The Rural Voice, 1983-01, Page 24BRINDLEY
AUCTION
BEST WISHES
Happiness and
prosperity to all
our fine cus-
tomers.
LucKnow
Snow
blowers
Special Price after Nov. 15/82
5' $ 800.
6' $ 850.
'61/2' $ 950.
$1025.
71/2' $1100.
*7D $1225.
`71/2D $1350. (light)
81/2D $1750.
71/2' $1550. (heavy duty)
* HYDRAULIC HOOD
$75.00 EXTRA
Regular
Sale
on third Saturday
every month
at
10 a.m. SHARP
Lunch Counter
Auctioneer
Gordon H. Brindley
For further
Information, call
519-529-7625
519-529-7970
PG. 24 THE RURAL VOICE, JANUARY 1983
aeration of the soil and retain moisture.
The stickiness of the particles is enhanc-
ed with organic matter such as manure
and if this is not present the soil becomes
fine, dries out, and blows away.
According to Dr. Zylstra, sustainable
agriculture is dependent upon a stable
agricultural eco -system which has a
stable soil life complete with organic mat-
ter and micro organisms.
The crisis is the loss of organic matter.
The trend is to separate the animal and
human consumers from the system. The
waste is not taken back to where the
crops came from,but allowed to concen-
trate and become a pollution problem and
a threat to the system.
In summary Dr. Zylstra pointed out the
problems within our agricultural eco-
system reduces our potential to produce.
Farmers must accept responsibility for
how they grow as well as for what they
grow.
'I, as a consumer, must be willing to pay
enough to allow farmers to be better
stewards of the land." said the speaker.
"We have to seek to maintain the family
farm. The concentration of responsibility
is in fewer hands."
In a panel discussion,Ron Goldsmith,
faculty of Geography department, Ryer-
son Polytechnical Institute, Toronto; Herb
Eldridge, organic farmer and member of
the Natural Farmers Association of On-
tario; and Pat Lynch, soil and crop
specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture
and Food, Stratford, focused attention on
what farmers can do in light of current
economics to improve their farming prac-
tises where it has been proven to have a
detrimental effect on the environment.
soil. animals and man.
Goldsmith noted the economic pro-
blems may be doing us an unforeseen
favour; with increased costs the farmer
will have to cut back the amount of
chemical fertilizers he uses. In in-
dustrialized countries , the use of
chemicals per acre was approximately
125 pounds. In third world countries it is
25 pounds per acre.
While industrialized countries increas-
ed their production fast, the costs are
skyrocketing and cost per unit of output is
increasing to the point that the consumer
pays more.
The ethical question arises that as
prices increase we are removing the food
from the mouths of those who need it,
namely the third world countries.
Goldsmith continued that chemical fer-
tilizers are being used to maintain the
yields rather than improve them and the
whole system is deteriorating. Goldsmith
suggested that farmers change conven-
tional methods of farming but while this
includes some short term risks in moving
away from the practises it involves some
experimentation which is not something
we give into easily.
Herb Eldridge noted it sometimes takes
a law to get farmers to stop doing
something detrimental to the environment
and he cited the liquid manure bylaw as
an example.
"If the soil is alive all it needs is a
seed," Eldridge said. He went on to say
that chemical fertilizer is second class
food for second class plants.
Eldridge said farmers should lower their
efficiency goals and raise their spiritual
goals and find the answer for sustainable
agriculture in the mind and the heart.
Pat Lynch stressed records, which
acres are paying and taking a serious look
at the acres that are not producing;
maybe they should not even be cultivated.
Lynch cited human conflicts as one
reason that makes it difficult to set
priorities straight when it comes to taking
better care of the land. The forage ex-
change that he initiated in his area never
took off the ground and met with a lot of
hesitation.
"We don't need chemical fertilizers as
we have enough manure . if it were
distributed where it is needed, but people
would not co-operate" said Lynch.
Lynch also said that more research is
needed into areas like rotating herbicides.
"Every alternative has something
weighing against us," he concluded.
Farm and Commercial Buildings
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R.R. 2 Goderich or
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