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The Rural Voice, 2003-08, Page 3About this issue Sheep industrg booming It's a sign of the times that there are now as many or more sheep producers in Ontario as there are pork producers. The number of sheep producers has been booming because prices have generally been strong in the last decade and sheep are relatively inexpensive to get into. At the same time pork, which once had similar characteristics, has become a much more of an intensive, large scale industry. The Todd family of St. Helens, near Lucknow, has seen a lot of changes in the three generations since Thomas Todd traded a few heifers for some Southdown sheep following World War II. Once an industry in decline, sheep is now a growing industry fueled by the strong ethnic market in Toronto and region. The Todds, with their prize flock, have been part of that growth and Janice Becker tells their story. Jay Lewis of Holstein learned about sheep on his father's farm and now represents a move to take sheep more along the model of the cattle and hog industries. He's a lamb finisher, putting 18,000 to 20,000 lambs a year through his Holstein -area feedlot operation. Like large- scale hog and cattle producers, he deals directly with packers. At 30, he's one of the faces of the future of the sheep industry and we spoke with him this month. Farmers markets seem like a quaint throwback to times of old when farmers sold their farm products directly to the public. For the most part, these markets are relatively small but there are exceptions. One of these is the Keady Farmers Market, held each Tuesday in the summer in conjunction with the weekly auction market. Here the vendors overflow the grounds, taking over a nearby field and selling everything from fresh farm produce to cured sausages to wooden furniture to clothing to plants and flowers. The market is now a major attraction in the Grey -Bruce area. We looked in on it one recent summer morning and have a photo layout and story. The ancient and mysterious art of dowsing or divining has been largely ignored recently with our ability to drill a hole deep enough that nearly any spot you choose for your well will produce water. Still, there's a fascination with this old skill and Larry Drew experiences it himself in his article this month. In keeping with our special issue on sheep, Bonnie Gropp has chosen recipes featuring the many ways to use lamb on your plate.0 Update Tree bglaw changes direction Our story last October called Spare the Axe and Reap the Rewards caused quite a stir. Not only did it generate more letters to the editor than any story in recent years, but it was brought up several times by Huron County councillors who regretted that their recently -passed forest management bylaw had retained the minimum diameter limit cutting that the Maitland Valley Watershed Partnership had found had harmed forest quality because it led to too many smaller trees after a tree harvest with not enough mature trees for a healthy woodlot. But a change in the Ontario Municipal Act meant the bylaw could not be passed into law and it was sent back to the council for necessary changes. Those changes became bigger than mere housekeeping, however, when the council's Agriculture, Public Works and Seniors Committee decided to revisit the concept of a "basal area" determinant for what trees can be cut. At the July meeting of council a new bylaw, requiring a minimum volume of wood to remain on each acre after a harvest, was given first and second reading. Barring the unexpected, the bylaw will be given final reading in September.0 'Rural Voice Published monthly by: The Rural Voice, Box 429, Blyth, Ontario, NOM 1H0 Telephone: 519-523-4311 (fax 523-9140). e-mail: norhuron@scsintemet.com 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 subscriptions and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to The Rural Voice at the address listed above. 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, 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 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement Number 4177940 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 herein 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.