The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1989-09-06, Page 11Winter wheat an option for 1990 crop CLINTON - With the 1989 wheat crop complete, it's time to reconsid- er your options for the 1990 crop. This past year again stressed the need for the use of treated high qual- ity seed. The biggest point which should have been learned was the need for an adequate rotation. Severe disease problems occurred where Wheat was _rown after corn or ce- reals. Wheat responds to many tillage options. Your choice should be in- fluenced by soil type, drainage, ro- tation, available equipment and time. There are basically five op- tions: conventional till and drill, re- duced till and drill, broadcast and work in, aerial seeding into stand- ing beans and no -till drill. Each op- tion has its advantages and disad- vantages. The conventional plow and drill method I hope is decreasing in pop- ularity. This system is a time con- suming exercise which last year, due to weather, resulted in seedbeds prepared but not planted. Plowing for a wheat crop i best suited when heavy sod fields or ve hea land Cooking breakfa fast- to almost clerk Mel Grah t' `- 1 t - Among the chefs working in the kitchen at the Stanley Complex to serve break - 0 people were (left) Stanley Reeve Howard Armstrong, Councillor Murray Taylor and m. 3bne•foot in the furrow' by " Earthquakes, floods and droughts in Ontario? Farmers have enough to worry about what with low prices for many commodities and now this summer that is what they have had to deal with. It must be one of the most pre- carious vocations in the world. Freak weather has done so much damage to creps this summer that fanners do not knowwhat could possibly happen next. In Essex County in July, more than a foot of rain fell in'a few minutes. That's 34 centimetres but I am of the generation that knows inches. Centimetres mean nothing to me unless, I guess, they are on the end of mt nose. Known as the "sun parlor" of Canada because of the long growing season. Essex County had so much flood damage in some areas that farmers are expecting crop yields to vary from zero to 7() percent. I have a brother who lives in the arca and he said some people were travelling up and down the streets in canoes at the height of the flood. Tomato, soybean and seed corn crops were devastated. Some farmers in the area arc re- porting losses up to 90 percent with soybeans standing black dead in the fields. Some of these people who were hard hit will get help. The province declared it an emer- gency and compensation will be paid. But emergency payouts and crop insurance can never compen- sate for the sweat and tears that go into planting and then losing a crop. Nobody but farmers understand this sort of thing. Most people would allow farmers to be compen- sated and farmers arc grateful to get help. But it is dismal satisfaction for the loss of the crop. It just ain't the same as harvest- ing and selling that crop. Some areas in the rest of the province were hard hit by the six- week drought this summer. Some Your Farm -Guard polis with `-buildings, contents, livestock. Xn vtrrn C- Ici nTtIthirkiirftrr complete farm insurance Eco �fion; carr e u arm uar today. . Bob Lammie C0 the ‘4F0co-operators Insurance Services Exeter 472 Main Street - 235-1109 IIFF HOME. AUTO COMMFRCIAI. FARM TRAVII had no rain from June 9 to the mid- dle of August. And that is no way to harvest a bumper crop. Although a few areas got a mil- lion -dollar rain the beginning of August, some got none at all. Fall wheat, for instance, should harvest at 60 to 75 bushels an acre but most farmers in the drought - stricken counties will be lucky to get 40 or 50 bushels an acre. Some of these saint. farmers were hit with drought conditions last year which doubles the problem.More than S80 million in drought pay- ments for last year reached some farmers just when they were watch- ing their grain wither in the fields again this summer., This continuation of poor grow- ing conditions - two bad years in a row - could spell financial disaster for some farmers. Could it be that the greenhouse effect that the scientists are warning us about is already taking its toll? The climate of North America is warming, they say, and it will con- tinue to get warmer in the next 50 years. The American mid -west could be a desert. Canada could have a semi -tropical climate if. the green- house effect continues. Are we seeing it now or have the past two years bcen aberrations and things will swing back to normal soon? In the meantime, pity the poor farmer who has to cultivate, plant and nurture his/her crops in good weather and bad and pray regularly for Mother Nature to send good weather. And the earthquakes? One rattled windows and shook buildings in the Oakville area for a 50 -kilometre - that's 30 miles in my book - stretch on August 5. But nobody reported crop damage. Junior Farmers CLINTON - Do you know that an Ontario farmer produces enough food to feed 95 people or that farm- ers represent less than 4 percent of the population. These are some of the interesting facts aboutagricul- ture in Ontario: Agri -Food Week, October 1-8, was introduced by the Ontario Min- , istry of Agriculture and Food in 1983 to promote agriculture in On- tario. A's*ri-FrwyiV tee . ' the urban centres to bridge the gap between the producers and the con- Su1111:1 Emuiiiivirri iiwrit awul uw • culture in Ontario. Ontario produces 27 percent of Canada's agricultural products totalling $5.5 Killion. Since 1987 the Huron County Junior Farmcrs.have been celebrat- ing Agri -Food Week with a dinner entitled 'Huron County: An Agri- cultural Leader'. The evening recog- nizes agriculture in Huron County' and rewards local people for their contributions and leadership to the, rural community and agsiFuttu.rc.iu.i.. Ontario. It is first in the value of agricultural products sold, most im- proved farm land, largest number of census farms, largest area of census farms and much more. Join the Huron County Junior Farmers on Monday, October 2, 1989 at 7 p.m. in the Clinton Le- 7,ion to celebrate Agri -Food Week in Huron County. Join us at 'Huron County" An Agricultural Leader Ill'. has to be broken up. Reduced till and drill, simple cul- tivation or discing of bean stubble is a quick cost effective means of preparing a seedbed. In most cases . .reduce -till bean fields can be seeded with convention drills as a result of the low level of crop residue. Broadcast winter wheat has per- formed well. According to a Perth study done in 1986, the type and timing of tillage to cover the seed was critical. Best results were ac- complished with either cultivating or harrowing and packing. Incorpo- ration of the seed should be as soon as possible after seeding. Aerial seeding of wheat into beans has had some problems. Past problems have been mainly. asso- ciated with shallows rooting which can result in plants easily heaved out of the ground in spring. A final option which has proven successful is no -till drilling of win- ter wheat. In past years we have achieved comparable yields and a substantial time saving with this system. The major requirement is a drill capable of establishing proper seed to soil contact in a high resi- due untitled situation. No -till drills are becoming more plentiful in our area. Contact, your local.OMAF of- fice for information on what is available. Tillage and.planting arc only part of the game plan. Ensure that fer- tility levels arc up to those recom- mended by your soil test and that weeds have bcen properly con- trolled. Lastly make sure that you're into a rotation which will . minimize your disease potential, ie. plant wheat after forages or beans, not corn. - In Perth and Huron you should plant between September 21 and late October. HENSALL CO.OP ( Times -Advocate, September 6,1989 Page 11 A REMINDER New Minimum Wage • Ontario's minimum wage rates are increasing by 25 cents an hour. As of the work week in which October 1st, 1989 occurs, the general minimum wage becomes $5.00 per hour and thp, rate for students under 18 increases to $4.15 per hour. New Public Holiday Beginning in 1989, December 26th (Boxing Day) be- comes a public holiday with pay under the Employment Standards Act. Ontario employees now have a right to this holiday unless they fall under certain excepted classes of worker or industry. December 26th is the eighth paid public holiday along with New Year's Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Additional information may be obtained from the Employment' Standards Branch, Ontario Ministry of La r. The telephone .number of the office seriring you is listed in the blue pages of your local telephone directory. Ministry of Labour Ontario Gerry Phillips, Minister .r. Deliver Your Quality WHITE. BEANS TO YOUR NEAREST HENSALL CO-OP RECEIVING ELEVATOR Now 5 locations to receive white beans Help increasethe market share of the only Farmer -Owned Comprehensive White Bean Dealer in the industry,. Also handling • So - beans • Corn _. •fir.:.,r 1 Hensall District Co-operative Hansell 262.3002 Seaforth Office 527-0770 Elevator 527-2024 .90