The Rural Voice, 2004-01, Page 3About this issue
Cooling nutrient -slinging
"Ontario's West Coast", those areas of southwestern
Ontario bordering Lake Huron, have been blessed with
sandy beaches and gorgeous sunsets that have been
bringing summer residents to the shore for almost as long
as the fertile farmland inland has been producing crops and
feeding animals. For a century these two backbones of the
local economy have generally ignored each other but in the
last decade concern for water quality along the beach and
the very obvious emergence of large livestock operations in
areas upstream along the rivers that flow into Lake Huron
have brought a generally well-educated and well-connected
lakeshore residential community together.
Recently a press release by the Ashfield Colborne
Lakefront Association in northern Huron County caught the
eye of urban newspapers with The National Post labeling
Lake Huron "the first new pollution 'hot spot' on the
Canadian side of the Great Lakes in nearly 20 years."
The publicity led to cancellations of reservations at
some Huron County resorts and sent a chill through the
county's tourism industry. The Huron County Health Unit
called a meeting to try to bring together all the information
it could get on the situation and all the stakeholders. Health
officials tried not to point fingers but bubbling below the
surface and threatening to erupt at various times in the
meeting was the growing divide between lakeshore
residents and farm representatives. We have a report on the
situation.
If water pollution is one concern of livestock operation,
smell is another. Trees can be part of the solution, says
Todd Leuty, OMAF's agro-forestry specialist. Not only do
they hide livestock barns from view and make a farm look
more environmentally friendly, but they can actually
disperse smells and take dust and chemicals out of the air.
While some might wonder why any young person would
like to get into farming under today's circumstances, many
people would if they could. Elyse DeBruyn has some tips
on how to make handing down the farm easier.
In her recipe collection this month, Bonnie Gropp looks
at dishes with an international flare. Patti Robertson has
some suggestions for putting away Christmas decorations
this year that will make getting them out next year much
easier.
As 2003 winds down and a very difficult year ends, may
we at The Rural Voice wish you a better year in 2004.0
Update
Electricitg from manure
Back in October 2002 we featured an article on the
potential for using manure to create methane gas that could
in turn power a generator to create electricity. Last month
Danish researcher Jen Bo Holm -Nielsen told a conference
in Shakespeare that fanners in his country are investing as
much as $15 million in biogas production facilities to treat
their manure and create energy at the same time. Now
comes word of a large investment in Alberta to create
biogas.
Highmark Renewables, a subsidiary of Highland Feeders
Ltd. near Vegreville, Alberta, will build a $7.9 million
biogas-powered electrical generation plant, with large
investments from the government of Canada and Alberta
Research Council. The plant's two 15 -metre high rubber -
domed digester tanks are expected to produce up to three
million watts of electricity by June 2004, enough to meet
the energy needs of 5,000 people. The plant will process
the manure of 7,500 cattle.
The Iron Creek Hutterite colony south of Bruce, Alberta
has been producing electricity from biogas for 22 months.
It uses slurry from cattle, pigs and chickens.0
'Rural Voice
Published monthly by:
The Rural Voice,
Box 429, Blyth, Ontario,
NOM 1 HO
Telephone: 519-523-4311 (fax 523-9140).
e-mail: norhuron@scsinternet.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.