The Rural Voice, 2001-01, Page 46unit. Dave added that he also had no
trouble catching or examining his
sows while they were in the pens.°
New way to register
for Grower Pesticide
Courses
By Linda McFadden
Regional Administrative
Coordinator
Under the Ontario Pesticides Act
you must be certified to buy and use
schedules 1, 2 or 5 pesticides on the
land you farm. This includes a lot of
the common herbicides, fungicides
and insecticides that Ontario farmers
use.
It also includes some rodenticides
and insecticides that livestock
producers use. So livestock farmers
may also need the certificate, even if
they don't usually spray pesticides on
cropland. There must be at least one
Certified Grower for each farm
operation. Your Grower Pesticide
Safety Course (GPSC) certificate is
valid for five years. Renewal notices
have been going out starting in mid-
December for farmers to enroll in the
Grower Pesticide Safety Certification
(GPSC) program.
Courses once again will be offered
throughout the winter months. If you
need to renew your certificate you
have two options. You may attend a
one -day GPSC or study at home and
write the exam at a two-hour exam -
only session. If you need to certify
for the first time you must attend a
one -day GPSC.
The fee for both of the above
options is $65. You pay on the day
of the course and make the cheque
payable to University of Guelph.
There is a new registration process
for 2000/2001 courses. Please call
the new toll free registration line at 1-
800-652-8573. You will get
information on exact locations, times,
lunch arrangements etc. by calling
this number.
These courses are administered by
the Pesticide Education Program at
Ridgetown College. They have a
web site at
www.ridgetownc.uoguelph.ca/opep.
You can get current information and
42 THE RURAL VOICE
Advice •
register on line as well. Check it
out!O
The dangers
of open burning
By John Benham
Wellington County
EFP Coordinator
Those who have attended an
Environmental Farm Plan Workshop
may have been warned about the
dangers of burning in open fires or
backyard barrels. I now have more
facts to back up my concerns.
There was an article entitled
"Burning of Trash in Burn
Barrels" in the March 28, 2000
edition of Ontario Farmer. If you
still have that issue, look it up or I
could mail you a copy.
I am going to pick out a few
quotes that certainly back up what I
have been preaching and some facts
that I was not aware of. "A new U.S.
study shows backyard trash -burning
maybe a major producer of highly
toxic dioxins. A family of four
burning all their trash in the yard
may produce as many poisons as
thousands of families using a
municipal incinerator".
Ken Smith of the Ontario Ministry
of Environment and Energy says
burning trash in a barrel takes place
at low temperatures and is really
incomplete combustion. Incinerators
burn five times hotter and so burn
more completely and so produce
fewer emissions. I was surprised to
learn that burning clean wood in
open fires produces "nasty" volatile
organic compounds that contribute to
smog, hydrocarbons, soot and ash,
produced by incomplete combustion.
When trash is burned these above
"nasties" are produced along with
dioxins created in the heat of the fire
and the mixing of the burning
elements.
"One type of dioxin is considered
to be the most toxic synthetic
chemical known".
"Although the human impact of
low level exposure to dioxins is not
known, they caused cancer, birth
defects, immune system problems
and disruption to cell growthsin lab
animals".
"All known sources of
combustion produce at least small
amounts of dioxin" which can
become part of our soil and water and
eventually our food and the air we
breathe. "Dioxins can be so toxic
even small amounts can be the cause
for concern".
The burning of plastic bale wrap
and bald tubes is very, very
dangerous because of the dioxins and
furans produced. Inhaling the smoke
usually ends with a visit to the
hospital. When these poisons in the
smoke return to the ground, they
contaminate the plants and soil they
land on and get into our food chain.
Another concern is the ash, which
is very poisonous and if not disposed
of properly can be another serious
source of contamination. So take
your plastics to the land fill and DO
NOT BURN THEM. If a landfill in
Wellington refuses to take these
plastics, please let me know, because
I have been reassured they will be
accepted.
The Ontario Soil & Crop
Improvement Association is
spearheading a project to recycle
these plastics, but in the meantime -
DO NOT BURN THEM. 0
Horse -racing
industry Doantes
$100,000 to 4-H
The Ontario Horse Racing
Industry Association (OHRIA)
presented the Ontario 4-H
Foundation with a cheque for
$100,000 at the Royal Agricultural
Winter Fair in Toronto.
This is the launch of a new
partnership between the two
organizations. The interest from the
endowment will be used to expand
opportunities for youth in equine and
leadership activities.
For further information contact
Rob Black, Executive Director, 4-H
Ontario, phone: 519-824-0101, fax:
519-824-8759, or email rblack@4-
hontario.ca 0