HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-08-17, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1988. PAGE 15.
Farmers lead gov't in farmland preservation
Conservation methods from no
till farming to water erosion
systems to woodlot management
were all demonstrated Thursday
when the Conservation Day was
held on the Holmesville-area farm
of Roba Lobb.
Hundreds of area farmers took
advantageofwagontours of the
Lobb farm to see the methods the
Lobbs use to preserve their
farmland. The event was sponsor
ed by the Huron Soil and Water
Conservation District of the Huron
Soil and Crop Improvement Asso
ciation; the Ausable-Bayfield Con
servation Authority; the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority; the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food and the Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources.
Speakers during the lunch per
iod included Karen Switzer-Howse
and Clinton Potruff, a cash crop
farmer from Paris, Ont.
Ms Switzer-Howse, a conserva
tion specialist from Agriculture
Canada, said farmers are leading
government and university people
in the movement to preserve
farmland. For a long time, she
said, all emphasis was put on
increased yields and not on input
costs or what the push for
increased yields was doing to the
soil. Detailed records were kept on
Don Lobb chats with Karen Switzer-Howse during the Conservation
Tour held on the farm of Murray and Roba Lobb near Holmesville
Thursday. Ms Switzer-Howse was one of the speakers at the events.
Conservation projects and field trials were on display at the day-long
event.
yields but not on soil quality.
Finally, she says, farmers are
forcing government and university
people to look at sustainable
agriculture and take a long-term
approach. Things like no-till farm
ing also reduce input costs because
they use less fuel because there are
fewer trips across the field and they
require less equipment.
When the Senate report on soil
degradation came along people
both outside and inside govern
ment were forced to sit up and take
notice, she said. A federal-provin
cial study recently undertaken
showed there" weren’t many pro
grams in federal or provincial
jurisdiction that promote conser
vation and there are some that
work against it. A Saskatchewan
crop insurance program insists
farmers undertake summer fallow
ing and that it be done by July 11
each year, leaving too much soil to
dry up and blow away.
But political action is coming,
she said. Federal and provincial
accords are being worked out that
will bring new programs to encour
age conservation. Too often in the
past she said, farmers wanting
information on no-till equipment
had to travel to the U.S. themselves
to see the equipment. The agricul
ture ministries were not doing their
job.
Farmers, she said, were the first
and truest environmentalists be
cause they have to deal with the
environment every day. “You’re
the only ones who can save the
soil” she told the farmers. “You
can be helped or hindered by
government programs but in the
end, only you can do it.”
Ms. Switzer-Howse, whoalso
farms near Ottawa with her
husband, said that while some
people say we can always import
food, food production is too
importanttoCanada to be ignored.
She lived for a time in Britain, she
said, and while she was there, the
entire country found itself at the
mercy of a dockworkers strike. “1
don’t ever want to depend again on
another country for food,” she
said.
- Clinton Potruff from Paris relay
ed some of his experiences with
no-till farming.
Mr. Potruff said there were
definite savings in labour and in
fuel consumption since he switch
ed to no-till for his own large farm
and the custom work he does for
neighbours.
The wagon tours took the
participants to various field trials
for soy beans and corn, to a
demonstration of a broad base
berm to control run-off, to a rock
chute, a windbreak planting and a
woodlot management demonstra
tion.
MURRAY
Newphone#523-9121
Blyth
STANDING FUELWOOD
FOR SALE
ON PRIVATE LAND
To improve growing conditions for valuable trees, the
Ministry of Natural Resources is thinning a wood lot in
Ashfield Township, and is assisting the woodlot owner in
selling marked, standing trees to a reputable fuel wood
contractor.
Details of this sale are:
Fuelwood Volume: 72 standard cords
[approximate]
Note: One Standard cord = 128 cubic feet, or a pile of wood
4’x4’x8’
Location: Dungannon area.
This fuel wood area will be sold as one lump sum to one
contractor - no partial sales.
For further information contact Harry Wilson, Ministry of
Natural Resources, R.R. #5, Wingham, Ontario, NOG 2W0.
Telephone: 519-357-3131 or 1-800-265-3003.
Ontario
Ministry of
Natural
Resources
Vincent G Kerrio
Minister
OMAF Datelines4-H,
Thursday, August 18 - Huron
County 4-H Demonstration/Skit
Competition, Clinton Town Hall,
Clinton 7:30 p.m.
Monday, August 29 - Beef Infor
mation Night, Kirkton-Woodham
Community Centre 5:30-6:30 p.m.
- Social Hour, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. -
Beef Dinner, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. -
Speaker Program.
Meeting and Dinner are $9 per
person. Meals must be reserved by
Monday, August 22, 1988 by
calling O.M.A.F. in Clinton at
482-3428 or 1-800-265-5170.
This program is sponsored by the
Huron, Middlesex and Perth
Cattlemen’s Association in con
junction with the Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food.
Wednesday, August 31 - Huron
County 4-H Reach for the Top
Competition, Clinton Town Hall,
Clinton 7:30 p.m.
JOHN DEERE LOADS IT
AND SPREADS IT...
BETTER
WE WILL DEMONSTRATE
Brian McGavin of McGavin Farm Supply, Walton presents the keys for 3 new Ford
Tractors recently purchased by Uell Frischknechk Manager of Richard Keller Farms
R.R. No. 4 Walton.
BENEFITS OF HYDRA-PUSH SPREADER
•It’s Hydraulic, infinite discharge speeds
•No Apron Chain Maintenance or Freeze Up
•Spreads more evenly
•No more forking off, for repairs.
DON’T DELAY...SEE US TODAY!
Take advantage of Ford’s Special Financing Rate as well as our in
creasing inventory of NEW FORD TRACTORS.
Let us demonstrate on your farm; the advantages of a John Deere 780 Hydra-Push
spreader along with a 2355 MFWD Tractor w/245 loader.
CALL BILL SHADDICK OR TIM SHUTE FOR YOUR DEMONSTRATION
I LI | HURON
IZZJ TRACTOR SALES DEPARTMENT
BLYTH 523-4244
1-800-265 4220