The Rural Voice, 2003-04, Page 3About this issue
Old crop, new crop
For most crop producers, mustard is a problem. For the
Whyte family, it's a solution.
Looking beyond corn, soybeans and wheat, the
Seaforth-area family investigated yellow mustard and
eventually were given the opportunity to grow up to 3,000
acres of the crop, much of which has been sub -contracted
to others. Long overlooked, yellow mustard offers new
opportunities for diversification, particularly for farmers
with heat units of 2,750 or less. Bonnie Gropp has the
Whyte's story.
The future of the small farm, particularly the small pork
farm, was explored recently at a conference called Size
Matters held at Shakespeare. Producers attending heard a
wide variety of speakers who offered both hope for new
avenues of marketing and gloomy predictions that
governments don't really care whether small farms exist or
not. We pulled together some of the comments for a story
this month.
One of the worries of many pork producers has been
pressure from animal welfare and consumer groups and
large food outlets like McDonald's to change their housing
of animals. One of the targets has been the use of gestation
stalls for sows. But a few brave souls have embraced the
idea of group housing of dry sows and the good news from
Reid Wilson, who opened his new group housing barn a
year ago, is that the barns mean less labour and happier
sows that bring better results. Even better, the barns are
cheaper to build than stall barbs. In our building feature this
month we talked to Reid Wilson and his builder, Fred
Groenestege.
Between higher energy prices and the Kyoto Accord, the
topic of home generation of electricity has been getting
more attention than at any time since the energy crisis of
the 1970s. Freelance writer Andrew Epplett this month
talks to a number of people who have turned to windpower
or solar power to solve their energy needs.
Huron County's farm leaders got their annual
opportunity to put their political leaders on the spot March
22 with the annual Members of Parliament luncheon. We
have a report in our news section.
Bonnie Gropp's recipe collection this month helps you
prepare for Easter. Rhea Hamilton Seeger looks at the
osage orange in her gardening column and Patti Robertson,
continuing her theme of energy in your home, looks at the
role played by furnishings.0
Update
Huron Healthy Futures extended
The Huron Healthy Futures program, profiled in our
October 2001 issue, has been extended until the end of
2003.
The Huron program has been one of the most successful
Healthy Futures programs in the province with more than
650 projects approved and $2 million given out to assist
with projects to improve water quality. The money
allocated to some categories such as upgrading of septic
systems has long since been used up but $400,000 remains
for other items.
Some of the eligible projects include: liquid manure
spreading equipment modifications to reduce runoff and
tile drain contamination; berms and eavestroughs to divert
clean water from manure and exercise yards; fences,
crossings and watering devices that eliminate cattle access
to watercourses; treatment systems for milkhouse waste
and retiring fragile farmland with trees, vegetation and
buffer strips. More information is available from the
Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, 335-3557 or the
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, 235-2610.0
'Rural Voice
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NOM 1H0
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A division of North Huron Publishing Company Inc.
Editor & Publisher: Keith Roulston
Editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron Cty;
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.;
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
Contributing writers:
Bonnie Gropp, Carol Riemer, Ralph
Pearce, Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Sandra
Orr, Janice Becker, Mark Nonkes, Larry
Drew
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Gerry Fortune
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Merle Gunby
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Joan Caldwell
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