The Rural Voice, 1994-12, Page 3Editor: 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, Carl L. Bedal
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Anna Vander Heyden
production co-ordinator:
Anne Harrison
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Writing from concern
It's not often that a magazine of
our size can feature a writer of the
stature of Alice Munro, one of the
world's foremost fiction writers.
But Ms Munro, since childhood,
has had a close relationship to the
Maitland River that once ran through
her farm. Now she's concerned about
the future of "her" river. The
possibility of landfill sites along the
riverside prompted the writing of her
article. As you can see from the
Update section below, that threat has
receded but the article remains very
moving and thoughtful. If you live
along one of the other major river
systems in the region you can
probably mentally substitute the
name of your own river and feel the
same emotions.
In the Christmas spirit we take a
look at the old-fashioned sleigh ride
and how modem farmers are fuming
this part of times past into a service
for residents who either want to recall
past memories or want to sample a
new experience.
The food system is so complicated
today that often it's hard to find the
food your neighbour grew in your
own store. But some restaurants in
the area find using locally grown
products is a marketing advantage.
We talked to some chefs this month.
There's a new book on the market,
one a long time in the making. Jim
Powers' A Record of Achievement, a
history of farm organizations in
Bruce County was unveiled at the
Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture annual meeting in
Chesley in November. It provides an
invaluable commodity in the 1990s:
perspective. A new generation of
farmers often forgets what brought
about the farm organizations they
now see as old-fashioned and
unnecessary. The book is a reminder
of how farmers came together over
the last 50 years to seek community
solutions to the problems they shared.
Gardening columnist Rhea
Hamilton -Seeger takes a look at some
other books — naturally enough,
gardening books. Old friend Merle
Gunby has a guest column that will
make you want to pack your bags and
catch the first flight south.
And we have a new Decorating
columnist. After more than a year
Kendra Kramer decided to shut down
her computer. Well-known decorator
Patti Robertson joins our columnists
this month. — KR
Update
More on landfill sites
Our November feature on landfill sites focussed on the plight of Benmiller
area farmer Eric Moore and his farm along the Maitland River. By the time your
copy was in your mail box Moore and his neighbours had received the news their
land had been eliminated from the current round of site selection in Huron
County. Ironically this, and two other Colborne Township sites, weren't
eliminated because of the potential for environmental damage from being too
close to the river, but because they had -too much Class 1 farmland. It means if all
of the four remaining sites in the Huron search should be eliminated and
constraints on use of Class 1 and 2 farmland are relaxed, the farms could be back
in the next round of site selection (of course so could all the Class 1 and 2
farmland that has been untouched at this point by the site selection process).
Meanwhile the worry for St. Augustine -area residents, including a large
number of Amish farm families, goes on. Two sites in that area, plus two in
Ashfield (including the farm of outgoing Huron Warden Allan Gibson), were
drilled with test wells in early November to test subsoil conditions. Test results
will be available by early in the new year.
And in Bruce County the first public meetings to discuss the idea of sharing
existing landfill sites were held. While those involved in a county searching for a
new site might think sharing was an obvious solution, many Bruce residents
disagree vocally. Garbage remains a highly emotional issue.0