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The Citizen, 1996-03-20, Page 36VENTILATION Tj- The Axis-Air Blender • Uniform temperature • Corrosion Resistant • Easy maintenance • Uniform air pattern With An AVC-5 Computerized Controller • Integrated heater control • Programmable temperature reduction • High and low temperature alarms Call Axis Products 1-800-833-AXIS (2947) Axis services Axis Air or Martin Air products Axis Products Ltd., Brodhagen, Ont. NOK 1B0 Fax (519) 345-2575 T\iiiiit* 04 q- a gbo , ... ,•rq)\,\n' and i:\ d corn 875 ,. , \ .‘,,,,. .\ \ \ ..,„ :).(:) AUBURN CO-OP Come grow with us! At Auburn Co-op we still have Bayfield Soybeans, Brussels, K641, PS42, Marathon, OAC Auburn, OAC Arthur with a premium of at least 400. Call for more information. See our full page ad in this issue Auburn Co-op County Road 25, Auburn 526-7262 PAGE A-12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1996. Agriculture 1996 By Bonnie Gropp Being able to produce as many different types of cash crops as pos- sible is a move in the right direc- tion. It is therefore heartening when genetic research provides an oppor- tunity to introduce a crop that had previously been grown in slightly warmer climates. Looking at crops which were originally grown in the southern portion of the province, but are now a part of the Huron County growing season, the most notable is soybeans. This herbaceous annual, which belongs to the legume family, is among the oldest of cultivated crops, with its origins traced back to East Asia. On this side of the ocean it was introduced about 1800 as a hay crop in the U.S., but was not recognized as a valuable source of edible oil until the early 1900s. The oil from the soybean is of high quality and is used in the pro- duction of margarine, shortening and salad oils. A warm-season crop, requiring a mean summer temperature of 21°C and a frost-free period of 120-150 days for optimum production most of Canada's annual production was in the counties of Essex, Middle- sex, Kent and Lambeth. However, the soybean growing boundary has been moving steadily north for sev- eral years. "It is a trend that began probably two decades ago," says Allan McCallum, a crop specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture and Rural Affairs. "The main driving factor is an excellent short season variety of soybeans." Martin Huzevka, the general manager of the Ontario White Bean Producers Board says the adapta- tion of certain beans to a shorter growing season has certainly Plant genetics assist crop's northward shift impacted the migration of this crop effect, is it possible that that has into not just the northern parts of made it easier to grow crops more the province, but easterly as well. commonly harvested in slightly "Twenty per cent of the navy beans warmer areas? McCallum feels this are in the area east of Toronto," he is unlikely. "Regarding our climate said. there is so much variability from McCallum says the Ontario Soy- year to year a trend change in cli- bean Variety Trials issued in early mate is actually irrelevant." December, includes a table which However, some experts have shows the yields of these types of claimed that it was ground level soybeans to help farmers decide ozone, caused by increased temper- which ones should do the best for atures, that resulted in much of the white bean migration from the southern part of the province 20 Trials help years ago. Huzevka is quick to note that while this is a possibility it could equally be as a result of producers crop rotation. "White beans are a crop that need to have time for soil cleansing. While ground level select variety ozone may have impacted this somewhat, it's not certain what per- centage of the issue could be them. attributed to that or to the buildup "That, and the fact that the soil of contaminants in the soil making structure is quite good, are the two the crop disease susceptible," he most prominent reasons that soy- said. "It's not just the environment beans have been moving north. itself, but the environment in the Another 'southern' crop now soil." being produced in Huron is canola. Making reference to the long and McCallum notes, however, that blistering cold winter of 1992, while this came into the area many McCallum notes that climactic years ago, there is a bit of a "price changes are minor, but seasons can battle" due to overlapping areas. vary greatly annually. "Genetics is "Canola can be grown further north the major factor, (regarding plant than soybean, so what the cost is boundary shifts) not climate." determines what is grown in these overlap areas." Corn is another crop that moved north, but while the growth has been slow it began some time ago, McCallum says. "About 30 years ago there was a spring cereal area, but they have now found a balance of where corn is the most economi- cal and where it's just simply too far north to grow a good crop." 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