The Rural Voice, 2002-01, Page 3i
I
R.V.
.
Editor & Publisher: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Bonnie Gropp, Ralph Pearce,
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Sandra
Orr, Janice Becker, Andrew Grindlay,
Mark Nonkes, Larry Drew
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Joan Caldwell
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
printed & mailed by: Signal -Star
Publishing, Goderich, Ontario
subscriptions: $17.12 (12 issues)
(includes 7% GST)
Back copies $2.75 each
For U.S. rates, add $5 per year
Changes of address, orders for subscrip-
tions and undeliverable copies (return
postage guaranteed) are to be sent to The
Rural Voice at the address listed below.
Published monthly by:
The Rural Voice,
Box 429, Blyth, Ontario,
NOM 1H0
Telephone: 519-523-4311 (fax 523-9140).
e-mail: norhuron@scsinternet.com
Canadian Publication Mail Agreement
Number 1375016 held by North Huron
Publishing Co. Inc. at Blyth, Ontario.
All manuscripts submitted for consideration
should be accompanied by a stamped, self-
addressed envelope. The publisher cannot
accept responsibility for unsolicited
manuscripts or photographs, although both
are welcome. The opinions expressed here-
in are not necessarily those of the publisher.
Editorial content may be reproduced only
by permission of the publisher.
The Rural Voice makes every effort to see
that advertising copy is correct. However,
should an error occur, please notify The
Rural Voice office within 30 days of
invoicing in order to obtain a billing
adjustment.
NH
Behind the Scenes
What's old is new again
Back when I was a kid, one of our
tasks was to take the skim milk from
the cream separator, mix it with
"chop" and feed it to the pigs. On
some farms this involved mixing
whey returned from cheese factories
with chop.
Well, like many things in life,
what's old is new again — and like
many things what's made the old new
is the application of a high-tech
solution.
Canadian hog producers — larger
scale ones, at least — are hot on the
heels of European producers in
adapting computerized liquid feeding
of swine, including the feeding of by-
products such as whey. A conference
in Stratford recently saw a large
turnout of those who are already
using the technology and those who
are eager to gain the health and
efficiency advantages of liquid
feeding. There has even been a Swine
Liquid Feeding Association formed,
headed by Monkton-area producer
John Kolkman.
We've got a story in this issue on
the benefits producers can gain by
investing in a liquid feeding system.
Most of us can understand the
value of the part of our insurance that
will rebuild a barn or house if fire
occurs, but the money we pay out for
liability insurance is usually a little
harder to accept. After all, how many
of us ever use this part of our
coverage.
The value of liability insurance
became evident for Dave and Carolyn
Biesenthal when the Walkerton water
tragedy struck, their farm was named
as the source of the E. coli bacteria
that infected Walkerton's water and
they were included in a $350 million
lawsuit. We spoke to Dr. Biesenthal
about his story.
Transferring a farm is becoming
more and more complicated as the
value of farming operations escalates.
If you're planning to pass your farm
on to the next generation, it's never
too early to start planning. We have
some tips this month.
To keep your energy up during the
cold days ahead, Bonnie Gropp has
collected some dessert bar recipes for
her column this month. — KRO
Update
Finding a home for stray cats
If you find someone has dropped some cats off at the bottom of your lane,
there is someone to turn to. Last month's article on Francine Peeler touched a
chord with many readers and one phoned to report that the Ontario Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does have a shelter in Stratford that accepts
stray cats.
That's stray cats, says Janet Pate, kennel manager — if you own a cat you want
to be rid of, the OSPCA will help you discover the ways you can find a new
home for the pet. If after you've made a legitimate attempt to find a home you've
been unsuccessful and are thinking of drastic action, the kennel won't see you
stuck, she says.
' Pate says there's seldom a month when the number of cats brought in drops
below 30. Most cats at this kennel remain until they find a new owner. They're
not euthanised if they are not claimed or adopted within a certain length of time
as happens at some kennels. Only if their health is beyond treatment are the cats
put down.
"As long as they're not sick they can live as long as needed to find them a
home," says Pate.
The kennel has 26 cages for cats. Typically when a new animal arrives it's
brought into this holding area for evaluation and treatment. Once it's ready for
adoption it's moved into the adoption area with larger cages for display.
The Stratford shelter is the only OSPCA shelter in Perth, Huron and Oxford
and has also received cats from places like London. The shelter can be reached at
519-273-6600.0