The Rural Voice, 2000-10, Page 47News
Other councillors were concerned
with a proposal that a farmer must
own enough land to allow for safe
spreading of manure under an NMP.
Brian McBurney, reeve of Turnberry
Township felt this might actually be
detrimental to the environment. If a
farmer must own 500 acres to meet
the requirements of the NMP, that's
all he'll own, McBurney suggested.
If he can spread manure on the fields
of neighbouring cashcrop farmers
through use agreements, it might
mean the same amount of manure
was spread on 1,500 acres, he said.
Mason Bailey, reeve of Blyth said
a 100 per cent ownership requirement
"would be a very big mistake."
Already, he said, the price of
farmland has been inflated quite
dramatically in Huron by farmers
who are worried such a requirement
might be around the corner and want
to be prepared, if it is, by buying
more land.
Bill Siemon, reeve of McKillop
Township said the requirement to
own all land would put small family
farms at a disadvantage to large
corporate farms which can afford to
buy more land.
Jack Coleman, reeve of Stanley
Township wondered if there couldn't
be a legislated requirement for annual
soil tests to protect from overloading
nutrients on soil.
"It's one of the things that's being
discussed by the province," said
Wayne Caldwell, senior planner who
has been working with the Galt
committee.
Doug Miller, reeve of West
Wawanosh said the rate of liquid
manure applications allowed under
current NMPs would saturate the
land within 20 years. "Perhaps NMPs
should be based on sustainable
levels," he said.
Davidson said others shared his
concern over the cumulative effect of
manure application.
Another concern expressed by
those commenting on the report was
the impact on small operators.
"Increasing regulations tend to
favour large operators," Davidson
said. "They can afford the extra costs
associated with meeting the
standards. Small operators may go
out of business."0
Advice
Don't store vaccines
on refrigerator doors
By Neil Anderson, OMAFRA
Temperatures on refrigerator door
shelves are not stable. That's why
vaccines should not be stored in
refrigerator doors. The instability
comes from the frequent opening of
the door to retrieve items.
It's not just the temperatures on
the door that suffer — temperatures
within the refrigerator also fluctuate
when the door opens. To minimize
the swings in temperature, store staff
lunches and cold drinks in another
refrigerator.
The only way to show that a
refrigerator is working properly is to
monitor temperature. A thermometer,
a chart and someone assigned to
record temperatures regularly are the
only items needed to monitor
temperatures. Without these simple
tools, it is impossible to assure that
vaccines are being stored correctly.
Once the system is set up in our
clinics, the next step is to advise our
clients how to monitor the
refrigerators on their farms.
Supplying them with a thermometer
and checking it during monthly visits
would be a great service.0
Take caution entering
confined spaces
Three Ontario farm workers were
recently killed when they entered a
manure spreader tank on the dairy
farm where they were employed. In
recent years there have been other
instances of individuals who
narrowly escaped with their lives
after entering manure storages or
silos containing potentially deadly
gases. This has prompted the Farm
Safety Association to issue a warning
about entry into these areas.
The following confined space
entry procedures should be followed:
1. Test the atmosphere for oxygen
and for levels of toxic and explosive
gases. If you cannot test, always
assume that the atmosphere is
dangerous.
2. If a dangerous atmosphere exists,
you must wear a self-contained
hreathing apparatus. Ventilate the
area as thoroughly as possible before
entry.
3. All mechanical equipment must be
locked out.
4. Use the "buddy" system and wear
a lifeline. Sufficient equipment and
manpower must be available. A third
person should be on had to summon
assistance, if needed.
5. Establish how you will be
communicating before entering the
confined space. The meaning of
verbal signals, hand gestures or
tugging the line signals — must be
understood by people on the outside.
6. Never re-enter a confined space
without retesting and venting the
area.
Signs should be posted on manure
storage facilities and silos to warn of
the dangers. These are available
from the Farm Safety Association
office in Guelph, at 1-800-361-8855
or e-mail: info@fsai.on.ca.
Pasture competition
deadline November 1
Do you know a farmer doing an
excellent job of managing pastures?
Then nominate him or her for the
Ontario Pasture Competition 2000.
The Ontario Pasture Competition is
an opportunity to recognize
contributions to pasture management
in Ontario.
Nominees will be evaluated on a
number of criteria relating to how
they use and manage pasture for beef
production.
Strategies producers use to
manage both the cattle and the forage
will be considered, as will innovative
ideas implemented by the nominee.
Fencing, watering systems, rotational
grazing, riparian management, and
extended season grazing are just a
few of the management techniques
that would be considered.
Nomination forms are available
from the Ontario Cattlemen's
Association at 519-824-0334 or
email: gwh@cattle.guelph.on.ca. The
nomination deadline is November 1st
2000 with the winner to be
announced in late 2000 or early in the
new year. For more information
contact: Jack Kyle, Grazier
Specialist, Lindsay at (705)-324-
5855.0
OCTOBER 2000 43