Huron Expositor, 2001-05-09, Page 5Agriculture
Scott Hilgendorff photo
Working the land...
A Tuckersmith Township farmer works the land Friday afternoon.
Conditions look better for farmers this year: OMAFRA
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
While a good rain was
greatly needed as of Monday,
this year's spring planting
season is the most favorable
of the past three years, said
Keith Reid, soil. fertility
specialist with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs in
Stratford.
"We are looking at a better
season," said Reid, although
surprising weather conditions
like last year's spring
flooding can still have a
negative impact on farmers.
Right now, farmers are
facing prairie -like conditions
with good moisture at root
level but dry conditions on
the top layer of soil for
planting.
"The decision this year is
to pack or not to pack," said
Reid.
Packing would see farmers
use equipment to compress
the dry soil over the seeds,
drawing on moisture below to
help germination.
However, if there is a lot of
rain, farmers run the risk the
compressed soil will form a
crust making it hard for corn
or soyabeans to push through.
Nutrient management
strategy promised again
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
A May 2 announcement
that the Ministry of
Agriculture is going to
introduce a manure
management strategy is not
exactly new news, says Paul
Nairn of the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture.
While the announcement is
welcome, Nairn said, "I
would have hoped the
announcement would have
had more meat."
He said the Ministry of
Agriculture has been planning
a nutrient management study
for about a year now which
was hopefully going to take.
shape in the form of an
anticipated "Agricultural
Standards Operation Act."
Minister of Agriculture
Brian Coburn told the Ontario
Legislature, "The government
will introduce a
comprehensive nutrient
management strategy that will
provide Ontario's agricultural
industry with clear
environmental protection
guidelines."
He said it was to ensure
that the agricultural sector has
accurate information to make
management decisions.
While farmers value safe
environmental practices,
Coburn told the legislature,
"But they know, and we
know, that more needs to be
done."
Jo -Anne Farquhar, a
spokesperson for the Ministry
of Agriculture; said the study
is "certainly a priority" but
that no time frame or process
has been established for how
to proceed.
She said this could be the
largest undertaking of its kind
in Canada to date, developing
a legislative act as
complicated as one dealing
with nutrient management.
For that reason, she said
Coburn is taking his time
following up on what was
started by the._ previous :.
minister of agriculture in the
past year and trying to
determine how to approach it.
"He wants everyone to
know this is important to
him," Farquhar said of one of
the reasons Coburn brought it
up in the legislature May 2.
"I hope it's something
coming quickly," said Nairn.
"Municipalities and farmers
have been waiting for this."
Huron East just approved a
temporary bylaw putting a
moratorium on the size of
livestock operations in Grey
and already has one in place
in Tuckersmith.
The bylaws expire in
September when
Administrator Jack
MacLachlan had hoped
provincial regulations would
be in place to give
municipalities better
guidelines to follow.
"It's nice to say we're
going to have some standards.
We've heard that for a year
now. Let's get them out there
then," said Nairn.
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Another problem facing a
handful of farmers with
spring planting well under
way is for those who did not
get their plowing done in the
fall.
For some, winter hit hard
and fast dumping snow and
making plowing impossible
until this spring.
Recent hot weather and
wind dried off all the fields,
leaving the prairie like
conditions which are
worsened in fields that were
plowed this spring.
"That's the minority of
fields," said Reid.
And the season is looking
better than recent years
because the winter's heavy
snow has seen moisture
levels returned to normal
levels after a couple years of
dry summers.
While the deep
groundwater table may not
have been restored yet, there
is now moisture deeper in the
soil for crops to draw on
should the summer be dry.
But Reid said. "We'll still
be looking for timely rains to
help increase the yield."
Another concern facing
farmers this year is a Toss to
the winter wheat crop.
Under the heavy snow,
snow mould developed which
has already claimed 16 per
cent of the winter wheat crop
in Huron and Bruce County
with the percentage expected
to rise if some of the crops,
not written off yet, still fail 40
recover.
Right now, he said it's a
"mad rush" for farmers to get
their corn and soyabeans
planted.
He expects most corn to be
finished this week with some
soyabeans started and the
beans being finished in the
following couple weeks.
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, May s, 2001-6
Kim Jamieson
RMT
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INVITATION
You are invited to a
Dedication Ceremony
in celebration of
Dr. Kenneth Rodney's
25 years of service to the
Seaforth Community
Dedication of the OR Suite
to be held in the
Seaforth Community Hospital
Conference Room 2
on May 16, 2001
at 1:00 p.m.
Open House to follow
in the Seaforth Medical Clinic
Please join us in honouring
Dr. Rodney's commitment and
dedication to surgical and medical
services for the Segforth community.
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