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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-01-18, Page 7Mastitis control can be easy Mastitis, a recurrent problem in dairy herds, costs producers as much as $100 to $150 per cow each year : Dr. G. Fisher, head of the Veterinary Services Laboratory in Keritptville, says 97 percent of the losses due to mastitis are not readily visible. While this chronic or "hidden" type of mastitis may not appear to be - causing any damage to the cow; it has been proven that it markedly reduces production. "Only through quarter sampling and a laboratory test can a producer be' sure of ' detecting mastsitis and knowing which organisms are involved." To achieve good mastitis control. Dr. Fisher recommends removing two or three streams of foremilk from each quarter to examine for abnormalities. A strip, cup is a valuable tool to use. Dr: Fisher says it is important to wash the udder with a warm sanitizing solution, then dry it • with a single service paper towel. He says some producers have found newspaper works satisfactorily:. Attach the teat cups approximately one minute `after washing, or when the teats are full 'of milk. WEEKLY SALE BRUSSELS STOCKYARDS LTD. EVERY FRIDAY At 12 Noon re-- Phone 887-6461 Dr. Fisher advises producers to machine strip when the milk flow slows (usually three to four minutes) but not to overmilk. Immediately after milking use a recommended teat dip. Other control • measure include treating all clinical cases of mastitis, using a dry cow treatment or the California Mastitis Test (CMT) each month. "Quarter sample the herd at least once a year and more often if a flare-up has occurred." BERG Sales — Service Installation FREE-ESTIMATES ° Barn Cleaners ° Bunk Feeders ° Stabling Donald G. Ives R.R.#2, Blyth Phone: Brussels 887-9024 Feu iff& /47 L FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. Reduce Feed Costs! Farmhand 825 — 102 cu. ft. tank — 480 sq. in. screen area — 10 ft. discharge auger — magnet, 2 screens — ladder, jack, tires FARMIIANO PRICE $.3,685 Less '1,105 ...Its. Lesi 184 --•••• GAIN 20% DEPRECIATION 30% CAPITAL GRANT (available for feed 5% TAX CREDIT handling equipment) (you' can deduct 5% of purchase off your Federal Income. Tax.) X2,396 Your Net Cost! plus 90 day Interest Free Financing Farm Show Tractor Pull tickets available Jan. 31 to 'Feb. 3 These programs apply, to other items also — ask for details. fly SEAFORTH 527-0120 di See The CAI1RIDA FARM SHOW The largest indoor farm equipment show in Canada BUS TRIP Wedneday, February 1st. 1978 From Walton. At 8:oo A.M. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL 527-0245 or 887-6365 This Bus Trip Sponsored By MeGavins Farm SEAFORth Ltd.,,m Walton 527 ,0245 pment BRUSSELS 887-6365 Huron residents Warn THE BRUSSELS •POST, JANUARY 18 1978 —7 about soil erosion Soil erosion was emphasized on the final day of the annual three-day Agricultural Conference at the University of Guelph," January 3, 4 and 5. In a crowded lecture hall eight speakers presented their ideas with slides to illustrate their recommendations.. ' "Why be concerned about soil erosion?" asked W. T. DickinsOn,•School of Engineering, O.A,C. "How much erosion is too. much?" was the question posed by Neil E. Moore, Soils and Crops Branch. of O.M.A.F. Two of the speakers were well known Huron County residents. Norm Alexander , Londesboro, spoke on "Erosion as I see it from a Drainage Commissioner's Viewpoint" and Jim McIntosh, a Federation of Agriculture , Regional Director from Tucker- smith Township, spoke on "Soil Conservation: A Farmer's Viewpoint". Mr. Alexander has become well known beyond the borders of Huron County for his. work on soil erosion, and for his efforts'to alert government and farm organi- zations to the erosion problem. Mr. Alexander said some provision should be made to train back-hoc - operators in drainage installations and repair, so they would . be -available as sub- contractoS fOr hire: by ditch and, the contractors;- and also would be available for municipal Councils, drainage commissioners • and contractors' to hire for repair work. 1-1erecommends.instruction and training for tile installers and ditch contractors in. rip-rap construction, and other erosion control measures, which might ' include seeding graded runways. "Much of the information on cropping practices, grassed waterways, permissible water velocities and how to control the -speed of water from private tile endings exiting into municipal ditches is available from the United States'', he said, "but could be adapted to Ontario conditions." • Mr. Alexander drew the group's attention to a book by a Dr. Mciconkey called "Conser- vation in. Canada." Among other things, the book recommends research • to develop a Co- ordinated national plan and organization to carry out a long •. term action program to conserve the natural resources of Canada, and more personnel trained in the techniques of conservation. This calls for more scholarships to .support graduate . studies in conservation in other countries, • 'especially the United States, it notes. "AbOut 25 years have passed since Dr. :McConkey wrote this 'and what has been done about it? What would a scholarship cost? How long will it be before these suggestions are put into practice?" . Mr. Alexander concluded. Jiiin McIntosh, in his address, pointed out that farmers must juggle soil .preservation 'with the attempt to obtain maximum productivity. "If certain, soil preparation techniques such as ' zero tillage or chisel plowing reduce the surface loss of soil, but also •reduces, the ecru yield by 16%, who is .going to pay the price of the yield reduction?" the Tuckersmith farmer asked. "And who is going to be responsible for determining what percentage of the population would go hungry because .of the shortfall in total yield?" The soil must be operated the same as a bank, Mr. McIntosh said. Continued withdrawals with no deposits would soon lead to bankruptcy. Economic steward- ship of our land resource may well be the ball of the 1980's, he noted, just as the requirement of the 60's. and 70's was to grow two blades of grass where one grew before, or 100 pounds of corn where 50 pounds of oats grew before, Mr. McIntosh told the audience of farmers, students and professors that possibly one of the main reasons farmers in the past have never been too concerned about soil loss from erosion is due to the attitude of government and society in general, permitting the rapid loss of good agricultural soil under the developer's bulldozer,„ "I expect that the total tonnage of soil lost from farm land due to erosion in Ontario in the period 1971 to 1980 would only be a small fraction of what is being lost to urban and industrial develop- ment, the building of highways and the construction of energy (hydro) corridors," he said. „owl Nois,14t, , 45, HURON 78 ; September 26 - 30, 1978 HURON COUNTY- Mr.. McIntosh described how the annual harvest of rocks from fields could be used to form stone dams parallel with the direction the field is normally cultivated, These dams do not significantly interfere with the operation of equipment, but they slow up the flow of water' and cause sedimentation behind each of the stone piles, he said. Mr. McIntosh said soil conservation could best be accomplished through education programs and not through legislation. He quoted one official from the Ministry of the Environ- ment who admitted there are problems enforcing all regulations now. "Most farmers who own their land value it highly as a resource, even more so today with high land values, and do not want to see it slowly wash or blow away. If programs can be developed to reduce the loss of soil due to erosion, which ,can be economically adopted, then I am sure that farmers will be only too willing to adopt them," Mr. McIntosh concluded.