Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-03-17, Page 28By Meg Penstone Rural Organization Specialist The primary purpose of the 4-H program is the personal development of youth in rural Ontario. Members learn about food production, leadership, science, and the heritage and culture of Ontario. There are over 70 different options available to 4-H members. The most popular project in Huron county last year was 'Outdoors - A Walk on the Wild Side.' Projects are led by 4-H volunteer leaders. 4-H members are encouraged to develop self-confidence, a sense of responsibility, and a positive self-image. Participants can also learn skills in communication, leadership, problem solving, and goal setting. In 1992, there were 97 clubs in Huron county led by 126 volunteer leaders. There were approximately 700 members enrolled in the program: 4-H clubs can work in other avenues. Clubs have been organized in some local schools including St. Joseph's in Clinton and Sacred Heart in Wingham. Teachers find many of the programs fit directly with their curriculum. Lunch hour clubs are also held. The 441 program is open to youth between the ages of 10 and 21 before January 1, 1993. The basic unit of the 4-H program is the 4-H club. A 4-H club consists of a minimum of six members and one adult leader. At the completion of a project, the club holds an Achievement program. The Achievement program is an opportunity for members to share the knowledge they have gained from the club with other members of the community. Some examples of Achievement programs which have taken place in Huron County include members visiting local seniors homes, participation in fairs, and putting floats in parades, to name just a few. Club members also have the opportunity to participate in other local, regional, and/or provincial activities. We have the Experience and Specializing in: 0 Farm and Municipal Drainage q Open Trench or Plow Method Ll Septic Systems Installed LI Clay & Plastic Tile Installations For quality and service call WAYNE COOK R. R. 2, Zurich 519-236-7390 CENTRALIA COLLEGE Huron Park, Ont. NOM 1Y0 (519) 228-6691 CONTINUING EDUCATION SPRING COURSES '93 ENVIRONMENTAL "Greening" Your Home April 15 (7:30 - 10 p.m.) Fee: $16.05 A course which offers suggestions on things you can do in your home to help the environment. "Recipes" for cleaning products and other tips for "greening". Everyone takes home samples. Composting for Your Garden April 20 (7-10 p.m.) Fee: $16.05 Learn various composting methods and when to use your composted material. Commercial and alternative fertilizers and herbicides will be discussed. FINANCIAL. Understanding Your Farm Income Tax March 24 (9:00 am. - 4:00 p.m) Fee: $21.40 Intended for those connected-with, a farm business (operated as a proprietorship or partnership, NOT a corporation) who may have their returns prepared by a professional but want to be able to read and understand them. FOODS Cooking with Herbs March 25 (7:30-10 p.m.) Fee: $16.05 Put down the salt shaker - there are some wonderful flavours out there! Participants learn to grow their own herbs both indoors and outdoors. Foods flavoured with herbs are prepared for tasting. GARDENING Advanced Home Landscaping March 23, 30 (7-10 p.m.) + April 3 (12-5 p.m.) Fee: $42.80 Designed for those who wish to look at different types and styles of gardens. Features will be: • location • low maintenance landscapes • cottage gardens • xeriscaping • container gardening • water gardens • rock gardens and formal gardens. Basic Home Gardening April 6, 13 (7-10 p.m.) Fee: $21.40 For beginners and experienced home gardeners. Features include: • mulching • preparing the seed bed • cultivation practices • growing transplants from seed • cultural practices for unusual vegetable species. Pruning Ornamentals April 10 (12-4 p.m.) Fee: $16.05 A workshop on correct pruning methods. Includes how to prune perennials, shrubs, trees and roses, tool identification, care and maintenance of pruning tools and types of pruning cuts. Participants should bring their own pruning shears for hands-on work. Growing Flowering Perennials April 19, 26 (7-10 p.m.) or Fee: $32.10 April 17 ( 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) A short course looking at • selection of easy to grow perennials • how to select and prepare a site for the perennial border • how to obtain and plan the perennials. Perennials Plus May 3 (7-10 p.m.) Fee: $21.40 A continuation of Growing Flowering Perennials and expands on the selection of perennials along with propagation, especially starting perennials from seed to obtain rare plants. Bulb, Corms and Rhizomes April 22 (7-10 p.m.) Fee: $21.40 This one evening course will discuss the different types of spring, summer and fall bulbs, how they multiply, how to select a site for best growth and how to plant and care for them. Landscaping With Ornamental Grasses May 6 (7-10) Fee: $21.40 Home owners looking for a novel way to landscape their home will enjoy this course. Learn about the various grasses you can grow that will add a new look to your garden. Topics include: • identifying grasses • planting and maintenance how-to's. Gardens • Putting It All Together May 10 (7-10) Fee: $21.40 Learn how to select and plant an easy maintenance border using flowering shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, bulbs and ground covers. This course concentrates on plant material selection not soil preparation. Ministry of Agriculture and Food All course costs include GST To register or for more information phone Centralia College (519) 228-6691, Ext. 285 Ontario A8. FARMING '93, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1993. Farm `93 Auburn farmer raises wild boar for meat By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot Rather than raise traditional live- stock, Wayne and Nancy Straughan have gone wild. The Auburn-area couple raises European Wild Boars, an ancient relation to the common market pig. But other than their evolutionary roots, pigs and wild boar have little in common. European Wild Boar are, as their name suggests, wild. They live out- doors 12 months of the year, farrow and raise their boarlets outdoors and hunt for their own food whether that be roots, grass or small animals. They are entirely self-sufficient and that's the main reason the Straughans got into the boar mar- ket. "I didn't want to get involved with traditional farming," says Mr. Straughan. "It takes too much money to get into and it's too much work." "Boars are the easiest thing to look after and still make money at,' states Mr. Straughan. When the Straughans moved into their Auburn-area farm last spring, they set to work fencing in a forest- ed field near their home and pur- chased 14 sows and a boar. However, the field was in close proximity to the highway and peo- ple, which stressed the wild ani- mals. "I lost half my litters because the sows couldn't handle the people," recalled Mr. Straughan. Curious motorists were stopping alongside the road to view the shaggy beasts and Mr. Straughan himself had been showing his herd to interested visitors. Once he realized the problem, he fenced in a remote bushlot and has had wonderful success with them since. The field is large, since each sow requires half an acre of bush and half an acre of pasture to meet her families needs, explains Mr. ,Straughan. -The boars don't do well in open fields. "Wild boars are bush ani- mals." They need bush for shelter and proper nesting and pasture for feeding. Though the animals never stop foraging for grass and roots, Mr. Straughan supplements their diet with approximately 15 pounds of roasted soybeans, corn and mixed grain per day. As well, he's placed round hay bales in the field which the animals use for fodder and to make nests for their young which resemble giant bird nests. Each sow produces an average of Continued on page A9 Looking for food Tantalized by the prospect of food, two European Wild Boars approach to inspect wielded by Wayne Straughan, an Auburn-area farmer who's raising the wild boar for a pail meat.