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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-01-30, Page 14liti?tr\ c()t poRi Pi01)( 1:. Producers of the year Brenda and Dave Linton (centre) receive the Producers of the Year sign for their farm from, Jean -Lubbers (left), president of the Huron County Pork Producers and Dave Lewington, who holds the plaque they'll get to keep. Dave is a former director to Ontario Pork and the couple is known for their environmental and animal welfare initiatives. ATV club promotes safety Grants of up to $750 awarded for heart healthy projects. Call the Take Heart Huron Project at the Huron County Health Unit, 482-3416 or 1-877-837-6143 to receive your application package. The deadline for completed applications is March 31, 2002. Opportunity Fund ar) 0 w cc lw .t 42 as as co 2. encourage to Huron gesidents be/pliffi oefive 0 eat borto oe/ .41) o O y MI MI MATERNAL/CHILD PROGRAM "A new way of providing service at Clinton Public Hospital" CLINTON PUBLIC HOSPITAL MATERNAUCHILD PROGRAM "BABY AND I" NO FEE NO PRE-REGISTRATION PROGRAM DAYS - WEDNESDAYS 10-11:30 a.m. WHERE - CLINTON PUBLIC HOSPITAL CONFERENCE ROOM (Second Floor) PROGRAM TOPICS: Feb. 6 - "Doula Support" Their Role in Labour Speakers - Sharon Jerome Jacqui McGregor Feb. 13 - Crying, Sleeping and Your Baby Feb. 20 - Feeding Your Baby Feb. 27 - "Sibling Rivalry" More info call Veronica Farquhar - 482-3440 Ext. 304 PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002. Model NMP bylaw to go to county committees By Keith Roultson Citizen publisher A proposed nutrient management model bylaw will go to committee study at county council in February county planner Scott Tousaw told the Huron Pork Producers' Association in Seaforth, Wednesday. From the committees, the proposal will go to county council for approval, then be circulated to municipalities who must adopt it before it will become law. "We're asking the municipalities to hold public meetings," Tousaw said, adding the county hopes the municipalities will adopt the bylaw By Bonnie Gropp Citizen editor When it comes to motorized sports, a few people have always been able to make it bad for the rest. Such has been the case with ATVers of late, said Brian Bradbury of Bluevale, a spokesperson for the Perth and District ATV Club. "There are people out there who don't know the rules. We are here to educate them." The Club is an affiliate of the Ontario Federation of All-Terrain Vehicles (OFATV). It formed in March 2000 and now sits at a mem- bership of just over 70. The main problem with the sport, he said, results from "renegade" rid- ers. "They're the ones who say, 'Why would I pay $50 to join a club when I can ride the roads for noth- ing?' and just hope they don't get caught." Riding an ATV on the road is ille- gal unless it's being used as a farm vehicle to get from one property to another. However, it's illegal regard- less for any unlicensed driyer to do so. "Kids can't use the excuse that it's a farm vehicle, because it's not their farm vehicle," said Bradbury. "I'm not trying to put the onus on parents, but they are going to have to be educated about ATVs before they let their kids have them." without significant changes. "With any luck we'll have reason- ably consistent rules across the county by fall," Tousaw said, noting the bylaw is only a stop-gap measure until the provincial government implements its province-wide nutri- ent management regulations. The model bylaw, developed in consultation with representatives of farm and environmental groups, became essential because six former townships had interim control bylaws in place to control the growth of large livestock operations. An interim control bylaw -requires the municipality to move forward to cre- ate a set of rules under which - Bradbury explained that tags on the bikes offer recommendations on what age shOuld be using them, such as one for children between the ages of eight to 10, or that the bike is not recommended for anyone under 16. Bikes will also come with safety switches that set the speed. Providing young riders with the knowledge to respect handle a bike is the focus of the ATV Clubs. There is currently a safety program being devised to test youngsters. The ATV Club also offers safe places for riding, much like the snowmobile clubs. Though the trails often cross each other, they are sel- dom the same ones, however. The Club's trails are open for use once snowmobile season is over. "We always say the season starts when the groomer goes off the snowmobile trails," said Bradbury, adding that they only use the same trails when there has been an agree- ment. Bikes shouldn't be on the snowmobile trails during the winter. "This is a guideline all ATVers should abide by." "All of our trails are on public land," Bradbury continued, "which means they are multi-use trails." Snowmobile trails often travel through farmers' fields by permis- sion. He believes that any community working with the club on establish- landowners can build. Tousaw said the bylaw applies only to new operations of 100 live- stock units or more, a size that should not be termed "intensive" but "regulated" because -that would include only 400 feeder hogs. Both liquid and dry manure operations are included. After much debate the bylaw will include a provision that the barn's owner must own 25 per cent of the land needed for the spreading (A manure and it must be within a 15 km distance. The rest of the land can be through a registered agreement to receive the manure. The bylaw will require that aban- ing some multi-use trails will benefit as it will bring people into the area. "We are second in popularity. to snowmobiling. We are going to be here and working with us and trying to make everyone happy seems a wise choice." For responsible ATVers, Bradbury recommends coming out to a meet- ing of the local club, which covers a district to Kitchener in the east and Goderich in the west. Anyone want- ing to find out more can contact him at 357-4320 or Ron Hamilton at 356-2626. There is also a website at www.perthdistrictatv.ca The group has contributed to char- ity through its 4-Wheeling for Easter Seals Ride and the Diabetes Charity Ride. An affiliate, the 4-Wheeling Women, raises funds for a worthy cause as well. "We're trying to help our community," said Bradbury. However, with the OFATV getting national attention, Bradbury said the number one priority has been estab- lished. "First on our agenda is safety and education." Check out The Citizen's WEBSITE at www.northhuron.on.ca doned wells on a building site be identified and decommissioned, a step Tousaw said is not expensive' and for which there are grants cur- rently available to assist. There was a lot of debate about whether a groundwater consultant was required as well as a nutrient management consultant but the bylaw will not have a requirement for the water consultant. Sam Bradshaw, nutrient manage- ment specialist with Ontario Pork said farmers might look at the Huron County plans as a preview of what to expect when the province finally passes its nutrient management act and announces the associated regula- tions. The regulations must balance environmental protection with sus- tainable industry growth, he said. "We want to be able to operate our farms with pride and invest with confidence." The government needs to help farmers meet higher standards that are of more benefit to society than the farmer, he said. "If I have 240-day storage (of manure) and I think it's enough but someone wants me to have 365 days, they should have to compensate me," Bradshaw said. He hoped the legislation would require advisory groups like those already in place in Huron and Perth Counties to try to work out solutions between neighbours. Biosecurity is a concern for pork farmers, he said. "I don't want any- one walking into my barn without biosecurity." Bradshaw said the rules shouldn't be a hindrance to people wanting to run small hog operations. "We don't want rules to bring a loss of more producers. We're losing enough already." He worried about what he called "overkill" in the legislation. He wor- ried that a requirement for 365-day storage might actually be dangerous to the environment because if a farmer knows he has just 240 days of storage he realizes he needs to spread both spring and fall. With 365-day storage he may put it off then have a full tank and be forced to spread under unfavourable condi- tions, Bradshaw said. Bradshaw said he could agree with the Huron proposal that a farmer must own 25 per cent of the land required for manure spreading with- in a 15 km radius of the barn. "If I say I'm going to spread it 60 miles away, I'm probably not (going to)," he said. The 25 per cent ratio seems reasonable but could be argued for- ever, he said. He worried about provisions for monitoring groundwater vulnerabili- ty on new sites sayipg drilling moni- toring wells can easily cost $100,000 and sampling them would add even more. He said the requirement that dry manure storages be covered is of great concern to the poultry industry with one leader saying the move might force poultry farmers to turn to liquid manure storage. .