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The Rural Voice, 1982-08, Page 22The Ventilation System For: Hogs — Poultry — Dairy Barns and other animal buildings. OFFERS: • Draft Free Ventilation • Circulation of Inside Air • Automatic Control • Uniform Temperature • Heat Distribution 4l74(, 7evuit Svdterxd .fed. R.R. 1 Kincardine, Ont. NOG 2G0 Telephone (519) 395-5286 HYBRID GILTS, YORK CROSS LANDRACE - OPEN OR BRED Also R.O.P. tested and health approved PUREBRED LANDRACE, YORK AND CROSSBRED BOARS Phone BRANDY POINT FARMS Willy and Kurt Keller RR#1, Mitchell 519-348-9753 or 348-8043 PG. 22 THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1982 FARM NEWS Foodland/Hydro battle Foodlands-Hydro has been success- ful in its battle to preserve prime agricultural land. The proposed hydro transmission lines slated for Huron and Perth counties have been dropped and the alternate route will include a 500 kv double circuit line from Bruce Nuclear Power Development to Essa transformer station, through Bruce and Grey counties to Barrie and two 500 kv single circuit lines from Nanticoke generating station to a new London area transformer station through the Haldimand-Norfolk Region and Ox- ford county. A 500 kv double circuit line will run from Middleport transformer station to Milton transformer station through the Hamilton Wentworth area. The plan has to be approved by the Ontario cabinet before being put into action. Board members who sat at the consoli- dated hearings in Stratford since early spring. were impressed with the material presented by farm groups. In their report released June 18, it was suggested that Highway 401 right-of-way from London to Milton be included in the route stage study area in order to reduce the impact on specialty crops like tobacco. This sug- gestion originated with the Foodland-Hy- dro committee. A detailed route stage study. after cabinet approval. is Hydro's next step. It will work with municipalities and interest- ed groups to establish an exact route. In the board's report. two of the three members favored plan M3, while chair- man, B.E. Smith favored plan MI. This plan. which covers the area from BNPD to London through Huron County east of Seaforth, is also Hydro's preferred route. It received support from other groups including Huron County Council. But. at hearings held in Stratford this past winter. agricultural concerns were presented by several groups. The Food - land -Hydro committee under chairman Tony McQuail of RR1, Lucknow proposed a modified version of M3. The committee suggested M3's proposed line from BNPD to Essa remain, but that existing lines from Milton to London be updated. Two members of the board, D.S. Colbourne and D.H. McRobb, both also members of the Ontario Municipal Board, state in the report, "Because of the high priority we attach to the agricultural industry, we have concluded that con- siderable weight should be given to the preservation of prime agricultural land." Considering this. the two board mem- bers narrowed their choice to plans M4 and M3. "Although plan M4 affects the least number of hectares of both prime agricultural land and total agricultural land, we are persuaded to select the companion plan M3 because it ranks better to geographic diversity especially at Buchanan (near London), employs more 500 kV lines than plan M4 and ranks second in total length of right-of-way. Plan M3 also requires slightly fewer towers than plan M4, and possesses the best capacity to supply load after the horizon year (2000). While plan M3 affects more in total hectares of agricultural land htan plan M4, in avoiding prime agricultural lands in an area which is predominantly agricultural, it is not possible to avoid the lower ranked agricultural lands," stated the report. Other advantages of M3 noted in the board's report. are it has the best ability (of the six plans suggested by Hydro. any of which they have said they could live with) to supply power beyond the year 2000 and aids in supplying power to Northern Ontario. While the number of towers for M3 is high compared to the other routes, 1,816 towers compared to MI which proposes 1,188 towers, board members Colbourne and McRobb note it is one of the best for towers located on prime agricultural lands. "We are very pleased with the report." said Mr. McQuail. He said the time farmers spent at the hearings was "well worth it", because he added, "the board listened." "It is one of the first times, the farm community has had such an impact. and that's because we did our homework." At the hearings, Mr. McQuail said the farm community was able to make a strong case for its modified version of M3 and that, he said, was due to the committee's technical expertise as well as an emotional plea for agriculture. As well as being chairman of the Foodland-Hydro committee, Mr. McQuail is vice-president of the Huron Federation of Agriculture. He said the committee hopes to continue working with Ontario Hydro, but said the people in the affected area will be more active. The committee will offer its expertise, gathered over several years in dealing with hydro -related issues. and it also has credibility.