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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1956-12-06, Page 11V By D. I. HOOPER Education And Farming few Research 3 Tuesday, December 11 ) of 5 < A £ A TURKEY STUFFED” WITH SAGE IS GOOD FOR. THE IMMER MAM - A SA&E STUFFED WITH TURKEY IS BETTER FOR THE INTELLECT * MR. R. A. HERGOTT, director of field services of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, will be present. -* To discuss plans for an OPEN MARKET CAMPAIGN which is now getting under way in Huron County. We Join The War Against RATS anthracnose 0 -"’1IB’ 'T< ? ' will 1 . ■ M IF IT WERE ALL THIS GOOD!—If the seed sown by Huron farmers was all as good as these prize-winning samples at the county seed fair this spring, officials of the field crops branch of the Department of Agriculture wouldn’t have much to com­ plain about. However, an extensive survey made this year revealed that only half of the seed sown'in Huron is of number one grade and 20 percent is of rejected quality. The report was presented at the Huron County Soil and Crop Improvefnent Association banquet Tuesday night. - —T-A Photo A challenge to strengthen the ■ Federation of -Agriculture at the township level was issued by Agricultural Representative G. W. Montgomery at Huron Fed­ eration’s annual meeting in Londesboro Wednesday. Mr. Montgomery said he felt there was some truth in the charge of a rival organization that “the Federation has be­ come a little dead at the heels.” “Some farmers, do not know what their township Federation is all about, or what it is do­ ing,” Mr. Montgomery said. “Township Federations have be- ^come a little ‘lackadaisical’ in Mjlot reaching out the’; way it ^/hould.” "' ' “The Federation of Agriculture in Huron county cannot be beat- enj” he. continued, .‘.‘but I would igshe ‘a challenge th-at you strengthen your-, organization right back to the township level. Township directors should at­ tend all township meetings and, in. the course of the year, point out' the value of the federation to other farmers.”- “The rival organization which * h,as been recently organized in several townships has been form- ed in a sincere manner. Some­ thing 'was lacking on a local level in. the Federation to re­ sult in a rival organization being formed.” Mr. Montgomery said the turn­ out at. the annual county meet­ ing was excellent “but .you are the same people I see attending all farm meetings.” “You are. going to have to act as missionaries to take back the Federation story to your neigh­ bours.” Over 225 people, including directors from all 16 townships in the- county attended the ban­ quet in Londesboro Community Hall. President Douglas McNeil, R.R.-' 6 "Goderich conducted the meeting. Needs Gross Income Of $10,000 Guest speaker, Prof. A. C, Robertson of the economics de­RoU--.___I ... partment of O.A.C., said that an average 40-year-old farmer in Huron county operating on 150 acres must.have a gross income of $9,825 just “to keep swim­ ming.” He arrived at thd figure by using estimates volunteered from members of the audience. a full flow of milk by feeding CO-OP SOW RATION • Maintain The amount, he said, did not in­ clude provisions to retire the capital debt on a farm this size. Interest on the investment would run about $1,525 at five percent. Operating expenses, in­ cluding hired labour, livestock and crop expenses, fertilizer, re­ pairs to buildings, taxes, etc. would cost $6,000, while provid­ ing for an average family of five , would run about $2,-300. “To stock this size of farm would run around $6,500, while machihery would cosv about $5,000, and feed and supplies would average about $3,000. Yet how many farm sales at this time of the year would bring $14,500? The whole deal - would, be a $30,500 investment, since the average value of a 150-acre farm is $16,000,” he said. Howevbr, he said that farmers are merely striving for .a bit more money. Their chief goal in life is to do a little better, provide a little more for their children than what was provided for them, and to have a little security for their old age. , (In an effort to assist Huron County farmers with farm ec­ onomics, a course on farm man­ agement is being offered by the Ontario Department of Agricul­ ture, in Clinton .the ■ last three weeks in February, with Prof. Robertson in charge,)*1 Referring to the present mar­ keting situation, Prof. Robertson Said he was in favour of farm­ ers having as strong a lobbying set-up as they can in order to get their fair'Share of the farm­ ing dollar. He urged the strength­ ening of farm organizations at the “grass-roots’4, level by get­ ting more information out to those who do not attend meet­ ings. Sees Good Hog Price He predicted a good price for hogs, which would, last until spring. Heavy marketings in beef cattle are expected now, result­ ing in the Usual seasonal drop, but prices for spring would be slightly higher. He warned pro­ ducers to be careful of market­ ing in mid-February. “Unless a farmer puts his own house in order, he is not in a fit position to get out and organize marketing on a larger scale,” he concluded. Among the out-of-county guests were Alphohsus Murray, Ripley, of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture who Said that he noted \yith 'interest that Huron County Hog' Producers are go< ing along with the direction of —Please Turn to Page 12 Section EXETER, ONTARIO, DECEMBER Sr 1956 Farm News of SOUTH HURON and NORTH r Dr. H. L. Paterson, director of the Farm Economics Branch, Ontario Department of Agricul­ ture, .pointed an encouraging picture for agriculture duririg the next decade in his speech to Huron. County Soil and Crop Improvement Association Tues­ day night. Dr. Pa terson *said there would be a general upswing of prices during the pext 12 year?. Population in Canada is in­ creasing to the point where al­ most ah farm products are now being consumed on. the domestic market. Export markets for Canadian produce are increas­ ing, too. The farm economist predicted that farmers “have, seen the worst that can happen * in the labor situation,” one of the ma- jor problems farmers have faced during the past five years. Although his long-term out­ look was optimistic, his short­ term forecasts were both good ■and bad, He predicted there would be shortages’ of dairy products soon because production was at its peak; but consumption was in­ creasing because Canada’s pop­ ulation is growing about three percent a year For the first time in three years, butter consumption has exceeded the production this 'year. This, is* true in the United States, too. Consumption of .whole milk has increased five percent in re­ cent years. The cheese situation has reached the point where not only does domestic consumption ' • Help the sow to start a' fast growing pig feeding CO-OP PIG PRE-STARTER at 7 to days of age. • Feed CO-OP PIG STARTER at 3 to 5 weeks , agb and you can wean them at eight weeks. • Keep your pigs growing fast by switching CO-OP HOG GROWER, when pigs reach • pounds weight. by 10 to 70 > Top thorn off after they reach about 140 bounds by feeding CO-OP HOG FINISHER to make them ready for the market in less time than you ever . thought possible. FEED THE CO-OP WAY AND SAVE Strict CO-OP Phon* 287 Collect Besid® CNR Station OPEN ALL-DAY WEDNESDAYS During Month of December The Hog Producers Of Hay Township are asked to attehd a meeting in the TOWNSHIP HALL Zurich Thurs., Dec. 13 , at 8:30 p.m. TO DISCUSS THE OPEN MARKET CAMPAIGN for th# sate of hogs t,/hich has been launched in Huron County. MR. RAY HERGOTT, Federation F i e I d nt a n for Western Ontario/ will be present to outline the plans for the campaign.' While watching Roy Jewell’s farm program on CFPL-TV last week we thought how apt was an editorial we had read some time ago on the need for higher education in agriculture. The in- tracies of, feeds and feeding alone are just one small phase of oUr business of farming. We have sometimes wondered if the time will come when every farm leader will carry a univer­ sity degree. That time seems a long way off now, but we are convinced that it is inevitable, •and that it may come much sooner than any of us think. The present period of surpas­ ses and declining prices, coup­ led with the much talked of de­ cline in the number of farms, is a direct consequence of the technological advance and the spirit of scientific .enquiry en­ gendered by World War II. Wars are not generally believed «to be either desirable, or, in the long run, profitable, but they do energize in remarkable fash­ ion the peoples engaged in them. The increased productivity per man in agriculture throughout all of the western world, is a direct result of a spirit of en­ quiry encouraged to an abnor­ mal extent by the necessities of war. Climate, of course, is al­ ways a factor as unpredictable as it is important, but it does not account for farm mechaniza­ tion, the feverish outpouring of new varieties, or the rapid in­ troduction of new herbicides, and pesticides, or for the dis­ coveries of anti-biotics, hor­ mones and fertilizer materials. Agriculture is not a dynamic industry.- It operates under con­ ditions peculiar to itself. To op­ erate successfully in relation to other parts of the national econ­ omy, the highest practicable de­ gree of general education is im­ perative. Practical experience is not enough, because by the time an individual farmer acquires it in sufficient degree to compen­ sate for lack of academic edu­ cation; he has too few years re­ maining' in which to use it. In view of these considera­ tions, it is a lamentable fact that our colleges of agriculture are so poorly attended, and match production but world markets are opening up because other countries are not produc­ ing as much cheese as they used to. “We nave reached the peak of cow numbers we will have in Canada yet the population is increasing each year—there- is every indication we will soon experience shortages in the dairy products.” “The beef outlook is not so happy,” said Dr. Paterson. “An all-time reeprd number of beef is being marketed both in Can­ ada and the United States.” However, prices had not dropped as much as he had expected. He told farmers to get rid- of their cattle in February to avoid the big rush in the spring. Hog prices, he said, would hold fairly steady in 1957 until early fall. The question then will depend on what will happen to the spring hog crop. Surplus grain in the west and corn. in the United States will increase hog production, he said. Dr. Paterson said it was dif­ ficult to predict poultry condi­ tions for the future but, as a general rule, prices ran in a two-year cycle. Because of good prices this year he predicted a lower range next; year. “There is a good continuing demand for grains of all* kinds.” Canadian wheat is .being shipped to 72 different countries. Consid­ erable barley is being exported to Japan. - The oat surplus is large, how­ ever, and this' will probably be reflected in increased hog pro­ duction next fall. • Dr. Paterson was introduced by G. W?*’Montgomery and ap­ preciation was expressed by H. H. G. * Strang, district director of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association^ Mr. Strang, who is second, vice-president of the provincial organization, urged members to attend the convention in Toronto in January Other speakers included As­ sistant Agricultural Representa­ tive Arthur Bolton, who outlined the 4-H field crop program; Elston Cardiff, Huron MP; Tom uvavcu occu uum uanic uy Pryde, Huron MPP; Warden with a bean that resists both j John Fischer; Valentine Becker, anthracnose and white mold, chairman of the county agri­ produces a high quality crop, cultural committee; Bill Jewitt, and matures early. reeve of Hullett; and Alan Wal- They’ve named it Sanilac.1 per, Stephen representative. Some of the' Michigan seed | About 150 attended the ban­ houses will have seed next quet served by Londesboro Worn- spring. ■ Sen’s Institute , Down To equally regrettable that so farm young people are able to complete -.high school. This is the time of year when farm par­ ents and young farm people should be thinking on these things. For many, it ..may be .the last opportunity open to them. Did you know? A new improved bush-type navy bean that’s a product of the atomic age for sure has been developed at Michigan State University. It’s a cross between the Mich- ilite Variety and the University’s big X-ray machine. What happened was that E. E. Down and A. L. Anderson treat­ ed Michilite seed with X-rays. Then they selected and back- crossed with plants from the treated seed until they came up Open Meeting Usborne Township Hog Producers Township Hall, Elimville 8:30 p.m. 4-H Winners Get Awards Over $3,000 in prize money and a host of trophies will be award­ ed to nearly 500 4-H members from Huron County at the an­ nual achievement night at South Huron District High School Fri­ day night. Trophies for the top. competit­ ors of the year, including the L. Elston Cardiff award 'for best young farm citizen in the county, will be announced. Many other special awards, trophies in livestock judging and the cash prizes will be presented. Guest speaker for the night will be W. P. Watson, livestock com­ missioner 1 for Ontario. Mr. Wat­ son is keenly interested in the junior extension program*« Robert D. Allah, president of the club loaders’ association, will be chairman. Agricultural Repre­ sentative G. W. Montgomery and his assistant, Arthur Bolton, will be in charge of the awards. As usual, the 4-H members will sit In a body, dressed in their green and white county sweaters, A lunch and dance will follow ATTENTION Cattle Owners IN SUPERVISED AREAS In Middlesex the Following Townships Are Supervised Areas: ADELAIDE CARADOC DELEWARE EAST WILLIAMS LOBO LONDON McGlLLIVRAY NORTH DORCHESTER • WESTMINSTER WEST NISSOURI IN THESE TOWNSHIPS: (a) Every heifer calf must be vaccinated, after it attains the age of four months but before it Teaches the age of nine months. (b) Every calf owner must arrange with the Vcterim arian for the vaccination of his heifer calves^ (c) If the veterinarian has an agreement ■with the minister-and most veterinarians iii supervised areas have such agreements--the cost,of the vaccination will be paid by the Ontario Department of Agriculture, (d) No female cattle over 36 months of age may be taken into a Supervised area from a noh-supervised area unless accompanied by a permit* 1 . . For particulars with regard to the regulations govern­ ing imports contact your veterinarian. This Ad Sponsored By Middlesex Fed. Of Agriculture Huron farmers received another rap on the knuckles Tuesday night when results of the 1956 seed drill suryey were announced I at the annual meeting of the county Soil and Crop Improve­ ment Association in Londesboro Tuesday night. The 279-sample survey, largest ever taken in Ontario, revealed the same embarrassing figures as the 50-sampIe seed survey I taken in 1955. It showed: Four out of five farmers did not know what grade of seed they were sowing, One out of five farmers sowed seed classified as rejected. Only half of the samples graded number one. The survey statistics prompted C. H. Kingsbury, district repre­ sentative of the field crops branch, Ontario Department of Agriculture, to chastise Huron farmers in the same fashion he did following the release of the 1955 report. “It’s amazing to me,” he said, “that only one-half of the samples graded number one, because I think of Huron County as one of the outstanding agricultural coun­ ties in the province—you produce more grain, hay and livestock in this county than in any other county in Ontario, “I’m damned if I see why you sow such poor grade of seed when you have all the advantages of good soil, good climate, an active soil and crop organization and 100 registered seed growers. De­ spite-these benefits you continue to rate average in the province.” “The good seed is here,. the good "Cleaning plants are here, yet you send your top seed out of the county instead of sowing it here.” » “That’s not, good enough for Huron—there’s no reason why your standard of seed shouldn’t be the highest.” Huron, he said, fell far below the standard of seed used in northern parts of the province. ^itniiii|>iiH*iiiiiiiiiiiii|iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!H(iiiiiiiuiiiiiiiitiiihiiiiiiiiiiitiHiiiiiiiii>iiii|nii(iiitiiii)'|tiiiiiiihiltitii^ Record-Size Seed Drill Survey Reveals 20^b Rejected Grade I In surveys taken there this year, t the percentage pf number ®ne peed sown was as high as 75 I percent* I G. W. Montgomery/ county ag rep and secretary of the county association, said “this is a very sad situation but it exists not pnjy in this county but all across the province of Ontario, “Farm* ers are negligent in this busi- ness of selecting good seed.” “Sow the best and feed the rest” is the slogan which should apply to Huron farmers, he said- “The most amazing part' of this report is that 79 percent of those sowing cereal grains had­ n’t any idea of what grade they were sowing. Further to that many of them didn’t even know the, variety,” Mr* Montgomery urged those in attendance at the annua) meeting to tell others of the results of this survey in the hopes they will take heed and correct this situation. The 1956 survey revealed slightly worse seed being sown than in 1955. Figures on grading of all of the 270 samples were (55 figures in brackets): No. 1, 52% (55%); No. 2, 17% (15%); No. 3, 11% (13%); re­ jected, 20% (17%); treated, 84% (64%). Analysis showed that 51 sam­ ples of cereals were free of weed seeds but 97 contained wild buckwheat seeds. Eight contained prohibited noxious weed seeds, ■ The small seeds, said Mr. Kingsbury, contained some weeds which O.A.C. botanical experts had heard of but had never seen. This prompted the head- of the bdtany department to visit Hur­ on to view the -rare specimens. The survey also showed strik­ ing differences between plant* cleaned and farm-cleaned cer­ eal seed samples* (The percent- —Please Turn, to Page 12 has gone into the cattle feed we carry. We know Purina and Shur-Gain sup­ plements will keep your cattle on feed, put them to 'market on less feed, in less time with more profits to the farmer. *) ioc*i luMutial Our Ammunition Is Wilsons Warfarin Fattening Heavy Cattle GRAIN-FEED SEED 7¥>»«WUAI EM mPNCOt u in »r t. PURINA Steer Fatenq (Special Price Delivered Bulk) PRACTICAL & BEST FOR EVERY BEEF FEEDER A Beef Feed To Fit fl very Need , FLEXIBLE FORMULAE FOR • Roughing Through Winter . • Finishing Baby Beef • For Show and Breeding Purposes „ Shur-Gain Beefmaker (Special Price in your Bags) THE BEST SUPPLEMENTS FOR USE WITH HOME-GROWN GRAINS * Molasses Our special mixer for spray mixing warm molasses with your grain is at your service; Why not use it? Weathered grain should be mixed with molasses for more palatability. Let us mix it for you. Our price on. molasses by the drum will save you money Better inquire now. and Howards Warfarin Buy it in bulk—it costs less. Remember—you’re go­ ing to feed them anyway. It’s cheaper to feed them to die than to feed them to live. ■s CAR LOADS ARRIVING SHORTS/ OYSTER SHELL/ BALED WOOD SHAVINGS Let us quote savings bft cars.