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Home My WebLink AboutTimes-Advocate, 1988-04-27, Page 25r 4 v r PLANNING SUMMER - CCAT students John Helliker (left) and Brian Ferris discuss their summer in Holland with Elgin Farwell, dean of students. Two CCAT students leave for Holland First year CCAT students John Helliker and Brian Ferris flew to Holland on April 25 as part of an exchange of agricultural college stu- dents in Ontario and the Nether- lands. They will spend the next four months working on dairy farms, with two weeks off to travel. butch students have been com- ing -to -Ontario as temporary farm workers for 20 years. This is the fourth year that Canadian students have gone to Europe. The two will be part of a group of 13 chosen from Ontario agricul- tural colleges. First-year students who have passed their year are giv- en preference when applying for .the program. They must have had previous farm experience, and a recommendation from their col- lege. Brian and John, who have just completed the initial year of their ABM course, qualified on all counts. OMAF pays the air fare, helps with passports and other paper work, and acts as liaison with an aericultural school in Holland that arranges jobs for the Canadians. Initiative begins this year Pesticide Initiatives to cut pesticide use by 50 per cent by the year 2002 will begin this year, Ontario Agriculture and Food Minister Jack Riddell an- nounced today. Food Systems 2002, a long-range program announced in principle by Premier David Peterson last fall, in- volves three main components: re- search, education and extension. During the first year of the 15 - year program, $1.4 million has been allocated to hire four pest management specialists, expand the existing pesticide safety course for growers and begin research. The an- nual 5800,000 research allocation will fund targeted studies on alterna- Times-Advocate, April 27, 1988 Page 5A use to be cut in half by 2002 lives to pesticides and pest manage- ment programs to reduce dependence on chemicals. For example, research will look at the cost/benefit of various pest control options, the development of disease and insect -resistant plants, the most appropriate methods of ap- plying pesticides at reduced rates and control of crop -damaging in- sects by other insects. "Through research, we hope to re- duce chemical costs to farmers by as much as $100 million annually, while sustaining crop yields. This will help keep Ontario in the fore- front of safe food production and ul- timately lead to a healthier environ - Budget disappoints OFA president Pyke This is essentially a "stand -pat budget" and that will disappoint Ontario's farmers, said Brigid Pyke, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. The budget's silence on the OF- FIRR and Crop Insurance programs is ominous. "We hope this doesn't indicate a weakening of government support for farmers facing difficult markets" said Pyke. the CCAT students will be given room and board with their farm fam- ilies, and also be paid the equivalent of $100 Canadian weekly. The venture is a dream come true for Brian. He first heard about the exchange program while still in high school in Kitchener, and deter- mined then that some day he would be going. He has worked on his grandparents=farm while they _had _a-. dairy herd, and since they switched to beef two years ago. John has.worketl on a dairy farm, and has also handled horses. A highlight of the experience is 'expected to be the midpoint meet- ing, an occasion every summer in Holland when all overseas students from countries all around the- world arc brought together. John and Brian have promised to contact the T -A when they return to CCAT at the end of August, and tell how they spent their summer. Elgin Farwell, dean of students at CCAT. expects three Dutch stu- dents to arrive in late spring. Two have been assigned to farms in the Seaforth arca, and one is going to a farm near St. Marys. Centennial essays Sharpen your pencil, start writing and you could win! The Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food and the Ontario Farm- er invite you to enter the 1988 Cen- tennial Essay Competition. The competition helps to mark the Ministry's Centennial year and offers prizes of $500, $250 and $100. There arc three categories -- open (adult), elementary (Grades 5- 8) and secondary (Grades 9-13). Each category will be judged separ- ately. Authors have six topics to choose from: 1. Agriculture: How it shaped our province 21 My grandparents' farm 3. Ontario: Food Land vs. Concrete Jungle 4. Agriculture in 2008 5 tmtario Agriculture: Feed- ing the World 6. The story of my favorite food. Submissions must not exceed 1,000 words and should be typewrit- ten, double-spaced and stapled in the upper left-hand corner. Legible handwritten entries will be accepted. All entries must be the original unpublished writing of the entrant. Entries must be postmarked no later than June 15, 1988. All sub- missions should be mailed to: Es- say Contest, c/o Lorraine Holding, Rural Organizations and Services Branch, Guelph Agriculture Centre, Box 1030, Guelph N11-1 6N 1. Winners will be notified by mail in August 1988. Commenting of OFFIR.R Pyke noted,„ the debt load of Ontario farmers has not fallen significantly since OFFIRR was introduced. The real cost of carrying debt has re- mained high. We're disappointed the government didn't reaffirm their commitment to a program that put much needed cash in the hands of farmers". On the crop insurance program_she_pointed out "basic changes are unfunded after two years of study and discussion". - "The OFA is encouraged by the new money announced by the Treasurer: $15 million over three years for new tripartite programs; $6 million for Farmstart and $1.2 million for a Pesticide Reduction Program. However, we suspect the government may discover they have under budgeted for these ini- tiatives considering the need for them in the country -side" she said. Pyke acknowledged that the gov- ernment spending for agriculture has increased substantially under the present government, but em- phasized that Ontario is still a long way behind other major agricultu- ral provinces as far as government funding is concerned. In the beef industry, for example, Ontario farmers get a little over $6 in government support for every $100 of cash receipts. Compare that with Quebec where beef pro- ducers get over $45. "Government commitment to the industry is es- sential to maintaining market share; -we'll be working with gov- ernment to ensure that commit- ment is backed up with dollars” she said in closing. ment," Riddell said. A grower pesticide safety course will be fully implemented to com- plement the existing ministry course for pesticide vendors. Some growers have already taken part in a pilot project to test the contents and acceptability of the course. Also, a full-time co-ordinator for the educa- tional program will be hired. Under the Ontario Pesticide Edu- cation Program, during thenext five years, up to 35,000 growers will be taking courses on the safe handling and application of pesti- cides. To assist farmers in reducing pes- ticide use during 1988/89, one pest management. specialist will be lo- cated in Clarksburg (apples), two at Centralia (rutabagas/muck vegeta- bles; corn/cereals) and one at Vine- land (greenhouse Mowers). These specialists will organize on-farm demonstrations, conduct feasibility studies, develop strate- gies for selection and timing of pest control options, and liaise with re- searchers. "Through Food Systems 2002, we will be able to help growers en- sure high quality of food products for our Ontario consumers and ex- port markets, improve our competi- tive position of Ontario consumers and export markets, improve our competitive position of Ontario ag- riculture and protect the quality of soil and water in our rural areas," Riddell said. Pesticides are chemicals used on crops to prevent damage from plant diseases, weeds and insects.. WINS A WEATHER VANE - Jim Jerrett of Exeter was the winner of a weather vane in the Andex Metal Products draw at the recent Home and Garden Show. Making the presentation at the lett is Bob McDonald of An- dex. 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