The Rural Voice, 2004-11, Page 3i
About this issue
Training to meet hour needs
Living in the country, you generally don't think much
about the local fire department until you need it.
While town residents are reminded of the work of their
volunteer fire brigade members every time they hear sirens,
in rural areas you hope the firefighters remain strangers.
Yet the departments, made up of people who are
mechanics, office workers and local business people in
everyday life, must be trained to save your life or your
property when their beeper goes off and they rush to your
emergency. They must know not only how to carry out the
job, but how to do it without risking their own lives.
Rural firefighters now have access to better training
with the opening of a new emergency services training
centre at Blyth. Many groups like local county Federations
of Agriculture have seen the benefit of supporting the
centre financially and many farmers have donated
equipment for firefighters to use in rescue training. Bonnie
Gropp takes a look at the centre and the special
requirements for emergency crews who do their jobs in a
rural environment.
Twenty-five years ago organic farming on a commercial
scale was virtually unheard of in Ontario but a small group
of farmers, mostly from European backgrounds, gathered
to found an organization that would spread the word. While
organic farming may still be a small niche in the overall
picture of agriculture in Ontario, it has come a long way
from those early days. We talked to some of the pioneers.
The idea of taking a product beyond the farm gate is
regularly discussed and some farmers have taken the step
profitably, but few have done it with such success and class
as The Garlic Box in Hensall. Featured in articles in such
publications as House and Home and Food & Drink, the
company processes local garlic into everything from exotic
jams and jellies to sauces to pickles and relish and
seasonings like garlic mashed -potato seasoning. You can
even order fresh garlic from their website. We spoke with
Jackie Rowe about her enterprise which now markets
53,000 pounds of garlic a year. It all started when she and
her husband Jim were looking for a way to market
damaged and lower -grade garlic bulbs from their fields.
As Remembrance Day approaches, Barbara Weiler
remembers the role Canada's farmers played in the war
effort, both through the sons sent to fight and the feeding of
Britain and the massed armies of liberation.
In our news coverage, we have reports from the annual
meetings of the Grey, Huron and Perth Federations of
Agriculture.
Bonnie Gropp's recipes this month deal with cookie -
making. Rhea Hamilton Seeger's gardening column offers
Update
IPM tops its goals
Blessed with good weather, Grey County's 2004 IPM
turned out to be an outstanding success, drawing more
than 80,000 people to the tented city near Meaford,
September 22-26.
A volunteer force of 1500, assisting with everything
from parking to selling souvenirs to dealing with media
representatives, helped make the match run smoothly.
In the Queen of the Furrow competition, the winner was
Abbie Brander from Peel-Dufferin Plowmen's
Association. First runner-up was T -J Hargreaves from
Oxford County. Second runner-up was Heather McLeod
from Essex.
Other finalists were Mackenzie Denyes from Hastings
and Erica Hills from Ottawa -Carleton. Miss Friendship
was Deanna Bryson from Lambton County. Ontario Plow
Queen was Abbie Brander.0
°Rural Voice
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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, Larry Drew
Marketing & Advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
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Allen Hughes
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Dianne Josling
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