The Rural Voice, 1989-09, Page 82RAINY RIVER
Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
Box 416, Emo, Ontario POW 1 E0
807-482-2051
The Rural Voice is provided to Rainy River
Federation members by the RRFA.
Timely rains and the many extra
seeded acres have resulted in a bumper
hay crop in the Rainy River District this
year.
After two consecutive abnormally
dry years most District farmers had
seeded extra acres of forages to ensure
adequate feed supplies.
Good rainfall and hot, humid grow-
ing weather have allowed most farmers
to harvest double their 1988 yields.
Although different areas of the Dis-
trict received varied amounts of rain
generally, those farmers with improved
drainage are quite pleased with the
weather, crops, and yields.
Combines were rolling in the first
week of August harvesting wheat and
some early barley crops.
Farmer's Market
The Rainy River District Farmer's
Market held on Open House at their new
site on Mclrvine road in Fort Frances on
July 29. An estimated crowd of about
1,200 attended the special event.
District agriculture representative
Bruce Ward says the Farmer's Market
has been tremendously successful, at-
tracting 600 to 700 customers every Sat-
urday. Bruce feels the small but deter-
mined steering committee deserves
most of the credit for all the success of
the Farmer's Market.
One of the remaining problems ap-
pears to be the shortage of fresh, locally
grown produce.
Bruce Ward believes there is a good
potential market for District farmers to
grow and supply fresh vegetables for
this local area.
Crop Check North
About 35 people attended the annual
Open House at the Crop Check North
site at Pinewood on August 9.
Kim Jo Bliss, site manager, assisted
by Bruce Ward, hosted visitors for the
evening tour of the crop plots.
Alex Skepast of New Liskeard Agri-
cultural College was on hand to discuss
the various projects with the visiting
farmers.
John Heard, the new northwestern
Ontario soil and crop specialist, sta-
80 THE RURAL VOICE
tioned at Thunder Bay, was present to
meet District farmers.
This was the 5th year of the Crop
Check North site located on the John
vandenBrand farm east of Pinewood
and the crops looked very good.
Kim Jo Bliss has done an excellent
job in her first year as project site man-
ager, and credited her two assistants,
Kim Cates and Leonard Teeple, for
much of the success.
Drought Assistance
Agricultural representative Bruce
. Ward has learned that the federal gov-
ernment drought assistance program is
mailing cheques to farmers who suf-
fered crop losses from the dry weather of
1988.
The only farmers in the Rainy River
District who qualify for assistance live
in Carpenter Township, located just
north of Emo.
This will come as a surprise to farm-
ers in Lash, Barris, Aylesworth, and
Woodyatt Townships, south and east of
Carpenter, who suffered through the
scorching dry summer of 1988.
District yield averages and drought
information concerning this federal
government program are available at the
OMAF office in Emo.
Cattle Sales
Gary Sliworsky, George Hyatt, and
Bill Govier of the Rainy River Cattle-
men's Association recently travelled
west inspecting cattle sale facilities.
The trio was quite impressed with
the streamlined operation at the Regina
Stock Yards. The cost of satellite selling
had resulted in speeding up the sale at
Regina. Cattle are accepted one day,
quickly sorted into large lots for satellite
selling, and sold the next day.
Directors of the RRCA are planning
to implement many of these changes for
the Stratton Sale on October 21, 1989.
Fall Fair
The annual Rainy River District fall
fair returned to Emo on August 18, 19,
and 20. The Rainy River District Fed-
eration of Agriculture Farm Progress
Committee of Kristine Carpenter, Lisa
Teeple, and Debbie Zimmerman organ-
ized work crews to set up booths in the
Emo arena on the evening of August 16.
This same committee organized an
Agriculture in the Classroom program
which was run continuously throughout
the fair by various volunteers.
Approximately 33 entrepreneurs
including most of the agricultural
groups in the district set up their displays
in these booths in the Farm Progress
Building.
Besides the Farm Progress Building,
the fair featured other agricultural
events such as livestock judging, 4-H
exhibits, and produce exhibits.
The big event on Saturday, August
19 was the annual 4-H calf club sale.
Ed Fisher, former RRFA president.
Recently, the local newspaper
printed a flyer on the fall fair. One of the
articles featured former Rainy River
Federation of Agriculture president Ed
Fisher.
While farming over the past 30
years, Ed Fisher has found time to work
for most of the agricultural groups in the
District.
It is good to see volunteers like Ed
Fisher recognized for their work and
efforts on behalf of the agricultural com-
munity.0
Dean Hodgson