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Huron Expositor, 2002-07-10, Page 161 o -TNR IKMON RltPO$STo11, AMY ss, stool Agriculture Farmers have access to share of Healthy Futures money By Sarah Caldwell Goderich Signal -Star staff Huron County farmers will now have access to almost $2.5 million in Healthy Futures money, in a 50/50 cost -share program to make environmental improvements to their operations after the province approved a Healthy Futures grant for the county. Huron -Bruce MPP Helen Johns who presented the grant at Jim Ginn's family farm outside of Holmesville on Friday, July 20, said the Huron County grant awarded. has been the biggest amount given to a group so far. "I was taken with the vision that comes with the project," said Johns. Nutrient management and the environment are the most volatile proponents of the application. The county took a proactive approach before the governments nutrient management act come forward to decide how they would deal with the environmental issues. NOTICE For the convenience of our clients SEAFORTH VETERINARY CLINIC will be open THURSDAY EVENINGS by appointment only Please calf for appointments *519-527-1760 McMaster Siemon Al INSURANCE 41-t BROKERS INC. • _JO •r; • i a`lEE •(,(./.'' .i!rr '.SUH;aNCE BROKERS: Bill Siemon Vicki Siemon Anette McTaggart Ken Hutchison Paul Wettlaufer Joanne Tyndall • Ontario Rd. 348-9150 Mitchell 1-800-561-0183 "It took a lot of foresight for Huron County. 1t is money well spent," she said. Healthy Futures for Ontario Agriculture is a three-year provincial government program that is distributing $90 million to enhance the safety and quality of Ontario food products, capitalizing on marketing and export opportunities, improving rural water quality and making efficient use of water resources. The Healthy Futures grant covers three main areas livestock waste management, farmstead and cropland conservation farm planning. The grant application was a joint effort of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority. The County of Huron, the Huron County Federation of Agriculture through their groups the Huron Water Quality Coalition and the Huron Environmental Coalition also contributed to the application process. There are some parts of the application that weren't approved including the inclusion of funding for manure storages, and the funding also fell short of the $3 million the county had applied for. The county had originally asked for funding of 60 per cent government and 30 per cent landowner, but received funds for a 50/50 cost -share program. Phil Beard, manager of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, compared to the Healthy Futures grant approval to having the CURB, Clean up Rural Beaches, program back in place. He said when the Maitland Valley Watershed did have the CURB program that provided funds for farmers to make environmental improvements, they did more projects than any other Sarah Caldwell photo Joining Huron -Bruce MPP Helen Johns (front, right) in an announcement about the Healthy Futures funding available to Huron County farmers are: (back, left) Charles Regele, Huron Federation of Agriculture president; Tom Prout, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority general manager; Wayne Caldwell, senior Huron County planner; Phil Beard, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority general manager; (front, left) Ben Van Diepenbeek, chair of Huron County's agriculture committee and Everet Ridder of the Huron County water coalition. watershed, said Beard. Wayne Caldwell, senior . Huron County planner said the goal of the Healthy Futures Grant money is to distribute the funds to as many people as possible to get as many projects done as possible. Originally. the funds were supposed to he used over two years but now there is only a year and a bit left in the Healthy Futures program. The county estimated in the application that approximately 1000 farmers would use the Healthy Futures funds, based on the previous CURB program, but now that the program is shortened there will be less applications. Helen Johns said the Healthy Futures program is a program that last for three years and will be 'distributing over 90 million over the years. Tom Prout, General Manager of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation authority said "We have been waiting patiently, and some days not so patiently we have a tight time frame to do the best we can to deliver." Phil Beard. general manager of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, said there is two- thirds of the watershed in Huron County and it is going to he very busy over the next year and a half. The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority will be looking after the day to day administration of the project. Ben Van Diepenbeek, chair of the county's Agriculture, Public Works and Seniors committee, said the funding will really have an impact on the environmental side of YOUR ONTARIO FORD DEALERS' �AROUT Make your best deal, then save big on financing, at our LOWEST rates of the year. 48 Month Purchase Financing On All New In -stock 2001 Taurus, Windstar & Explorer 4 -DI Here's what 0' financing can do for yes "tier" `''stir' Y1ef„,� rwrwMt. 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"The county has been very involved in promoting e nvironmental responsibility on the farm. These funds will help our farms to make numerous e nvironmental improvements," he said. The county hopes to get started with approving. applications by the end of August, early September, said Van Diepenbeek. Approval of the Healthy Futures applications is through county council. The day-to-day administration of the program will be done by the conservation authorities. Caldwell said programs that involve making e nvironmental improvements are more successful when they are voluntarily done and not legislated. The grant money gives farmers an equal opportunity to deal with problems specific to their operation, he said. Everett Ridder, speaking on behalf of the Huron OFA and Huron Water Quality Coalition, said the whole community has to work together for water quality, not just the farmers or the cottager. "$2.5 million is just the beginning. 11. we did everything that needs to he done we would need more," said Ridder. Jim Ginn and his family, who hosted the presentation on their Goderich Township dairy farm, said he has personally taken advantage of stewardship programs before in reforestation and fencing his cattle away from the water and they are not always cheap. As a young man with a young family, the projects were not always cheap and funding like this makes the difference between whether a project can be done or not, he said. What is covered under the Healthy Futures Program in brief Landowners can pick up application forms and get information about the grant rates. protocols, maximum grant allowances and further information from the Huron County Planning Department, located in the courthouse in Goderich. -There are three categories for the Healthy Futures program including Livestock Waste Management, Farmstead and Cropland Conservation Farm Planning. Projects that are included ,are follgwed by the cost - share percentage and approximate maximum payment in brackets. Some numbers may be modified due to reduced funding received. Livestock Waste Management covered under Healthy Futures include Livestock Access Restriction to Watercourses (50%,$5,000) Livestock Washwater Treatment and Disposal (50%, $5,000); Manure Spreading Equipment Modification (50%, $5,000); Manure Monitoring System (50%, $1,500); Clean Water Diversion (50%, $5,000). Farmstead categories include: Decommissioning Unused Wells (50%. $2,000), Nutrient Management Plans (50%, $750); Wellhead Protection (50%, $500); Ponds for Irrigation Purposes and Alternate Cattle Drink (50%, $1,500); Fertilizer, Chemical and Fuel Handling and Disposal (50%, $1,000); Septic Systems (50%, $6,500). Under the category of Cropland Conservation Farm Planning, Cropland Plans (50%, $1,500); Fragile Land Retirement (50%, $10,000); Erosion Control Structures (50%, $10,000). Bolton named Seed Growers president By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor McKillop farmer Art Bolton has been elected president of the Canadian Seed Growers' Association. "I've been involved in many local and provincial organizations. It's kind of a continuation of the work I've done in the past," said Bolton of his past agricultural career, leading to the new position. As the Ontario president, Bolton was recently at a week-long meeting of all the provincial representatives in Fredrickton, New Brunswick, where he was elected to the new position. The Canadian Seed Growers' Association operates under the Canada Seeds Act as the offical pedigreeing agency setting standards and issuing crop certificates from pedigreed seeds produced in•Canada. It covers all seeds except potatoes. The association began in 1904. There are about 4,000 farms across Canada certified by the association, representing 1,260,000 acres of crops used for seeds. As president, Bolton will be travelling across Canada attending provincial and national meetings for the association while still operating his own farm with his son, Carl, including 300 acres of pedigreed crop for seeds. Locally, Bolton is a past Art Bolton president of the Seaforth Agricultural Society, Huron Cattlemen's Association and Huron county's soil and crop association, among other agencies. He was on the Ontario Farm Machinery Advisory Board when it first started in the 1960s and was on the provincial crop insurance commission for 10 years. He was also on the Ontario crop insurance arbitration board for three years. "It's kind of a family tradition,'.' said Bolton of serving on agriculturally related boards and committees. His father had been actively involved in organizations and Bolton was raised aware of them and the importance of being involved. Bolton enjoys the opportunity his involvement provides in meeting people from across the country and. around the world.