The Rural Voice, 2001-06, Page 64446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
Email: grey@ofa.on.ca Website: www.ofa.on.ca/grey 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
• The Rural Voice is provided to all Grey
County Farmers by the GCFA.
Lately in our township. there has
been a a lot of talking. some
protesting. and some proposed
changes to the township bylaws
dealing with nutrient management
and agriculture.
Where is agriculture going. or
where will agriculture be in the
future? The people of our great
country have been enjoying the
lowest food cost in the world. and are
not ready to move too far up that
ladder. This means that the price
farmers receive for their commodity
will increase more slowly than
inflation in most cases. On the other
hand. the cost of farming seems to be
increasing faster than inflation: fuel.
equipment, and fertilizer are some
examples. When you look at how
much money is invested, then you
look at the return on that money, it
wouldn't be too bad, BUT you still
have to calculate in the time and
labour at a reasonable rate. This is
What next for agriculture?
where tarmers get this reputation of
being workaholics. or just not too
bright.
Well. how many farmers have a
job to support the farm? In many
cases these are not hobby farms.
Other ways of having more cash to
work with would be to become more
efficient. which means have more
income. or have fewer expenses. The
most common way to improve
efficiency is to expand production.
This is where the nutrients hit the
fan. It seems like nobody wants a big
(factory farm) in their backyard, be it
towns. villages. or even other
farmers. The big concerns are smell,
noise, or danger to the water system.
Now in many cases under proper
management, and conditions, there is
nothing to worry about. The problem
is if something does go wrong, it is
the volume of waste that can cause
the disaster. In most likelihood, it
would never happen. but it is always
Clean Water Festival volunteers needed
The first "Clean Water Festival"
for Grey/Bruce will be held in
September 2001. This Festival, using
many hands-on exhibits, will
emphasize the importance of water to
our lives and the reasons we need to
conserve it. The "Clean Water
Festival" is designed to educate our
children on the importance of this
valuable natural resource.
From September 24 - 27 between
2,500 and 3,000 Grade 4 students in
Grey and Bruce Counties will be
bussed to the .Festival site in
Chesley. Many volunteers are needed
to assist with parking, greeting,
manning the displays, assisting over
the lunch hour, helping with the lost
and found and various other tasks
between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Lunch will be provided for
volunteers. As well, on Wednesday,
September 26, there will be an
60 THE RURAL VOICE
opportunity for the general public to
visit the site and view he exhibits
between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
during which time some volunteers
will be needed. The "Clean Water
Festival" will also need some
volunteers to assist in setting up the
exhibits on Monday, September 24
and dismantling them after the
students have left on Friday,
September 28.
With your help we can make this
Festival a truly great educational
experience for our children. If you
are interested in this exciting project
and are able to help in any way
please contact one of the volunteer
organizers: Barbara and Dave Fidler
519-371-2919, Isabel Hewitson 519-
376-9589, Joe Watson 519-371-1895
(after 5:00 p. -m.)0
— Submitted by Debbie Fawcett
Program Co-ordinator
"What If?"
The ironic thing is that when a
person has decided to upgrade. or
expand, he or she will have to
complete a "nutrient management
plan" and honour any other bylaws
that are in place. A lot of times an
old. out -dated facility is being
replaced. It has no restrictions on
how many animals it houses, how the
manure is stored, or where it is
located in relation to any existing
neighbours, wells, or even water
courses. If we get too many bylaws
and restrictions in place, nobody will
be able to, or want to, upgrade or
expand. This will eliminate many
municipal controversies concerning
agriculture, but it stops any attempts
to improve any environmental issues,
like a manure pile near a creek.
We have to come up with a
solution that allows a farmer to farm,
keeping the environment and
neighbours in mind. The neighbours
also have to be aware that if they live
in an agricultural area, there will be
some inconveniences to live with. It
will be a major job to come up with
guidelines that allow the right to
farm, and keep the environmental and
neighbourhood's concerns in check.
Remember if we work together we
will get a lot farther than if we have
to fight every step of the way.0
— Submitted by Paul Sachs
Sullivan Township
GREY COUNTY FEDERATION
OF AGRICULTURE
PLEASE NOTE:
There will be NO
Board of Directors'
meeting in June
Next meeting will be
Thursday, July 26, 2001