HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1977-05-18, Page 15KEN ANSTETT
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entralia grads hear THE BRUSSELS POST, MAY 18 1977 —15
A griculture the in thing
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 hasbeen suggested by many
people who are concerned 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
Agriculture and Food and guests
were welcomed by Centralia
College principal , J.A.
MacDonald.
MacDonald ,said the College
will celebrate its 10th anniversary
on July 20 of this year and
Friday's graduating class would
bring the total graduates to date
to more than 800.
olt is the in thing to be in
agr iculture in 1977,"
Those were thewords of Dr.
(lay M, Switzer, dean • of the
Ontario Agriculture- ollege of the
University of Guelph speaking to
he graduating class ,Friday at
Centralia College of Agricultural.
echnology.
Dr. Switzer continued, "What
a 'change this is from the attitude
many urban people used to have.
t wasn't so long ago that colleges
at Centralia and Ridgetown were
belled as "cow colleges" by
ost high school students and
here was no great demand for
our program.'!
"Now most high school
students tend to be envious of
heir fellow students who go into
griculture and related .fields.
here is a real back to the land.
movementamong young
eople," continued the Guelph
Iniversity dean.
Bursting
-According to Dr. Switzer every
agricultural college in the United
tates and Canada is bursting at
the seams and most have had to
Stablish quotas and a large
number of academically qualified
tudents who wish to enroll are
not being admitted for lack Of
pace.
Dr. Switzer stressed the impact
ossible energy shortages would
lave on the food system. He said
ormer Ontario Minister of Agri-
mIture W.A. Stewart expressed
:oncern in this field in 1.975 when
to established an energy
nanagement resource centre at
Ridgetown saying, "energy may
yell become a major limiting
'actor to agricultural
production."
Dr. Switzer's message,
continues, "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 a'nd 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
transportation energy and one-
seventh of the energy used for
heating buildings.
Although food production • is
nergy dependent and does
require 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
quivalent of four to five gallons'
of gas. However', by the time the
eon is dried, transported,
processed, distributed, sold to the
customer and • used, the 'total
energy is greater than the food energy available in the finished product.
12 ,15%
It has been estimated that the
total energy expended to get the
ood on the table represents • tetween 12 and 15 percent of the
otal energy consumption in
Opacitiolt
Your heart is a vital
organ, pumping blood to bring oxygen arid nourish_.
tent to the body grid it, •
moving wastes: If your heart stops • so do you' ,
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 respon-
up part of the human diet, and
animal wastes provide a potential
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
these animals are energy
converters.
Dr, Switzer stressed the
importance of retaining high
quality land for agricultural use
saying "this type of land may
produce as much as 25 percent
higher " yields with the same
energy input."
Has Faith
sibility 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
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