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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-09-20, Page 6September 26 - 30, 1978 HURON COUNTY A home of your . own To find YOUR home, Read Post Classified ads VACATION PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE GUIDE BURIED IN BILLS? WE'LL DIG YOU OUT THROUGH OUR CLASSIFIED PAGES Use ot.ir result -getting classified ads to sell yo a extra housc..iold goods for quick cash. Buyers are looking for all sorts of things; an opportunity for you to get that extra cash to pay those bills. CALL 887 6641 ismat.n nefel o o g Brussels Post Musette 6 -- THE BRUSSELS POST, SEPTEMBER 20, 1.978 I Subsidy loss angers cattleman Leaders of the' Canadian Cattlemen's Association have reacted, with anger to news that there will be no federal government subsidy to offset losses last year. Stu Brown of Sheddon, president of the association, criticized the federal govern- ment for lacking "the nerve" to announce ,its decision earlier. The. decision, still not announced officially, was conveyed in a letter from Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan to the association. The letter, received last week, was a reply to the organization which asked about the subsidy. Both Brown and Alex Connell of Palmerston, president of the Ontario association, criticized the federal govern- ment for making payments on a quarterly basis last year, but not this year. Had the calculations been quarterly, there would have been a hefty subsidy for cattle marketed in the first half of the year, they said. The subsidy for the final quarter of 1976 was $2.98 a hundredweight and Brown noted that, market prices declined by an average of 11.40 a hundredweight in the first quarter of 1977 "and were little different in the second quarter." On that-basis, the subsidy most farmers anticipated was in the $4.50 per hundred- weight range, or close to $50 per market-weight steer. The federal government® reckoned .its 1976 subsidy, had all farmers applied, would total $45 million. The letter from ,Whelan to the Ontario association boiled down to the fact that there will be no subsidy for 1977 according to secretary-manager Graeme Hedley. The federal government issued statistics this week as part of its weekly livestock market report which amounted to the same news as Whelan's letter. The statistics for the first time revealed the federal government's calculations of the five-year average price—$42.78 a hundredweight; - and the previous five-year average cost of production-7436.88 per hundredweight. It showed the 1977 weighted average national price at $40.19. The law demands that prices be supported at no less than 90 per cent of previous five-year average (in this case $38.43) adjusted to reflect increases in production costs over the previous five- Agriculture Minister Bill Newman recently announced that he has accepted the recommendation of the Farm Products Marketing Board to amalgamate the OntaricTender Fruit Growers' Marketing Board and the Ontario Fresh Fruit Growers' Marketing Board. The new board will be known as the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Market- ing Board and will be responsible for marketing Ontario peaches, pears, plums and cherries. • • . Jim Rainforth, secretary-manager of the Tender Fruit Growers' Marketing Board, said that the poor turnout of voters (only ten per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot) in the opinion poll might be misleading because of the small proportion of full-time year average, The 1977 production costs figure is missing from the figures released in the government report. Both Connell, and Brown repeated lobbying positions taken by their associ- ations that the subsidy formula should be public so farmers can make production and marketing plans .with some confidence about the government's commitments. commercial growers mong the eligible voters. Rainforth explained that unlike apple and tobaccO growers, who must cultivate a certain minimum acreage in order to be eligible to vote, there are no similar restrictions for tender fruit growers. For, this reason, it is likely that many of the growers who did . not vote were either part-time or diversified growers who have little interest in the future of the marketing boards. Consequently, Rainforth estimated that 50-60 per cent of the actual tender fruit acreage was represented by the growers who voted in the recent expression of opinion poll. Perth farm news How silo gas forms Newman okays joint board by Alan Scott, Ag. Rep., Pat Lynch, Soils & Crops Spec. Barry Sinclair, Assoc. Rep. • Silo Gas Silo gas could be a problem in 1978. Drought conditions have likely produced a smaller corn plant with a greater con- centration of nitrates, in the leaves. These nitrates produce silo gases. Gas production starts with the ensiling process and continues for at least two weeks. Overfertilization is another factor that contributes to the production of these gases. Special care should be taken with corn fields that have received a heavy coating of manure as well as 100 lbs. per acre or more (90 kgms ,per hectare) of actual nitrogen. Silage gases usually have a sickly sweet odour and, a colourless or yellowish brown colour. Since they are heavier than air, they will form just above the silage surface or spill down the chute and injure humans or livestock in contained areas at the bottom. Sometimes there is no evidence that gas is present. The gases cause problems in a number of , ways. Ladder climbers have been rendered unconscious while climbing the silo with resulting injury from falling down the chute. Last year in Eastern Ontario, two brothers and their farm employee were killed instantly, one after the other, when they entered a silo that had been partly filled two days, earlier. In other cases, there has been an initial dizziness and then real problems 6 to 8 hours later when the individual has experienced coughing, high temperature, shortness of, breath and. paralysis. Safety is only insured if one stays away from the silo for at least two weeks after filling. Self contained breathing units provide protection but they are difficult to obtain and cumbersome to use in a Alo. Other units provide no protection. Running the blower for 30 minutes MAY expel the 'gas but this action may not displace gas if the corn is below the level of the open door. Climbing and/or entering the silo is risky at the best. If someone insists on going in the silo, then he should operate with a partner who is holding a • lifeline tied to his waist. Work is presently being done on a device to test for silo gas. In addition, one company has developed a self contained breathing unit with tanks that remain on the ground and are attached by a hose to a mask that can be used in the silo. This equipment sells fOr $800 to $1,000 and night be considered as a cooperative purchase by a group of farniers. Winter Wheat The optimum date for seeding winter wheat in Perth County is September 15th to October 1st. There are rumors that later planted Wheat yields higher, These humors are based on a small number of fields that were planted later in 1977 but yielded well, We tend to forget that in the spring of 1978 a lot of fiels were ripped up because they wtre Winter d killed. Late sown Wheat with shallow roots tend to heave more readily than does wheat sown early in the fall. Wheat must be sown early enough in September to allow .tiller development this fall, Sowing too early can lead to too much top growth. Seeding rate of wheat is about 1 1/2 bushels per acre. Late sown wheat should be sown heavier since there is less time for tiller development. Fall applied nitrogen should not exceed 15 lbs. per acre. Excess nitrogen promotes too much top growth which can lead to wintcrkill. Federick is the most common variety of winter wheat. In 1977 sonic Yorkstar was sowiAy growers who were dissatisfied with Frederick the previous year. This past year, in fields where both were sown and winter kill was a problem, both varieties were equally affected. - Weedy Bean Fields White bean fields 'that have had a large number of weed escapes this year can be treated with a product called Reglone. Reglone is a harvest aid used for the desiccation of weeds that can cause problems when pulling and combining beans. Reglone may be applied when 80 - 90% of the natural leaf defoliation of the white bean plants has occurred. This treatment does not mature the beans, nor lower the mositure content, but merely dries out the weeds in one week or less. Harvesting can then be done at any time after that, depending on the condition of the beans. Treatment costs range from approximately $6.75 to $9.00 per acre plus the cost of application. Cement Dust Over the past few months, there has been increasing interest in the use of cement kiln dust as a supplement to improve the rates of gain of steers fed a roughage-grain diet. The cement dust is a by-product of Portland cement production, containing high levels of calcium as well as a wide assortment of trace minerals. Dr. D.N. Mowat of the Ontario Agri- cultural College reports that the latest research still leaves a number of questions unanswered. The reasons for the improved growth rates have not yet been deter- mined. Part of the effect for the improved' growth rates have not yet been . deter- mined. Part of the effect may be attribUted to a simple PH buffering effect in the digestive tract. The main effect may be due to the correction of a yet, unrecognized trace mineral deficiency ; 'which may be limited only to certain geo graphic regions: Composition of the dust appears to Vary Widely and concern exists' because of the possibility of toxic levels of certain minerals ; such as lead, being present. As resu, Dr. Mowat is encouraging cattle feede lt rs hot to try feeding cement kiln dust 'until further data becomes available on feeding levels; toxicities; residues etc. further research and monitoring on this subject Will be continuing.