The Rural Voice, 1996-06, Page 3R.V.
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
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:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Joan Caldwell
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
Anne Harrison
laserset: with the Macintosh Classic
printed & mailed by: Signal -Star
Publishing, Goderich, Ontario
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Editorial content may be reproduced only by
permission of the publisher. Published
monthly by The Rural Voice, Box 429,
Blyth, Ontario, NOM IHO, 519-523-4311
(fax 523-9140). Publication mail
registration No. 3560 held by North Huron
Publishing Co. Inc. at Goderich, Ontario.
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Behind the Scenes
Secrecy and suspicion
When freelance writer Bob Reid
was researching a story on three -site
pork production for this issue he
thought he had stumbled into a spy
story. "I'll talk to you, but don't
mention my name," people would tell
him. The amount of secrecy and
suspicion in the industry was
something he hadn't encountered
before.
It's about two years now since
three -site production exploded on the
Ontario pork production scene.
Builders have made small fortunes
erecting new hog barns but are the
farmers making money? And will the
farmers make money, or is it just a
way for feed companies to guarantee
their own profits? Opinions vary and
Bob talked to a wide cross section of
producers to get their ideas of
whether the new system is a step
forward or back. His story should be
one more thing for pork producers to
talk about when they gather at this
month's Pork Congress in Stratford.
It sounds like a breakthrough: if
you've got a stubborn weed problem
in your field you can now plant a
variety of soybeans that will
withstand Roundup while the weeds
in the pork industry
around it die. But are Roundup Ready
beans a good idea?
The beans aren't approved for use
in Ontario yet but Ralph Pierce talked
to industry leaders about whether this
outwardly -good idea really is what it
appears to be. Some producers in the
U.S. are wondering.
If you grew up in westcm Ontario
and you're more than 40, the CKNX
Travelling Barndance was a part of
your life. This is the 70th anniversary
of "Doc" Cruickshank going on the
air with what would bccome CKNX
radio and as a salute to this pioneer, a
play about the Barndance, Barndance
Live! is being presented at the Blyth
Festival. The play is sure to make
memories of the original barndance
spring to life. We take a look back at
this western Ontario tradition.
It's the time of the year for
rhubarb. This can be a good thing, or
a bad thing, depending on your taste.
Alma Barkman tells the humorous
story of what happens when rhubarb
gets out of hand.
In her decorating column, Patti
Robertson tells about a very unique
theme one homeowner took in
decorating an entire house.0
Update
Tell us about your town — and win
Even if you live in the country there's generally a place you call "my town".
It's the centre of much of the non-farm activities of your life. It may have the
hospital where you were born. It may have the cemetery where you'll be buried.
You may have been married in a church there. Your kids may go to a school
there and play hockey in winter and baseball or soccer in summer.
Though there is sometimes a touch of friction between country -dwellers and
"townies", we can't live without each other. Urban business depends on the
business provided by the small (and not -so -small) businesses called farms. Farm
families, as consumers, provide the customer base that grocery stores and car
dealerships need to keep going. Yet farms also need the services the town
provides. We need the mechanics and the veterinarians. We depend on the
doctors when we're sick, the barber when we need a trim.
Starting next month and for the foreseeable future, The Rural Voice will be
publishing stories by readers on what makes their town special. Stories should be
approximately 1,000 words in length. The connection between the town and its
rural environs is an important element but in general, we're looking for what
makes your town special. One town will be featured each month and the author
of the winning entry will be awarded $100.
So start thinking about what makes your town a special place. Ask friends
how they feel. Then sit down and start writing and enter our competition.0