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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-04-08, Page 44Page 14 Times -Advocate, April 1 S, 1981 • • ar: CAN -CROP GROWERS MEET - -- The annual meeting of the Huron -Perth Can -Crop Growers was held in Kirkton Friday night. From the left are Exeter branch of Canadian Canners manager Jack Urquhart, Jim Rickard, vice-chairman of the On- tario Fruit and Vegetables Marketing Board, chairman Tony Csinos, former chairman Harry Dougall and local president Eldon Westman. T -A photo Drainage pays off in soil aeration .yra.rwVe :Mates the salproviding several benefits ;etesx(e ,v ., f'.—en hon organic matter is accelerated and s: s.or»s ..c '.iter since heat is not required for surface es. ockNat•r A !es' ^ .`hr , nce shed o '12 degree difference be%•eec swine.' arc: undrained land on one April day \' ^e .: %%Cr rah ten. there was a 20 degree ,-t"eferve ^,veers the temperature of the rain and the tiee ^. o `..7\r‘ 'er srefatures make o vast difference to oiNai nage LIMITED rARM DRAINAGE SYSTEMS Gads Hill, Ontario NOK 1J0 Q (519) 656-2618 What is rowing in your farm pond? Keeping ponds free of weeds and algae depends mainly on keeping plant nutrients out of the pond. At the Lethbridge Research Station it has been demon- strated that rooted aquatic plants can derive at least 70 percent of their phosphorous requirements from the sediment. Surface run-off from springs and pond bank erosion during spring and summer represent major sources of phosphorous and nitrogen contamination in ponds, therefore, sediment entering the pond during spring thaw contributes heavily to nutrient levels in the pond. Certain management practices can reduce the nutrient ,tiding period. Gullies that serve as water courses for spring run-off should bf ' assed and where possible, rocks should be used to slow up the water to prevent soil from being carried along. Top soil removed during construction of new ponds should be deposited far enough away so that it cannot be washed back into the pond and, if feasible, the dug -out should be excavated down to the nutrient poor clay. The bank and surrounding areas should be seeded to grass and fenced to keep cattle off the area until the grass is established. Some farmers now fence their dug -out and pump water from the pond to water troughs, to keep cattle away from the pond entirely. This practice has an added benefit when herbicides are used to destroy algae growth. Keeping livestock away also avoids nutrient enrichment from manure. Sediments at the bottom of the saturated water then mixes with the water column and feeds algae that appears as blooms in July and August. For further information on the control of algae in ponds, get a copy of Publication entitled "Chemical Guide to Weed Control" or contact your local O.M.A.F. office. Sam Bradshaw, Engineering Assistant. For quackgrass control - Nothing works like Roundup®. Before you till quackgrass this spring, let it grow until it's at the 3 to 4 leaf stage. Then, apply Roundup". You really can get ready to control quackgrass by letting it grow undisturbed this spring. Don't touch it or till it. until it's actively growing and most weeds are at 3 to 4 leaf stage (20 cm in height). Then, apply Roundups herbicide by Monsanto. Tillage may break up and spread live rhizomes throughout your field and all plants may not re -grow to the proper stage in time for treatment with Roundup. Roundup, however, controls emerged quackgrass above and " below ground, when used properly. Roundup is so effective, that many farmersusing it as the keystone of their quackgrass control programs, have been able to achieve manageable control for up to 3 years after one application. And since Roundup has no residual soil activity, you can till and plant wheat, oats, barley, corn or soybeans only 5 days after treatment, without risk of crop injury. In those infested fields you plowed last fall, quackgrass may not be ready for Roundup before planting. If so, we recommend you wait to apply Roundup as a spot treatment in the crop - or after harvest, when quackgrass has regrown to the proper stage. See your dealer soon about Roundup. If you want to control quackgrass—nothing works like Roundup. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL FOR ROUNDUP. Roundup* is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company Monsanto Canada Inc.' ^nipeg.Montreal. Toronto, Regina. Saskatoon, Calgary RCN 1 81 a Monsanto .mpany 1981 u Nothing works like Roundup. Monsanto r, tr!tett tjttr,:, rrP/ti' • Ah, those letters! It iS not a good idea to acknowledge every letter received in response to the deathless in this space every week but a couple came recently that desert{e:.an answer. Ron Franklin, HR 2 Lakefield, chides me for not Ding my homework when riting about Richard Thomas, the farmer Ben in commercials for wieners, hams and cold meats. "I don't" believe even a wood elf like Ben can grow an acre of mangels for $68.70 and get 300 gallons of alcohol at 22.9 cents a gallon. "It is good that the law should be tested but 1 do not think that so much hype as to costs and even the logic of growing a soil -destroying crop like mangels on Class 7 land should be published without some critical thought." Many thanks for the letter •rnd my "research" came from Farm and Country magazine, the voice of many farmers in Ontario. I promise to check out the figures to'a greater degree before repeating them. Also, from the Preserva- tion of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) a letter in the Toronto Globe chastizing that publication for suggesting that PAL'S ef- forts had been a failure. It just shows to go you that big - city newspapers have little regard for farmers. Canada's self-styled national newspaper suggested the Ontario Municipal Board had ruled against those who would preserve farm lands. Not so, says Gracia Jones, treasurer of PALS. The organization through its arousal of public opinion .over the years helped to per- suade the province to win 3,- 400 acres of land to be preserved permanently for agriculture. Wen added to the lands already accepted as cut by Niagara Region and the province for future development before the hearings started. a total of 4,400 acres pf.land has been permanently pceser'ved. Those who say that bureaucrats never listen, that protests and organizations and letter writing have no effect, can now rest assured that these thingscan have an effect. Instead of the region tak- ing about 10 percent of the Niagara tender fruit and grapeland during a 10 to 15 - year period, they can take only about 5 percent, period. Without the work of PAIS and all other groups in- terested in preserving one of Canada's greatest natural resources — the Niagara fruitlands — these acres would have been lost forever under ticky-tacky houses, highways. parking lots, utili- ty corriders and plazas. Turning to another touchy area in Canadian agriculture, it is interesting to see the 'fooferaw being caused by P. E.I. potatoes in the state of Maine. Canadian growers are shipping spuds across the border like there was no tomorrow. More than 959,900 hundredweight of seed and table potatoes have been sold across the border this year compared with only K -W program is successful The Kirkton - Woodham Optimist Club dance and draw Saturday. at the Kirkton 'Community Centre with music by "Country Caravan was quite a success. Two sets of square dancing during the evening received enthusiastic par- ticipation. Club president Murray Musty and his wife Barb were presented with a 400 day clock by fellow club members as a going away gift. The Musty's are moving May 1 to their new farm at Blyth and «ill be sadly miss- ed by neighbours and friends Winner, of the microwave oven was Liz Selves RR 1, St. Marys Robert Kerslake, Victoria SI. Exeter won se- cond prize of a bicycle. Proceeds from the night will be used by the Optimist and community betterment. Club for youth projects It takes a class reunion to convince a man that most people his own age are a lot older than he is. The only good thing about losing Your head is that you're the last person to miss il. • • a a. • ne foot in the mow'.>��, lr letters are apprec aIed by Bob Trotter. Eiden Rd limas nr N3B 2C7 286,000 hundredweight in the same period last year. Maine growers are becom- ing increasingly perturbed about the shipments. Talk around coffee tables and truck stops along the border is getting around to potato blockades by the U.S. growers to prevent the P.E.I. spuds from entering Uncle Sam's territory. Canadian growers have been faced with this problem for years. When there is a surplus over there, produce COOP was dumped into Canada and ruined the year for Canadian farmers. Because of the low Cana- dian dollar, Maritime potato growers are in a favorable position and it is a short haul to Eastern Seaboard markets in the LIS. P.E. I. potatoes are, in- deed, selling well across the borders. Uncle Sam, flexing his muscles again under the Reagan regime, will surely retaliate before too long. LAWN MOWERS from your CO-OP You can't beat a rear discharge mower for beautiful handling In tight spots— and you can't beat CO-OP for a great value! Cuts a 20" wide path flush on both sides for a neater appearance. Other features include I folding handle, 8" rear wheels, g heights and much 545-3s are optional. Mulch 'N' Mow helps recycle organically rich grass clippings by cutting, recutting and discharging reduced clippings deep down into the turf to enrich the soil. Converts quickly to a standard side -chute mower. 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