The Rural Voice, 1979-08, Page 23Is greenhouse project feasible?
Ontario's greenhouse vegetable growers
are concerned that two experimental
greenhouse projects may flood the market
with produce.
The two projects, funded by private
industry, but conducted with the co-
operation of the Ontario Ministry of
Energy, are being built near nuclear power
plants at Douglas Point in Bruce County
and near Pickering.
A small 2,000 square foot test green-
house has already been built at Pickering
using a conventional heating source.
The greenhouse planned for the Bruce
development will use rejected heat from
the nearby nuclear station to heat the
building.
Intended as an experimental model for
judging the feasibility of using 105 degree
water, combined with special heat
exchangers, it is hoped the building will
pave the way for future greenhouse
industry in north Kincardine Township. If
the initial research proves worthwhile,
plans call for a 100 -acre complex, named
the Bruce Agri -Park, which would include
greenhouses and a fish farm.
The produce which will be grown in the
experimental Bruce Greenhouse includes
tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. Two
workers and an official conducting energy
efficiency studies will staff the greenhouse
project.
Henry Epp, chairman of the Ontario
Greenhouse Producers' Marketing Board
has already warned that Ontario's green-
house growers are facing a problem finding
markets for their crops at acceptable
prices. Mr. Epp has been quoted as saying
if more greenhouse production is added,
then someone is going to lose out. He
believes Ontario markets simply can't
absorb additional produce.
Mr. Epp also warns while the costs of
heating the experimental greenhouse may
be Tess, the produce still won't be able to
compete with cheaper American imports.
He criticized the industries promoting the
experimental projects as looking only at
energy savings and iiui stuuying the
market problems involved.
When the provincial government first
started talking about experimental green-
house projects before the last election, the
greenhouse producers demanded the
money for projects come from private
industry rather than government
subsidies.
Mr. Epp said if farmers had wanted to
put their money into an experimental
project, then the marketing board wouldn't
oppose it.
A spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of
Energy has said the ministry hopes to have
two growing seasons of information from
the Bruce project before deciding whether
the proposed Agri -Park complex is
feasible.
Members of the greenhouse producers'
marketing board are hoping test results
will kill the projects for good.
Pork producers
awarded at Congress
The 1979 Pork Producer Awards were
presented to 27 pork producers at the June
Ontario Pork Congress.
The award, given to one pork producer in
each county, recognizes the individual or
farm enterprise for their contribution to the
pork industry.
Irwin Evans was the winner from Bruce
County. He and his wife. Isabel, and their
children, Tom and Jennifer, live near
Tiverton on a 60 farrow to finish hog farm.
His sows, three boars, and pigs up to 10 or
12 weeks are housed in a new barn with 18
crates, 7 breeding pens and 34 dry sow
stalls. His sows are York Landrace crossed
and his boars are York and Duroc. A 50' x
65' remodeled barn houses his finishing
pens. He hopes to put pigs upstairs in the
future.
Manure is stored in an earth holding
tank and spread on 130 acres of high
moisture corn. Mr. Evans plans to inject
the manure into the ground between rows
of corn in the future.
He hopes that pork consumption will be
expanded across Canada by the industry,
and that pork will remain a family farm
business.
Huron County winner is Arts Farms of
R.R. 4, Seaforth. Harry and Nelly Arts
have a 450 -sow farrowing unit which
produces about 8,000 pigs per year, with
half of them being sold as weaners. The
sows are fed corn, Western barley, oats
and supplement. The finishing pigs receive
high moisture corn, soy and premix. The
pre -starter is the only purchased feed. Of
his 700 acres, 65 are soybean, the rest are
corn.
The Arts have eight children: two of
them, Harry and John , are on the farm.
We know our priorities, say the Arts,
and the breeding area is the main area of
the operation. "Efficiency is the key to
success."
Murray Selves of R.R. 1, Fullarton won
the Perth County Pork Producers Award.
He believes the hog industry will continue
to become more and more sophisticated,
and that the integration of land with hogs is
very important in maximizing profits. Also,
he says, producers should strive to control
their total operation (i.e. farrow to finish).
Selves Farms Ltd. is a 340 sow farrow to
finish operation with continuous corn as
the crop program. Floor feeding is home
mixed high moisture corn and soybean oil
meal based on rations. Mr. Selves was one
of the first to construct Sandwich Wall
concrete barns for pigs.
He and his wife Laurie have four
children.
These considerations helpecj to select the
county winners: derives a large portion of
income from pig sales, strives for more
efficient pork production, is innovativg,
shares ideas with others, works and helps
people, achieves good production results,
and follows proven breeding, feeding and
health programs.
Liquid manure spills
causing fish deaths
Liquid manure spills are blamed for
killing several thousand fish in the Upper
Thames and Lower Saugeen watersheds.
A provincial environment ministry
spokesman said trout, bass, pickerel and
suckers have been killed when at least 12
farmers in southwestern Ontario spilled or
pumped liquid waste into streams.
Fred Durham, a ministry industrial
abatement specialist, said while some of
the spills were probably accidental, in
about six cases the ministry is considering
laying charges under the Ontario Water
Resources Act.
Mr. Durham said the situation has been
occurring to some extent ever since
intensive livestock operations came into
effect.
This year's heavy spring rains,
especially in the Upper Thames and
Saugeen watersheds caused storage
problems, since farmers couldn't apply the
manure to their fields and storage tanks
overflowed.
Mr. Durham said liquid manure runoff
has been a problem in Huron, Bruce and
Middlesex counties where most livestock
farms are located.
Liquid manure contains ammonia which
kills the fish and heavy concentrations of
other manure nutrients rob the water of
oxygen. The ministry learned of the runoff
problem from public reports of dead fish.
THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1979 PO. 21