The Rural Voice, 1993-04, Page 3R.V.
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Neil McCutcheon, farmer, Grey Cty.
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Adrian Vos, Gisele Ireland, Cathy
Laird, Wayne Kelly, Sarah Borowski,
Mary Lou Weiser -Hamilton, June
Flath, Ian Wylie-Toal, Susan Glover,
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Darene
Yavorsky, Peter Baltensperger, Sandra
Orr, Yvonne Reynolds, Dorothy Smith
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
production co-ordinator:
Tracey Rising
advertising & editorial production:
Anne Harrison
Dianne Josling
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printed & mailed by: Signal -Star
Publishing, Goderich, Ontario
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Behind the Scenes
Looking at new ideas and machines
Gordon Scheifele, research
scientist and instructor at Ridgetown
College of Agricultural Technology,
sees his job as offering his students
new ideas to stimulate their
imagination. When he tells them
about alternate crops he's not
advocating they try them and he
knows they'll have a lot of research
to do on their own if they are to get
into those crops. He's just trying to
make them aware of all the
opportunities.
Scheifele introduces us to a
number of leading-edge cropping
alternatives this month, from evening
primrose (for most farmers a weed,
not a crop) to shiitake mushrooms.
His philosophy is, to some extent,
the philosophy of The Rural Voice as
well. We want to introduce you to
new ideas, and the people who come
up with them. At the very least, we
hope you'll find it interesting.
Beyond that, we just never know
when a bit of information we pass on
might stimulate someone to come up
with further new ideas.
Also this month, Ted Zettel of
Ontar-Bio, the organic farmers' co-
operative in Durham, tells about the
growth of the market for organic
crops, particularly spelt.
For those who really want to get
into the swim of alternative farming,
fish farming may be the wave of the
future. Sandra Orr looks at an
example of a farmer who is hooked
on the enterprise.
This is the time of the year when
the urge to kick tires and buy
equipment is almost as strong as
spring fever. We've surveyed
machinery dealers in the region to
come up with the trends and new
developments in the industry. They'll
reveal all in a story in our farm
machinery special section.
You've heard of unusual hobbies
but how about collecting cast iron
machinery seats? There is a Targe
group that does just that and Cathy
Laird gets to the bottom of it.
Meanwhile the thoughts of our
columnists have turned to spring.
Rhea Hamilton in her gardening
column looks at moving perennial
plants. Gisele Ireland, meanwhile,
prods Super Wrench to get on with a
renovation project.0
Update
Co-op reorganization takes shape
In our December issue we talked about the move by United Co-operatives of
Ontario to get back to its grassroots. The huge co-op had hoped to divest itself of
all retailing operations by the end of 1992 but the move has taken longer than
expected. Still, by the time of UCO's annual meeting in March, the job of turning
former UCO retail outlets into independent local co-operatives had been pretty
well accomplished.
One of the biggest changes has been in the Grey -Bruce area where UCO
branches in Chesley, Markdale, Owen Sound, Kincardine, Port Elgin and
Wiarton have been merged into the new Grey -Bruce District Co-operative.
Farther south, the Teeswater Co-op has taken over UCO branches in Mildmay,
Walkerton, Belgrave and Auburn.
Back in December we reported the probable takeover of the Listowel, Arthur,
Fergus and Grand Valley UCO outlets by the Drayton Co-op. That has now
taken place and the new co-op is called the Midwestern Ontario Co-operative.
Hensall Co-op, already one of Ontario's largest, will take over Ilderton, Forest
and Parkhill UCO branches in addition to the branches it already runs in Hensall,
Zurich, Exeter, Seaforth, Londesboro and Ailsa Craig.
The North Wellington Co-operative Services Inc. will expand to take over two
southern Grey operations in Hanover and Durham.
All these changes will return the Co-op retail outlets to the hands of local
members and return UCO to a tightly controlled wholesaling operation.0