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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-08-28, Page 32Loss would be tragedy for agriculture claims Jones Farmers Describing the possible loss of the herbicide alachlor Lasso) as a "terrible tragedy" to Ontario .1 farmers, Dr. George Jones this week took the occasion of the Centralia Col- lege crops update program to urge area farmers to fight for the retention of the product. The professor from the University of Guelph told the wagonloads of farmers visiting his corn hybrid selec- tion plots at the new research farm . that ':Lasso is going to go unless you stick up for it". Lasso is used to control weeds in corn and soybeans production and has been restricted by Agriculture Canada and is subject to temporary federal registration which expires at the end of 1985. A product review is now being conducted.. Alachlor has been found in some water supply systems. Jones said it was not wrong for farmers to defend the product, saying it had been in use for 17 years and car- ried "very little risk". He termed the possible loss as a very serious problem for agriculture, telling the farmers they would be los- ing "one of your miracles". Times -Advocate, August 28, 1985 Page 15A urged to bnle for retention of ah,chlor which was first noted in Wisconsin in the late 1970s has now mushroomed to the point where it infests -1,000,000 acres. McLaren said many of the weed varieties were triazine resistant and the species in that category continue to mount. Crop scouting was the topic of Pat Lynch, former OMAF crop specialist for the area and now an employee of Cyanamid Canada. He opened his talk by noting that there is a considerable amount of twitch grass in corn and told his au- The professor said farmers should tell their organizations to battle for the retention of the product. Jones said it was not a carcinogen and posed no thrfe . He said it was impossible to y product and not have traces of it how up in water sup- plies, but he said it remained there for a relatively short period during the application period. If Lasso is lost, there would be on- ly one product otithe market to take its place and Jones remarked that "someone will put the boots to you if you only have one product to choose". Regarding the corn hybrid selection tests at Centralia, Jones said the corn was planted under "tough" conditions due to a dry spring and some of the results may be suspect. He said the biggest change in corn was to grow it in denser stands and to plant something that will stand up. He said he was not certain that crop specialists could breed superior silage hybrids and said one of the biggest mistakes being made in beef feedlots was going to the exotic cattle breeds in that they had to be finished on grain and not silage. Bob Forrest of the College staff reviewed the tests being conducted on narrow rows for white beans. He was assisted by Brian Hall. Forrest said there was a "real ad- vantage" in yields in 14" rows as com- pared with 28". The major problem, he explained. was in disease control as narrow widths were more susceptible to white mold and it was necessary tor growers to keep a close eye on their crops. If a 48-hour wet spell arises, he said it would be necessary to spray the crop. but noted the cost was justified in view of the increased yields. Weed control, it was explained, was no more a problem in the narrow rows than the wide ones. Problem weeds were outlined at one plot by Doug McLaren of the Guelph OMAF gaff. He said it was critical that farmers learn to identify the new weeds so they don't become a problem. He indicated that proso millet is "now a serious problem in Huron" and has been listed as a noxious weed. To give farmers an idea of the weed problem, he said that one variety' f.r ,nraiin ., CHECK SPRAYERS -- Area farmers Bruce Shapton and Hugh Rundle check over the spraying equipment used at the Centralia College research farm. T -A photo Bean production up considerably. White bean production for 1985 is expected to be increased by about 30 percent Irani a year ago. This infonlnation was revealed at Wednesday's Crop Update Day al Centralia College by Charles Broadwell. manager of the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board. Broadwell said acreage in Ontario is up this year to 95.101 acres from 79,000 accres in 1984. Coupled with an expected yield of 1.371 pounds per acre compared to 1,238 a year ago the total production in the province should be 1.302,450 hundredweight. The big competition for Ontario beans comes from Michigan and their production figutes are also up ccon- siderably. Along with an increase ,of 20,000 acres to:340.000 acres. Michigan yields per acre are expected to rise form 1.056 pounds per acre to near 1,300 pounds. • With similar production increases in Minnesota and North Dakota. Broadwell said total production could be close to Iwo million bags more than last year. McGillivray costs jump Water installation costs for new ser- vices in the township were reviewed recently by McGillivray council. Due to increasing costs of materials and labour on construction of exten- sions to existing lines. council agreed to increase the cost of water services. Effective September 1 the new rates will be $2.5111 for a residence and $5.500 for a farm. The charge for take- off from the water line is to remain at $31). Applicants for part-time help for the road department were interview- ed and the successful applicant was Glen Bullock Ile has already started his employment. Elizabeth Howson. a planning con- sultant attended a recent meeting to discuss items of concern and modifications to the official plan regarding zoning bylaw updates. The contract to engage the firm of MacAulay Shiom Consultants was ap proved to be signed The agreement for lire protection with the town of Parkhill was review- ed and approved for signing. Ile added. "This looks a little bit like our record production of 1982." The marketing board manager was not very optimistic about the 1985 price outlook. Ontario prices Wednes- day were $24 for domestic and $23 for export markets. Broadwell said Michigan beans were selling the same day for $14 in U.S. funds. Final payment on the 1984 crop are expected to be mailed out in early Oc- tober - bringing the total returns to about $25 per bag. Broadwell said it prices remained low stabilization payments were a possibility. Ile continued, "This isn't something to look forward to. but would be a con- solation. The -beans would have to be sold first and then stabilization ap- plied for based on the past five years. In this case the nel to the producer would likely be about $24." The bean board exports about 80 percent of the Ontario crop each year to more than.70 countries, including those receiving food aid. The United Kingdom continues to be the principal buyer. Consumers there put away 100.000 tonnes each year. In Canada. the figure is about 18.(0) tonnes annually. Kirkton By MRS HAROLD DAVIS Mr. and Mrs. Jim McCurdy and Kevin of Blenheim, and Mr. and Mrs. lteg McCurdy Jason and Jeff of Woodham visited Tuesday with Mr. and Mrs. Harold Davis and also Miller McCurdy at Kingsway Lodge. St. Marys. Garth Blackler enjoyed a week's vacation in Alberta. Mrs. Leon Paul has returned home from a three weeks vacation in Europe. Mr. and Mrs. Albert Weernink have returned home from a trip to B.C. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Waghornenjoyed a week's vacation in the U.S.A. Mr. Rea Stephen was a dinner guest Sunday with his sister-in-law Mts. Harold Grierson in London. He was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Pfaff of Crediton. Miss Ethel Copeland was a dinner guest in honour of Lloyd Zubriggs bir- thday of Radford Virginia, held at Listowel. Huron Apothecary L_t,d. J T WILSON PHARMACIST PHONE 235-1982 440 MAIN ST . EXETER, ONT. PRESCRIPTIONS. We accept most major drug plans Blue Cross, Green Shield, Drug Benefit, etc. Hours Mon. Tues., Thurs. & Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Wed. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. z' rUt•, ,1>� .\r,t f- . u4111,�# YOUTH SPEAKING SEMINAR — A workshop on youth public speaking was held at Centralia College on the weekend. Above, co-ordinator Amber Underwood presents certificates to Mark Ryan and Karl Morrison of Huron county. T -A photo dience they could control it. if they were serious about it, but would pro- bably never get rid of it entirely. He said the main factor is to spray twitch when it .is actively growing. Lynch said farmers couldn't afford 100 percent weed control and that their spraying and tillage costs had to relate to the yield expectations and weed pressure. His replacement as Huron and Perth crop specialist, John Heard. talked about soil conditions. explain- ing that three major types of.compac- tion were tillage pans. traffic and over tillage. He said he would rather compact a little ground a lot than to compact a lot of ground a little. noting that 80 percent of compaction arose on the first pass -over by a farm vehicle. Outlining strategic management. he said the five components were im- proved crop rotation. reduced tillage trips, minimum tillage principles. to till at proper moisture content of the land and to integrate the best varieties of seed along with weed and pest control. New soybean varieties under test at Centralia were outlined by John Schleihauf of the London OMAF of- fice. He indicated several new varieties had considerable potential. but advised farmers that.the bottom line in choosing new varieties is their own ,farm test as soybeans are site specific. They were told to keep abreast of new varieties as it was necessary to try and crank out some extra bushels under the same input costs. He touched briefly on winter wheat and said not too many were dissatisified with aerial application. but results were still not quite as good as conventional seeding methods. "Time of planting is still of the most importance," Schleihauf concluded. You Can Deal With Confidence When You Deliver Your 1985 White Bean Crop to Ken R. Campbell & Sons Ltd., Seaforth Howson & Howson Ltd., Blyth, Ontario Palmerston Elevators Ltd. Bar' B - Dee Farms, RR 1 Bornholm are also white bean receiving satellites for Thompson's We ilvant and appreciate your business Hyland Augusta Seed Wheat again the top yielder Followed by Nyland Howser Seed Wheat Be sure you buy Blue Tag Seed Only This assures you of "Certified" #1 Seed for "Purity" - "Quality" and "Top Yields." - Any other facsimile is not the same. Available only at Thompson's or a Hyland Dealer Also there is Cert. #/1 Fredrick seed wheat. For larger growers wishing Certified seed in Bulk we can supply. Please order ahead. ALL SEED IS TREATED WITH VITAFLO " 280" - Custom Fertilizer Spreading ▪ Soil Sampling Service - Computerized Reports - Recommendations from a Qualified Staff For purity, top germination, disease free Sow only Certified Hyland Seed Hensail 262-2527 Mitchell 348-8433 Granton 225-2360 Ailsa Craig 293-3223 Port Albert 529-7901