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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-03-26, Page 31Times -Advocate, March 26, 1986 Page ISA through John Deere plants in two states first sight at the Holiday Inn home for the night was a Huron Tractor truck parked in front with its load of a com- bine, being readied for travel back to Exr by driver Leroy Hern. After freshening up, the area farmers headed off for the ad- ministrative centre, certainly one of the highlights of the tour. Acclaimed as one of the best office facilities ever built in the U.S., the centre was opened in 1964 and is situated on a picturesque 1,000 acre site overlooking the Rock River valley. It provides office space for 2,000 people and two lakes in front of the main building enhance the land- scaping. An indoor garden, which covers the space of four tennis courts, rises from the floor of the building to large skylights in the 57 -foot high ceiling. A large product display building houses some of the firm's largest pro- ducts aswvell as antiques and the focal point is a display of 2,000 historical items encased in glass along one wall. The items are from the period of 1837 to 1918 and take onlookers down a nostalgic look at life in that era as it includes old John Deere adver- tisements, souvenirs and photographs as well as non -company items used on the farm and in farm homes during that period. A fascinating display of the 19th century, the mural is one of Today OnIy! Hmow ARMIS DI> MARDI INC. CHEMICAL APPLICATION EXPERTS WILL BE ON HAND TO SHOW YOU WHAT A MODERN SPRAYER CAN DO FOR YOU! LOCATION: Hwy. 4 South Exeter, Ontario (Former N.T. Monteith) Limited Registration - Phone Now! Exeter 235-2121 or Dashwood 237-3673 )03 CC' -X FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. Sales & Service Since 1932 Exeter, Ontario Sales & Service 235-2121 ■ Dashwood, Ontario rIIa 111 Sales 237-3673 Service 237-3242 Your personal invitation to See what sets us a 1 A special program has been arranged so you -and a select group of other forward-looking farmers in your area -can "Meet Deutz - Allis," the exciting new full -line farm equipment company. It's a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with expanded product lines and support services brought about by the merger between Allis-Chalmers and Deutz -Fahr. You'll learn about leadership technology from two worlds -and the profitable implications for every farmer in North America. You could be a winner just for showing up! Registration card signed at the door will admit you to the program. It will also be used for a special drawing to be held at the close of the presentation.The winner gets free use of a Deutz -Allis tractor for 100 hours during the spring planting season, extending through June 30, 1986! As a participant in the presentation, you'll also be able to sign up for a Deutz -Allis tractor demonstration right on your farm. We hope you'll accept our invitation and reserve an hour and a half to "Meet Deutz -Allis!" 11c;st HYDE EROS. LTD. 262-2605 Hensel) Ontario l�x.at� Hensall Arena t),,t, April 2, Wednesday Tunic 1:30 p.m. DEUTZ ALLIS the main points of interest for visitors to the centre. Japanese gardens, a Henry Moore sculpture and walls covered with paintings and art displays add to the environment enjoyed by the employee and visitor alike. Wednesday's windup of the tour in- cluded a visit to the company's technical centre in Moline for jour- nalists and two more factory visits for the farm group. Bob Wismer, director of the technical centre, explained that Deere & Company spends five per- cent of each sales dollar on research and this investment of 3230,000,000 an- nually has been essentially maintain- ed despite the declining market conditions. At the centre, computers display equipment in animation to allow the engineers and other technical experts to assess their design and practicali- ty without having to build the actual machine. A soil lab provides a site for testing in miniature the innovations being considered and the human facilities lab can actually duplicate field con- ditions and enable the company to measure the operator's response to the various conditions he would meet while driving a combine through a corn field and putting the machine through its production paces. Testing with laser beams is going on in another of the multiple ex- perimental departments as the com- pany explores product development and enhancement. The final stop for the journalists was in Geneseo where we picked up John Deere dealer Greg Peiffer who then escorted the group to the farm of 57 -year-old Virgil Nelson. It was learned that he produced about 140 bushel per acre Aron his 340 -acre corn operationlast yearand that corn is still stored on•his farm although it was bought by the U.S. government for a price of 32.58 per bushel. Within the next couple of weeks, Nelson will be meeting with officials from the PIK program to ascertain what payment he can expect from the 20 percent of his land that will be taken out of production if he goes on- to the program. He expects he will be offered between 3400 and $500 per acre for the land taken out of production. Similar to many other farmers in the area; Nelson has most of his fall work to complete before starting spring tasks. He completed about 25 percent before beingchased from the land by cold weather in November. He said he'd rather not have government hand-outs, but indicated most farmers in his area would be forced into the PIK program by their bankers who viewed the program much like an insurance policy. While being almost totally unaware of farm problems in Canada, he said he suspected things were no better here than there. Land prices in Iowa have declined from average highs of around $2,200 per acre to about $1,200 at present. Nelson, while being candid in his response to questions, was more eager to talk about the Geneseo high school football team for which his two sons played while the school went through an undefeated season =route to the state 'championship. He noted that it doesn't matter what farmers are doing, everything comes to a halt on Friday night so they can attend the school's game which at- tracts upwards of 15,000 people. Somehow, he appeared to suggest that winning football games was easier than winning at agriculture. After another trip back across the flood -swollen Rock River, the tour members arrived at the Quad City airport to embark on their return to London on Wednesday evening. SOME RIDE — While most members of the area tour group had to walk through the John Deere plants in Iowa and Illinois last week, there were a few who managed to get a ride. On the left of the buggy are tour members Don Alton, Bill Quartel and Simon vanDam. The latter's smile beamed at the foot -weary photographer changed short- ly after when the tour buggy overheated and had to be parked and its passengers joined the walking tour. TOUR PLANTS — Over 60 farmers from Huron, Perth and Middlesex and staff at Huron Tractor enjoyed a three-day tour of John Deere plants in Iowa and Illinois last week. The group stopped for a photo at the engine factory in Waterloo, Iowa. Among those included from the area were Reta and Harry Winters, Berny and Jack Van Busse!, Kees DeDreu, Herb Verbeek, Wayne Mover, John Snell, Simon van - Dam, John Elder, Bill Quartel, Pot Patwell, John Hutton, Maurice Hut- ton, John McKay, Dave Bolton, CaMn-Christie; Ralph McGregor, Earf Long, Henry Winters, Jack Lamont, Tony Conlin, Doug Cuddy, Jim Wardell, Lloyd McNaughton, Tom Needham, Steve Dennis, Lawrence Plaetzer, Don Alton, Dave Elphick, Keith Whaling, Judy Watson, Jean and Earl Foster, Harold and Dorothy Elder, Wayne Ford, Mike Court- ney, Jim MacDougald, Charlie Wolkom, Gord Hern, Ed Kerslake, Dan Reid, Bud Yeo, Burt Middegall, Len Vanwonderen, Bob Feeny, Jeff Graul, Wayne Overholt, Greg Revington, Marwood Willis, John Paul Rou, Mike Stewart, Dale Passmore, Clarence Woods, 8111 Baker, Jim Henderson dnd Bbb HOhtfertan: ,a of Lobb gets Huron fire position Fred Lobb, Chief of the Clinton Fire Department, has been appointed Fire Co-ordinator for the Town of Clinton and District Deputy Fire Marshal for the County of Huron. He will be replacing Dave Crothers of Wingham. Lobb, who will maintain his present position as chief of the local fire department, explained his new posi- tion will require him to oversee the operations of the Mutual Aid System in which all Huron Fire Departments participate. "All the planning for the Mutual Aid System in Huron County (a co- operative system for departments to assist one another) has been set up. My job is to make sure the operation goes smoothly between the depart- ments," said Lobb. "In the event of —BRANDY POINT.—. 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 on ongoing supply' of A.I. sired 'Hump/Duroc. York/Landroce boars 8. FI 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 Farmers Book Now to have your spring seed grain custom cleaned on your own farm. Oats, Barley, Rye, Wheat,Mix- ed groins, Soya and White Beans. Call 40 Jim McLachlan 519-232-4454 Your area contractor for CANADIAN MOBILE SEED CLEANING LTD. an emergency or disaster where many departments are required to assist, they need someone who is in charge. "When it comes down to it, whenever a situation arises that moves all the equipment out of one area to another, someone has to decide whether to put another on stand by," he said. Another facet of the district depu- ty fire marshal's job is to attend Mutual Aid meetings which are held on a monthly basis with the exception of three months in the winter. TRU-SPREA DRY FERTILIZER P T The Tru -Spread Dry Fertilizer Applicator is the most accurate dry spreading machine on the market today regardless of the formulation of fertilizier used! AT TNOMPSON's .. . "We're improving our services to increase your profits" Call your nearest branch today! • Mitchell - 3434133 Hansell - 262-2627 Granton - 225-2360 Port Albert - 529-7901 Ailsa Craig - 293-3223 1.