The Rural Voice, 1985-09, Page 39PARTICIPATING
NEW HOLLAND
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MID -WESTERN
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FARM NEWS
Riddell opens Centralia's
new research farm
Centralia College celebrates the opening of its research farm and
demonstration farm with the Honourable Jack Riddell, Minister of
Agriculture, cutting the ribbon. Dignitaries present, from left: Reverend
Robert Donan. Exeter Pentecostal Church; Alun Walper, Stanley Township
reeve; Elinor Caplin, Minister of Government Services; Riddell; Paul
Steckle, Warden of Huron County; Robert McGauglin, OMAF executive
director of education and research; and Doug Jamieson, principal of
Centralia College.
Centralia College of Agricultural
Technology holds a crop research up-
date every year. but this year's was
especially impressive It included the
official opening of Centralia's new
research and demonstration farm.
Near the parking area farmers were
greeted by a display of machinery.
"It looks like the machinery show at
the International Plowing Match,"
was a common reaction. The research
plots themselves drew wagon -load
after wagon -load of farmers out to
listen to the specialists in the field.
Farmers also came to hear the new
Minister of Agriculture and Food,
Jack Riddell. Riddell, Huron -
Middlesex MPP, purchased his farm
just west of Centralia College in 1967,
the same year as the college opened.
Although Riddell told farmers that
the record-breaking grain yields
farmers are receiving this year will
help to compensate for lower farm -
gate prices, he didn't talk much farm
policy that day. He addressed his
remarks to the new research area and
praised Ontario generally for its
agricultural research achievements
which date back to the early days of
Marquis Wheat and McIntosh Ap-
ples.
The agronomy research program at
Centralia College began 10 years ago.
At that time, the program's staff con-
sisted of one researcher and one assis-
tant who spent about half their time
on crop experiments, Riddell said.
Now there are about 50 on-going pro-
jects in the research program and two
researchers, Jim O'Toole and Bob
Forrest, plus three technicians, a
farm -crew leader, and four summer
students.
The new research and demonstra-
tion farm concentrates the research
that was previously done,at seven dif-
ferent locations. Nearly 90 per cent of
the college's agronomy research will
'ake place there, Riddell said.
The farm is 150 acres with a few
stones and is systematically tile drain-
ed, explained Doug Jamieson, college
principal. Research at the college
started with white beans and
rutabagas in 1975 and expanded to
other crops, weed control, planting
dates.
This year there are corn hybrid
trials for the 2,800 heat unit area
planted on this new farm in co-
operation with the University of
Guelph. Next year, Centralia will
take responsibility for these trials.
This will give local farmers easy ac-
cess to hybrid results in their own
heat unit area, Jamieson notes.
SEPTEMBER 1985 37