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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-04-08, Page 19iVew video features advanced farming RTONEY CREEK - Canadian farm' s are using more innova - tive methods thus are improving the quality and safety of the ftuit and vegetables they produce, with lessening impact on the environ- ment. This is the message of a new 15 -minute video called Keeping Good Things Growing, which premiered of the Canadian Horticultural Council's 1992 an- nual conference held recently in Ottawa. Through the video, fluit and vegetable growers demonstrate a number of techniques such as in- sect trapping devices, weather monitoring stations and crop rota- tion. All are part of a strategy called integrated pest manage-. ment, that keepS pests at accepta- ble levels and minimizes environ- mental effects. -_ Drttario_apple. grower Marshall khuyler explains *We have peo- plemonitoring the :oidiards to find out when pests are attacking the craps, so we. can time applica- dons for when they'll be effective in dealing with those particular pests. "These programs really work. Pest management advisor, Jim Chaput, confirms that "in on- ions, we've been able to reduce insecticide use by 80 percent". Mr. Chaput operates a field scout- ing program for local growers from the Agricultural Research Station in Kettleby, Ontario. Farmers are also choosing safer products for awitnailiagsrats and applying them witIVIIIIMIllne and discretion. in the video, Quebec carrot grower Jean -Yves Lohe says "I take all the necessary pre- cautions for my health, my envi- ronment and my family's environ mens." Ontario celery grower Brian Visser agrees, "I think eve- ry farmer does his utmost to -pro- duce safe food." Today's methods of growing food in Canada are also endorsed in the video by noted experts in nutrition, medicine and science. Everyone along the chain strives to offer the best quality produce Io_ consumers, and it is the view .of nutritionist Susan Sutherland that "Growers are spending the most time, making sure that what they do brings good quality, sate food to the consumer." The video is a production of 19, Chipman, a major.natiosal_ er of .shop protecdon�i Canada and a leader in promoting responsible faym management. It will be distributed to agricultural organizations and to associations and individuals involved in nutri- tion, health, education, food pro- duction and consumer issues. Copies of Keeping Good Things Growingand an accompa- nying : booklet ane :=available at $9.95 from: ICI -Chipman, P.O. Box 9910, Stoney Creek, Ontario, I.8G 3Z1. {;:::%8<iso;:f:?'�:'::2:::':�:'�?i?.r:.:•: •it;;y,; �'-Y" FS 'n a� Food :additives .such . as - chanical s and even -hormones have been .de- bated for.many years. in _Canada. Stiibesteiol. a growth hormone in beef .garde, and -bovine aomaooro- pin. a hormone that improves:milk production in.dairyi i1eatilthave bilge giitsstion mariestehind biotin. And monosodium -.gho mate. a preservative. has been -proven to -be detrimental to the health of some people. Now comes another big item_ but this time, it is not an additive and it isnot a hormone. It is a process and it's called irradiation. Food --is zapped with gamma rays which kill bacteria, insects or mold that causes decay. Most irradiation processes use cobalt 60, according to my re- search, which is well-known in medical circles for cancer treat- ment Cobalt 60 is not radioactive waste. It is produced in the famous - or infamous, depending on your point of view - Candu reactors. In addition to its use in cancer treat- ment, it has also been used in the sterilization of medical products within their own packages. The process to irradiate food is supposed to be simple. The food. in sealed packages, is placed on a con- veyor belt and the belt takes it through the gamma rays. irradia- tion disrupts the natural process of food decay by breaking down the tiny bacteria cells,- the yeasts and the molds in the food that cause de- cay 'lite process also kills para- -sites. insects or insect eggs and lar- vae. Irradiated food, then, would have a much longer shelf lift. In addi- tion, irradiated food would prevent food poisoning be ausc it would kill the bacteria that causes the siokneSS. The safety of -irradiated food is still in .question although the scien- tific community put its blcssin on, the process. So has Agriculture Canada, the federal agriculture ministry. Three years ago, a release from Agriculture Canada said: "The safety of, irradiated food...has been established beyond a shadow of doubt." • Dr. Frank Lu of. the World Health Organization has said irradiation actually reduces the number of harmful micro-organisms, "thus en- hancing food's hygenic qualities." And proponents of irradiation were overjoyed by a recent feature on 20120, the ABC television show, wherein Barbara Walters concluded that opponents of food irradiation based their arguments on fear in- stead of faces. But there are millions out there who arc staunchly opposed to the process because they believe it could increase the risk of cancer and even birth defects. The .scientific community has :made too -many mistakes to allay -the fears of those who oppose irra- diation. The medical community, too, is no longer on a pedestal with .the general public. - Tpo,many .people remember the horiiois:caiised. by thalidomide Too 'many people remember breast im- plants and other medical proce- dures and processes that did not stand the test of time but which were originally pronounced safe by iibth doctors and scientists. Tor many people have had it up -to here -with food additiverof- ty — kind to . accept -this .new::pnopess which uses radioactive material. Even -so, a -plant -is -now process- - - ing fruits and vegetables in Florida. The company will not admit to do- ing much business with food but growers and shippers in the area are . sending food to Vindicator Inc., near Tampa. The plant opened in January in spite of efforts by those against irradiation of food to block the opening. So, irradiation is being done. You may be eating fruit or vegetables tonight which were zapped in a Florida plant by cobalt 60 which was probably produced by a Candu reactor, perhaps one of the several reactors owned and operated by Ontario Hydro. 1-4.1"\-A Times -Advocate, April 6, 1992 Home Improvements fit for a pig GUELPH - For pigs, gig Waround in circles may mean a better wayof lite. University of Guelph animal ientist Frank Hurnik and gradu- ate student Zhensbeag Lou have designed circular farrowing crates - individual housing units for nursing sows - to improve the animals' mobil- ity and comfort. At the same time, they've reduced - piglet mortality, a major concern in the swine industry. "Housing is one way to provide hnprovements in farm animals' quality of life," says Hurnik. "If you im- prove their quality of life, you will often improvepro- ductivity as well." _� _-. .. Farrowing crates are a staple On every pig producer's farm. They are used to confine the sow until the pig- lets are weaned, so she is less likely to roll over and crush her brood. Typically, the crates are rectangular and only slightly bigger than the sow's body. From an animal welfare perspective, however, the rectangular design is undesireable. It's narrow, highly restrictive and can cause abrasions on the -sow's. skin. These crates can cause obstacles to nursing. "Traditional crate designs lack imagination," says Hurnik. "They're rectangular because pigs are oblong, a but that doesn't mean rectangular is the most desireable design." So Hurnik and Lou have created circular farrowing crates to address the current design's inadequacies. Their galvanized steel crates have an open cascept so the sow and piglets can all move about more freely. The design allows the sow to lay laterally, a position that maximizes teat access and offers the most comfort for the sow. Piglets can slip in and out of the crate for wa- ter. And because she has greater mobility, the sow can avoid squeezing or crushing piglets. "Sows and piglets in the circular crates appear more. content," says HL!rnik. "Oto observations show that the piglets spent more time playing than those in the rectan- gular crates." The researchers' studies also revealed that the circular crates can reduce piglet mortality. In a pilot test, piglet mortality was lower in circular crates than in rectangu- lar ones. The circular crates for the pilot project were manufac- tured in Welland. "They're substantially cheaper than the present crates and can be easily adapted/tor use -by farmers," says Hurnik. This project is funded by the On- tario Pork Producers Marketing Board. Dumpinganimal carcasses - serious and costly EXETER - The Ausable- Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) has been spending a significant amount of time and money this year responding to the -reports form concerned citi- zens about animal carcasses in watercourses or woodlots. On March 30, the ABCA received another report of pig carcasses, this time in the Shepherd Drain in Tuckersmith Township. "We found five carcasses of feeder pigs submerged in the drain," reported Rick Ethering- ton, of the ABCA. Staff from the ABCA and Tuckersmith Township removed the carcasses and buried them on site. "We've become involved be- cause we implement Ministry of the Environment (MOE) rural water quality programs. The public sees us as the local agen- cy to call with water quality con- cerns," .said •.Tom Prout, general manager. " As well, the MOE and the On- tarioFMinist y of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) have developed a - document "Protocol for Disposal '.-trriIteld''Animals". Under 'the protocol, if the animal is found in a watercourse, OMAF will cooperate with the local conser- vation authority to ensure dispo- sal of the animal," explained Prout. "If we receive a report of car- -sasses, we pass the information ;on to the OMAF Inspector., and he asks us to follow up the re- ----port. So far, -we've-pickedtipp the tab, but we don't have a budget for the costs of staff time, equip- ment and the fee to have a 11 - „tensed collector pick up the car- casses," continued Prout. It's another case where taxpayers ,ire footing the bill for the ac- tions of others. The ABCA is prepared to "en- courage" OMAF to lay charges under the Dead Animals Dispo- sal Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Section 3(1) of the Dead Ani- mal Disposal Act, states "the owner of a dead animal shall dispose of it within 48 hours of its death, (a) by burying it with a covering of at least two feet of earth; or (b) by the services of a person licensed as a collector under this Act." The first of- fence of the Act can result in maximum fine of $500, and a subsequent offence can result in a maximum $5,000 fine or a maximum imprisonment of six months. The MOE and OMAF "Proto- col" document also says that if the owner of the animal is not known and the animal is found on public land, such as the road- side, OMAF will cooperate with the municipality or the roads de- partment to dispose of the ani- mal. If the animalis found on a property other titan the owner of -the animal, OMAF -will-advise the landowner that it is in their interest to dispose of the animal. The number of pig carcasses picked up by licensed dead stock carriers has decreased signifi- cantly since they started charg- ing fees to pick up the carcasses. Unfortunately, instead of being properly disposed of by the own- er. some of these carcasses have been dumped in watercourses or woodlots. This poses some obvious prob- lems, such as the spread of dis- - easc, attraction of dogs and wildlife, and the odours. If -the carcass is dumped in a river or drain, it pollutes the watercourse and -presents a health risk to hu- mans and animals, explained Prout. The ABCA is encouraging landowners to properly dispose of dead animals and the general public to report sightings of dead domestic and game ani- mals to OMAF at 434-6811 or the ABCA at 235-2610. Some Things You Need To Change... Your Tank•M!x Partner — NEVER! LEXONE® DF mixes with Pursuit® for better weed cont Ol in soybeans. LtXONE OF herbicide can bandit: up leo 15 broadleaf weeds, including pigweed and veIvetkaf. Plus 9 annualgrasses like (oxtails, crabgrass and fall panicum. With LEXONE DF as its lank. -mix partner, Pursuit herbicide delivers even wider control. Including the No. I problem — ragweed See your local ag then supplier for details Du Pont LEXONE Dt, The t rik-iniac specialist. C A OA 411041101101011/1 / /tw% mtuNrv/ralmnw VoptitosP >r r{4 •;w 0etc r-4�44,p 0411•33 Page 19 ICARh ANE IVtII ti �t"«. DR4PNAGE 1[ r .04 IP "'rho Experience and !:TG ;' Drainage Tubing Specializing in: 0 Farm and Municipal U Open Trench or Plow Method - -L1Backhoe Service O Clay & Plastic Tile Installations ilbiiIty and service call '1WAYNE COOK R.R. 2 Zurich 519-236-7390 PARKER & PARKER Limited TEACHING/TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES VETERINARY TECHNOLOGY CENTRALIA COLLEGE March/Apra 1992 Veterinary Technology at Centralia College has a number of consultant positions to fill for each teaching year.The positions vary in length of student contact time from a minimum of three hours to a maximum of 50 hours for a given subject in the curriculum. In many cases consul- tants will be required to supply the training facilities. Consultants, in addition to having expertise rtise in the required areas of training, should have an interest in education and demonstrated teach- ing experience at the post secondary diploma level. Farmers, veterinar- ians, biologists, veterinary technicians are all eligible to apply. Areas of Training Reaulrina Lecture Only* Research Animal Training, Animal Behaviour emphasizing dog, cat and food animals, Communications and Hospital Management. • College will supply lecture facility. • Areas of Training Reaulring Both Lecture and Laboratory Time•' Goat Husbandry, Hoof Trimming (cattle), Poultry Veterinary Practice, Equine Veterinary Practice, Wildlife biology, Fancy Poultry, Sheep Hus- bandry. - /' College can supply lecture facilities, consultant to supply the training facilities - college will transport students to/from the location. Areas of Tralnina Requlrina Laboratory Time Only"' Companion Animal Veterinary Practice, Pet Bird Management (college supplies facilities in this case), Abattoir for meat inspection training (kill floor must be large enough to accommodate a group of six students in addition to regular employees), Barn to board horse and cow with space for student training on site (must be within 15 minutes walk of the college), Mixed . Animal Veterinary Practice (Cattle, swine), Re- search Pigs, Swine Husbandry. "'Consultant will supply training facilities unless specified otherwise, college will provide student transportation. Areas of Training Reaulring Preparation of Written Course Materials Food Animal Systems, Equine Management, Microbiology, Anatomy, Medical Exercises. Please send your written quotation along with a description of your fa- _ cilities, interest and qualifications to: Veterinary Technology, Centralia - College, Huron Park, Ontario. NOM 11'0 by April 15, 1992. Quotation should be based on a hourly rate for student contact time. In the cases where the consultants are required to supply the training facilities, the student use of these facilities for teaching should be included in the hourly rate (training facilities should be within an hour's drive of Cen- tralia College). In the case where the consultants are required to pre- pare written materials, quotation should be based on fee per credit ba- sis. Course must be prepared in Wordperfect 5.1 format by the consultant. �� Ministry of Agriculture and Food ONTARIO CENTRALIA COLLEGE Huron Park Ontario NOM 1 YO (519) 228-6691 THINK ENVIIIONMENT MULCH IT... Mi IT... NIP 1T... BIER IT... RECYCLE IT... The environment. it's everyone's concern, including ours... and we have the products to help -- - protect it. Mulcher mowers... Chipper -Shredders ., Grass Collection systemsandmere. So... when you think environment, you'll think Yard -Man 00 aisOr CM* • I Limited Time Offer Inquire for details