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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-02-26, Page 17Authority hosts management sesslork Area The ministry of the envircpmgpt b uo�toward much stricter en- of regulation, governing" pollution, according to Nap Quip from MOL's investigations anti enforce- ment section. Quip, one of a number of speakers at a one -day manure management in- formation held in the South Huron res centre, Friday, told his audience that agriculture has been a special status enterprise which has been exempt from most regulations. The ministry has no means to en- sure miniinum standard of construc- tion on liquid manure storage tanks, no right to tell a farmer he is spreading too much manure per acre, and no recourse when a neighbour is upset unless manure is spread toe. close to the property line on a regular basis and disrupts the neighbour's en- joyment of his property, Quip said, but will step in as soon as manure or other matter is suspected as the cause of pollution problems beyond the farm. boundary. Once this happens, the farmer has lost all freedom from regulations. The same charge that is brought against a giant chemical company like Dow will be used to pro- secute a farmer if measurable pollu- tion gets into a stream. The ministry is serious about TROY I l ROTO TiLLERS • Models from 3% toll hp for every slze garden. • Pre season sale - Save 10% plus FREE Hiller/Furrower an $S9 value. Offer ends March 10. Order to- day and be sure of spring delivery. lilt HUTRARON ssst•sme Just a mile North of Downtown Exeter on Hwy. 4. Call 235-1115' Utert that rich has been from 13 personnel before' • "'to the present 45. All upper rastgepaent in the investigation and enforcement branch were formerly 4i?P officers of members of large police forces such as Metropolitan Toronto. ' lbe onus is not on us to prove that you have impaired the water, aU we have to do is prove there is material that may . hnpeir the water," Quip saik adding he can foresee charges if a •milkhouse is connected to a tile drain, orb manure pile is too close to a stream. f e ikk OMI that i IMppYIti 1TWe pollution gets Into ntfl004 a stretun, bre stigators have authori- ty under a section of the environmen- till protsctlon act to enter any struc- ture, suasive books and documents, and remove samples and extracts. As Anes reach a mardmum of 65,000 for a first offense, and up to $10.000 for a second, , Quip pointed out money would be better spent an prevention by upgrading a farm operation rather than by gig to court. "I don't feel good about farm pro- secutions, but have a duty and man- date to enforce regulations. Farm ' tors will not be exempt from CUIPtirtfillIWY A(ORITOES' "ROOMSD 'IID IN Me OF THE ARE YOi% TMDiUCH fill these controls," Quip•coicladed. Ken Boyd, from the education and reward) sections of OMAF, said his department focuses on 'prevention, mentioning five.areas which promote -.good farm practices. These are research funding, analysis service, education, finanl incentives and management guidelines. The University of Guelph receives over $000,000 each year in ministry funds, and this attracts matching dollars in outside funds. Boyd estimated the long-term return on In- vestment at 40 to one. OMAF's analysis service assists in Tim.s.Advocate, February 26, 1986 •(14 - refill laliens stricter Page 5A INTRODUCTION — Gordon Johnson (right), who chaired the morning session o t e manure manage- ment seminar sponsored by the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority in the South Huron rec cen- tre, is introduced to Bruce Hawkins, one of the speakers. Looking on are water quality technician Tracey Ryan and ABCA manager Tom Prout. No one loves animals more than I do. I can say that even after we have had countless cats, a number of dogs, a dozen horses, three raccoons, two chickens, a couple of hamsters and even a bird called Woodstock. Our house and/or property, right from the day we moved here has been a haven for homeless pets. Our mid - Hike into Sarin with Kodiak Wilderness Boots Tan fully leather lined APlain 6900 Reg. 579 V Steel toe 1 Reg. 682 E ;10 Safety Boot 75" Reg. $85 Centralia Farmers Supply Ltd. Phone 228.6638 V 1984 HURON COUNTY H ISTORICAL ATLAS Ontario Canada Available at' Imes-Ddvocate for .".. Mr* 10(.,0. I...Krw M,. Ips dle daughter attracted lost cats and dogs the way sweat attracts flies. We have had stray dogs that, I'm sure, told every other wanderer in the county that the Trotter household was an easy mark for a meal and a warm night or two. We had a gaunt German shepherd for three weeks until he recuperated enough to be on his way. And a huge old blue tick hound stayed for two weeks in November about 10 years ago. He arrived just before the hunting season and took off the day after the season ended. I am convinced to this day that he was sharply too lazy to go with his master deers1nmt. ove animals but we do not wor- ship them. It seems to me that too many people have become worship- pers of animals. When these people get caught up in their love, it becomes a form of idolatry. These animal- rights activists ate subtly trying to take control of the more traditional organizations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). There is an Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and an Animal Rights Militia (ARM). in European cities they have admitted bombing but- chers, furriers, scientists and phar- macists. Not long ago, they broke in- to an experimental laboratory in Lon- don, Ontario, •to free some baboons. I have not objection to them demonstrating and calling abuses to the attention of the proper authorities. More power to them when there are abuses. I abhor the idea of rabbits be- ing held in stocks to experiment with makeup. I almost retch in horror when I read stories where animals have been neglected and starved. But these animal-rights activists would have almost every farmer in the country charged by the SPCA. If they had their way, farmers would 'not raise chickens in controlled en- vironments or in wire cages. Hogs would be allowed to root in the bar- nyard and turkeys would still be wild. I fear this animal worship will gather momentum until no farmer in the country will be safe. They -- farmers - will have to patrol their properties with armed guards. Some of these organizations are led by fanatics who care not a fig fo{ themselves or their followers. To release one monkey from theclutches of a controlled experitnent Jrhich might possibly help mankind is what they live for. Does animalkind need that kind of protection? No matter that cancer may be cured. or arthritis or heart disease. Bring on the ARM and the ALF and free those millions of animals now held in bondage. You think I'm exaggerating about armed guards around farms? Any group that will use terrorism to get publicity - bombing, breaking and entering - will stop at nothing to make a questionable point. Dear Editor: Could you please allow me a few in- ches of your valuable space to clear up a few points concerning your editorial "Turn the tables" of the February 12, 1986 edition. The Ontario Family Farm Interest Rebate program (OFFIRR) was set up to specifically to reach those farmers who had been hurt the most by the credit crunch of the early 1980's andwho had suffered the most from skyrocketing rates, falling commodi- ty and and prices and increased in - pi it costs. The guidelines for applying for OF- FIRR were set up after extensive con- sultation with many farm groups, in- cluding the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian Farmers Federation. When I announced the program back in August, my Ministry in- dicated that up to 10,000 farmers pro- vince wide could be eligible for grants of up to $14,000. So far, over 9,000 farmers have applied for OFFIRR, and of those, about half filled in their own application forms, without hav- ing to go to an accountant. So far in Huron County, over 300 farmers in need have received a total of $1,700,000 in interest rate relief, while approximately 170 food pro- ducers in Middlesex have so far been granted about $1,100,000. The deadline has been extended to March 15, 1906 so I would remind any farmers in your wide readership area to get their application in as soon as possible. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings about the OF- FIRR program. Yours sincerely, Jack Riddell, M.P.P. Huron -Middlesex Minister of Agriculture and Food ti There's more to minerals than meets the tongue Swift mineral programs are formulated for your feeding needs Mineral deficiencies cost you money: A Swift mineral program enables you to choose just the right level o phosphorus and calcium while supplying nine othe essential ingredients. You help your animals hive yo more in returns by improving their gain per pound of feed. Get the right mineral recommendation from us -- whether your stock is on range or in the feedlot. Cal I CENTRALIA FARMERS SUPPLY LTD. Centralia, Ontario 228-6638 offsetting fertilizer costs, ensuring • maximumutillzation of manure in the cropping system, and improvement in the overall quality of livestock, Boyd said. ObfAF supplies fact sheets on various methods of storing, handling and spreading manure. Detailed plans of manure storage systems are available, and OMAF staff are prepared to assist in exploring all aspects of manure maoaae A $4,400,000 pregram ata.1 in- centives incorporating rigid qty guidelines which has been in place for the past three years has translated in- to 13 million in capital improvement in systems across Ontario, Boyd said. He said this program will set the pat- tern for future programs. using the fruit and vegetable storage grant system as an example. • Boyd told his listeners OMAF wants comment and direction from the agricultural community on the foodlands preservation policy published recently, to see if the agricultural code of practises needs to be redefined. Bruce Hawkins, a biology techni- cian with MOE, pointed out the poten- tial for manure pollution by stating Huron county produces 40 percent more animal waste than human waste, yet millions of dollars are spent treating human waste. ABCA chairman Gordon Johnson chaird the morning session, which was attended by approximately 120 people. Six speakers appeared during the afternoon session, chaired by Don Lithgrow, ABCA vice-chairman. Richard Walker (OFA) brought the message that manure becomes a pro- blem as livestock operations become larger and time and money con- straints force many farmers to "just get rid of it". He stressed the use of common sense to avoid manure management problems. Klaas Salomons focussed on the benefits of using the irrigation method of applying manure. Those benefits are lower compaction, lower power requirements and faster, more even -spreading. He also pointed out that the beneficial bacteria in manure are overlooked when calculating the manure's value as fertilizer. Dick Veenstra's talk on manure management in Hollandillustrated how serious a problem over -supply and under -use of manure can become. This has led to government controls • on barn construction and rates of application. Veenstra offered the opinion that 10 years ago Holland was at our present stage with respect to manure manag- ment and that we need to take action to avoid following in their footsteps. The idea that the Aip&1ar value of manure as a fertil1zec',(61}3,per.S�ow peat, year for exarihp!) - make the building of storage facilities fea's'ible, was the basis of the talk by Jerry Martens, Avonbank Equipment, Granton. He outlined several types of ..-BRANDY POINT - 1 � 1+ FARMS • CENTRED AROUND ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION • Our breeding stock provides our buyers with proven genetics from the top 3% animals tested across Canada, • Our program enables us to offer quality and health at a price that is hard to beat • We have an ongoing supply of A.I. sired Hamp/Duron, York/Landrace boars 8 F1 York/Landrace gilts . • Our closed herd is ranked "Good" by the OMAF standards of Herd Health Classification. Come and take a look at our stock anytime) Delivery available KURT KELLER R.R. 1, Mitchell, Ont. 519-348-8043 storage systems and means of mov- ing manure. Martens also informed the audience of preliminary test results which indicate that bacteria in dairy cattle manure destroy corn root worms. Ron Riddell, a custom terrigater operator, dealt with the speed and flexibility in scheduling that custom operators using flotation equipment (Terragator) can offer for liquid manuare removal and application. Adequate storage capacity is necessary for this system but it reduces the farmer's cash outlay for spreading equipment, its maintepance. Another advantage is that th manuare can be incorporated into the soil soon after it is applied, thereby reducing run-off. Ron •Fleming, an engineer with OMAF in Clinton, emphasized the need for the proper size of storage facilities to allow the proper timing and role of application. OMAF grants require a minimum capacity of 200 days storage and some townships re- quire even more. Good questions from the audience rounded out both sessions. Variations in by-law restrictions and the new spills bill, were among the cdncerns raised. r The trouble with the harmony of na- tions is that some want to beat the big drum, few face the music and none will play second fiddle. _ Super Freezer Buys . ' cCalns Super Fries 325 (5 Ib.) . . . • . Panzerotti 1 65 • lea.) Peas 4' 9 (5 Ib.) Pees & Carrots 3.9 (5 Ib.) Mixed Vegetables 389 (5 Ib.) Cuddy's Chicken bits Chicken patties Highliner Breaded Lod Cream Pies Chocolate, Banana, Coconut, Pecan Pie ill 4 Mon.- fol. •5:30 Closed $undey • orgasms • Apiaries Hwy. 84 between Hensall & Zurich • 236-4979 • 'Registered Retinaseat Wimp tales ■ ■ No Fees Variable Rate No Charges Fixed ,Rate 1 yr 101/4% 2 yrs 101/2% 3,4,5, yrs 10'/4 % 1O% All rates subject to change without notice. Our office will be open Saturday March 1st from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for RRSP deposits Clinton Community CREDIT UNION Ltd. 374 Main St., Box 126 Exeter, Ont. NOM 150 235-0640