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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-05-19, Page 16Page 16 Times -Advocate, May 19,1993 Programs developed for 4.-H TORONTO - The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has signed a new three-year agreement with the Ontario 4-H Council in support of the volunteer youth organization's activities in rural Ontario. "This agreement reinforces our strong commit- ment to work with the Ontario 4-11 Council toward the personal development of rural youth across the province," Minister El- mer Buchanan said in a meeting with the council. With the agreement, the ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) contin- ues to be a partner with the Ontario 4-H 1 t Council and its local associations in the delivery of 4-11 Programs. The pro- grams offered to rural youth include livestock and crop production, financial management, food preparation, nutrition, recreation- al activities and career development. The ministry assists local associations through its field office staff. In consultation with the Council, OMAF also provides resource materials, leadership training and recognition awards. The Ontario 4-11 Council was created in 1988 to provide leadership to the Ontario 4-H program. As the representative body for 4 1participants.in Onta- rio, the Council develops and implements provincial policies and programs for 4-11. It also makes recom- mendations regarding the development of provincial resource materials and programs currently provided by OMAF. The Council consists of 18 regionally - elected 4-11 representatives and 5 appoint- ed Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) staff. The Ontario 4-1-1 program is open to young people aged 10-21. It's primary pur- pose is the personal development of youth in rural Ontario. There are 17,000 4-11 members and 3,200 4-H club leaders in Ontario. The H's stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. The motto is "Learn to do by doing." There are over 70 different projects available in- cluding drama, horses, conservation, community citi- zenship, farm machinery, nutrition, and many more. The program involves club meetings, achievement programs, demonstration nights, conferences, leader- ship camps, judging competitions, public speaking opportunities, exchange trips, regional and provincial livestock shows, and other activities. Ontario farmers examine their costs GUELPH - As every producer knows, it is important for farmers to examine costs in their farming operations. With the new 'Focus on Cost" service offered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, this is becoming easier. "Costs are important in farming because there is very little opportu- nity these days to increase profits by raising your price or by increas- ing your production. There are so many producers around the world that are competing with Ontario producers that farmers have little control over these. So it goes back to your costs," says Colin Reesor, one of OMAFs farm business ad- visors. "Our 'Focus on Cost' program uses a series of computer tools and worksheets to help farmers take a look at their costs. One of the big things about costs is that there is so much variation from one farm to another. We examine those costs individually and help produc- ers lower them." The 'Focus on Cost' program uses a series of computer tools and worksheets to help farmers take a look at their costs. One of the big things about costs is that there is so much variation from one farrn to another. We examine those costs individually and help produc- ers lower them." The "Focus on Cost" theme helps ministry staff and farmers improve profitability. A small re- duction in the cost of producing a bushel of corn or a hectolitre of milk can make a significant im- provement in net income. "It's a flexible tool. For example, one of the products in this pack- age, the Capital Budgeting Aid, helps a farmer determine whether a new purchase makes economic sense," says Reesor. "it has one really unique feature in that it works out analysis after income tax. There arc very few programs on the market that do an "after- tax" analysis, and as we all know, taxes arc pretty important these days when you want to know your net position." "Another thing we can do with the Capital Budgeting Analysis is to look at a proposed purchase of, let's say, a combine, and we can bring into that program the advan- tage of timeliness, the trade-in val- ue of the old machine, different credit plans and capital cost allow- ance and the new investment tax credit. There are numerous things that can be brought into this ques- tion and it would be hard to do it by hand," says Reesor. This service can also help pro- ducers develop business plans, cal- culate NISA deposits and with- drawals, calculate crop insurance and market revenue insurance costs and benefits, develop loan payment schedules, make capital investment w��r wnnaar/�to 7P decision, evaluate the quota situa- tion, balance livestock rations, se- lect fertilizers and pesticides and so on. Better still is the fact that the system is specifically designed for Ontario. One of the things we've always wanted to do that took too much time is to compare different types of mortgages. We now have a pro- gram that compares the old mort- gage with the proposed mortgage side-by-side and works right to the bottom. This way you can see if you're ahead by switching or not," notes Reesor. "The program that's had the most success so far is our dairy quota an- alyzer. We can tell a farmer from that program what would be the best kind of quota to purchase and the pay back period." Under the "Focus on Cost" sys- tem, OMAF staff work on a long- term basis with farmers and update the information on an on-going ba- sis. In co-operation with the pro- ducers, they can quickly find cost - related problems in a farming oper- ation and work on solutions. Ross Gammie, a cash crop pro- ducer near Guelph, is a frequent user of OMAF services, and he be- lieves keeping an eye on costs is very important. I think co :ts have always been something fa niers looked at very closely, pert, tps this year even more so with the weather that we've had and the harvest we've seen last fall. This spring, it will be even more important to look at our costs and keep them low," he says. Gammie fords the OMAF "Focus on Cost" approach useful for his business, especially for his cash- flow projections and entering "What -if' scenarios. "One of the things I like about this is that it takes the problem from beginning to end and it in- cludes the tax implications of what you're doing, which I've never heard of before. Normally taxes are just forgotten but it's impor- tant," he adds. Cost analysis is free of charge. It is a regular part of OMAF's servic- es to farmers. For more informa- tion on the program or to take ad- vantage of it, farmers can contact their local OMAF office. safety laws change needed One Foot in the Furrow T The time has ong passed for bringing farm safety laws up to date. As a working reporter for too many years to remember, the sight of mutilated bodies, especially of children, sickened me as much as anything I ever saw when covering fatalities. And I saw a lot of fatali- ties on the highways and biways of this province. No law exists in Ontario which says children cannot operate farm tractors or other farm equipment on private property. Yet, the grim fig- ures are there for everyone to see: in 1990 eight Ontario children were killed in farm -related accidents and all eight of those children were un- der the age of five. That is a horrible, tragic indict- ment of safety on the farm. I know. I know. These accidents are sometimes caused by unthink- ing, even rebellious, children. And they also come about because one parent is working off the farm to help make ends meet and the other parent cannot watch the children and work the farm. Things are tough out there in the boondocks, believe me. The last Calculations show no stabilization payments OTTAWA - Calculations under the National Tripartite Stabilization Program (NTSP) show no first quarter stabilization payments were triggered for producers of slaughter and feeder cattle and hogs. No fourth quarter payments will be made for lambs, according to the calculations announced May 10. Producers and both level of gov- ernment contribute equally to the stabilization plans. figures I have on hand indicate that more than 52 percent of the farmers in my area must have off -farm in- come to keep the farm going. You can't telephone a neighbour to watch the kids when you're on the farm. The "next-door" neigh- bour may be half a mile away. The grandparents may be 10 miles away. The labour ministry in this prov- ince should take action right away to prohibit children under 14 from operating a tractor or any other farm equipment. This will raise the ire of many farmers but I think it is a necessary step. The farm safety associations have tried for 25 years to get this message across on the farm but it is obvious that not enough people are heeding the ad- vice. I am well aware that the number of accidents involving school -aged children has dropped in recent years. More fatalities involve younger children. But is would be interesting to see how many young children were driving the tractors when someone else died. We ! i low "children" 10 drive automobiles until they are al- most 16 so why should we allow them to drive tractors? When I got my driver's licence 50 years ago, 1 was told by my father that I was in charge of a 2,000 -pound metal weapon. Although tractors do not travel as fast as cars, they are also a lethal weapon. The ministry should also tighten up regulations on safety shields and guards and see to it that the most important safety rule on any farm is no passengers on the tractor, ever, never. This tirade was sparked by the tragic death of a four-year-old girl near Mount Forest whose nine- year-old sister was driving a tractor in the farm lane. The younger child was apparently riding on the rear of the tractor when her foot got caught between a rear tire and a weight box. Can a four-year-old realize the power of a farm tractor? Does a nine-year-old have an idea of the lethal weapon a moving vehicle can be? The farm safety associations have worked long and hard to bring safe- ty into proper focus but I am of the opinion that the public relations job cannot do it all. We need a change to the laws which will include more of the farm sector, especially when it comes to using machinery. Residents and Property Owners of Biddulph Township & Village of Lucan NOTICE TO DESTROY WEEDS NOTICE is hereby given to all persons in possession of land in accordance with the Weed Control Act, R.S.O.1990, Chapter W5, Section 3, 16 and 23, that unless noxious weeds growing on their lands within the Municipalities of Biddulph and Lucan are destroyed by date of June 7, 1993, and throughout the sea- son, the Municipalities may enter upon the said land and have the weeds destroyed, charging the costs against the land ink, taxes, as set out in the Act. The co-operation of all citizens is eamestly solicited. John Trott Weed Inspector Ron Reymer, Clerk Village of Lucan John Trott Weed Inspector L.G. Hotson, Clerk Township of Biddulph i Wn = Bev sin START WITH HYLAND QUALITY BLUE TAG CERTIFIED SEED Your choice of white bean seed is one of the most important decisions.you will make concerning your 1993 crop production. Growing a successful crop means starting with blue tag certified seed. Please order early! Due to the popularity of Thhompson's private varieties - Stinger, Midland and Wesland , supplies may become limited. Contact your Thompson representative today. Our trained staff will help you develop a complete white bean program for 1993. Quality service and quality seed - our commitment to you. Crop Tips Timing the Ivey to Good Pesticide Performance. Re -Publication 75 Time of Herbicide Treatment in Crop Areas or The susceptibility of both crops and weeds to herbicides is related to the time of application.Therefore, it is important to use the chemical at a time when the crop is at its maximum resistance and the weeds are at their maximum susceptibility. This time 1. Identify pest early 2. Is it a problem or may it become a problem 3. Identify all alternatives 4. What are costs of not treating will vary depending on the crop involved and the herbicide being used. or This statement is in fact true for most pesti- cides. Along with crop tolerance one must also pay attention to pre -harvest interv,.l, when con- sidering insecticides and/or fungicides. sr Proper timing of application depends on many things - a few are listed below. 5. What are the costs of treating 6. Identify alternative which provides best val- ue. 7. Availability of treatment if necessary 8. Apply - according to label. Seaforth 345-2545 Port Albert 529-7901 Hensall 262-2527 A GROWING TRADITION Available at your nearest W.G. Thompson di Sons branch. Ailsa Craig 293-3223 Mitchell 348-8433 Granton 225-2360 r 1