The Rural Voice, 1989-08, Page 37Ask at the local OMAF office for
Ontario Weeds, publication 505. It
describes 146 weeds, about 100 of
which are said to grow in waste areas
or waste land. Ontario has 845,000
acres of unimproved land. We now
have very good mowers to cut these
waste areas — flail, rotary, and sickle.
Herbicides could also be used — see
Sections 4 and 5 of the Weed Control
Act.
The Act also covers the control
of weed seeds when farm machinery
is moved from one field to another —
see Section 19. The townships do a
good job of controlling weeds on
roadsides, and they get a provincial
grant to assist them. I am not enthu-
siastic about grants, but there are
grants for many less urgent matters.
It would not take much money to give
substantial grants to assist farmers to
control weed seed production in waste
areas.
Weeds can also be a health hazard
for humans. I read that 250,000
tonnes of ragweed pollen fall on North
America each year, and an estimated
15 per cent of Canadians are suscep-
tible to ragweed -induced hay fever.
In the U.S., patients spent more than
$650 million in 1986 on visits to
doctors and on immunization and
drug treatments for allergies.
Several years ago, I showed my
conservation and water -management
slides and recommended that waste
land be planted to trees. At the end of
the pictures, the local weed inspector
rose to say that many of his weed
problems were in these waste areas.
Since that time, many farmers have
told me that they have planted trees
on their waste land, and now have a
valuable crop. After very few years,
weeds are under control.
THE TROUBLE
WITH BIRD SEED
Today, the idea of feeding birds
in the winter is popular. Shelves are
piled with plastic bags filled with
various bird seed mixtures.
I am concerned that these bird seed
mixtures may contain weed seed.
There are no regulations covering the
weed seed content in wild bird feed.
What an effective way of spreading
weed seeds through our town streets,
our village gardens, and our farms!
There should be regulations to ensure
that the weed seed content of bird feed
mixtures is minimal.
While the problem goes un-
checked, weed seeds continue to be
distributed by birds, while we spray
our environment with herbicides to
keep the weeds under control.
A 1987 news item told of a new
feed for exotic birds, featuring black
thistle seed originally grown in India,
but now being grown in the U.S.
Under the present lack of regulations,
this bird feed could be coming into
Canada. We don't need a black thistle
infestation in Ontario.
A HIDDEN PROBLEM:
LIVESTOCK FEEDS
Livestock feeds can also be a
source of weed seeds. We often think
that grinding and processing have
taken care of weed seeds, but a farm in
a neighbouring township recently had
liquid pig manure spread over 100
acres, and is now seeded with velvet
leaf (where none had been before).
Another 100 acres was polluted
with velvet leaf after being spread
with liquid manure from a livestock
operation using soybeans from which
oil had been crushed.
The weed seeds should be removed
from the soybeans before processing.
The excuse is always that they would
lose weight, and so the cost of the
meal would be increased. But this
would still be less costly than buying
velvet leaf seeds at feed price.
It has been assumed that weed
seeds are destroyed by grinding or
pelletting, but the only safe way is
to remove them before the feed is
processed. From my 30 years in the
seed business, I know that the weed
seeds could easily be removed. For
instance, in pelletting soybeans .
containing some velvet leaf seeds, the
velvet leaf seeds can easily be re-
moved by having a perforated spout
carry the soybeans into the processing
equipment. The velvet leaf seeds are
so much smaller than the soybeans
that this process removes them.
A few cents would remove the
problem seeds, while cleaning up 100
acres of velvet leaf would be very
costly, if not impossible.0
SLGA
LUPIN FIELD TOUR
AUG. 4 10:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
No charge - Lunch provided
Bus leaving from
Mount Forest Community Centre
for further information
519-323-1841
519-393-6711
GICRATES FOR 40
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%
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11:70
2
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FUNDS TRANSFERRED VIA CHARTERED BANK
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1-800-265-5503
CANADIAN
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WOOL GROWERS
LIMITED
WOOL CLIPS
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For more information contact
RIPLEY
WOOL DEPOT
John Farrell
R.R. 3, Ripley, Ontario
519-395-5757
AUGUST 1989 35