The Citizen, 1996-07-03, Page 1Salvaging a poor crop
Many farmers across Huron County and the rest of southern Ontario have spent the last few
days removing black, rotting hay from their fields in an effort to allow the second growth to
prosper. The unusually damp spring and untimely rainfalls have left most hay crops of little
use other than for bedding or dry cow feed. It is hoped warmer July temperatures will
provide the heat units required for improved second and third cuttings.
Hay too poor to call a crop
By Janice Becker
The quality is so poor it can't
even be called hay now„says Brian
Hall, soil and crop advisor with the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs office in
Clinton.
The very wet spring has spoiled
most of the first cut hay, leaving
the farmers to rely on the second
and third cuts for their milk herd or
beef cattle needs.
Farmers are just trying to salvage
what they can for dry cow hay or
bedding, says Hall. The first cut is
basically a write-off.
Hay was being removed from the
fields over that past few days, just
getting it out of the field to allow
the second growth to come.
Growth has been slow so far,
says Hall, but should respond with
the hot weather.
For corn growers, the outlook is
varied. With too much rain and not
enough heat units (two weeks
behind last year), corn crops range
from two-leaf to eight-leaf.
Great variations can even be seen
in one field, Hall says, with some
looking really good and other areas
really tough.
The heat of the weekend should
give the crop a boost.
Hall estimates there was still
approximately 40 per cent of the
soy and white bean crops to be
planted before the weekend. A few
dry days are needed to complete the
planting. For the crop already in Me
ground, growth is variable, from
drowned out or just emerging to the
tri-foliate stage.
Yellow barley is also evident due
to wet feet (soggy roots), he say's.
For operations which lost por-
tions of the winter wheat crop,
what could be salvaged has
improved over the past weeks and
other areas were replanted with
beans or barley.
The warm days at the end of the
months have helped farmers catch
up on some duties not yet complet-
ed such as herbicide application,
scuffling or nitrogen for the corn.
Though the weather may finally
be beginning to co-operate, the
poor start to the growing season has
put a lot of stress on farmers and
their families, says Hall.
"Often, that stress will be inter-
nalized, making things worse," says
Hall. "There are ways of dealing
with the stress professionally if
families are having difficulty.
There is a place to go."
OMAFRA offers counseling pro-
grams for stress management as
well as financial consulting and
assistance.
Information can be obtained by
calling the Clinton office at 519-
482-3428.
Vol. 12 No. 27
Wednesday, July 3, 1996
70e + 50 GST 750
Sports
Locals play men's
all-star fastball
games
See page 8
Special
8 pages salute the
graduating
classes of 1996
See page 13
Feature
Special page
features stories
for teens by teens
See page 29
Review
Blyth's `Mabelle'
more enlightening
than entertaining
See page 31
Wingham OPP
admin. moves
to Goderich
The North Huron
itizen
By Bonnie Gropp
In its efforts to save money, the
Ontario Provincial Police will be
making some changes to area
detachments beginning Monday,
July 8.
AcCording to Goderich Const.
John Marshall, as part of the "right-
sizing" initiative, the administration
at the Wingham OPP detachment,
as well as all-other Huron detach-
ments, will be moving to Goderich.
The change, he says, should have
minimal impact on the public. "The
officers will still be there, but we
are moving a small component."
Calling the 357-1331 number
will mean getting a recording that
At the regular meeting of Village
of Blyth Council held June 24,
Clerk John Stewart reported that in
regard to council's campaign to
initiate Education Finance Reform,
the Municipal Office had received
80 letters to date from the 206
committed municipalities, to be
forwarded on their behalf to the
Minister -of Education, and that
letters continue to arrive daily.
The majority of the letters inform
the minister that they intend to
discontinue collection of education
taxes as of Jan. 1, 1997. All are
requesting that legislation be
enacted which recognizes that
education is not a service to
property and provides a system of
funding•for education that is fair
and equitable to all citizens of the
Province of Ontario.
Council decided that the letters
by Janice Becker
With beautiful blue skies and the
warmest weekend of the year to
date, residents and friends of Grey
Twp. had perfect days on which to
celebrate the township's 140th
anniversary.
"It was a fabulous weekend with
every event filled to capacity," says
Grey Twp. Clerk Brad Knight.
Opening ceremonies were attend-
During this past week, numerous
Canadian counterfeit $10 bills have
been found by local merchants and
financial institutions.
OPP Const. John Marshall said
this $10 bill appears to be faded,
has a different texture and looks
smaller. Front plate of bill is
numbered 63.
requests people leave a message or,
if it's an emergency, instructs them
to call the 1-800-number. The other
number is remaining in place, so if
an officer happens to be there he
will take the call, says Marshall.
With the move, Michele Ruttan,
clerk/stenographer at the Wingham
office_for.the past eight years, was
declared surplus as was her peer in
the Exeter detachment. She was
offered the one vacancy in the
Goderich office because she resides
in Wingham, which is within 40
km of Goderich. The Exeter
clerk/stenographer is moving to the
Sebringville office, which will han-
dle administration for Perth.
received to date should be
forwarded to the minister
immediately, due to the Legislature
recessing for the summer, and
advise him that all of the letters
which follow will be forwarded to
him at a later date as they arrive at
the Village Municipal Office.
Copies of the letters are also to be
forwarded to the premier's office,
the minister of Municipal Affairs
and Housing, the minister of
Finance, the special committee
"Who Does What", the local MPP
and local school boards.
Reeve Mason Bailey expressed
his confidence that the Ontario_
government will respond favour-
ably when they are convinced of
how important this matter is to
municipal councils and their
ratepayers.
ed by Huron MP Paul Steckle,
bringing greetings from Prime Min-
ister Jean Chr6tien and presenting
Grey Twp. Reeve Leona Arm-
strong with a Canadian flag and a
grant.
Reeve Armstrong encouraged
those gathered to remember their
heritage as they celebrated the
Continued on page 28
The serial numbers of counterfeit
bills are BDF8620332, BDE6892235
and BDF1332962.
Anyone coming into contact with
someone passing these bogus bills,
retain the bill, get a description of
the passer, vehicle plate number if
possible and contact the police
immediately, Marshall said.
80 letters support
Blyth campaign
Grey party a good one
Bogus bills found