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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-08-25, Page 28Page 28 Times -Advocate, August 25,1993 Crops f pd air (Xl (VAT A group of area farmers listen to Bob Forrest of Centralia College at last week's Crops program at the college's research farm. Update farmers Producers needed for heifer program CLINTON - Development of re- placement heifers for the breeding herd is one of the major challenges facing beef producers. Lifetime productivity of beef breeding fe- males can be increased by calving at two yes doge. An extra 330 pounds of calf on a lifetime basis from heifers calving as two year olds versus three year olds was shown in research from Oklahoma. For local producers, often space or feed is not available to develop re- placement heifers properly. To help producers develop better replacement heifers, the Huron County Replacement Heifer Devel- opment Project is being set up. Weaned, vaccinated heifers will be Innovative publications are helping Alfalfa/clover cover crop control strate- gies and their effect on the planting date of edible beans are being discussed by Jim O'Toole at last Wednesday's Crops. Update at Centralia College. Talking about crops at last Wednesday's Crops Update at Centralia College are Rob Templeman and Brian Hall from OMAF in Clinton. Campers travel from all areas Summer day camps completed at CCAT' CENTRALIA - The last of three summer day camps offered at Cen- tralia Collee came to an end Fri - .day; August 13. Campers, ranging �in age from 9-14, came from as far away as Goderich, Walton, London and Embro. The camps were an opportunity for children to do something excit- ing and coitstructive with their summer - they mct new people and became more familiar with the agri- culture industry and its signifi- cance. All of the week long camps arc self-supporting and charge the campers only enough to cover COSLS. Centralia College of Agricultural Technology has experts in both ag- riculture and foods who help the campers develop an appreciation of the importance of this industry in their lives. AgVenture was the first camp to be held. This camp was offered twice, in early July, and -filled its capacity of 24 campers each week. Each day themes; such as "Farm Safety", "The Farming Communi- ty", "Cattle", "Pork" and "Crops" was looked at. Campers toured an Emu farm, Centralia's Research Farm, and the Veterinary Technolo- gy Laboratory. The campers spent one hour a day learning new and different computer programs. Enviro Camp . was the second camp that was offered. The chil- dren become aware of what is be- ing accomplished in their commu- nity and became personally involved in the preservation of a healthy environment. A tour was taken of Morrison Dam and camp- ers played an orienteering game in the bush. They took water samples at the dam and studied them in the college's laboratory. The campers also toured the Bluewater Recy- cling plant in Grand Bend. They then came up with some ideas of what we can do to decrease or stop the amount of polluting. The third camp was "Food and Computers". Each day had a spe- I tial focus, for example, "yeast and! yeast breads", "Ontario Fruits and Vegetables" (with a visit to a "pick your own" farm), "Mexican food", "Chinese food". On the last day, parents enjoyed an Italian meal, which the campers had prepared. The campers spent the half of each day learning and practicing food preparation and half learning vari- ous computer programs and putting them to use. TORONTO - Farmers looking for the best management practices to implement soil and water con- servation -measures are getting help from a series of innovative publications. Rest Management Practices booklets assist farmers to improve the environmental sustainability of their operations, while meeting their own business and production goals. Funded by Agriculture Canada, the Best Management Practices project draws expertise from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and is managdd by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Materials produced by the project are intended to support Ontario farmers' commitment to environ- mental farm planning. Best Management Practices booklets are now being made avail- able through local Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food field offic- es. Some district offices of the Ministry of Natural Resources and select Conservation Authorities will also Stock them. grown on a nutritionally balanced ration with a target gain of 1.75 pounds per day. They will be fed over the winter, bred, put on pas- ture and returned the next fall. Currently, interested producers with heifers to be fed and/or with facilities to feed them are asked to contact the Ontario Ministry of Ag- riculture and Food office in Clinton (482-3428 or 1-800-265-5170). The program is targeted at heifers born in April and May of 1993. Producers with calves born earlier are encouraged to indicate their in- terest also. Heifers will be put on a 112 day test with weights taken every 28 days along with tempera- ment and soundness score. At the end of the test period, each heifer will be welshed, probed for back - fat, measured for pelvic area and hip height, and scored on tempera- ment and structural soundness. At the appropriate time, the heif- ers will be synchronized using the MGA recipe and bred artificially to the consignor's selected Al sire, Following this, heifers will be ex- posed to a clean-up bull on pasture. Prior to leaving the project, the heifers will be pregnancy checked. This project will provide an ex- cellent opportunity for producers to have heifers properly developed. Valuable information will be col- lected for everyone to learn from. ITIS FINAELy HERE! A complete fine of Maintenance Free Vinyl Fence and Yard Accessories - 20 year warranty - never needs painting, won't rot • Residential Fence • Ranch fence • Picnic Tables' • Gazebos • Benches • Trellises AL•rnAR Vinyl Products P.O. Box 550, 244 Wellington St. W. Exeter, Ont. NOM 180 Bus. (519) 235-1919 After Hours 235-2018 Illautse Wed., September 1st, 1993 W.G. THOMPSON of & SONS LTD., HENSALL including a tour of the white bean cleaning facility and the seed plant and the HYLAND RESEARCH PROGRAM - J & D PYM FARMS just north of Exeter on #4 Highway Lunch will be served in warehouse #4 in Hensall followed by Guest Speaker, Professor Jack Tanner Crop Science Dept., University of Guelph Tour Schedule for Hensall Lunch: 12 noon Guest Speaker: 1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m . Exeter Tour: 2:10 p.m. W.G.T. Hensall Tour: 3:30 p.m. For an enjoyable and informative afternoon, plan to attend. Please let us know by August 27 if you are coming so we can arrange lunch. Call 262-2527