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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen-Agriculture 2001, 2001-03-14, Page 27beams, rounds, hot and cold finished bar, gle channel, reinforcing steel, square tubing, angles, flat bar, expanded metal, bar grading & wire mesh. Plus we offer the following services: flame cutting of steel, priming of beams, lintels. We can also provide engineered stamp drawings. WHITE EXTRUDED PLASTIC SHEETS 1 P.O. Box 1, Goderich, ON N7A 3Y5 *Co St For all your steel requirements, p Ph.: 519-524-2082 Fax: 519-524-1091 Plywoods: Fibre Glass Coated Plywood One Side Sheet Size 4 feet x 8 feet & 10 feet Colour: White Plastic Coloured Plywood One Side: Sheet size 4 feet x 8 feet Colour: White Trim & Fasteners: Plastic trim, Nylon, Plastic, Stainless Fasteners. Plastic Rolls: Size: Widths 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet. Length: 50 feet, 100 feet, Colours: White, Black. Sheet sizes: 4 feet x 8 feet, 10 feet, 12 feet. Colour, white, black, blue, red, yellow, gold. Thickness: 3/32 inch to 1/2 inch. UMHW Plastic: Sheet size 4 feet x 8 feet & 10 feet Colour: numerous Thickness: 1/8 inch to 2 inches UG Plastic: Sheet sizes up to 6 feet wide. Colour: Black & White Thickness: 1/8 to 3/4 inch Ideal for Hog, Cattle, Horse, Chicken, Dairy Barns, Car & Truck Dealerships, Machinery Dealerships, Grain Elevators, Grocery Stores, Vet Clinics, Dog Kennels, Goat & Sheep Farms. Pre-Galvanized Flat Top Woven Wire Hog & Cattle Pannels (Galvanized) Cattle Pannels 16 feet long x 52 inches high Hog Pannels 16 feet long x 34 inches high Call 524-2082 or fax 524-1091 for more information & pricing 5/16" $ A 95 niper sq. ft. Weight per sq. ft. 5-6 lbs. Openings: 3/8'.' wide x 3" long. 3 $n75 Gauge WI per sq. it. Weight per sq. ft. 4.3 lbs. Openings: 3/8" wide x 2" long. ...ideal for weaner decks, farrowing decks, dry sows, finishing THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2001. PAGE A-7. Technological changes improve milking systems cleanliness By Janice Becker Citizen staff Evolving technologies for the maintenance of dairy milking sys- tems now allow producers to get a better grasp of the cleanliness of their system. With a scanning system for the industry which looks at bacteria counts, Paul Prekup of Diversey- Lever said the system is much more sensitive that the old platelet method. The most important factor in deliv- ering good quality milk is to not neg- lect the milking system. "It is the most important piece of equipment," he said. Tops on his list of maintenance dos are regular checks by a 'competent' technician or udder health specialist. "Producers pay good money to have the system maintained and they should receive good service." If uncomfortable or displeased with the quality of the technician, Prekup encourages farmers to get someone else as it is their product which will be effected if maintenance deterio- rates. Farmers should make a daily visual inspection of accessible areas to look for soil deposits both organic and inorganic. "Organic soils need to be con- trolled as these can grow bacteria," he said. Operators should look for butterfat or grease accumulation. A brownish- grey soil or grease on the stainless steel indicates a cleaning problem. the system should then be checked to determine if the soiling is a result of equipment or chemical failure. Prekup also suggests farmers take extra precaution with the bulk tanks as the large size makes a visual check from the outside more difficult. "After the tank is washed, get down inside and look around," he said. Water temperature is the number one problem in the cleaning of pipelines, he said. The water should be at 180°F at the beginning of the cycle and it should be checked regularly. At the end of an eight-minute pre-rinse a temperature of 100°F to 110°F should have been maintained. The temperature should never drop below 100 °F as butterfat will not melt below that temperature. It also makes the detergent work harder. The proper slope on milk lines pre- vents low areas in which wash water and detergent can sit. The alkalinity of the detergent can neutralize the acidic effect of the chemicals, render- ing them ineffective. The slope should be one inch of fall for every 10 feet of line. Particularly with automatic sys- tems, operators should have an awareness of the amount of chemi- cals being used. Checks should be done rather than just setting and let- ting it run. General cleanliness of the entire area also promotes higher stan- dards. Ontario bean producers have quality advantage, says processor By Janice Becker Citizen staff When farmers make those late winter decisions about which crops to plant, many acres are going into edible beans. Though competition is stiff from growers in Manitoba and the United States, Steve Twynstra of the Great Canadian Bean Company believes Ontarians have a quality advantage. The success of the Ontario indus- try depends on producers' ability to deliver top quality beans to the ele-' vatOr, he said."Though others have cheaper production costs, . growers • can control the quality by field and variety selection, seeding rates, fer- tilizer plans, herbicide and insecti- cide programs. Edible beans were also the first crop to be identity pre- served." Twynstra pointed out several com- ponents for a successful crop that his company has determined through field research. Selecting the appropriate field for the crop is important. The drainage capability should be considered with few heavily-shaded areas and good soil tillage. There should not be a lot of nitrogen variability across the field and the grower should look at pesticide and other chemical carry- overs from previous years. A rotation of one in five for beans is best. When choosing a bean, root struc- ture of the plant as well as the yield should be assessed to determine the best match with field conditions. Twynstra recommended orienting the plants so that wind would blow through the rows rather that across them. The weed history of the field is crucial as beans are not competitive with the intruders and can result in being "dinged hard" at the point of sale if there is contamination of the crop, said Twynstra. Once the field and bean has been selected, he suggests a planting tar- get of the third week of May through early June. The seedbed should be even and mellow. Fertilizer should be broadcast to prevent root burn. To prevent the surface from crust- ing and to keep air in the soil, there- by avoiding "wet feet" for the plants, scuffling three to four times through- out the season is beneficial. The crop should be sprayed for leaf hoppers as soon as just one is discovered. To control white mold problems, good variety selection is the first step, along with planting in a non- mold prone field. The right population of seeds and planting with the wind also help. Twynstra advocates scouting the fields for mold in mid-July particu- larly if the weather is hot, damp and humid. Desiccants are mandatory if direct cutting, he said. It allows even dry- ing of the plants for harvesting ease and prevents regrowth. It also pre- vents staining. At harvest time, he advises the use of a used combine rather than one with new blades. The speed of the cylinder/rotor should also be slowed. Depending on the variety of beans preferred, Twynstra tells growers to make their purchases soon. While there were 30,000 acres of coloured beans grown in Ontario last year, Twynstra'expects to see that jump to 40,000 for 2001 as farmers pull acres out of navy beans and other vari- eties. There has also been interest in new crops such as cranberry and a "sleep- er" brown bean, he said. As a final consideration, Twynstra said that in spite of poor crop years in 2000 for Ontario and Michigan, which forced a decline in acres har- vested, he expects 6.2 millions tonnes to be produced in 2001. There was a carry-over of 10 million tonnes from the previous years and the market only consumes seven million annually.