The Rural Voice, 2001-10, Page 55RAINY RIVER
Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
416
R.R. 1, Devlin, Ontario POW 1C0
807-486-3622
AmIAL
RAINY RIVER VALLEY• The Rural Voice is provided to Rainy
River Federation members by the RRFA.
September 20, 2001
With all the recent tragedy in the
United States, life doesn't seem so safe
and secure anymore. The world has
suddenly grown smaller and we tend to
feel so vulnerable.
Summer has passed by all too
quickly, and autumn has now set in.
Harvesting is taking place all across the
district, where the wet spring allowed
farmers to plant the seeds. Seasons are
changing too swiftly.
Attending the September 4 RRFA
meeting were Linda Armstrong, Kelly
Teeple, Reg Kaus, Ken Fisher, Kristine
Carpenter, Jason Teeple, Betty
Salchert, Angela Halvorsen and Shirley
Morrish.
Betty, reporting for member
services, recalled the fair and the
beautiful parade where she won first
prize as the driver of the John Deere
tractor pulling the fairboard president in
an old manure spreader. It was a great
2001 Emo Fall Fair!
A new food safety legislation,
recently introduced by OMAFRA's
Brian Coburn, will provide standards
and requirements to protect the public
from food -borne hazards. It will also
provide enforcement actions to ensure
compliance. The proposed Food Safety
and Quality Act 2001 will consolidate
the food safety requirements of six
current pieces of legislation: the Dead
Animal Disposal Act, Edible Oil
Products Act, Meat Inspection Act,
Fish Inspection Act, Livestock and
Livestock Products Act and Farm
Products Grades and Sales Act. The
Ministry says that the new act is based
on science and technology and can be
proactively identified along the entire
food chain. Ron Bonnett, OFA Vice -
President says OFA will be monitoring
the process carefully to be sure Federal
and Provincial food safety initiatives
are not overlapping.
Ron Bonnett will be at the Our Lady
of the Way school to meet with
interested and executive commodity
group people on Friday, October 5.
Coffee and snacks will he provided.
Farm Safety reports that Fire
Prevention Week is October 7 - 13 this
year. The theme is. "Cover the Bases
and Strike Out Fire". Families are
encouraged to work together like a
baseball team and stay safe all year
round.
Government is getting tough on
producers who do not dispose of dead
animals in an approved manner. There
are only three accepted methods of
disposal:
1. Contact a provincially licenced
collector to pick up the carcass.
2. Composting carcass under two feet
of organic subtrate like sawdust or
straw.
3. Bury carcass under two feet of soil
and away from any and all waterways.
There are very clear penalties in the
Ontario Dead Animal Disposal Act for
anyone contravening the Act. It's all a
very important part of our safe
environment. and producers are
expected to tallow the guidelines.
Rainy River Cattlemen's
Association will be having their next
sale at Stratton Salesyard on Saturday.
October 6. Call manager, Russ
Richards at 807-487-2472 or President,
Tom Morrish at 807-486-3622. A
workbee will be happening earlier in
the week and all hands are really
appreciated.
BIO has relocated to 600 Speedvale
Ave. West, Guelph, ON N I K 1E5.
They also share office space with (DHI)
the Ontario Dairy Herd Improvement
Association.
Ken reported that the Rainy River
Community Pasture plans on a tour
later this fall. They will be serving up
coffee and hot dogs to warm you up.
Field Horsetail is becoming a
serious problem in Southwestern
Manitoba. It poses a serious toxic
concern to young horses and sheep.
Roundup doesn't work because it has
no leaf, but it may be possible to cut or
burn stems before spore formation to
reduce potential spreading. They have
very tenacious rootstocks. Horsetail
Spike -Rush was just added to Ontario's
list of endangered species in Southern
Ontario. This is NOT the same weed.
Hemp growers in Manitoba hope to
raise $4 million in equity from local
investors to build a fibre processing
plant in Dauphin on 75 acres. The city
of Dauphin will help with the
infrastructure such as roads. sewers and
water.
Congratulations to one of our 4-H
members, Aaron Kuorikoski of
Stratton, who recently entered the OCA
Essay Contest and was awarded $500
for second placing. The prize was
sponsored by Beef Improvement
Ontario.
Vehicles that are at least 30 years
old and remain substantially unchanged
or unmodified from the manufacturer's
original product. can now be licensed
with their own plate of that year.
Canada West Foods Ltd. are
opening a new meat processing plant to
supply case -ready fresh meats to
Canada Safeway stores in Manitoba.
It's scheduled to open November 1 and
will be located in St. Boniface. It will
employ 170. The plant will cut, weigh,
package, and price meat cuts for
delivery to Safeway meat counters.
Congratulations to Gordon and Kim
Cornell Farms at LaVallee, who were
listed amongst the Top Consignors for
bulls tested 2000-200I season. Kim is
Manager at Cornell Farms which is also
listed as one of the Top Test Centres for
2000-2001. There are 37 Ontario
Evaluation Centres, and for more
information call 1-800-373-2253 or
www.biobeef.com
Mr. Kees Meijaard of Thunder Bay
has been acclaimed as the new
Regional Director for the OFA
Northwestern Region. effective
November 21. Kees and wife Hetty,
along with five daughters, farm at
Thunder Bay. He can be contacted at
RR 3. 395 Boundary Road, Thunder
Bay, ON P7C 4V2 or phone 475-9624.
All OFA members, please remember
the annual dinner. entertainment and
dance on Saturday. October 20 at the
new Stratton Millennium Hall. It
promises to be an eventful evening.
Call for your tickets early from anyone
of your local directors. All the talent is
local and back by popular demand.
Rainy River 4-H Association will
hold their annual meeting January 25,
2002 at the Emo Inn. All new leaders
are very welcome. Call Deb
Zimmerman at 487-2538. Many of the
"oldies" are retiring and we need new
recruits who love to work with kids.
Did you know that pumpkins are
fruits. A pumpkins is a type of squash
and is a member of the gourd family.
which also includes squash. cucumbers.
gherkins and melons.
"Ask not that events should happen as
you will. but let your will be that events
should happen as they do. and you shall
have peace." — Epictetus (c.55-135)0
- Submitted by Shirley Morrish
OCTOBER 2001 51