Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-11-04, Page 161 Pare 16 Times -Advocate, November 4, 1981 Several presentations at Mitchell meeting FAIR PIE - - District 8 agricultural societies ladies' represen- tative Dolores Shapton, RR 1 Exeter, holds a pie made es- pecially for the association's pot luck dinner preceding the an- nual meeting. PRIZE WINNER — Rosemary Schaefer, Kirkton, stands behind her quilt, which was awarded second prize in the Canada Packers' quilt competition at the Huron -Perth agricultural societies annual meeting in Mitchell. . Huron contestants ready for Guineas Why lose milk production this winter through unsound feeding practices? Nutrient requirements do vary with production so it becomes in- creasingly important to feed a cow milking 70 pounds per day much different from a 40 pound producer. Dairymen who can't af- ford to purchase protein supplement and feed accor- ding to requirements are only fooling themselves - through reduced milk yields. Overfeeding nutrient re- quirements to dairy cows can also be as serious as un- derfeeding in terms of ad- ditional feed costs and herd health problems that can develop. The ideal way to ensure that the dairy cow ration is balanced for all important nutrients is to request an analysis of home grown roughages. This service is available through your local Agricultural Office and offers the following analysis: Type I - Dry Matter, Crude Protein - S7.00 Type II - Dry Matter. Crude Protein. Calcium. Phosphorous. Magnesium and Potassium - $13.00 Type III - Dry Matter, Crude Protein. Calcium. Phosphorous. Magnesium. Potassium. Manganese. Copper and Zinc • $16.00 Digestible Protein - $8.00 To formulate a com- puterized dairy ration based on the results of home grown feeds there is an additional cost of $45 00 For any ad- ditional rations formulated in the same year. the cost would he reduced to $20 00 Many dairymen have taken advantage of this service to improve herd health problems related to nutri- tion along with maximizing on potential milk production Dennis Martin. Associate Agricultural Representative Queen's guineas competition The 35th annual Queen's Guineas Steer Competition will take place at 830 a.rn. on Friday. November 20. at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Toronto This popular event is the conclu• sion of months of prepara- tion for several 4-11 members in Huron A total of 373 contenders from 25 counties in Ontario have been nominated this year. Huron County has 25 nominees They include - George Alton. 7. Lucknow Sharon Alton. 7, Lucknow Suzanne Alton. 7. Lucknow. Deb Armstrong. 4. Wingham. Gary Armstrong. 1. Ethel. Kevin Bishop. 1. Ethel: Pat Chambers. 1. Clifford: Tom Coates 1. Centralia: Brian Falconer 4, Seaforth. Bill Gibson. 5. Clinton: Greg Hoggarth. 2. Kippen: Paul Hoggarth. 2. Kippen. Paul Johnston. 2. Bluevale; Bill Kinsman. 2. Kippen; Lyle Kinsman. 2, Kippen; David Marshall. 3, Blyth; Brenda Merkley. 1 Wroxeter; Sandy Merkley. 1. Wroxeter: Anne Procter. 5. Brussels: Elaine Pym, 1, Centralia; Marg Pym, • 1, Centralia: Jacquie Robert- son. 2. Bluevale; Meribeth Scott. 1. Belgrave; Lisa Thompson. 5. Wingham; David Townsend, 4, Seaforth. Previous Huron County winners of the Queen's Guineas include Bob Hern, RR 1 Woodham (1951) and Murray Gaunt, Wingham (1955). The sale and auction of Queen's Guineas cham- pions is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on November 20, following the judging. The excitement generated by this auction is clearly in- dicated by the capacity crowds and willing buyers that it draws each year. Anyone with an interest is encouraged to attend this outstanding event and at the same time take in the many features at the 1981 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Don Pullen, Agricultural Represen- tative. 4-H Agricultural Club awards night program The thirty-fourth annual Huron County 4-H Awards Night will be held in the Cen- tral Huron Se:ondary School in Clinton. on Friday, November 27, commencing at 8:00 p.m. All Huron County 4-H Agricultural Club members who completed a project in 1981 will receive their awards on this occasion. Len MacGregor, Exten- sion Assistant for Huron County for the past 11 years, transferred effective Oc- tober 1. 1981, to the Agronomy Division. Kempt- ville College of Agricultural Technology. \\e are looking forward to having Len return for the program .\ committee of represen- tatives of the 4-11 Youth Council. 4-11 Club Leaders :Ind .Junior Farmers are busy organizing a presenta- tion for Len at that time. This will be your oppor- tunity to thank Len for all his work and wish him success in his new job. Anyone with .in interest is invited to at - Light refreshments will be srrved at the conclusion. Don Pullen A1r'fail tura l Representative Fair board directors learn about Australia The agricultural societies of Huron -Perth (District 8) held their annual meeting in Main Street United Church, Mitchell. on October 29. One hundred and fifty people sat down to a savoury potluck dinner. Secretary -treasurer Don Young, RR 3 Auburn, ex- plained that the district an- nual meeting was no longer catered: some members did not know until the last minute whether or not they could attend, as farmers behind in their fall harvest or plowing would use every moment of good weather to catch up. Besides, no caterer could put on as varied and delicious a spread as the excellent cooks in the agricultural societies. Doug Downey, president of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies, drove from Kingston to attend the District 8 meeting. "I like to get to as many meetings as possible", he said. This year he has travelled 20.000 miles. and attended 61 fairs. "Agricultural fairs were formed to improve agriculture: their purpose is to promote agriculture through agricultural fairs". he concluded. The 238 fairs in Ontario are divided into three classes. The 34 A fairs give out prize money in excess of $6,000: the class, Bs award between $3-$6,000, and the class Cs hand out less than $3,000. (Stratford, Mitchell. Clinton and Seaforth are Bs.) Ladies' representative Dolores Shapton. RR 1 Ex- eter, introduced the seven Queens of the Fair who were present. Guest speaker Sheila Armstrong, Perth county winner of a trip to New Zealand and Australia spon- sored by the Junior Farmers and United Co-ops. gave highlights of her six-month holiday in words and slides. New Zealand is sheep coup= try, and the average size of a sheep ranch is 5,000 hilly. rolling acres. One picture showed sheep being trucked away from a 20,000 acres ranch in a huge double- decker truck. Most animals are sold at auction by stock agents, who are given two minutes to sell each lot. During a bad drought, the sheep went for 80E each. "In Australia most dairy cattle are Heinz 57s and the Heinzier the better," Sheila laughed. However. she saw one herd of Holsteins that had been sired by bulls on a farm near Guelph. Many of the Australian cattle have had their tails removed. as there is no fly problem there. and herd attendants don't like being Farm level stress on the increase by Jack Hagarty If tears are a symptom of stress. then I'm seeing an in- creasing stress level among farm families these days. Many farm people are hur- ting financially and they're hurting emotionally as well. One young man said "I just wish we hadn't bought that farm" and a middle-aged father said "I get no respect since we went into the 50/50 partnership". Bringing a new generation into the farming business is a stressful procedure at the best of times. At the recent O.F.A. Emergency Task Force meetings in London two Presidents of county O.F.A.'s said that young peo- ple should not be encouraged to start farming now. They said that the economics are not right for a young person to start with little or no equi- ty. How do farmers get a start? How have they done it in the past? There are many stories. Many farmers will tell you that it never has been easy. John Stephens of Centralia College of Agricultural Technology just completed a study called "Factors Affec- ting the Establishment and Success of Young Farmers." Every farmer who started farming in the years 1972 to 1974 inclusive in Hibbert Township of Perth County, Usborne Township of Huron County and Biddulph Township of Middlesex was interviewed and a question- naire was completed. Fifty farmers were interviewed. Over three-quarters of the young farmers background and over two-thirds had parents who were farming full time at the time the son started farming. 72% of the respondents were one of the first two children born in their fami- ly. and 68% were the first son born in their respective families. 84% of the young farmers had no older brothers farming when they started farming. Only three young farmers had eight years or less education while twenty-two had some college or univer- sity education. Ten young farmers had either a diploma or degree in agriculture. Most of the young farmers had considerable farm ex- perience before starting to farm. Over half of them had responsibility for a par- ticular enterprise of their .M* i4 STORAGE FOR LEASE t,•• 411 — NEW BUILDING — 24 FT. DOOR — 15 FT. CLEARANCE CALL JACK TAYLOR 235-1252 AFTER 6:00 229-6472 i own. Others gained va4ttable experience in non-farm oc- cupations before starting to farm. The young farmers' parents were the most often used and most respected and useful source of information and advice when attempting to get established in far- ming. Slightly more than two- thirds of the young farmers were established in farming by age twenty-four, but 12% were thirty-five or older when they started to farm. Half of the young farmers were married by the time they started farming and 50% of the wives held full- time off -farm jobs. Almost half of the young farmers entered farming through some form of agree- ment with their parents or relatives. Most parents attempted to increase the farm income to accom- modate the son's entry into their business. 58% of the respondents purchased land and 34% rented land at time of entry. Due to a shortage of capital at time of entry, almost three-quarters of the young farmers relied on custom operators for equipment. 60% exchanged their labour for the use of their parents' equipment. 90% of those who purchas- ed land at time of entry started out with a mortgage on their property. Most mortgages were either private mortgages with their parents or the previous owner or with Farm Credit Corporation. Nearly half of the young farmers started farming with an owner equity of 85,- 000 or less - and 86% had owner equity of less than 820.000. The shortage of capital would partially ex- plain why 50% of the young farmers began their farming careers as cash croppers. 20% of the respondents had no real difficulty in get- ting into farming. The other 80% had varying degrees of difficulty but primarily in the area of acquiring capital and making management decisions due to lack of ex- perience. 1 We'll Do the Job Right... Whatever swatted in the face with a hard, dirty tail. The dearth of flies means Australian homes have no curtains and no screens. (The moderate climate eliminates basements and furnaces.) "You walk in and out without ever closing a door", Sheila added. While showing a slide of a gate across a country road, she explained that often farmers own land on both sides of sideroads. Drivers come to the gate, get out, open the gate, drive through, get out, close the gate and continue on. All cattle In Australia are branded, mak- ing it easier to identify and retrieve the strays. In a land where great dis- tances often separate farms, a strong community spirit based on the cornerstone "Help your neighbour" has developed. Sheila's graphic portrayal of a slower, less harried lifestyle transported he audience halfway around the world to two beautiful countries where some far- ming conditions are • the same as here, and others are unique to Australia and New Zealand. After Sheila's talk, the members divided into two groups to discuss indoor dis- plays primarily of concern to women, and the outdoors exhibits and activities for which the men claim respon- sibility. THE CAST OF -CHARACTERS — Some Exeter ladies presented a skit at District 8 agricultural societies annual meeting. Storting at lower right and going clockwise they are: Maxine Sereda, Shirley Prance, Shirley Cooper, Marion Skinner, Gwen Coward and Margaret McClure. Attacks against farm marketing boards with supp- ly management powers are coming from all directions. A few months ago, it was a special committee of the Economic Council of Canada. Before that• it was the Fraser Institute. Before that, it was the consumers association. Now comes the Grocery Products Manufacturers of Canada, the GPMC. An in- vestigative task force, spon- sored of course, by the manufacturers, is saying that supply management farm marketing boards are adding "at least $1 billion a year to the Canadian food bill." These boards are said to have had "by far the greatest impact" on the Canadian food system of any federal or provincial govern- ment policy. They are costing Canadian families 810 a year more for broiler chickens, a total of 876,500,- 000, and an additional $7 a family for eggs or a total of $55.000.000 annually. Not only do the boards gouge consumers, but they are by far the greatestthreat to Canada's food future because they cause a rising tide of imported food and an inability by Canadian farmers and processors to expand their markets. The clincher comes deep on the third page of the release castigating marketing boards. The spokesman for the group, George Fleischman, says the manufacturers are con- cerned that the food and beverage industry "may be unable to continue to provide food at present favorable price levels." Get ready for some drastic increases in the price of food. You are being softened up for the big blow and the manufacturers need a con- venient patsy, a fall guy, a scapegoat so they are blam- ing marketing boards. This column has con- sistently supported farm marketing boards, even supply management boards. I have also castigated those same boards for mistakes but I am convinced those boards are still the farmers' best friend. Without them, organizations such as the Grocery Products Manufac- turers of Canada and the huge multi -national cor- 1 t:41 the prosect, call on us for Ready -Mix Concrete • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • FARM (Including Manure Tanks) FREE ESTIMATES C. A. McDOWELL LTD. EXETER, ONTARIO Plant: 235-0833 Office: 235-1969 u,,....,..vo•e..ated o, eon om,.. IW.* Rd um.. o.., N33 2C r porations would have control of the food chain from the ground to the table. They do control it now after it leaves the farm gate. Farmers have no clout at all without these boards. Do Canadians want to put all but a handful of corporate farms off the land? Do we want to ruin rural Canada as we know it today? I think the grocery manufacturers kill their argument against farm marketing boards when they mention. also deep down in their news release, that Canadians spend only 17.5 percent of their disposable income on food. It is the lowest percent of any nation in the world. Can there be that much wrong with marketing boards, even supply manage- ment boards, when we are that fortunate? Profits in the food in- dustry, says the GPMC, have dropped from 2.59 cents per dollar of sales in 1978 to 2.36 cents last year. But the release says nothing about the tremen- dous increase in farm bankruptcies. It is worthwhile to note that the products which have supply management marketing boards are in much better condition than those which have not. The beef sector has shunn- ed any kind of board for 25 years and they are the peo- ple who are hurting so much now. More than 50 percent of the farm bankruptcies are beef farmers or within the beef chain. Hog farmers, too. are suffering and they have, up until now, shunned the idea of supply manage- ment. No. Mr. Fleischman I'm not convinced that these boards are the devils in the • food chain. I do not believe they are gouging the public to the tune of 81 billion. I think they are a group of honest men simply trying to supply the Canadian public with good food, when the people want it, at a price that gives them a reasonable return on their labor and in- vestment. Unfortunately. too many of them are not getting those returns and some of the reason for those poor prices rests squarely on the shoulders of lobby groups such as the Grocery Products Manufacturers of Canada. Dolores Shapton reported on her past year's activities; she had managed to attend 11 of the 15 fairs in district 8. Some of the Exeter ladies acted out a skit "Preparing Peggy's Peppy Prize List", written by Mrs. Shapton to depict in a humourous way helpful hints to make future fairs even better. Mrs. Shapton announced the winners of the Canada Packers' quilt competition. .-The prize-winning quilts from each fair in District 8 were judged again to find the atstrtct winner, Winners for Huron -Perth were Grace Drummond, Mitchell, first, and Rosemary Schaefer, Kirkton took second prize. The district winners will be judged at the Ontario con- vention next February; the winner of the best of show will receive 8600, and her society will get an additional 8100 to be used for quilt prize money at the local fair. For the men, Keith McLaglan. RR 5 Mitchell continues as president for the second year of his term, as does Don Young, secretary -treasurer. William Flynn, RR 4Clin- ton, waselected an associate director. When everyone reassembled, president McLaglan made the in- augural presentation of the Ken Reaney Memorial Pla- que. This award, to en- courage attendance in District 8 to the annual meeting. was donated by Jean Reaney in memory of her husband. Mr. Reaney had been secretary -manager of the Mitchell agricultural society, director of District 8, and in 1965 was president of the A and B section of the Ontario Association. Each society is scored on the number of delegates pre- sent at District 8's annual meeting times the number of miles (or kilometers) one way from its society head- quarters to the meeting. The first name on the plaque will be $ayfield. The president of the Bayfield Agricultural Society. Ted Dunn, accepted the award for his group. McCANN CONST. LTD. REDI-MIX CONCRETE All Typos of Concrete Work • Precast Feed Bunks Precast Sluts RR #3 Dashwood Phone 237-3647 Precast Concrete Steps Porches Ornamental Iron Railings �j Centrolia College presents OPEN HOUSE `81 "Feeding A Hungry World" THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 10:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M. Starting At HURON HALL You are invited to attend this OPEN HOUSE as part of our recognition of World Food Day. Displays and demonstrations of our programs on the theme "Feeding A Hungry World" will be located throughout the campus. Campus tours and tours of College facilities will be provid- ed. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Feed Chained Lightning... Stop in today for a demonstration on the new line of John Deere Chain Saws. Choose from sever models - 30 to 78cc.12 to 27 -inch spocket-nose guidebar. Each has a chisel or semichisel chain, automatic oiler, and counterbalanced crankshaft. Convenietly located handles and controls. Throttle/trigger interlock provides added safety. Get professional quality and dependability in the new line of John Deere Saws Put warmth where you want it ... with a John Deere Space heater Two models are available to heat machine sheds. workships, cabins... anywhere 115 -volt current is available. All burn kerosene or No. 1 or No. 2 fuel oil. Fuel saving thermostat is standard on 150,000 BTU model, optional on the 90,000 BTU model. HE TIME- SAVER New John Deere Grain Moisture Teste Take the guesswork out of your grain harvesting, drying, and marketing decisions with the new John Deere Moisture Tester This portable, battery -powered unit tests all popular grains quickly and easily. There' no weighing, no calcu- lations See us about one soon Blast away leaves fast with a John Deere Backpack Blower Clear this fall the quick and easy way with a John Deere Backpack Blower. Powerful 4OCC engine generates air velocity of up to 180 MPH for fast clean-up. Ad- justable shoulder harness, padded back cushion for support. Weighs just 20 pounds for go -anywhere •con- venience. 112 Blyth 523-4244 Exeter 235-1115 1