HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-12-07, Page 171988-89 Huron County Dairy Princess Lisa Boonstoppei [left] Auburn and
her parents, Audrey and Hans Boonstoppei, were head table guests at the
Huron-Perth Jersey Association Banquet and Annual Meeting held at
Kinburn on Saturday. The family farm, Hanaud Jerseys of RR 1, Auburn,
was the winner of both the New life Feed Mills Achievement Award and the
Tom Rathwell Special Award, while Mr. Boonstoppei was elected as an
Ontario Director by the Association.
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1988. PAGE 17.
Greed promotes use of risky crops
Continued from page 16
session was Bernhard Hack who
spoke on soil conditioning to control
weeks. Weeds, he said are a
man-made problem that man can
solve in a soft way. “Observe,
observe and draw the right conclu
sions,” he told the audience. Weeds
are nothing but a natural healing
processformisusedsoil, he said.
Thinking has to change from simply
how to get rid of weeds as with
chemical farming to why the weeds
are growing. Weeds are triggered to
come up because of an imbalance in
the soil, he said and the weeds are
trying to cure the imbalance.
Thistles and milkweed, for in
stance, can battle compaction in the
soil. After wet harvest conditions
such as this fall, farmers might think
that plowing will loosen the soil but
the plow goes down only 10 inches
and compaction can go down 10 feet.
The subsoil can only be loosened by
the roots of plants. Compaction
pushes the air out of the soil meaning
that the breakdown of vegetable
material insteadof being aerobic
becomes anaerobic. Anaerobic
breakdown brings acid soil condi
tions that thistles and milkweed
thrive on. Those conditions can
cause the seeds of those plants, that
have laid dormant for years, to
germinate. The roots of the weeds
heal the soil by feeding on the acid
and by loosening tne soil and
undoing the compaction.
Alfalfa, left growing for three
years in the field will break up the
soil and the field will be rid of
milkweed and thistles, he said.
Pig manure has such a high water
content that when it decays in a pile it
locks out the air from all but the outer
surface and the decay is anaerobic.
Therich nitrogen contentcreates
ammonia which creates acid condi
tions in soil. These conditions are
ideal for pigweed and lambs quarter
while the ammonia is harmful to
most small-seed grains. The weeds,
however, will use up the acid and
sweeten the soil by putting more air
into the soil.
Ragweed grows in areas of low
fertility such as along roadways and
lanes. It’s also becoming a growing
problem in Kent and Essex areas
after 20 years of cashcropping has
depleted the fertility of the land, he
said.
Mr. Hack deplored the misuse of
soil that harvesting in wet conditions
brings. “Our own greed is the
reason we grow risky crops like corn
and soybeans that were at home
farther south where they can be
harvested in September in dry
conditions,” he said. Over a 10 year
period the risky crops don't pay, he
said, because if you have two
failures, the financial gains from the
riskycropsarelost. Farmers who
have low cash demands don’t need to
take chances growing risky crops
that can do great damage to the soil,
he said.
Also speaking at the meeting
during the afternoon session was Dr.
Peter Langer on ‘‘Parabiologics - An
Approach to Mastitis Control”. A
panel of farmers who have switched
from conventional farming to organ
ic farming in recent years conducted
a discussion on “Making the Switch
to Organics”. Taking part were Ted
Zettelof Chepstow, Jim Ferrisof
Tiverton, John MacKinnon of Tiver
ton and Fred Lindner, Gadshill. The
panel was moderated by Mike
Pembry of Terra Cotta.
ARE
FUN-DAMENTAL!
Top Jersey
breeders
rewarded
BY USA BOONSTOPPEL
Top Jersey breeders in Huron
County were rewarded for their
Dairy Excellence at the annual
Perth-Huron Jersey Club Banquet
held in Kinburn last Saturday.
Jack Armstrong and Son of
Huronia Jerseys, RR2, Auburn,
received the Premier Breeder Tro
phy and a production award.
John Armstrong won the Robin
Acres Farm Trophy for the first prize
calf in the junior special.
As well, Elva Armstrong won the
ladies special in the aged cow class.
Another Auburn-area farmer,
Hans Boonstoppei of Hanaud Jer
seys, was presented with the New
Life Mills Achievement Award and
the Tom Rathwell Special Award.
Walton-area Jersey breeders,
Gerry and Thea Rijkhoff of Gerthea
Jerseys were awarded two produc
tion awards.
Elections were held for this year’s
executive. Gary West of Shake
speare is president; Jim Sparling of
Varna is vice-president; Carolyn
Van Dorp of Kinburn is secretary;
Gladys Van Egmond of Clinton is
treasurer; and Hans Boonstoppei of
Auburn is Ontario Director.
Pig prices up
Continued from page 16
Thirty-eight heifers consigned by
Fred Marshall of RR 3, Fergus,
averaging 1177 lbs., sold for an
overall price of $87.58, with sales to
$88.50. Six heifers consigned by
Lome Weber of RR 1, Neustadt,
averaging 998 lbs., sold for $86.85.
A heifer consigned by Ross Fitch
of RR 1, Wroxeter, weighing 1370
lbs., sold for $90 with his lot of 22
heifers, averaging 1215 lbs., selling
for an overall price of $85.29.
A heifer consigned by Schultz
Bros, of RR 3, Blyth, weighing 990
lbs., sold for 91.75 with their 11
heifers averaging 1035 lbs., selling
for$85.80.
Choice cows sold at $50 to $56,
heifery types to $67; good cows
brought $44 to $50; and canners and
cutters fetched $39 to $44.
Twenty to 30 lb. pigs traded to a
high of 66 cents; 30 to 40 lb. pigs
traded to a high of 65 cents; 40 to 50
lb. pigs tradec to a high of 69 cents;
50 to60 lb. pigs traded to a high of 57
cents; and 60 to 70 lb. pigs traded to a
high of 53 cents per lb.
from the start
AUBURN
CO-OPERATIVE
County Rd. #25, Auburn
526-7262
BELGRAVE
CO-OPERATIVE
Hwy. #4, Belgrave
357-2711 523-4454
Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8to 5 Store Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30-5:30
Sat.9-12noon Sat.9-12noon
Gift ideas
Sale Ends Saturday Dec. 10/88.
SNO FOX
TRIPLE SKI RACER
Fully steerable and easily operated
racer for plenty of fun. 502-301.
SNO TURBO FUN SLED
1 or 2 seater sled made of premium
quality polyethylene to last and last.
502-300.
BIRD FEEDERS
Junior Seed Silo
505 213 6.88
‘A’ Frame
505-244 A 1.44
Deluxe Station _ _
505243 23.88
EVERYONE WELCOME TO SHOP CO-OP!