistently in heavy and light 6619 and performs well regardless of organic matter. Available from your local Co-op Farm Centre or your. local Aero Fertilizer Slender. For free descriptive literature On Lasso 4 and its use, Write Monsanto Canada Limited, 425 St, Patri0k St„ LaSalle, P.O. 4