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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1996-11-20, Page 7Agriculture Danish trainee learns on local farm BY DAVID SCOTT Expositor Editor Living and working on a Seaforth area farm has been a learning experience for a Danish native, Soren Ostergaard of the vil- lage of Sa;by, Denmark spent the past nine months working at Cor and Gerda. Vanden Hoven's dairy and swine operation east of Seaforth as part of the International Agricultural Exchange Association's (IAEA)- work abroad pro- gram.. "It's a young country. It's interesting teicompare to Dcnmark," he says of Canada. Local residents asked him why he was taking photos recently of Main Street, Seaforth. "The archi- tecture is different here. The building's are square with flat roofs," said Soren. Farming Differences Canadian farms are more open and larger than farms in Denmark. But he said the farms back home are getting bigger. Machinery. here is bigger too. There are many restrictions on agriculture practises in Denmark including the appli- cation of chemicals on crops. A few years ago a number of chemical fertilizers were made illegal and that drove the price up for the remaining legal ones. In Denmark, gov- ernment regulations state you have to own a hectare of land for every 2.2 cows and there are strict controls for using manure as fertilizer. Soren has already been to agriculture school and worked on different farms in Denmark. ' Before you are allowed. to purchase a farm,' you need Live and a half to, six years of - agricultural education. "Farming is looked on as a profession (in. Denmark) rather than a last resort. (in Canada)," said Vanden. Hoven. '1 - The paperwork is almost more important to learn than the farming itself,.said Soren. And it's easier to get a bank loan in Denmark if you are educated. The cost per hectare of farmland in north- ern Denmark is about $6- 8,000 per hectare. Sone places in the south can be as high as $25,000 a hectare. Danish crops differ slightly . , from those in Canada. , "We don't have any corn or soybeans. We grow wheat, barley, sugar beets, canola." But -'unlike Canada (except for winter wheat here) crops are, planted ;in the fall in Denmark. Learning Language Another benefit of the exchange is to learn the lan- guage of the country you're visiting. Thc first week was `yes,' `no' and smiles from Soren in conversation, said Gerda. "When they picked me up at the airport, they talked a lot. 1 didn't understand much," said Soren. Prior to his arrival in PHOTO BY DAVID SCOTT CANADIAN FARMING - IAEA trainee Soren Ostergaard of Denmark is pictured here at work at Vanden Hoven's farm east of. Seaforth with David Vanden Hoven and a Holstein. arrange visas and insurance for travelling trainees. Praise for Program "I think it's a really good program for anyone thinking of farming," she says. "It was a holiday but -it wasn't. It was a work experi- on,;e. That's why you go," said Soren. "It's been a great experi- ence," he said. Anyone interested in more information on participating in the IAEA program as a trainee or a host, can contact the International Agricultural Exchange Association at #105, 7710-5 Street SE, Calgary, AB, T2H 2L9, Phone (403) 255-7799, Fax .(403) 255-6024, E -mail - w w w. i n fo-pages.cornh aea `Farming is looked on as a profession rather than a last resort' February. the Vanden Hovens had sent information about their farm to Denmark and told him to bring warm cloth- ing with him. There was time to (earn the language.a little better before the 'work started, he said. Trainee's are introduced to the farming operation.slowly. -Soren started out doing milk- ing, feeding and making feed. "You let the trainee do as much as possible," she said. But, you might get a person who doesn't have a knack for animal husbandry or tractor work, added Gerda. In the Army- The rmyThe Danish government selects a-numberof citizens to join the national army every year. Soren explained the process is that you go to an assessment office and basically pick anumber. If your numhcr is ovc i 15,000, you don't have to serve. Soren drew numhcr 12,336 and was in the army for seven months: Third Trainee 0 Soren is the third trainee who has stayed with thc Vanden Hovcns: The first was from Germany and last year John ftom Scotland worked here. "There's always more host families," said Gcrda. This can he .a problem because the numhcr of work visas issued by the government for trainees coming in is based Op thc numhcr of Canadians going abroad to work on the IAEA exchange program. Denmark sent 22 young adults to Canada on this agri- cultural exchange this year, that's second only to Australia's numbers. Rainy Weather Soren jokes about the weather conditions in. Denmark. "Thc weather is rainy and very rainy." His village is in the furthest northern point in mainland Dcnmark. Thc country is sur- rounded by ocean. "We have snow every win- ter," says Soren. "But it goes away in two days. Cheap Clothes and Cars He says clothing prices arc a tot cheaper here than in Denmark, especially liar Levi jeans. "All thc trainees go hack with extra jeans," said Gerda Vanden Hoven. Another difference Soren notices is that cars arc Nigger and cheaper here and gas is cheaper too. In Denmark, there's a 180 per cent import tax on cars. We also have wider roads with ditches and shoulders which don't exist in Denmark. Wild West In July Soren went on a "Wild West trip" with other IAEA trainees. It started at the Calgary Stampede and stops were .made at Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Mexico. "It was a good trip," he said. Now that he's been on the IAEA.program, he may he asked if he wants to he a supervisor who acts as a mediator between the farmer and the traincc. "If there's a :problem that can't be solved , thc traincc can he moved to another host family," said . Vanden Hoven. Supervisors for IAEA work with govern- ments of other countries to Organic grains, oilseed crops future growth W. G. Thompson and Sons has .targeted "organic" grains and oilseed crops as a future growth arca where "demand is strong and follows its own supply and demand cycles independent from normal commodity markets...driven by the company's Asian cus- tomers who have been paying 30 to 50 per cent more for certified organic grains and Garlic farmer wants to use leaves from Seaforth beans." This information is con- tained in a press release from thc Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, The press release says 40 which is holding its annual new fauns achieved ccrtifica- mecting in Ethel this tion as "organic" this year by Saturday. The association's public relations director says "the supply of all organic food- stuffs is way behind demand because consumers' aware- ness.is growing faster than farmers." the Organic Crop Improvement Assotiation, the largest certifying agency in Ontario. John Kronin, who has an organic garlic farm north of St. Columban, has asked to buy the leaves Seaforth's Works Department collects to use for mulch on his 50 acres for $200. He would require them as soon as possible. At its Nov. 5 meeting, Works Superintendent John Forrest asked council for guidance on the request because for the last several years the leaves have been collected once a year at no charge by Don Heard of Bayfield who uses them mak- ing topsoil. Forrest said Heard has kept his part of the arrangement, keeping the town's storage of leaves at the required height and turn- ing in regularly. Council and thc works superintendent later dis- cussed the matter in commit- tee of the whole. Woodlot management program being held in town Woodlots, which tend peri- odically cut and forgotten between "harvests", can be considered a crop if approached by way of a woodlot management plan. A workshop on developing such a plan is being held at the Seaforth arcna later this month, on Nov. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. Pre -registration is required and further details can be had by calling Steve Bowers at 519-357-3131. - THE HURON EXPOSITOR, November 20, 1996-7 INVESTMENTS 524.2773 Goderich 1-800-265-5503 SEAFORTH INSURANCE BROKER LTD. 527-1610 'Insuring Your Business Is Our Business' • Home • Commercial • Auto • Farm • Life • Out of Province_Travel Insurance Call Your Representative Today • Ken Cardno • Lynn Pletsch• • Barb Watt • Joanne Williamson C(5irwr on selected Howolwr MpFFAT appliances! Offer available front November 15 to December 15, 1996. THAT'S RIGHT! 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