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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-09-29, Page 14A birthday celebration The Brussels Optimists celebrated 20 years as a club with a banquet and dance on Sept. 18 at the BMG Community Centre. The past presidents were presented with plaques for their dedication to the club. Back row, from left: Dan Pearson, Mrs. Lloyd Mayer, accepting for her husband, the late Lloyd Mayer, Gerry Wheeler, Bruce Raymond, Greg Wilson, Joe Seili, Kevin Weitner, Don Crawford, Annette Stephenson, accepting for her husband, Dave Stephenson, and Don Sholdice. The front row is Don Bray, George Langlois, Gord Finch, Pete Exel and Brian Deitner. Some members served more than one term. Farm Forum hosts candidate debate CARS - $40 1/2 TON TRUCK '45-'50 Sizeeieta SATURDAY $5 off Z,„ointment NILE GARAGE RR 6 Goderich 529-7355 No way to treat a Queen Susan Terpstra of Brussels battles wind and cold to deliver her speech at the International Plowing Match at Walkerton Thursday. Susan,. the Queen of the Furrow for Huron County, was one of more than 30 young women seeking the crown of Ontario Queen of the Furrow. AN ARCTIC BLASTTm IS HEADED YOUR WAY. CHECK OUT OUR SHOWROOM FOR THE BEST DEALS IN TOWN ON THE WIDEST SELECTION OF ARCTIC CAT® SNOWMOBILES AND ACCESSORIES DURING OUR ARCTIC BLAST CELEBRATION. IT'S ALSO YOUR CHANCE TO WATCH OUR EXCITING NEW VIDEO OF '94 CATST" IN ACTION AND ENJOY COMPLIMENTARY REFRESHMENTS. DON'T MISS THE HOTTEST DEALS OF THE WINTER. ITS FREE, IT'S FUN BUT IT ONLY LASTS FOR ONE DAY. ARCTIC ow SAT. OCT. 2 OPEN HOUSE AT B & K TIRE & BATTERY AT OUR NEW LOCATION IN BRODHAGEN PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1993. No- till an option No-till cropping holds many advantages for use on the farm today. Not only does it save time by reducing tillage hours, but it also saves on fuel costs and reduces soil compaction. No-till breaks the soil open by use of a coulter directly in front of the seeding units. This means that the ground is opened only seconds before the seed is planted and thus reduces moisture loss due to the soil being open and exposed for short periods of time. Because you do not need to plough or cultivate before planting with no-till, soil moisture is retained and the time previously spent on tillage can now be spent working at other farm duties. Less fuel is used on the farm due to fewer passes, also reducing compaction. By not working the soils prior to planting the potential for soil erosions is greatly reduced as the soil is not as exposed to the elements, and crop residue cover holds the soil in place. Crops can be planted directly into the residue of the previous crop, using the no-till method, even only a short time after the harvest. This holds a great advantage when planting winter grain crops. During the busy harvest season crops can be planted no-till in a minimal amount of time, as compared to conventional methods. As well no- till equipment can be used with small tractors leaving larger machinery available for the harvest. With soil erosion being such a problem in this area of southern Ontario, there has been a move towards conservation tillage practices. No-till is one of these practices that greatly contributes to the reduction of soil erosion. By limiting the amount of soil tilled to only a small trench into which the seed is placed, no-till leaves very little soil susceptible to erosion. Because no-till goes directly into crop residues, the residue cover helps to hold the soil in place. No- till planting is not only a time saving method, but also a good means of preventing soil erosion. In the Huron County area a no- till program has been established by the Maitland Valley Conserva- tion Authority (MVCA). The program offers a Great Plains solid stand 10 foot no-till drill to farmers for planting plots of up to 10 acres in size. The drill is also equipped with a native grass seed box for underseeding. The equipment is delivered to the farm by a staff member who will go over its operation as well as set it up at the desired rates for planting. The farmer is required to have his own tractor of at least 60 horse power to do the planting and there is a $25 service charge on the drill for a 10 acre plot. The no-till drill will be available this fall for anyone wishing to plant up to ten acres of winter wheat. Interested farmers can call Chris Hoskins or Ron Strome at the MVCA in Wroxeter at (519) 335- 3557. New service announced The Farm Safety Association Inc. of Guelph is pleased to announce a new service. The association is introducing a 1-800 number which will provide accessibility from all areas in Ontario. The new number is 1-800-361- 8855. At the first all-candidates encounter for CKNX's "Farm Forum", our candidates of Huron- Bruce made amply clear their directional differences on agricultural and rural issues. Roger George, President of the OFA, stipulated, "We are looking for leadership and a government that will go out and fight for Canada's rights in international trade and not give up before a shots fired." While Conservative candidate Murray Cardiff felt the MFTA dispute mechanism was beneficial to Canadians, the Liberal candidate Paul Steckle expressed the need to be a lot tougher on trade negotia- tions and to have clear definition of subsidies within FTA. All candidates drew attention to the need for expanded markets, especially internationally, and local agricultural processing which would add value to local production and increase off-farm employment opportunities. Agriculture has long been considered the backbone of rural small town communities. Albert Von Dockersen of the Christian Farmer Federation Association raised the question about the new federal initiatives in this area, and was concerned because no federal funding has been designated. The program designed under Kim Campbell's cabinet restructuring was defended by Mr. Cardiff, who felt that it was an important tool to set initiatives and priorities for federal programs within the rural area. The Reform candidate kept to a theme of diminished government activities by "get(ting) government out of the pocketbooks of consumers, off the backs _of small town businesses and then ybu will see wed development flourish". Mr. Steckle told the audience "small rural communities are definitely impacted by the way agriculture has suffered in the last years", adding that rural communities will improve through profitability on the farm, and a national agricultural strategy. As Canadians we take pride in the cultural fabric of our rural communities and the family farms. Over the next three weeks of the election campaign rural issues and agriculture will play an important part in the federal election of Huron-Bruce.