The Rural Voice, 2000-03, Page 24SEED & GRAIN CLEANING SERVICES
It's that time of year for
EARLY ORDERING
of your pedigree seed!
Oats
OAC Paisley
AC Stewart
Beans
OAC Bayfield
Barley
AC Stephen
Chapais
Hamilton
Morrison
AC Sterling
Stop in or call for prices on pedigree seed or
custom cleaning & treating of your own seed
BRANT QUALITY SEEDS INC.
Cty. Rd. 10 N. of Hanover
Phone: 519-364-1525 Fax: 519-364-3835
STABLING MANUFACTURER
We Build On Our Reputation
• Narrow arch stall with suspended divider
• All welded construction
• 166 schedule 40 tubing
Vandepas Welding
R.R. 2 Kenilworth, ON 519-848-6537
Call for the dealer nearest you.
22 THE RURAL VOICE
was good, Bradshaw said. More than
three-quarters of those surveyed, both
in urban and rural areas, felt hog
farmers are committed to improving
the environment on their farms. But
water contamination is also a major
concern of those surveyed with 37
per cent expressing "strong" concern
and 33 per cent "somewhat"
concerned.
Among those surveyed, food
safety was the number one
concern, the care and
Treatment farmers give their animals
was number two and ensuring the
sttrvival of the family farm was
number three.
The industry needs to build on the
belief that farmers are committed to
improving the environment and
caring for their hogs, Bradshaw said.
"We have to prove it."
Only 10 per cent of hog producers
have completed a Nutrient
Management Plan (NMP), Bradshaw
said. About 25 per cent hr@ve
completed an Environmental Farm
Plan (EFP). On one recent tour, five
farmers were spotted spreading
manure on snow-covered ground.
Ontario Pork feels every hog
farmer should take advantage of the
EFP and every farmer must complete
an NMP. "Ontario Pork would like to
see a graduated entry system
established that would eventually
result in all farmers developing a
formalized nutrient management
strategy," he wrote in his written
report.
"By 2005 all producers should
have one (an NMP). It's a cost of
doing business," Bradshaw said.
Currently NMPs are
unenforceable by municipalities
except when a building permit is
being issued. Ontario Pork feels the
province must pass enabling
legislation to allow municipalities to
enforce their bylaws and should act
to bring standardization to municipal
bylaws across the province.
Four municipalities, including
Perth and Huron counties, have
instituted peer review committees
which try to mediate between farmers
and their neighbours if there are
complaints over farm practices. If
there is a problem with manure that
isn't a legal infraction, the local
municipality that receives a
complaint can call on the committee.