HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-08-13, Page 13PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1986.
So// testing first and last step in crop production
BY JOHN HEARD
SOILS AND CROPS SPECIALIST
O.M.A.F.
Times are busy down on the
farm. With the variety of crops
currently grown in this area,
planting and harvest practically
run together.
Dairy farmers know this since
they’ve been working on their
second cut hay already, but this is
new for some cash croppers. One
farmer had the hired man combin
ing winter rapeseed while he
finished scuffling the beans - two
jobs he traditionally considered fall
and spring work. So with all this
activity it is probable that some
other jobs will be ignored. I hope
you don’t ignore soil sampling or
cleaning up the granary for the
OFFIRR program
changes announced
More farmers will be eligible for
greater interest rebate assistance
under a new three-year program
beginning September 1, Agricul
ture and Food Minister Jack
Riddell has announced.
The new Ontario Family Farm
Interest Rate Reduction (OFFIRR)
program, as promised in the 1986
provincial budget, will provide
interest rebates on up to $260,000
of existing long-term intermediate
and short-term farm debt held by
approved lenders.
The new program brings the
effective cost of long-term credit
down to eight per cent or a
maximum of seven percentage
points. The maximum interest rate
eligible for rebate on fluctuating
demandloansisprime rate plus
three per cent.
The new program incorporates
the interest reduction benefits of
the Farm Operating Credit Assist
ance Program (FOCAP) with the
assistance provided under the
popular 1985 OFFIRR program.
At the end of July, the 1985
OFFIRR program had helped some
8,490 farmers with some $41
million in interest relief. More than
10,000 farmers applied for the
program and applications are still
being processed. It is expected the
program will reach its target of
close to $50 million in assistance.
The new program offers enhanc
ed benefits over the 1985 OFFIRR
program including coverage of
short-term and intermediate farm
debt, an increase in the amount of
eligible debt from $200,000 to
$260,000, three years of assist
ance, and expanded eligibility to
include Beginning Farmers Assis
tance Program participants.
The operating loan guarantee
aspect of the FOCAP program will
continue as a separate program
called the Operating Loan Guaran
CUSTOM COMBINING
TRUCKING AVAILABLE
2 Receiving Legs
8000 bu/hour
unloading capacity
OUR ELEVATORS WILL BE
RECEIVING YOUR
1986 WHITE BEAN
AND CORN CROP
Ontario
1986 crop. Soil sampling and grain
storage are the first and last
activities in crop production -- not
planting and harvesting.
Now is theright time to soil
sample for fall fertilized crops.
This means the fields should be
sampled now. It will take about two
weeks from the time Agri-Food
Labs receive your soil sample until
you receive the mailed out recom
mendations, so schedule your
samplings accordingly. Agricrews
are suffering a lull in their
workload from late July into early
August, so call in your manpower
requests to your OMAF office.
Of course, at this time of year it
willbetheeasiesttosoil sample
following a harvested crop - such
as second cut hay, winter wheat or
tee Program.
The new OFFIRR program
provides benefits of 100 per cent in
the firstyear, 70 per cent in the
second and 40 per cent in the third.
The rebates are paid directly to the
farmer by cheque.
“This program is targeted to
farm families with equity of 10 to 75
per cent,” said Riddell. “This is
the group that has suffered most
from eroding equity caused by high
interest costs. The program will
also consider producers with ex
ceptional ability who have less than
10 per cent equity.”
Ontario residents operating a
farm from which they intend to
earn a family living are eligible for
assistance if they have less than 75
per cent equity.
The amount of eligible debt is
reduced if net worth exceeds
$500,000, and if participants are
already receiving benefits under
the Ontario Junior Farmer Esta
blishment Loan program or the
Beginning Farmers Assistance
Program.
The amount of rebate is affected
if off-farm income exceeds $30,000
and if participants are receiving
interest reduction grants under the
1986 FOCAP. Rebates cannot be
paid until after any loan guarantee
under the Ontario Farm Adjust
ment Assistance program or
FOCAP has expired or repayment
has been made.
Deadline for applications if. May
18, 1987.
Applications for the new
OFFIRR program will be availble
from local OMAF offices beginn
ing September 1, 1986. Further
information and applications
forms are also available from
OFFIRR, Farm Assistance Pro
grams Branch, Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food, 801 Bay
Street, Toronto, Ontario M7A 2B2.
(416) 965-7661.
winter rapeseed - but sampling
row crops is important also. This is
especially the case if you suspect
nutrient problems in the crop.
Visual assessment of where the
crop is good and where it is poor is
much more accurate now, when the
crop is actively growing than after
harvest or worse yet, next spring
after fall tillage. By noting crop
colour or height differences you
can sample problem areas separ
ately and compare to soil tests from
good areas.
And if you are using the Ontario
SoilTestLab at Guelph-- where
there is no charge for routine
phosphorus, potassium, pH and
magnesium tests, you may feel
guilty. You are getting a free
service that most crop producers in
this continent pay for. Even if you
don’t consider this a benefit, you
can rest assured that other coun
tries consider it when figuring out
subsidies paid to Ontario crop
producers. For only $2.00 per
sample you can get zinc and
manganese tests and for another
$5.00 an organic matter test. These
measures are probably important
in diagnosing problem areas.
Rarely are OMAF employees
accused of selling fertilizer for
supply companies. But, when we
get asked over the phone, “How
much phosphorus and potash do I
need on my alfalfa and winter
wheat and I don’t have a soil test’ ’,
we usually recommend for a low
fertility soil, meaning high rates of
fertilizer. That’s because the yield
penalty for under
fertilizing is more severe than the
cost of over-fertilizing (since over
fertilizing will help build your soil
test levels). If you don’t soil test -
then you should expect to pay more
for fertilizer -- since you are not
working at fine tuning your
cropping program.
Dealing with stored grain in
sects is another textbook case of a
bitof pre vention being a lot less
painful than trying to cure the
problem. Several farmers the last
LOGEL
Enterprises
RR3,
Listowel, Ont.
TOPDOLLARS
PAIDFOR
SCRAPCARS
ANDTRUCKS
Parts to fit
mostvehicles
Check Our Prices!
Call us at
291-1464
two months have gone through the
task of transferring grain from one
bin to another and fumigating the
grain. Not only is this frustrating,
but also dangerous. Proper gas
masks must be worn when fumiga
ting and farmers are often hesitant
about feeding grain they know has
been treated to kill insects.
Grain bins should be thoroughly
cleaned of all old grain and caked
on material. This should remove
the major source of insects that will
spread to new grain. Fully perfor-
atedfloors pose problems since
they cannot be lifted for cleaning.
Insects remaining may be controll
ed by spraying the clean bin at least
| A NEW ADDITION TO |
J Steuwti "Pfiowtacty |
| ____________BRUSSELS____________ |
Keep an eye open for our
Grand Opening Sale
Triiiiiiiiiimiisiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin
Public Tour
of Reforested Farmland
and Managed Woodlots
in Goderich Township
Take this opportunity to see the
long-term resultsof reforesting
marginal farmland and the bene
fits of proper woodlot manage
ment. All rural landowners, in
particular, are invited.
Date: Thursday, August 28, 1986
Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
[two-hour bus tour]
Location: Tour begins in the
Holmesville area [please call for
details]
Cost: None, but PRE-REGIST-
RATION IS REQUIRED by
contacting, by August 22nd,
Marvin Smith or Steven Bowers
at the Wingham District Office,
Ministry of Natural Resources,
R.R. #5, Wingham, Ontario,
NOG 2W0. Phone 1-800-265-
3003 toll free.
Ministry of
Natural
Resources
two weeks betore moving in ne^v
grain. Spraying250to330mLof
malatbion, 500 EC in 5 L of water
will treat 100m2 of bin surface.
Keeping the grain dry and cool will
help control molds as well as
insects. Grains should be stored at
14 per cent moisture or less and
cooled if aeration is possible.
Both of these jobs -- soil
sampling and cleaning grain bins -
are important and should receive a
high priority --just as important as
making sure your combine is
repaired, adjusted and ready to
harvest the 1986 crop. After all, soil
sampling and grain storage are the
first and last steps of crop
management.
Hon. Vincent G. Kerrio
Minister
Mary Mogford
Deputy Minister