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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-11-21, Page 1Farm changes? Fuel crisis may change farming practices See page 19 Wil Mlllllllll Bulls rolling Brussels Bulls continue winning ways See page 15 A lasting Gift Musical brings holiday delight See page 27 I il III. I J,...........U... iJ. VOL. 6 NO. 47 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1990.50 CENTS Elementary teachers get 6.1% raise The Huron County Board of Education and its 420 elementary teachers represented by the Huron Women Teachers’ Association and the Ontario Public School Teach­ ers’ Federation ratified a collective agreement for the 1990/91 and 1991/92 school years. It was after considerable discussion during a closed session on Monday night that the trustees accepted the recommendation. Only Norman Picked and Norm Wilson voted against. Superintendent of Personnel Gino Giannandrea explained tea­ chers would receive an increase in salary by 6.1 per cent for the first year and a further five per cent increase in 1991/92. In addition he said a cost of living protecter clause has been added for the second year should the consumer price index from April 1991 to April 1992 exceed five per cent. As of January 1, 1991 the minimum and maxi­ mum teachers’ salaries will be $23,966 and $59,161 respectively. Mr. Giannandrea said that there have been some benefit enhance­ ments added to the contract as well. The agreement calls for increases in the Board share of costs for the vision and dental care plans. Teachers guaranteed pre­ paration time will increase from 120 to 140 minutes over the life of the agreement. Mr. Giannandrea agreed that with the country in recession and the boards already facing budget difficulties, the contract was a hard one to settle, but he believes in the long run it will be worth it. “In most of the other counties teachers are agreeing to increases in the six plus per cent range. That’s what we feel we have to pay to keep good teachers.’’ Spokespersons representing the teachers are “happy and relieved with the agreement.’’ OPSTF President Howard Mor­ ton said, “That’s the only thing you can say. Look at Lambton County where the teachers are in the 25th day of a strike. This is three months past the fact.’’ “When you start into a new year without reaching an agreement it is scary,” added HWTA President Lillian Hallam. “We’re glad it’s done.” Final act With recent dry sunny weather north Huron farmers have been able to get off nearly all their corn and soybeans and are into the last act of the cropping season, plowing. The good fall weather helped farmers recover from a rainy September and early October that threatened their ability to harvest crops. Recycling Week marked by local success Since the idea of recycling caught and took shape in munici­ palities throughout the area about two years ago, the success of each program has been reportedly phenomenal. Donna White, Clerk of Brussels, who was the driving force behind the initiation of recycling in the village, said that the people should be congratulated for their efforts. There have been few problems, just minor ones, like not cleaning recyclables or using the blue bags for regular garbage, she said, but for the most part everyone has caught on to the idea. Now Donna said the village is beginning to look at a composting program for 1991 if the budget allows. Morris Township recently made Continued on page 14 Local farmers succeed Royally Bodmin Ltd. of RR 5, Brussels, has been named the Premier Exhibitor of market hogs at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto for the fourth year in a row. The prestigious award was pre­ sented to George Procter, general manager of the company’s Swine Division, during an intermission at the Royal horse show on Friday evening. Mr. Procter has accepted the same award each year since 1987, a remarkable feat in the five-year history of the Shur-Gain National Market Hog Classic at the Royal. The title is the result of Bodmin Ltd. hogs winning the highest total number of points in the four classes of the National Classic, which began with the Carcass Competi­ tion on Nov. 9 and wound up with the Single, Pair and Group-of-three market hogs classes last Thursday. Bodmin Ltd. took the Champion­ ship with its group of three barrows and the Reserve Championship with its pair of gilts, as well as placing 4th in the single hog class and third in the carcass class for a total of 17 points out of a possible 20. In addition, one of the Bodmin animals set a competition record with an average daily gain (ADG) of three lbs. per day, weighing in at 300 lbs. on the final day of the show. Bob Robinson of Vista Villa Farms Ltd. at RR 4, Walton, won the championship in the carcass class and placed fifth with a pair of market hogs in the same competi­ tion. In dairy competition, Paul and Lorraine Franken’s Jersey cow Gusta MC Micky was first in the three year old class and won honourable mention in a class of 53 for the senior champion. The Auburn-area couple’s cow had earlier won first in the three-year- old class and reserve champion at the World Dairy Expo at Madison, Wisconsin. There were 289 head of cattle in the Jersey competition at the Royal this year, the largest number since 1963. Another Auburn-area Jersey breeder Fred Armstrong and his family placed well taking first in class in the junior champion with a heifer shown by John Armstrong and taking third in the junior yearling class. The junior yearling was sold in the Sale of Stars to a Guelph-area farm. The Armstrong family had re­ turned from Louisville Kentucky just in time for the Royal. In Kentucky their Royal Junior Cham­ pion had also been first in the Junior Show. Lori Armstrong had also shown a heifer that placed fourth in Kentucky. In the Brown Swiss category Eldon and Lorraine Cook of Bel­ grave placed second for the Breed­ er’s Herd and second for Progeny of Dam. The awards were an accumulation of their herd’s show­ ing which included a fourth in the calf class, ninth in summer year­ ling, fifth in three-year-old dry cow, second in three-year-old and three-year-old futurity, fifth in Continued on page 19