HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2002-03-20, Page 3April 4, 2001
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post card
Seeking support for
struggling farmers, the
Huron County
Federation of
Agriculture is
distributing post cards
that can be mailed
directly to Prime
Minister Jean
Chretien.
"We're .trying to 'get
community support for
farmers," said Wayne
Hamilton, a federation
director and Varna -
area farmer.
The cards request
the government help
farmers receive a more
fair return for their
crops as they compete
against American and
foreign markets whose
farmers receive higher
subsidies to offset the
low price paid for
food.
With public support
for farmers growing,
the federation is
hoping people will use
the cards to lend more
support to farmers in
Ontario.
In. addition,
Hamilton said corn
producers have been
posting sighs on area
farms with slogans
pushing for equity
with American grain
producers.
"We're starting to
get more up all the
time," said Hamilton.
However, he said the
sentiment is
unanimous among all
grain and oil seed
producers, that more
help is needed.
"We're asking for
support until we get a
resolution," said
Hamilton.
Post cards can be
picked up from the
Huron Expositor office
in Seaforth, The
Lucknow Sentinel and
from the federation
office in Vanastra.
By Scott Hilgendorff
Hoof and mouth concerns
cancel Slice of Huron event
Livestock producers did not want animals
at agriculture -awareness program, just in case
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
Fears of spreading hoof and mouth
disease has prompted the cancellation
of Slice of Huron, an agriculture -
awareness program held for Huron
and Perth school children in Seaforth.
"God forbid we have to deal with it
here," said Deb Campbell, a Slice of
Huron Committee member.
Slice of Huron presents children
with an opportunity to learn with an
extremely hands-on approach, about
all aspects of agriculture from
horticulture to hog production.
Children have a chance to interact
with animals from feeding chickens
by hand to seeing a cow milked and
Campbell said last Friday, the
committee decided it would be best o
cancel the event for this year.
The fear is the potential spread of
hoof and mouth disease.
The disease spreads among cloven-
hooved animals like pigs and cattle
and causes warts inthe hoof and
mouths of livestock. The animals
become lethargic and don't eat,
losing wait and making them
valueless to farmers. Because they
are not eating, dairy cattle produce
little milk.
The livestock has to be destroyed
to prevent the disease from spreading
and is causing millions of dollars in
losses to farmers in parts of Europe,
where the disease has been spreading.
While it does not harm humans,
they can spread it through their
clothing and even their breath, if they
have come in contact with an infected
animal and the virus is inhaled; where
it can live in the respiratory tract for
36 hours.
It can survive in clothes and
luggage for up to nine weeks.
Campbell said it was a tough
decision but one that follows choices
made at similar programs in Brant
and Bruce County where no animals
at all or no dairy and swine.
While the disease has not been
found in Canada yet, Campbell said
the commodity groups believed the
precautions were necessary.
"We're a very mobile population,"
she said. "Where did everybody go
for March break?"
While children may not have been
in Europe, Campbell says the
possibility is there that one student
may have had a relative travelling
abroad and, if the student has visited
See TEACHERS, Page 2
Susan Hundertmark photo
Bob Fisher, while losing his vision, continues to work daily at his business, Pizza Train.
Bob Fisher
maintaining
humourg
as heloses
his vision
By Susan Hundortmark
Expositor Staff
A blind man walks into a
shopping mall with his
seeing eye dog. He picks up
the dog and begins swinging
it around over his head. The
mall manager rushes over
and asks what's going on.
The blind man answers that
he's just looking around at
the stores in the mall.
Bob Fisher, known by
most Seaforth and area
residents as Pizza Bob, tells
the joke while scrubbing the
grill at his Goderich St.
restaurant, turns and smiles.
Minutes before, he was
fighting back tears while
describing how rapidly his
life has been changing
recently as, at 50, he loses
sight in both eyes.
"You've got to make
lemonade," he says of his
attempt to find the
humourous and positive side
of all the lemons life's been
throwing at him with his
recent health challenge.
Fisher is the youngest
person his doctors have seen
to suffer from central retinal
vein occlusion, a condition
which causes loss of sight
when the vein at the back of
the eye becomes blocked
and blood cannot leave the
eye to be reoxygenated.
He began noticing that his
vision was blurry in his left
eye close to a year ago after
a hospital stay for
pneumonia. Fisher was
diagnosed by local
optometrist Dr. LaPlante and
sent to a specialist in
London who confirmed his
diagnosis.
"I was surprised when I
saw him come in at his age
with the first eye but really
surprised when he came in
with the second eye. This
condition happens to a lot of
people but not usually
before their 70s and 80s,"
says LaPlante.
See FISHERS, Page 2
Hitmen win gold at broomball nationals
By Scott Hilg.ndorff
Expositor Editor
The Seafoth Hitmen
captured gold at the
National Championship at
the Canadian Junior
Nationals held March 28 to
31 in Palmerston.
"It was quite exciting and
very rewarding," said coach
Rob Hunking of Blyth.
"The boys had the
potential and they knew
they had it," he said.
Their first game was last
Thursday against
Newfoundland where they
won, 3-0. That night, they
defeated Manitoba 3-1 but
faced a loss Friday against
Quebec, 2-1.
They still advanced to an
"A" division semi-final
round defeating
Saskatchewan 4-1
Their toughest game was
for the championship
against the defending
champions College Laval,
from Quebec. -
Hunking said they got off
to a slow start and were
behind to an early goal by
Quebec but managed to tie
it 1-1 late in the game
before a final goal to give
them a 2-1 score for the
gold medal.
"They had that little extra
to come through," said
Hunking.
"They had a few bad
moments. We seem to start
off the tournaments slow but
as things go, we pick up
momentum," he said.
Overall, he said 'hey are a
good team and some players
were on the top of their
game kor the tournament.
For capturing the top
place he said, "It's just a
wonderful feeling."
on Sunday, April 8th
2:06 p.m. start from the Seaforth Community Hospital �c
Come out and show your support for our Marathon runners.,'
Call 527-3020 for more information.
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