The Rural Voice, 1979-08, Page 34New grass
threatening
Ontario crops
An intensive survey is under way to track
down Johnson grass, one of Ontario's
newest weeds before it becomes a threat to
crop production.
Although Johnson grass is listed as one
of the most important weeds in the United
States, it wasn't recognized as a problem in
Ontario until 1971, says Dr. Jack Alex of
the department of Environmental Biology,
University of Guelph. The first specimen
was found in the late 1950s. Then in 1971,
the weed was identified in Essex and Kent
counties. The following year it was
discovered in Elgin county and in the
regions of York and Waterloo.
Dr. Alex says the weed probably came
into the province as an impurity in seed,
probably in a forage mixture.
In its early stages, Johnson grass
resembles the corn plant. However, it has a
slender stalk and can be distinguished by
its large seed head which can tower three
to four feet (1 to 1.2 metres) above the
corn.
In the warmer climes of the United
States, Johnson grass is a perennial weed
that is extremely difficult to eradicate. It
chokes out corn and other crops and its
rhizomes can harbor corn mosaic virus.
"Until 1978, every Johnson grass plant
in Ontario was reproduced annually by
seed," says Dr. Alex. "Last year we found
several plants near Paris, Ontario, that had
overwintered and reproduced by rhizomes
beneath the soil."
The Johnson grass survey is a joint
project of the Ontatio Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Food and the University of
Guelph. Areas to be surveyed this summer
include portions of Essex, Kent, Elgin,
Brant, Bruce and Huron counties and
regions of Waterloo, York and possibly
Halton.
"The survey requires the cooperation of
farmers," says Doug McLaren, Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food soils and
crops branch. "We are interviewing
farmers to try to find out how the weed
came onto their farms, and to track down
neighbouring patches of Johnson grass."
The survey staff will dig up plants
PG. 32 THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1979
periodically during the summer to check
the development of rhizomes, the sign of
perennial reproduction. One plant is
capable of producing many rhizome
branches which may total up to 200 feet (61
metres) in one season. '
"Although Johnson grass is listed as a
noxious weed, the purpose of the survey is
to locate plants, not to enforce the Noxious
Weed Act," says Mr. McLaren.
During the survey, staff will keep an eye
open for proso millet, another new annual
weed. This grass, also called broomcorn
millet, stands about waist high and has
either erect pyramid -shaped seed heads or
one-sided drooping heads.
Farmers can help the survey by
reporting suspect plants to Dr. Alex or Mr.
McLaren at the University of Guelph, or by
calling local agriculture offices.
Identification
easier
electronically
An electronic identification system for
livestock, to make identification easier and
more accurate, may be right around the
corner.
The Canadian government has signed a
contract with an Edmonton firm, Sensory
Systems Laboratory, to develop the ident-
ification system. The system would involve
a coded electronic chip called a trans-
ponder which is attached to an animal's ear
or implanted under its skin and an
interrogator which can electronically read
the code in the transponder at some
distance.
This system could be used for both cattle
and swine and will have enough different
codes to uniquely identify every animal in
North America for at least a century.
The code assigned to the animal will
stick with it through the marketing chain,
including carcass identification in the
abbatoir.
At present, animals are branded, ear -
tagged, ear notched or tattoed for identi-
fication purposes.
The new electronic system will first be
developed for swine. As the system exists
now, the identification which is tattooed on
the hog's back greatly reduces the value of
the pigskin removed from the carcass.
Prepare your
budget carefully
The care with which a farmer prepares
his budget in advance of seeking bank
financing can make a difference not only in
the interest rate that the bank charges, but
in whether the bank will lend money during
some emergency in the future.
A knowledgeable farmer who seems to
have a good handle on his costs of running
the year's farm operations may be able to
get bank financing at an interest rate one
per cent or better than one who does not.
The interim financing of a cash crop can
run into big money. It would not be
unusual as an example for a tobacco farmer
to require between $1,500 and $1,800 in
financing for every acre he grows.
He might thus require $200,000 from the
bank for a period of about six months, so a
one percentage point difference in the
interest rate he is charged could mean a
$1,000 saving. That $1,000 probably will
not make or break his operation for the
year, but considering the fact that he can
pull together his budget figures in a single
day, that is agood day's pay.
Banks will provide the forms on which
the farm manager can fill out his projected
cash flow. It is worth remembering that the
banker will process literally dozens of these
at the outset of the farming season, so he
will have a pretty good idea about current
prices and costs, even though he might not
know one end of a tractor from another.
Chemicals, fertilizers, seeds, machinery
costs, labor , gas and oil, and insurance
are all costs that can be plotted in advance
of the farm season; not just the amounts
that will be required, but the timing, as
well.
In many of these areas, it would be wise
to solicit competing bids from several
suppliers. They will compete both on price
and on terms of repayment. Sometimes
several neighbours can get together and
buy similar supplies jointly, thus qualifying
for volume discounts.
These kinds of purchasing practices will
impress your bank manager, and will stand
the farmer in good stead if a crop fails or is
ruined by a hailstorm, for example.
Banks increasingly tend to lend against
managerial skills rather than equity. Not
even the best manager can protect against
freak conditions, however, and if the
farmer has not impressed his banker in
advance, the banker may not be there
when he is needed the most.
BY DONALD SHAUGHNESSY, CA