HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-12-02, Page 13CONSERVATION AWARD — The 1981 Conservation award
sponsored by the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Associa-
tion was won by Don Lobb of the Clinton area. Making the
presentation at the right is Norm Alexander who presents the
trophy annually.
T -A photo
Huron corn tests show big increase
Farmers urged to consider test plot
Members of the Huron Soil
and Crop Improvement
Association attending
Thursday's annual meeting
were told to use their own
test plots. Jim O'Toole. a
researcher at Centralia
College of Agricultural
Technology suggested Huron
farmers evaluate hybrids on
their own farms.
He added, "We rely on
your farm research. Keep
your test plots from getting
'too large. Be selective,
about a half acre max-
imum".
He contipued. "Select'a uni-
form location, keep soil and
fertilizer texture level and
put a special effort on weed
control".
On corn hybrids, O'Toole
said. "plant hybrids of
different maturities with six
to eight rows of each. Six
would be ideal and then use
the four rows in the middle.
Keep the test ongoing and
use at least two years of in-
formation before making a
switch."
Other advice from the
researcher was, "check ger-
mination and emergence,
note flowering dates and
record weather conditions."
Retiring president Larry
Wheatley talked about the
past and the future of the
organization. He said."When
this group was formed 30
years ago the objective was
to help farmers. in Huron
become more
knowledgeable about soil
management and aware of
the advantages of clean
pedigreed seed for crops."
He continued. "This objec-
tive has been accomplished
through our efforts at seed
fairs, organizing bus tours.
etc. No matter how unique
or new we may think our
projects are today, the end
result is still the same,
creating in the farmer an
awareness of the advantages
of good seed and soil
management."
"I believe we can learn
from the past. Some of our
projects such as crop rota-
tion and red clover plow -
down are methods our
fathers used as a matter of
course each year, realizing
then the advantages we are
seeing notv."
The past president con-
cluded. "Instead of dreading
the future and predicting
terrible times ahead perhaps
we should examine the
causes of our problems and
use the experiences of our
past to remedy them."
After the election of direc-
tors Wheatley made a few
comments regarding a re-
cent runoff of sewage from
the town of Wingham into
the Maitland River. He add-
ed. "No one should be allow-
ed to do a thing like this
where they let a whole
week's raw sewage into the
river. It's terrible. It
shouldn't be allowed to
happen. Pollution from this
went all the way to the beach
at Goderich."
Commenting on the
various corn trials which
were held throughout Huron,
soil and crops specialist Pat
Lynch said. "Yields jumped
up again showing what a
great corn year 1981 was."
The average of 45 tests in
Huron in 1980 was 96 bushels
per acre. The figure this
past year was 113 bushels
per acre according to 64
tests. The results in Perth
were 104 bushels this year,
an increase of nine bushels.
The heat units measured
at four locations were a bit
lower than they were a year
ago At Centralia College
this year's heat units were
2.914 as compared to 2,965 in
1980 The normal figure is 2,-
863.
The same ratio showed at
Hugh Scott's farm at Staffa
with 2,797 this year, 2,819 in
1980 and 2.707 as the normal.
Rainfall in 1981 was con-
siderably more than the
previous year. At the Scott
farm which is located in
Hibbert township, there was
763.4 millimetres as opposed
to 636.6 a year ago.
The biggest increase was
at the F. Kreis farm in
Fullarton township with 806
millimetres and 541 in 1980.
An experiment on the
farm of Aart de Vos in plan-
ting white beans on spring
plowed land after a first cut
of haylage was harvested
was not successful Ike Vos
commented. "I would not
try to grow beans in this.
manner again. Corn silage
attempts were successful.
Using micronutrients on
corn failed to show any sub-
stantial yield increase. In
fact there may even have
been a yield decrease.
Doug (`ameron of Ashfield
township is the new presi-
dent. New directors are Art
Bolton. McKillop and Bill
Armstrong. Morris. Con-
tinuing in their positions are
Jim Ross. West Wawanosh;
Ray Hartman, Day: Gerald
Hayter. Stanley: Wayne
Ratz. Stephen: John Oke,
Usborne: Bob McNaughton,
Tuckersmith: Bruce
Shilinglaw. Hullet; Gerrit
Van Keulen. Grey; Hans
Rasmussen. Howick: Aart
de Vos. Turnberry; Bruce
Raynard. West Wawanosh;
Walter Mcllwain. Goderich
and Don McNeil. Colborne.
The Norm Alexander
Conservation award for out-
standing efforts in conserva-
tion and soil preservation
was won by Don Lobb. Last
year's winner was Larry
Wheatley.
December 2,
Page 13
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this presentation. Dillon. photo
CARDINAL SEEDS OF CANADA AWARD — A show halter
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beef dub work. Harvey Culbert, RR 6, Goderich, made this
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SOIL AND CROP TALK — Caught by the camera at Thursday's annual meeting of the
Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association were Russell Bolton, Seaforth; Jim O'Toole,
Centralia College researcher, soils and crop specialist Pat Lynch and CCAT researcher Bob
Forest. T -A photo
•
AREA SOIL AND CROP DIRECTORS — Shown at Thursday's annual meeting of the Huron
Soil and Crop Improvement Association are area directors Wayne Ratz, Stephen township
John Oke Usborne and Ray Hartman, Hay township. T -A photo
"You ain't seen nothin'
yet," said the once -famous
Al Jolson when he appeared
on Broadway.
rt becamea slogan for him.
It appears that farmers in
Canada could adopt the
same slogan.
Gloom and doom is being
preached from every sector
of the food chain. Even the
usually -staid Ontario
Federation of Agriculture
has mustered a lot of verbal
ammunition for its annual
presentation to the province.
But their picture is
painted so bleak even the.
politicians might shake their
heads in disbelief. Premier
Davis was told he should
declare "a state of emergen-
cy" for agriculture.
"The economic situation is
critical because of high in-
terest rates and low com-
modity prices but it's even
aggravated more by the
deluge of rain we've peen
having." said Ralph Barrie,
president of the OFA.
"Let me repeat, Mr.
Premier. there are many
desperate. disillusioned
farmers out there. It would
be unforgiveable to avoid ad-
dressing their plight."
The federation told
Queen's Park that there are
95,000 farmers in Ontario.
Twenty percent of them
produce 80 percent of the
food. said Mr. Barrie.
Therefore, the bankers
association should multiply
l.rm,.,e .op.ea,ed by Rob hon., (Wog Rd 110.... On, NJe 2(7
its estimates of troubled
farmers by 10 to indicate the
number of commercial -scale
farmers in dire financial
straits.
This boils down to saying
that more than half of On-
tario's biggest producers are
in, financial trouble. If they
gunder. half the province's
food supply goes with them.
Maybe. But the federation
and the old Ontario Farmers
Union before them have a
way of making things seem
much worse than they really
are. I don't for one minute
believe that half 'the food
producers in Ontario are in
deep, deep trouble. I do
believe. though. that a great
many of them are facing the
toughest year since the
Great Depression.
And the Band-Aid
solutions handed out by the
federal government in the
budget this month are not
enough. Major surgery is
necessary. Band-Aids are
not good enough.
Even Ontario's deputy
minister of agriculture,
Duncan Allan, is
pessimistic. He maintains
most farmers will only make
enough this coming year to
pay interest charges.
Nothing on their investment
and nothing for their labor.
Net farm income will drop
by at least 20 percent, he
told a group of farm writers
recently.
The present supermarket
price was will squeeze farm
incomes even lower and
more bankruptcies will
result, he said.
He candidly admitted that
this province does not have a
farm policy and there hasn't
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Strong words from a civil
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The fact that is most im-
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These are the people who
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