HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-04-11, Page 27HSCIA to nurture innovative drainage project
PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019.
Just last week, the Huron Soil and
Crop Improvement Association
embarked on an innovative tiling and
research project that is a first in
Canada – setting up Huron County
as a research destination for decades
to come, according to some.
Rick Kootstra and Melisa Luymes,
both of the association, spoke to the
project at Huron County Council’s
April 3 meeting, outlining the new
tiling project and how innovative it
is, having only been tried in the
United States thus far.
Luymes detailed the project,
which was first pitched to the
association at a meeting in
Holmesville over a year ago. It
allows landowners to open and close
valves, which lets farmers retain
water when they need it, and let it
run when they don’t.
She and Kootstra said it was
appropriate that they were
presenting to Huron County Council
on April 3, because tiling at the site
was literally beginning that day.
Luymes said that the
demonstration site will have several
methods of tiling employed side by
side on parcels of land with similar
topography. There will be five
parcels. The first will just have
surface water and no tile, while the
second will have surface water, but
before and after conventional
installation, the third will have
conventional with tile water, while
the fourth will have tile water with
contoured and controlled tiling and
the fifth will have surface water
before and after contoured
installation.
The idea, Luymes said, will be to
compare the parcels of land and see
how the new tiling responds in
Huron County. The project will cost
nearly $300,000 but it will serve as a
groundbreaking project that Luymes
said will draw people from all over
the country to see what is possible
with the new contoured drainage
system.
In fact, she said, a demonstration
day has already been scheduled for
June 15 and she invited all members
of Huron County Council to attend.
On that day, there will be hourly
wagon rides to four stops throughout
the site. The first will demonstrate
controlled and contoured drainage,
followed by wetlands, monitoring
and water quality, terraces and
grassed waterways and cover crops
and a soil pit for soil health.
There will also be a number of
workshops for farmers, members of
the drainage industry and members
of the public.
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan said he was very
impressed with the Huronview
project and admitted that when
council first threw its support behind
it, he was skeptical as to whether it
was money well spent.
He said he thought that the ability
to invite farmers and landowners
from all over the country to witness
what’s happening on the site would
be positive for Huron County.
Kootstra agreed, saying that what
was happening on the Huronview
site was very good for Huron
County.
Learning in motion
Mad Science of London helped students at North Woods
Elementary School get some first-hand science experience
last week. Among the lessons taught by the company was
one focused on physics and chemistry through actions and
reactions. Above, Brayden Allan-Thorogood experiments
with an elastic-powered catapult, learning about the
physics of a projectile in motion. (Denny Scott photo)
‘Citizen’ honoured
with OCNA Award
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The Citizen was recognized Friday
night for publishing the year’s best
rural story for a circulation of 9,999
and under in Ontario.
The award was presented at the
Ontario Community Newspapers
Association (OCNA) Better
Newspapers Awards. It honoured
Lisa B. Pot’s story about
homelessness in Huron County that
was published in the March 8, 2018
issue of The Citizen. The story also
appeared in The Citizen’s sister
publication, The Rural Voice earlier
last year.
The Citizen beat out the second-
place Huntsville Forester and its
story on the Muskoka Community
Health Hub and the third-place
Kincardine Independent and its
story on supply management and
how ending the program would
impact the traditional family farm.
This is the second year in a row
The Citizen has been honoured by
the OCNA, last year winning best
website for its circulation class.
It also comes just a few years after
The Citizen was honoured in the
general excellence categories
provincially. The Citizen was also
named the best newspaper in
Canada by News Media Canada,
formerly the Canadian Community
Newspaper Association, in recent
years.
For a full list of winners from
Friday night’s awards ceremony in
Woodbridge, visit www.ocna.org.
84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels
devonjhenry@hotmail.com
519-505-2473
Devon Henry
Leadership in energy
and environmental design
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen