The Citizen, 1986-08-27, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1986.
Kevin McKague, formerly of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority explains some of the
conservation techniques employed on the Gordon Lobb farm near Holmesville to one of the tour groups at
the annual Soil Conservation Day held at the farm Wednesday, Aug. 20. Among the guest speakers at the
event was Senator H. O. Sparrow.
Soil conservation day held
STEPHEN CALDWELL
United Co-operatives of Ontario is pleased to
anounce the appointment of Stephen Caldwell
as the new manager for the Auburn Branch.
Steve has been with UCO forthe past four years
in sales. See Steve for all your farm needs.
The Farm Store... and wm'
Farmers from across Huron
County got to see soil conservation
practices in operation at a Soil
Conservation Day held at the farm
ofGordonLobb, west of Clinton
Aug. 20.
The event, sponsored by the
Huron Soil Conservation District
featured exhibition of equipment
used in no-till farming as well as a
tour of the farm to show conserva
tion projects Mr. Lobb has under
taken.
John Schwindt, Conservation
Services Co-ordinator with the
Ausable-Bayfield Conservation
Authority discussed the value of
reforestation, either in planta
tions or in windbreaks. Plantations
provide a way of returning idle land
to productive forest, he said. These
may be hard-to-work corners of the
farm or areas of poor soil fertility.
Such areas help prevent soil
erosion because they act like a
sponge to catch and hold water, he
said.
Use of windbreaks between
fields can increase crop yields as
well as cutting down soil loss from
both wind and water, Mr. Schwindt
said. A single row of a tree like
Norway spruce can slow the wind
down and save soil but also create a
micro-climate. Protecting crops
from the wind can given them an
early start by keeping them
warmerinspringand helpthem
grow in hot summer by slowing
down winds that dry out the soil.
He recommended breaking up
large 300 acre fields into smaller
100 acre fields with the use of
windbreaks.
Beef day
scheduled
The Southwestern Ontario Beef
Cattle Day will be held at Ridge-
town College on Thursday, August
28.
The program starts with regi
stration at 1:30p.m.Topics include
cattle research taking place at
Ridgetown, cattle preconditioning
and protein sources for maximum
performances in the feedlot.
The agenda also includes a cow
evaluation exercise where partici
pants will have the opportunity to
rank cow-calf pairs. The program
will conclude at 7 p.m. with a panel
on the opportunities and challen
ges facing cattlemen in the next
five years.
The $ 10 registration fee includes
a roast beef dinner.
Gordon Lobb discussed his
experience since beginning using
no-till techniques. When he first
bought the Goderich township
farm, he said, erosion was so bad
that he seeded the whole farm to
hay and pasture and left it that way
for three years. Slowly he began to
grow crops using the no-till
system, first buying a chisel plow
then getting a no-till planter. By
now he has increased to growing
100-150 acres of crops starting with
corn and now experimenting with
no-till soybeans and no-till wheat
and barley. Hisyield in corn, he
said, has increased by 25 - 30 per
cent over the years since he
stopped using conventional till
age.
This year he has been experi
menting with no-till cereal crops
and admits to making a few
mistakes. The first time planting a
new crop is always a learning
experience, he said. There are big
advantages to no-till cropping
however because as well as soil
conservation, input costs are re
duced because not nearly as much
machinery is needed, he said.
Mr. Lobb said he is aiming at a
three-crop rotation.
Kevin McKague, formerly of the
Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority demonstrated some of
the erosion control measures Mr.
Lobb had implemented on his farm
such as grassed waterways and
leaving windblown knolls in grass
to prevent wind damage, not only
to the immediate area but to nearby
crops from the soil being blow onto
plants.
Also speaking at noon hour at the
meeting was Senator H. R. Spar
row, Chairman of the Senate’s
Standing Committee on Agricul
ture, Fisheries and Forestry which
broughtinthesoil conservation
report “Soil at Risk” in 1984.
Auburn Co-op
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