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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-12-02, Page 311 nrTT A « Norman Alexander of Londes boro, well-known conservationist, talks with Lawrence Andres at the fall conference of the Ecological Farmers of Ontario held in Ethel Saturday. Nearly 200 people from across the province attended the event to discuss latest trends in crop rotation and other organic farming practices. 0 More farmers turning to organic methods THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1»87. PAGE 31. Farm Government will assist manure storage facilities Poor farm prices and high input costs are driving more and more farmers to consider the benefits of ecological farming, Lawrence Andres, president of the Ecologi­ cal Farmers of Ontario said Saturday and the full gymnasium at Grey Central School in Ethel on Saturday for the association’s fall conference backed him up. Ten new members were signed up at the meeting, he said, bringing the number of members across Ontario to nearly 400. People attended from as far away as Lindsay and the Niagara area. “People are ripe for it’’ Mr. Andres said. Ninety per cent of members are practicing farmers with the rest being everything from doctors to professors to retired farmers, he said. The best advocates of organic methods of farming are other farmers, he said. People don’t like being preached to but when a farmer switches over to organic methods and his neighbours see good results they’re likely to start asking questions. The more main stream farmers switch to ecologi­ cal farming, the more success stories there are for neighbours to see. Tips on how to get the most out of farming without using chemical fertilizers or pest controls were exchanged by a number of farmers at the meeting including Mr. Andres, Ted Zettel a cash crop and dairy farmer from Chepstow, Tony McQuail of West Wawanosh and Bernhard Hack of Kincardine. Mr. Hack suggested crop rota­ tion plans for various types of farms and said there were three objectives of crop rotation: soil fertility, quality of feed, and weed control. Tests conducted on land which was rotated with one year clover, one year corn and two years small grains shows that water run off was only 22 per cent compared to 72 per cent run off on land that was grown continuously in corn, he said. It was not just the corn itself but the usually wet conditions corn is too often harvested under that harms the soil. The four-wheel-drive tractors and other expensive equipment needed to harvest corn under our usually wet fall condi­ tions means Ontario farmers can’t hope to compete with American farmers who get larger yields and can use less expensive equipment. He argued that quality of feed is more important than quantity. “When I switched to organic farming I was amazed I needed less feed due to the quality,” he said. Mr. McQuail showed slides of the 100-acre farm he and his wife Fran run near St. Helens. The land had been badly run down by continuous corn crops, he said. The couple started out farming with horses because they didn’t have the money to afford expensive tractor-powered machinery and because they needed sod to help rehabilitate the soil on their farm. Today they also have a tractor. After trying to farm the conven­ tional way using chemicals they gradually moved away from it. When they first gave up spraying their orchard the McIntosh apples were ‘ ‘a disaster’ ’ for the first few years, he said. But they continued to put compost under the trees and pastured sheep in the orchard and in recent years have had bumper crops. “I don’t pretend to know howitworks, Ijustknow it works,” Robert McIntyre, Reg. O.H.A.A. Hearing Aid Specialist will be holding a HEARING AID SERVICE CENTRE on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 AT74THESQUARE, GODERICH PHONE524-7661 FOR APPOINTMENT THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 AT MEDICAL ARTS BLDG. JOHNST.,WINGHAM PHONE357-2111 FOR APPOINTMENT If your present hearing aid needs service or you are thinking of purchasing a hearing aid CALL TO DAY McIntyre hearing aid SERVICE 275 HURON ST., STRATFORD he said. He said he has great respect for the people who came before us, that they must have known some­ thing about farming. When people say they can’t do without such things as chemicals he reminds them that we wouldn’t be here today if our ancestors hadn’t been able to do without it. He said he has always remem­ bered an experiment from his school days in which a few fruit flies were put in a large jar with a good supply of banana pulp. For the next few weeks the population of fruit flies grew tremendously but then suddenly started diminishing until there wasn’t a single fruit fly left alive although there was still plenty of food. The fruit flies had poisoned themselves with their own waste. Mr. McQuail said he was concerned when he heard people say there was too much food in the world. That could change around very quickly given the way we are treating the land, he said.,Perhaps governments should be stockpiling food while looking to a more sustainable form of agriculture for the future. BY SAM BRADSHAW ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN As many producers are aware, grants are available from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food for construction of manure storage structures and for erosion control projects. This article will concentrate on manure storages. All liquid manure storages are eligible for a grant of 40 per cent of the cost of construction including excavation and underground pip­ ing etc. to a maximum grant of $7,500. These storages must be sized to hold manure for at least 200 days. . Solid manure storages are also eligible, provided the contaminat­ ed liquid that runs off the pad or cattle yard is collected. This usually means placing a concrete tank at the lower end of a manure pad or yard. The tank should be sized to catch at least one foot of Ontario Ontario Municipal Board Commission des affaires municipalesde I’Ontario IN THE MATTER OF Section 34(18] of the Planning Act, 1983 AND IN THE MATTER OF appeals by the Town of Wingham, Ross Daer and Gerry Jaretzke against Zoning By-Law No. 10-1987 of the Corporation of the Township of Wawanosh APPOINTMENTFORHEARING THEONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD hereby appoints Monday, the 4th of January, 1988, at the hour of one o’clock [local time] in the afternoon at the Council Chambers, East Wawanosh Municipal Office, R.R. #1, Belgrave [2 miles west of Belgrave], for the hearing of these appeals. If you do not attend and are not represented at this hearing, the Board may proceed in your absence and you will not be entitled to any further notice of the proceedings. In theevent the decision is reserved, persons wishing a copy of the written decision may ask the presiding Board Member at the hearing or contact the Board’s Offices. The decision will be mailed when available. DATED at Toronto, this 4th day of November, 1987 J.G. MALCOLM SECRETARY EXPLANATORYNOTE The township of East Wawanosh passed a Comprehensive Zoning By-law [By-law 10-1987] on the 6th day of May 1987. The zoning by-law affects all lands in the Township of East Wawanosh by regulating the use of lands and the character, location and use of buildings and structures in various defined areas of the Township. The zoning by-law implements the Township of East Wawanosh Secondary ' Plan and provides specific land use zones and provisions to ensure that the policies of the Secondary Plan are realized. Three objections were received to the by-law as outlined below: 1. Town of Wingham The Town of Wingham has launched an appeal, which s pertains to 2 separate land areas, as follows: 1.1. The zoning of lands to allow for additional residential j lots adjacent to Crawford Street in Hutton Heights | concerns the Town, given the proximity of the Town’s < sewage lagoon, located on Lot 41, Concession 14. 1.2. The landfill site for the Town of Wingham is located on Lot 39, Concession 12, and is partially zoned ‘D ' [Development]’and ‘ER1 [Extractive Resources]’. The Town has appealed the zoning of that portion of the landfill site, located in the ER1 Zone. 2. Mr. & Mrs. Ross Daer - Mr. & Mrs. Daer have appealed the zoning of part of Lots 28 and 29, Concession 1, as AG2, Restricted Agriculture. Mr. Daer’s requested zoning is AG1 [General Agriculture]. These lands are immediately adjacent to the Village of Auburn. 3. Mr. Jerry Jaretzks- Mr. Jaretzke [Lot 38, Concession 11] has appealed the zoning by-law requesting that the separation distances which are required between livestock barns and residences be waived. Mr. Jaretzke’s concern is based on what he believes are previousquestionableseverances, which heargues will limit expansion of his livestock operation. contaminated runoff over the area of the entire pad and/or yard. This will give you about 200 days of storage. Any liquid that runs out of the barn must be added, to obtain the total amount. Either of these storage systems are eligible for a grant of 40 per cent of the cost to a maximum grant of $7,500. In addition to this, the Ministry of the Environment has targeted certain watersheds in the area to receive extra funds. If you live in the Maitland or A usable Water­ shed in Huron County for example, you will receive 40 per cent of the cost to a maximum grant of $12,500.00. All persons wishing to obtain a grant must first submit a Project Proposal Form. This form is available at your local OMAF office. For further details contact Sam Bradshaw, Engineering Technician 482-3428 or 1-800-265- 5170.