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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1990-03-14, Page 52Calin MaRROW Provided by the University of Guelph's Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) Cr. Freernan McEwen, dean The underground connection There'sa movement afoot. to reduce altered by con sly in creasbig =omits Pesticide use and have faimers return, to of the element (cesium 137 fall out from a more natural approach to food produ..cv-. - the Chernobyl disaster is not expected to tion. A University of Guelph professor reach southern Ontario). says one of their greatest "es may be • - Protz believes the cesium 137 distribu- found underfoot. tion in the soil hesstudied will a� his theories about earthworm vitt', Earthworms are an important eventuallyend lead to' a faunal activity biological factor in the improvement of • Model that will further quantify ear - finely textured salty loam and clay soils importance and their effects on in which most field cope are grown, the soil. His research is leading to a says Prof. Richard Protz, Department of situation whereby whatever is put on soil. Land Resource Soignee, Under optimal will be accounted for later, so ming conditions, earthworms could completely deleterious would be allowed to eater the ingest and tam over the top 15 rein- food.chain or ground water ti . metres (� inches) of. a ploughed field. • Prote says a better : of. every three years. In doing so, they biological activity is an bnportant part of stabilize the soil structure through fec la . the province's stated effort to reduce material rich in silt and clay and ` farmers' dependency on agrl-ehepoicals. distribute important organic matter We have to be concernedforthe land; through the depth of the soil. the soil and its living components, he Protz's research centres on the depth says, and the caring ethic must be bas- distribution of cesium 137, a radioactive .ed on a better understanding of natural element whose presence is related to. the . systems. • - fall -out from above -ground nuclear Clearly, we are not totally aware of the testing. Such testing was halted in the potential of earthworms in mainta* late 196Os, giving scientists like Profs the healthy soil. The contributions of opportunity to conduct . distribution research . without having their results. fauna, fungi unci' microbes' things we take for granted - need more study. PANNE MGM' IS — PAO& td The apple industry goes under the microscope Apple imps have skyrocketed almost 500per cent over the decade, stall- ing Canadian pcand causing hardship for many apple farmers. University of Guelph researchers are try- ing to determine if the creation of a na- tional this tremarketing nd agency could reverseSome producers from Ontario, Brutish Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunewick are spearheading a drive to establish suds an agetncy. But there is no factual basis to either support or refute their goal, says Prot Larry Martin, acting director of the George Morris Centre for the Future of Agriculture, who is conductbsg the with Prot Ellen Goddard and associate Christopher Gates. And not all members" of the Industry want a marketing agency; it's' imperative that. the,effort be measured very carefully. ('Since 1955, Casiadian apple production has stood at about 25 millions bushels a year. But the coot of producing apples has exceeded their output value by 4.35 cents/kilogram. As a result, stabilization payments for the depleted industry have been as high ea $21.5 million. Clearly,, there are significant reasons for establishing whether or not a marketing agency could ease the burden of pro- ducers, consumers and: govern t.. Central to the study is ening why the Canadian thduatry has failed to grow, d to increased consumer demand for app es and apple juice. The researchers say. that if ` the problem is related to domestic overproduction, a marketing agency approach involving production regulations may be viable. But' there's also the possibility that the industry is entrenched in the production of varieties that Canadians na longer want. In that c, 9e, nothing restric- t* would be gained by re tiny thew yin the hope that con- sul' ars �ya b+iSh price, which is essentially the effect a marketing agen- cy has. So the reiearchers are also examining the effects of alternatives to a agency. These include improv- ed apple quality, greater efSclency in producing existing varieties, improved marketingt pvarieties to compete with of dan demand for popular ,61 pro- ducts, especially the Granny If 01 apple, which. now accounts for almost 30 per cent of the imports. Although the industry in general is him - ting, not all apple producers are. in dire straits. The researchers are identifying the characteristics of successful opera- tions to determine if other producers can their coat of similar produ�ctionot might lower or help them achieve higher revenues. WMT WARE IN —The company of talkative men it is wise to keep silent. —The company of boastful men it is easy topay little attention.. —The company t o of aged nenour f duty —The of inferior men at least we cane. . TI~e company- 01 men we have no rightto make en*, comment.. . .-,-Trite:company of small Moen. we do not need to imitate their smallness. The y of 'jealous: men we can save ourselves by holding our tongues.