The Rural Voice, 1983-09, Page 18FARM NEWS
August hail hits Huron county
The headlines in the daily papers
told about the hail damage to the
tobacco crops. But how many people
heard about the damage to hundreds
of acres of beans, corn and grain in
the Kippen-Hensall-Chiselhurst area?
Keith Lovell and Vern Alderdice
suffered damage to hundreds of acres
of corn and soybeans. Grant
MacLean was planning to harvest his
barley next day, but the hail stripped
the kernels clean off the straw and
there was nothing left to combine.
Doug Cooper, right across from
the Lovells on Highway 4, was just
ready to harvest a special new sweet
corn for the local markets. The cobs
were bruised or torn by the force of
hail stones more than one inch in
diameter and the corn stalks twisted
and broken.
Two bale wagons were overturned
at Bob Rowcliffe's farm by the wind
which also damaged area trees. ❑
...„.....:." -‘,' . ...:
Hail stones (on left) as large as golf balls (some discs were three inches across) pounded down for almost ten minutes
late in the day on Monday, August 8, breaking windows, denting cars and siding on houses and severely damaging
crops in the Kippen-Hensall area. Nick Blom of Spruce Row Farm, R. R. 2, Kippen is shown here with a few of the hail
stones he saved in his freezer. Blom suffered damage to 75 acres of corn which was just recovering from the recent
drought. He is still hoping to get something out of the crop. He said the corn fields at Chiselhurst, just east of his
farm, were more severely hit and little more than the corn stalks are still standing.
Typical damage to corn crops is shown in this picture (on right) taken in one of Vern Alderdice' fields. Alderdice
estimates he suffered damage to 200 acres of corn and 200 acres of soybeans, which were covered by crop insurance.
Stems and pods are all that are left in a 90 -acre field of Michigan soybeans at Keith Lovell's farm on Highway 4. The
solid -seeded field had been one of the show pieces in the area with plants almost three feet high (fortunately the crop
was insured). The Lovells also lost a cherry tree and their family market garden is a write-off
ticomAY FARMS
•YORKSHIRES
• LANDRACE
•DUROC
ittkyue Fir and Sons
PERFORMANCE TESTED
Quality Swine, performance tested, health ap-
proved gilts and boars from a herd with very
good mothering ability.
OS No. 1 York x Landrace gilts, open or bred,
available on a regular basis.
We also have excellent boars in the following
breeds: York, Landrace, Duroc, Hampshire and
Duroc x Hamp crossbred.
Contact
Wayne Fear
MONOWAY FARMS
6 miles west of Brussels on Huron Road # 16
Brussels Phone 519-887-6477
PG. 16 THE RURAL VOICE, SEPTEMBER 1983