The Rural Voice, 1982-10, Page 131
FARM NEWS
Largest attendance yet
at Crop Update
The manager of the Ontario Bean
Producer's Marketing Board had both
good news and bad when he spoke to
growers at the annual Crops Update at
Centralia College of Agricultural Tech-
nology in August.
Charles Broadwell of London said this
province's white bean crop is expected to
be larger than last year's; 1,600,000 bags
compared to 1,450,000. But alas, estima-
ted crops of Ontario's chief competitors
in Michigan and North Dakota are also
expected to be larger resulting in an
estimated total crop of 9,100,000 bags for
1982, compared to last year's total from
all three areas of 6,855,000 bags.
Broadwell said his estimated figures for
this year's crop do not take the pitfalls of
the actual harvests into account, but were
the maximum 9.1 -million bags of white
beans to be sold on the market this year it
would surpass the previous high of
8.3 -million bags sold set in 1973. A bag is
45.4 kilograms or 100 pounds.
The marketing board manager said
1973 was a difficult year to market white
beans, but on the brighter side added last
year's Ontario crop is almost all sold and
there should be no old crop left when the
new one comes off the fields.
Most of the provincial crop is produced
in Middlesex, Huron and Perth counties.
Broadwell said about 115,000 acres in the
province are producing white beans this
year, an increase of about five percent
compared to last year's 110,000 acres.
He said Ontario's crop is late this year,
far behind normal. The marketing board
manager said after a recent tour of North
Dakota and Michigan he returned over-
whelmed by the potential bean crop in the
two northern American states. Michigan
remains Ontario's chief competitor with
an estimated crop of 5.5 -million• bags this
year, compared to 4 -million in 1981. He
said North Dakota's crop is estimated at
2 -million bags plus this year, compared to
about 1.3 -million last year.
The annual Crops Update, sponsored
by Centralia College and the plant
industry branch of the Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food, was well
attended at the Huron Park Research
plots, despite overcast skies and windy
conditions. Bob Forrest said it was the
largest attendance in the years he has been
associated with the event, and estimated
attendance at between 400 and 500
people.
Dr. Wally Beversdorf of the crop
science department of the University of
Guelph said experimental plots at Wood-
stock and Mitchell have shown up to a 22
percent increase in white bean yields when
planted in seven-inch rows rather than
28 -inch rows. Harvesting the increased
yield in the narrow rows remains a
problem. Stand-up beans that can be
direct -combined are being bred though,
and Dr. Beversdorf said farmers will have
these upright beans in their fields in seven
years.
Dave Morris of OMAF said timing
seems the key in the relatively new
procedure of seeding winter wheat on
soybean fields. The trick is to get the
wheat on the fields before the moisture
leaves, just before the soybean plants
drop their leaves. The mulch of these
leaves appears to hold enough moisture to
allow the wheat to establish. The aerial
seeding of winter wheat on soybean fields
is a technique that has been developed in
Oxford and Lambton counties.
"Agrow Australia"
Australia's farmers have launched a
major national promotion of agricultural
industries based on the theme, "Agrow
Australia—Growing Food, Growing
Strong".
The promotion, which was launched on
February 25, is being conducted by the
National Farmers' Federation which re-
presents 170,000 Australian primary pro-
ducers.
'Agrow Australia' features special
school project kits of information on
farming industries, posters, information
leaflets and the launch of a new monthly
NFF Newsletter for national distribution.
A major part of the campaign is a
15 -minute video film, "The Quiet Revo-
lution", which focuses on the modern
development and high productivity of
Australian agriculture—which earns
around 45 per cent of Australia's export
income.
The film promotes food as "the world's
most valuable resource" and shows a
dynamic and technologically advanced
image of agriculture.
The aim of the promotion was to ensure
that the farmer's views reach the com-
munity and to enhance the effectiveness
of the federation's role in national affairs.
The director of public relations of the
NFF, Mr. Jim MacNamara, said research
had revealed that an alarmingly large part
of the community had an out of date
image of agriculture and a lack of aware-
ness of its role in the economy.
"Because people have not regularly
heard about farming, they assume that it
has declined in importance.
"It is part of our role as farmer
representatives to constantly tell people
about farming and the "Agrow
Australia" promotion has been specifi-
cally designed to increase public aware-
ness and understanding", Mr. Mac-
Namara said.
'Agrow Australia' will run throughout
1982 and will be supported by the NFF's
22 affiliate organizations and a number of
rural companies and organizations.
IFAP News
Agri -Food Week
Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan
announced that the week of October 4 to
11 has been designated 'Agri -Food Week'
in Canada.
Agri -Food Week is a national informa-
tion campaign carried out jointly by the
various sectors of the agri-food industry,
from farmers to food retailers, and
including governments.
"This week prior to Thanksgiving is
one of the most active for many sectors of
the agri-food industry. It is the best time
for the industry to remind Canadians
about the role it plays in ensuring a
steady, safe food supply," Mr. Whelan
said.
The minister said our agri-food indus-
try is one of the most efficient in the
world. The harsh climate and the small
Canadian population scattered over a vast
territory creates a challenge not only for
our producers, but also for food proces-
sors and distributors. In spite of these
problems, Canada ranks second lowest in
the world in the share of disposable
personal income spent on food."
"1 am giving my full support to this
campaign to promote the agri-food
industry and increase the awareness of the
Canadian consumer about the industry's
accomplishments and its contribution to
regional and national economies.
"I urge all sectors of the industry, from
every region in the country, to take part in
this week by having their own promotion
campaign and organizing activities to
inform consumers of their role in the food
system," Mr. Whelan said.
THE RURAL VOICE / OCTOBER 1982 PG. 13