HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes 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.
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