HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-05-11, Page 25RECEIVE HONORS - Members of 4.H clubs from the Lucan, Clandeboye and Gran-
ton area were honored at Saturday's achievement day in Prince Andrew Public
School. Recipients of county honors for completing six homemaking clubs are shown
in the back row, from the left: Lisa loyens, Birr 1; Lisa Sceli, Birr 1; Tommy Noyes,
Clandeboye 2; Theresa Foran, Lucan 2 and Shannon Hodgetts, Prospect Hill: Shown
in the front row are winners of provincial honors, bestowed for completing 12 clubs.
They are Gayle Lewis, Birr 1 and Chris DeWeerd, Clandeboye 1. Missing was Glen-
da Cunningham, Clandeboye 2, a provincial honors winner.
Group organized to baffle
costly erosion in Huron
In December, 1982, the On-
tario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food and the Ontirio In-
stitute of Pedology released
the "Cropland Soil Erosion"
report, which estimated that
erosion costs Huron County
$6.8 million dollars per year.
This erosion cost figure in-
cludes losses ofnutrients,
pesticides and crop yields
resulting from soil erosion.
Huron County has the second
highest total erosion cost in
the province. •
In response to this need to
reduce losses due to erosion,
the Huron Soil Conservation
District (H.S.C.D.) has been
formed. This establishes a
grass roots soil conservation
movement in Huron County,
the first such organization in' -
Ontario.
The District in 1983 will be
the joint effort of the Huron
Soil and Crop Improvement
Association, Ontario Ministry
ot Agriculture and Food and
the Ausable-Bayfield and
Maitland Valley Conservation
Authorities.
Each participating
organization will be
represented by one director
with the exception of Huron
Soil and Crop Improvement
Association which will have
one director for each of the
other organization's direc-
tors. This structure will
enable the H.S.C.D. to main-
tain and utilize a unique
"grass roots" orientation to
the inputs and direction of the
District, which we feel is the
optimum way to approach the
soil conservation needs in
Huron County..
This approach will depend
on gaining farmer commit-
ment to finding solutions to
soil erosion problems. Such a
commitment is already pre-
sent and growing rapidly in
Huron County. It is hoped that
commitment will continue to
grow with the help of the
WILL GRADUATE — Two area students are among
those graduating from Ridgetown College of
Agricultural Technology on May 20. On the left is Jill
Armstrong of RR 1 Zurich, and the other grad is Terry
Baker of Hensall. They are members of the 30th
graduating class ot Ridgetown. Jill graduates with a
diploma in agricultural laboratory technology, while
Terry will receive a field and horticultural crop diploma.
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EXETER FARM IOUIPMtNT (IMITtO
sq
map at. NORM SUM, WIMP
District and its policy of a
practical and "how-to" ap-
proach to soil conservation
practices.
The 1983 H.S.C.D. directors
are: .
Bruce Shillinglaw, Don
Lobb, Ray Hogan, Walter
Mcllwain; of the Huron Soil
and Crop Improvement
Association; Tom Prout and
Norman Alexander of the
Conservation Authorities;
Jim Arnold and John Heard of
the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food.
From these directors, an
Executive Committee has
been selected to administrate
and run the District. They are
chairman, Don Lobb'; vice-
chairman, Bruce Shillinglaw;
secretary -treasurer, Tom
Prout.
A Conservation Agronomist
and a Technician have been
hired ,on contract to co-
ordinate and implement the
H.S.C.D. plans and activities.
y,t, The Di ricl;.is activelyen-
couraging other agenciesand
organizations to participate in
the concept. The joint co-
operation between the dif-
ferent organizations will
make efficient use of existing
technical knowledge and ex-
pertise; at the same time
avoiding duplication of soil
conservation efforts.
The H.S.C.D. objectives are
to provide leadership in en-
couraging soil management
and erosion control practices.
These practices will improve
both the long term productivi-
ty of the land as well as water
quality in Huron's water
courses.
The District's more im-
mediate objectives will be to
developeffective and reliable
crop production systems that,
a) reduce soil erosion to ac-
ceptable levels, and b) are
cost/effective. The H.S.C.D.
will also work to increase the
awareness of soil conserva-
tion practices.
In 1983, the II.S.C.D. will ex-
pand the conservation tillage
project conducted by the
Huron Soil and Crop Improve-
ment Association last year. A
1 number of no -till plots will be
set up and ridges will he
established for planting on in
1984: The District will also
host the 2nd Annual Soil Con-
servation Day to be held in
early .July.
Although in 1983 the
District's activities will
center around conservation
tillage; the H.S.C.D. long-
term plans will be to promote
the total "farm plan" ap-
proach to soli conservation.
Such a plan could include soil
management practices in-
cluding tillage, crop rotation
and cover crops. Erosion con-
trol structures such as drop
inlets, grassed waterways
and windbreaks could also be
a part of the farm plan. Each
plan would be tailored to the
needs of the particular farm
and situation. rhe H.S.C.D.
will provide extension ser-
vices and assistance to the
farmer.
The farmers' interest and
active participation is the key
• to the working of the 1H.S.C.b.
It is farmers, such as in
Huron County, who will make
soil conservation a priority
and convince their neighbours
to make soil conservation a
priority on their own farms.
Leadership at the "grass
roots" level is and, will be
encouraged.
For further information on
the Huron Soil Conservation
District and its activities, con-
tact Carol Thompson, Conser-
vation Agronomist, .at
(519)482-3428 or Box 159, Clin-
ton, Ontario NOM 11.0
Ralph Barrie must be feel-
ing something like a football
thele days.
As president of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture, he
fought for some kind of tax
relief for farmers. The
federation, in its wisdom and
after considerable discussion
with members, asked the pro-
vince to exempt farm proper-
ty from all real estate taxes.
Federation delegates hung
in there for months. The plan
evolved to the point where
farmers wereto get a tax
rebate on all. property and
buildings except for a deem-
ed lot and the farm house. No
farmer would be forced to pay
taxes on farm land and farm
buildings.
The plan would replace the
present system whereby
farmers get a 50 percent
rebate on property taxes.
ne
Isst•rowbw
Barrie and the federation
members thought they had
scored a victory for farmers.
The province agreed to rebate
to farmers property taxes on
farm land and buildings.
But farmers - some of
them, anyway - thought dif-
ferently. They said if they
were exempt almost entirely
from . municipal taxes, they
would lose interest in
municipal politics.
The Christian Farmers
Federation insisted that
farmers, if they were exempt
from most municipal taxes,
would lose interest. Farmers
have, traditionally, been ex-
tremely active in local
government, they said, and
this exemption would con-
vince them that, because they
were paying so little in
municipal taxes., they would
cease being active at the local
. WRITS eencided hl So TWIN. USW Il . tis".. OM Nita 2C 1
level.
I think their fears are
groundless. In spite of the fact
that many townships, tradi-
tionally rural in philosophy,
have elected urban represen-
tatives, the agricultural idea
has been fostered. Most coun-
cillors are still agriculturally
oriented. Even if they are not
full-time farmers, they con-
tinue to see the rural point of
view and that point of yyiew is
constantly reflected In the
decisions made at the
township level.
In my home area, for in-
stance, the majority of coun-
cil have a less -than -
agricultural point of view yet
those same members of cotut-
cil continue to press for the
preservation of farm land.
They fight constantly to keep
land in production to the detri-
ment of developers.
mOT
Developers do not care
whether farm land is good or
bad, they just want to sell lots.
They want to make a buck or
two or five on the sale of land.
Far be it from me to sug-
gest that making a profit is a
bad idea but to make a profit
at the expense of generations
to come is what bothers me.
In this great land of
Canada, less than five percent
of the land is arable and it is
our Christian duty to preserve
as much of that land as possi-
ble from encroachement.
If the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture, in its wisdom,
feels that farmers should be
exempt from real estate
taxes, then I am willing to go
along with them until a better
method is suggested.
Times -Advocate; May 11, 1983
Page 25
Drainage p�ys �ft
In sad aeration
Good drainage aerates the SCA provif3np sevsrat bone&
Reimers of nitrogen from matter e aocelerated and
sal warns since heat is not required to surface
evaporation
A test in Ohio once showed 0 12 degree dlAerence
between drained and ,undrained land on one April don.
And when a warm rain telt there +•nos o 20 degree
difference between the temperature of the ran and the tie
t� otores make a vast difference to
planting
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