The Rural Voice, 1999-10, Page 3Editor: 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, Lisa Boonstoppel-
Pot, Bonnie Gropp, Ralph Pearce
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Sandra
Orr, Carl L. Bedal, Janice Becker,
Andrew Grindlay
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advertising representative:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Joan Caldwell
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Big stink over livestock
From Port Elgin in the north to
Grand Bend in the south, it has been
a hot, hot summer along the Lake
Huron shoreline. It wasn't because of
a second hot dry summer in a row but
a growing fear and anger on the part
of cottagers, rural residents and even
farmers of commodities other than
swine, about large-scale swine
operations. Assurances those barns
are safe were undermined with the
news two large barns were leaking
liquid manure from under -barn
storage into municipal drains.
As anger grows so do calls for an
end to the exemptions farm opera-
tions have to Environmental Protect-
ion Act provisions. The loss of those
exemptions would affect livestock
farmers large and small. We look at
what needs to be done to protect
farmers' futures.
With its history of struggle to clear
the land and allow farming, southern
Ontario has always had a love -hate
relationship with trees. Woodlots that
remain generally consist of a few
ignored acres of trees at the back of
the farm.
Imagine then the idea of actually
developing a management plan. A
display at the International Plowing
Match at Dashwood helped inform
woodlot owners of some of the
different techniques for different
goals. We also talked to some
woodlot management consultants
about setting goals and planning to
achieve them.
Part of the management can be
watching out for forest pests. Ed
Czerwinski of the Ministry of Natural
Resources updates us on some of the
pests making their mark on southern
Ontario trees.
Remembering the time when
railways were a large part of rural life
it's hard to believe there are no train
tracks left from Goderich in the south
to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. This
month we review Rusty Rails, a book
of photographic memories of that
area by Hanover photographer and
railway buff, John R. Hardy. 0
Update
`Hired Man' a hit
The Hired Man may have died, but he will return.
Last month's Rural Voice featured an interview with Perth County native and
theatre director Paul Thompson regarding his new play Death of the Hired Man
about the last days of the threshing machine technology and the changes it
brought to rural life.
Since then Death of the Hired Man has opened and closed after its two-week
run at the Blyth Festival. The show became something of a phenomenon with its
attempt to recreate as much as possible of the reality of an old-fashioned barn
threshing (pronounced "thrashing" in the tradition of western Ontario). In some
seats near the "straw mow" well-dressed women got a dusting of straw in their
hair. The loudest applause of the evening comes when the threshing crew
maneuvers a stage mock-up of a threshing machine onto the stage. As it begins to
work pulleys turn and belts whirr, just like a real working machine. After
performances, curious audience members were likely to be found on stage
looking the machine over and talking to the actors about their own experiences in
threshing.
As well as selling out nearly every performance in its run, Death of the Hired
Man won rave reviews. The London Free Press called it "a work of theatre that
explodes with moments of indelible power" while The Kitchener -Waterloo
Record said "it is the kind of production that has secured the Blyth Festival a
prominent place on the ever-expanding map of Canadian theatre".
Part of the attraction of the show is the complete transformation of the theatre
into the threshing floor and mows of a bank barn. That look will remain part of
Blyth Memorial Hall throughout the winter months awaiting new performances
of the show to be held in June for those who missed it this time.0 — KR