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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-05-19, Page 22MULTIPLE CONGRATULATIONS — Five young men from Middlesex County congratulated each 'other after Friday's graduation ceremonies at Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. From the left are Martin Vander Loo, Paul Hodgins, Peter Duenk, Ed Robb and Stephen Bowman. T-A photo CCAT graduation speaker list agriculture 'the in thing' SITE REQUIRED for INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH 1982 - approximately 1000 acres on farms within a 1 mile radius. - nearby 3 phase hydro line - nearby telephone exchange - good secondary road network Any interested Middlesex residents are invited to apply in writing to one of the following by not later than JUNE 30, 1977. Mrs. Mary Tuckey Secretary 38 Sunray Cr. Lambeth, Ont. - Mr. Floyd Wills President R.R. #2 Thorndale, Ont. Mr. Wilson Hodgins Vice-President Lucan, Ont. MIDDLESEX PLOWMEN'S ASSOCIATION BUTLER GRAIN BINS . 4wel Buy North America's largest selling grain bin at very competitive prices. MF AGRI BUILDERS can design, supply and install your Grain Storage and Handling System for less money than you think. Buy Before June 1st and Receive 10% off on all "BUTLER" GRAIN BINS & "CARDINAL" Handling Equipment BUTLER AGRI-BUILDER MF AGRI BUILDERS RR #2, Staffa, Ontario NOK 1Y0, Phone 345-2611 GETS CO-OP AWARD — Robert Traut was the top academic student in agricultural business management and received the United Co- Operatives of Ontario award at Friday's graduation exercises at Cen- tralia College. UCO district director Bob Down makes the presentation. T-A photo Get in on the $400 rebate on Case low- profile tractors: Case will send you a $400 Check for buying your new Case tractor'— any model from 43 to 80 PTO horsepower—between now and June 30th or, if you prefer, the $400 may be applied toward your down payment. That's a good deal —and a good deal more...from your participating Case dealer. $400.00 that ain't hay! iprA cgmmitment uality EME C. G. FARM SUPPLY LTD. RR 3, ZURICH, ONT, 236-4934 CG FARM SUPPLY LTD. ZURICH PHONE 236-4934 or 236-4321 New Idea's Uni-System WHOLE NEW UNLA WHOLE BETTER, where the whole idea means better performance Uni-System. New machines that make more sense in 1977. Uni-System. A completely new design that begins with two brand new Hydrostatic Uni Power Units. for your choice of up to 175 brake horsepower. Optional powered rear guide wheels for extra traction. Every convenience feature at your fingertips in the new Quiet Comfort Cab, including optional factory air conditioning for the kind of day-long comfort you've been looking for. Many of the Uni-System harvesting and gathering units are brand new, too! Take this Uni Forage Harvester, with the exclusive new 768 3-Row Wide/Narrow Row Crop Head, It'll harvest three rows of forage, in any spacing from 28 to 40 inches, with no ad- justments or modifications whatsoever! And teamed with a new Uni Power Unit, you'll get non-stop, high capacity chopping while you enjoy super quiet operation. Or choose a Uni Combine, Uni Picker, or Uni Sheller. No matter what you choose, you'll get a great combination ,of comfort, power, convenience, and profit-building versatility at a price that just can't be matched by single-purpose Self-propelleds for the same jobs. Page 22 Times-Advocate, May 19, 1977 tt More protein in fall Need nutritional ration By DENNIS MARTIN, Assistant Agricultural Representative for Huron County With todays high cost of protein supplement, dairy producers must be concerned about feeding a nutritionally sound ration year round. Because your cows may be going to pasture is no reason to assume dairy nutrient requirements will be met. Within a month the dry matter of spring grass can drop from 68 percent T.D.N, and 15,percent protein to 50 percent T.D.N. (Energy) and 7 percent protein. Quality of pasture can change greatly from one field to another depending on maturity and amount of legumes present. In May and June a grain mix containing 14 percent protein should be adequate, but during summer and fall when nutrient values drop in pasture a grain mix of at least 16 percent protein is required, A 1 to 1 commercial mineral mix should be sufficient, but you must keep in mind phosphorus and magnesium are the two minerals most often lacking in pasture rations. Additional dry hay (5 lbs. cow/day) is an excellent way to help prevent a severe drop in butterfat test which often occurs on lush pasture. With haying not so far away, you may be interested in having your feed tested. Types of analysis and cost per sample in each case are indicated below: 1. Dry Matter and Protein — $5.00; 2. Dry Matter, Protein, Plus Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium — $11.50; 3. Dry Matter, Protein, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium plus Manganese, Copper and Zinc — $14.50. In conjunction with the feed testing program, we have the dairy feed formulation service which will assist you in feeding a nutritionally sound ration. Feel free to contact our local Agricultural Office in Clinton if these programs are of interest to you. (Phone number 482-3428 or Zenith 7-2800). Forage wagons costly in protein Open forage wagons may be costing Ontario producers valuable protein, says J. K. Weeden, agricultural engineer for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Producers could be losing as much as 400 lbs. of forage leaves per acre by using open wagons. Based on protein costs this spring, this represents a loss of about $5 per acre. Because leaves are lighter than forage stocks, they can easily be picked up by cross winds and blown out of the wagon. Since most of the protein content of forages is in the leaves, losing them can greatly reduce the protein content of the feed. "Sixty-eight percent of the protein in alfalfa is in the leaves, while leaves of grasses contain about 57 percent protein. To eliminate the loss of this valuable protein Mr. Weeden recommends installing a roof on the forage wagon. But a roof alone will not completely solve this problem. "We suggest producers also install side vents extending from about half-way back to the back end of the wagon. The vents should be lined with wire screen or mesh no larger than 1/2 inch," • Another way to conserve the forages is to extend the blower into the wagon to eliminate the effects of cross winds. It is im- portant to watch the blower to make sure it is not shooting the crop away from the wagon. Harvesting the crop when it is too dry will also add to the loss When the crop is blown into the wagon. Leaves and other fine particles are easily picked up by the wind when they are dry. Because of the high protein content in forage crops, up to 20 percent if harvested correctly, it is important to conserve what has been taken off the field. "It is the in thing to be in agriculture in 1977". Those were the words of Dr. Clay M. Switzer, dean of the On- tario Agriculture College of the University of Guelph speaking to the graduating class Friday at Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. Dr. Switzer continued, "What a change this is from the attitude many urban people used to have. It wasn't so long ago that colleges at Centralia and Ridgetown were labelled as "cow colleges" by most high school students and there was no great demand for our program." "Now most high school students tend to be envious of their fellow students who go into agriculture and related fields. There is a real back to the land movement among young people", continued the Guelph University dean. According to Dr. Switzer every agricultural college in the United States and Canada is bursting at the seams and most have had to establish quotas and a large number of academically qualified students who wish to enroll are not being admitted for lack of space. Dr, Switzer stressed the im- pact possible energy shortages would have on the food system. He said former Ontario Minister of Agriculture W. A. Stewart ex- pressed concern in this field in 1975 when he established an energy management resource centre at Ridgetown saying, "energy may well become a major limiting factor to agricultural production." Dr. Switzer's message con- tinues, "In the past 30 years we have largely replaced muscle energy on the farm with chemical and mechanical energy. This has allowed fewer farm workers using less land to feed more people. It has been stated that one farmer could feed himself and five others in 1900, whereas today he is capable of producing food for more than 50 . other people. It is estimated that energy used on the farm to produce food is about three percent of the total energy used in Canada. This is considered to be one-tenth of transportaion energy and one- seventh of the energy used for heating buildings. Although food production is energy dependent and does re- quire relatively large quantities of fossil fuels it must be kept in mind that agriculture and forestry are the only industries to show a net gain in energy. A crop of corn, for example, with an energy input of one gallon of gasoline will return an energy equivalent of four to five gallons of gas. Howeyer, by the time the corn is dried, transported, processed, dis- tributed, sold to the customer and used, the total energy is greater than the food energy available in the finished produdt. It has been estimated that the total energy expended to get the food on the table represents between 12 and 15 percent of the total energy consumption in Canada. • One alternative, if energy becomes less available to farmers in Canada would be to grow only those crops that are most efficient in energy terms. Pasture crops, for example, give the maximum output of energy food per unit of energy input. The production of beef and milk give very low energy output per unit input and the production of grain crops is intermediate. Thus it might seem that in an energy deficient world, we should not be producing animals or animal products for food. Indeed, this has been suggested by many people who are concern- ed about the world food situation. However, there are other aspects to be considered. A large proportion of the feed used by cattle is made up of materials which would not normally make up part of the human diet, and animal wastes provide a poten- tial energy source. Also, cattle and other ruminants may graze on land which is not suitable for the production of crops that can be used directly for human food and Dealers plan large display More than 15 farm equipment companies will display forage handling equipment at Forage Days 77, June 7, 8 and 9 at the Elora Research Station, north of Guelph. The machinery show and demonstration are part of the three-day program designed to provide producers with the latest information on growing, har- vesting, storing and feeding perennial forage crops. Producers considering replacing forage handling equipment will nqt only be able to examine new equipment at Forage Days 77, but will also be able to see it in action. Selected pieces of equipment will be displayed to show how they can operate as a harvesting, storing and feeding system for either dry hay or hay crop silage. ' J. K. Weeden, machipery chairman of Forage Days 77, says that equipment for handling hay as conventional bales, big bales and stacks in the dry hay system will be shown. these animals are energy con- verters." Dr. Switzer stressed the im- portance of retaining high quali- ty land for agricultural use say- ing "this type of land may produce as much as 25 percent higher yields with the same energy input". In conclusion Dr. Switzer said, "I have faith that we will learn how to use alternative sources of energy long before our petroleum supplies run out. Nevertheless, we in agriculture have a responsibility to do our part in energy conservation and to make it clear to the rest of society that the food system must be given a high priority for available energy supplies." Dr. Switzer was introduced by Dr. J. C. Rennie, the executive director of Education and Research for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and guests were welcomed by Centralia College principal J. A. MacDonald. MacDonald said the College will celebrate its 10th anniver- sary on July 20 of this year and Friday's graduating class would bring the total graduates to date to more than 800. hydraulic hose for practically any applicatiOn for' most any machine Come to the hydraulic hose center. We have the equipment, bulk hose and a full line of fittings. We can furnish replacement or custom hose in just minutes, for almost any hydraulic hose assembly. MF Massey Ferguson SPECIAL THIS WEEK Front End Weights Pound '2500 8 Weights EACH SHERWOOD (Exeter) Ltd. 18 Wellington St. 235-0743 Exeter YOU BREAK IT WE'LL MAKE IT