The Rural Voice, 1991-03, Page 55RAINY RIVER
Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
Box 416, Emo, Ontario POW 1 EO
807-482-2051
The Rural Voice is provided to Rainy River
Federation members by the RRFA.
The weather is trying to be winter
again, and I'm not so sure I am pleased
with its attempts. I personally like it to
be a little warmer outside than it is this
morning.
Tom and Shirley Morrish at Willow -
Mor Farms hosted a sleigh -ride party for
the Burris West 4-H Club, with 25
young people attending and enjoying a
buffet potluck supper. This was also the
club's achievement day when the mem-
bers showed their parents the results of
their project.
It is time to check your weigh sheets
again. Tom Morrish, your "Red Meat
II" weighman is on the road again.
Please call him right away at 486-3622
to set up an appointment if you have
heifers or calves to weigh.
A belated happy twentieth anniver-
sary to Stan and Linda Armstrong, our
Rainy River Federation of Agriculture
president and her husband, who cele-
brated their big day on February 6.
The 4-1-1 leaders attended a work-
shop on February 7 at the Emo Inn to
prepare for the projects for the 1991
season.
The annual meeting for the Ontario
Cattlemen's Association was held in
Toronto on February 20 - 21, and. Kim
Comell, our provincial director, and
Tom Morrish, altemate director, were to
attend for the Rainy River District.
The Rainy River Federation of Agri-
culture met in the agriculture office in
Emo on Thursday, February 7 at 7:30
p.m. The directors present were: Linda
Armstrong, Gertie Bujold, Peggy Ma-
son, Archie Weirsema, Dennis Brunn,
Wayne Flatt, Shirley Morrish, Jacque-
lyn Hunsperger, Kim Hunsperger, and
Susan Boersma.
The entertainment committee is
working toward the spring dinner and
dance. A tentative date has been set as
April 13 and maybe Pinewood Hall will
be the setting.
Peggy Mason reported that the Farm
Progress Building letters will be sent out
shortly. The committee had a meeting
recently to finalize some plans.
Linda Armstrong reported that the
nuisance wildlife resolution has been
sent to provincial director Pciter Van
Ballegooie and on to each of the provin-
cial directors and head office in
Toronto, and we hope it will be dealt
with favourably at the next provincial
meeting.
Membership chairman Archie
Weirsema reported that he is making
some calls and hopes to be successful in
getting a few new members. Gertie
Bujold and Dennis Brunn are contacting
high schools in the district to encourage
the members graduating children to
apply for the bursary that is available in
each of the schools.
Kim Hunsperger and the consumer
education committee are working on
getting some information they can use in
their programs. Shirley Morrish re-
ported the fair board is looking fora new
secretary and at least four new directors,
and anyone interested in serving, please
let them know. You will be most wel-
come. The plans for a new grandstand
are still being drafted, and they hope to
replace the old structure as soon as pos-
sible.
Dennis Brunn reported that the seed
fair date has been tentatively set for
March 27 with information on the GRIP
and the NISA programs to be presented
during the day.
I attended the GST workshop in the
Emo Legion and was very glad I had.
The instructor, MaryAnne McDougall,
was very personable and knew the stuff
well. Those of us that attended were
well pleased to learn more about the tax.
MaryAnne was able to have us work
through the steps to calculate the transi-
tional credit and taught us what to look
for when we receive an invoice, and
what to ask for when the information we
need isn't on the invoice.
Most of us who took the course feel
that the OATI should continue to have
funding from the federal government to
continue this kind of teaching for the
farm community. If the instructors are
comparable to MaryAnne McDougall
we will learn many of the things we need
to know to continue in this most impor-
tant of all industries, agriculture.
Ralph and I attended the northern
programs review meeting on February 4
in the agriculture office and learned that
most of the programs that are on the
books now will end this March 31, and
input is being asked from the farm
community as to what we think we
would like to see in a new program to
complement the four that end. One
program will likely take the place of the
four.
Dave Beattie from New Liskeard
chaired the meeting and a representative
of the Ministry of Northern Develop-
ment and Mines took the notes. Some of
the suggestions that came from our
meeting were assistance for surface and
tile drainage, new technology — envi-
ronmentally sound practices, develop-
ment of fruit and vegetable crops for
local demand, pasture management,
watercourse protection, perimeter fenc-
ing, manure and forage storage systems,
and machinery maintenance and stor-
age.
These are just a few of the possible
ideas that may be included in a program
to aid us in the production of food and
other agricultural products.
It was stressed that moneys from the
government will have to be matched in
some way by our own money, which is
as it should be.
Linda Armstrong and I met with our
local MPP Howard Hampton on Febru-
ary 12 in the Emo Municipal Office, and
were able to bring him up to date on
some of the things the local federation
has been working on. We solicited his
support for one or two that we are having
trouble getting solved.
The next meeting of the Rainy River
Federation of Agriculture will be held
on Thursday, March 7, 1991, in Our
Lady of the Way Separate School at 7:30
p.m.
• The crop production seminar will be
held on Tuesday, March 5, in the Strat-
ton Hall. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The
registration fee is $20, the deadline is
February 28, and the limit is 15 partici-
pants.
The grower pesticide safety certifi-
cation course date has been changed to
March 31 in the Stratton Hall and is
limited to 20, so get in to the agriculture
office before March 1.0
Jacquelyn
MARCH 1991 49