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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-07-07, Page 5Fame of Mac spreads • from page 4 laborer arrived one spring day looking for work, and over a glass of "Granny" cider he teamed about the McIntosh conundrum. The man suggested that the solution lay in grafting a small branch from the original tree to another variety of apple rootstock. The hired man spent the summer instructing McIntosh in the art of grafting, budding and pruning. Then he left, never to be heard from again. Soon farmers were able to buy grafted seedlings, and the fame of the "McIntosh Red" spread. By 1862, apple trees had been planted across the nation. Along with the McIntosh, the Baldwin, Russet, Greening and Snow apple trees flourished, while other varieties such as the Winter Codlin and Seek -No -Further all but disap- peared. At the turn of the century, half of the orchards in Ontario were producing McIntosh apples, and McIntosh Reds were finding popularity in the United States. Disaster struck in 1895 when a fire broke out and the original tree was, scorched. Allan McIntosh himself propped barn doors around it to protect it from the blaze and he spent months nursing it back to health. the tree had become something of a celebrity in its own right! The original McIntosh apple tree outlived. Allan McIntosh by 11 years. It produced fruit until 1908 and finally toppled in 1910, but its progeny continue to thrive throughout Canada and the world. This bright red be that now adorns the top of the Morrison Berries shop leaves no doubt In the motorist's mind as to what type of business Is carried on. The berry, constructed by Snowden insulation, is made of foam 'Insulation and its face was painted by Dee Graham. (Pat Livingston photo) Fri Illiilllll en II �l ill D 7 =,I J Dashwood Window and Door Coon's gm • Kw tONSTfU01pN• MOWN •O$TOMWED I,0L NV 01004400011 • MDm 1 Wit ar0 NEWOOItfi1Ci0N .M91A1EDSTuLORM 11IMI .1111V(i 1 WO DOM . magmas sum . GAO 000111 AINSttL GLASS REPLACEMENT VISIT OUR SHOWROOM dIR DASH W� Rae elan WALKERTON $81-3626 • SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, July 7, 1993 — Page 5' Streamlining saves dollars for OMAF by David Emslie As part of the streamlining and cost saving measures for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), a Field Services Manager has been named for Huron and Perth Counties, The appointment of Jim O'Toole of Exeter as the manager for the counties came into effect on June 14. Previously with the agronomy section at Centralia College, which. is slated for closing, he was involved in teaching programs in the crops and soils area, along with research efforts, primarily on weed control in white beans and corn. Also among his duties at Centralia was the conducting of corn trials in this area. "Along with research, I sat on provincial committees that assessed research," and made up annual recommendation publications, he said. Mr. O'Toole explained how he came to move from his OMAF duties at Centralia to the new position. "I had some management experience in my position at Centralia College. Obviously, with the closing of Centralia, I ' was looking for opportunities elsewhere within the ministry. With the new streamlining process taking place in this branch of the ministry, there were some positions created. This was one I was kind of interested in - it was a nice opportunity that came along." • Across the province, the ministry has appointed 16 local managers of field services to administer OMAF's 52 offices. Through a ministry release, Ken Knox, the ' Assistant Deputy Minister of OMAF's Agriculture and Rural Division, stated, "Each manager will assume responsibility for the human resources and other administrative functions of several field offices -- functions that used to be carried out in each individual office. With this change, field staff will have more time and flexibility to attend to the needs of the local community and farmers." Mr. O'Toole explained that with the newly created position of Field Services Manager, the different regions should be able to tailor their programs to their areas. This tailoring is important, he explained, as "in the county offices, they, are becoming much more diversified, and over the years, there have been a 'of of new positions, new programs have been implemented and even existing programs have been expanded so we're working in new areas." Aside from working in new areas, the new manager pointed out that the ministry is also working. with different people than they have do the past, such as in rural development with non -farmers, and with the ministries of health and tourism, to name a few. Those working in the county offices will see changes in who they report to with the naming of the new managers, as Mr. O'Toole explained, "In the past, there have been a number of people working in the county offices who reported to different program managers in Guelph or Toronto...and some people in the county offices reported to the • agricultural representatives. With the new Field Services Manager position, we'll be re§ponsible for all the people and programs in a specific area. There are 16 areas in the province." He added, "Because there is now management on a regional level, there will be more uniformity in how the programs are developed and offered. This will allow us to adapt programs to the region," and therefore local people may have more input into how programs are adapted. A further aspect of the streamlining, he said, is that with local management, "we can shift resources to meet the needs (locally)." AGRICULTURAL REPRESENTATIVES Mr. O'Toole also discussed the role of the agricultural representative, as the ministry release stated that each office will have one appointed by July. The agricultural representative for Huron County out of the OMAF office in Clinton is Bob Humphries. On this role, Mr. O'Toole said the ag reps "will be relieved of some duties as far • as managing people and managing some programs, but the ag rep will remain as the agricultural leader in the office...or team leader." The agricultural representatives will have an area of expertise,he continued, but at the same time they will also function as the main agricultural liaison to any group in the county that needs assistance or advice on issues pertaining to this field. "The concept of the agricultural representatives...they are still the leaders in the office - the spokesman for agriculture. The ag rep will maintain that," Mr. O'Toole stated. LITTLE SERVICE CHANGE Although the ministry is streamlining, Mr. O'Toole stated that those who do business at the Clinton OMAF office will see very little change in the services they receive. "Probably as far as the farmers are concerned, or the rural community, the people they dealt with in the county office previously will not change," he said. "They will see very little impact on service." The main reason for the change in the ministry, he thinks, is to reduce the dollars being spent. "We are going to have to look at new ways of doing business, and we have to do it more effectively, more efficiently." Some of these . cost saving measures will be met through going to regional ministry service, he continued, as each region can adapt to its needs. "It will make us more flexible in how we offer services." Agriculture is like any business, he commented, as they now have to look at services and how they operate. The system has to be flexible and adaptable, and able to make changes quicker than they did 10 to 15 years ago. "I think the savings are going to come in how the programs are offered," Mr. O'Toole stated. "We're going to go 'through .a development phase—but the overall 'objective is to have people who can adapt and provide a broader range of service, or potentially could cover a wider area." Over the next three years, cuts will be made as the thrust will be to prioritize programs and services. "We will look at cheaper and more effective ways to deliver programs," he said, adding, however, that the ministry will continue to maintain first rate staff who are trained, qualified and updated to deliver the programs. t mtA Sun., July 11 Show beginning at 1:30 pm -Bill Carter Pitts Special •Oscar Bosch High Performance Sail Plane • Peter Spence Chipmunk Acrobatics •Canadian Harvard Assoc. (4) -Bell 47 Helicopter !Canadian Bushhawks L -16's •Swoop Parachute Team •Canadian Military CH -135 Twin Huegg; CH -136 Kiowa, CH -113 Labrador •A10 Thunderbolt nicknamed "The Wart Hogg" •Christian Eagle II -Fleet Finch •ZLIN 142 •Canadian War Heritage Museum •Crane -Cornell -Tiger Moth •ER Coupe •Cessna 410 Air Ambulance "SURPRISE IN THE SKIES" There is a possibility the U.S. Air Force wilt provide a fly past of F117 Stealth Tighter. This was a predominant weapon during the Gulf War. DESO-P16 Fighting Falcon; 015 Lancer Bomber, F15 Strike Eagle. Shuttle Buses from the Davidson Centre & Sutton Park Mall to & from the show.