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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1996-12-23, Page 16Page 16 Times -Advocate, December 23, 1996 FARM iaPnATF. Farmers learn about corn technology provided an excellent opportunity The latter two countries are espe- to control this pest in a cost effi- cially waiting for our corn and they cient manner. do not have any concerns of poi - Dr. Sears said corn borer popula- soning like Greenpeace says. Cauli- tions in Ontario have only one gen- flower and broccoli can be sprayed eration in northern and eastern are- for caterpillars one day and picked as , but below a line drawn from the next. There is definitely no Hamilton to Sarnia there are usual- problem. with Bt in our food. In- ly two generations. sects have basic gut contents that He continued, "Most damage are completely different from ours. from corn borers is to the corn In conclusion Dr. Spears said, "Bt stalk. This could result in direct is not the be all to end all. But, you loss to yields by slowing movement should play the averages and of nutrients to the ear through dam- hunches. You may not need Bt in age to the conductive tissues or by every field every year. letting stalk rot organisms to enter. We expect more damage in the two generation areas in the south, but the impact of corn borer infesta- tion may increase because of local- ly heavy rainfall, warm summer temperatures, light soil, severe winds in the fall and early snow- fall." In two generation areas, first emergence will occur in late spring, with egg laying primarily during the whorl to tasseling stages. Moths emerge from this generation by Au- gust when silk begins to show and females may lay eggs on leaves, silk or ears. Borer damage during the second generation can be sub- stantial to ears, immature kernels and corn stalks. In regard to scouting, Dr. Spears said, "This is not necessary in Bt fields, but you might miss out on other things. The inclusion of Bt will allow corn plants to grow greener and larger and have more moisture and more weight. Bushel weight could increase by one to two pounds." Dr. Sears said the inclusion of Bt does not have any impact on the en- vironment despite what David Su- zuki has been saying. On the export issue, Spears said, "Our main trading partners are the United States, Japan and China. By RT -a � HENSALL - More than 170 Hu- ron farmers and friends attended Monday's annual dinner meeting of the Huron Soil and Crop Improve- ment Association and were told of new technology in the growing of corn. Dr. Mark Sears of the University of Guelph has just completed a study on the in/pact of the corn bor- er on field corn and how to manage this pest, including Bt technology. He said, " A new technology called transgenic manipulation, in which genes from the Bt organism are inserted into the corn plant tis- sue from which is grown entire plants.It will drastically change our approach to controlling this pest Because most cells in the entire plant express the toxin from Bt, consumption by the borer ensures its demise." Sears continued, " In Ontario, our preliminary studies have shown that Bt corn substantially reduces infestation by corn borer. Preserva- tion of yield by three to five bush- els per acre was common in all are- as. A yield savings of two bushels per acre represents the break even point to compensate for the in- creased cost of Bt corn seed." European corn borer has caused damage to corn in Ontario for near- ly 80 years. Attempts to reduce this damage with conventional insecti- cides has proven cost effective. Non -chemical methods of reducing population of overwintering borers in crop refuse using tillage and stalk reduction techniques has long been recommended. New technology including the transfer of genes from the bacteri- um, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), that produce a toxin specific to corn borers and other caterpillars, has In his report, district director Keith Martin reported that during the past year the Ontario Associa- tion had installed a telephone num- ber to call for weather forecasts and about 30,000 calls were made in 1996. Martin added, " It's amazing how many people pay to find out it's go- ing to -ain." Huron's Agricultural Representa- tive Bob Humphries reported on the year. 1996. He said, "What I re- member about this year is mediocre planting and harvesting conditions, high land rental costs, more tile drainage, steady decline in grain prices and the extreme cuts by the provincial government." Humphries went on to say, " In 1990 OMAFRA had 2,300 employ- ees on staff. Now that figure is cut to 950 and 60 percent of these are located at OMAFRA's head office At One Stone Road in Guelph." He continued, " At our Clinton office, staff was cut drastically on May 22. We lost crop advisor Al McCallum and pesticide manage- ment consultant Tom Hartman. We really miss those two. Brian Hal! remains as the only crop advisor on staff. With the cutbacks we will be unable to do as much one on one consultation as we have done in the past. Booster awards were presented by the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association at Mon- day's annual meeting in Hensall. Above, from the left, are Tom Hartman, Al McCallum and Don Lobb receiving their awards from president Keith Black. Below, guest speaker Dr. Mark Sears talks with Huron's Ag Rep Bob Humphries and president Keith Black. Our Clinton office continues to provide professional services, but staff are forced to look after larger areas. Beginning April 1 we will be charging for Publications on a cost recovery basis, but as far as I know Fact Sheets will continue to be free." Huron president Keith Black pre- sented Soil and Crop Booster awards to Don Lobb, Tom Hart- man and Al McCallum. Crop advisor Brian Hall gave the highlights of 1996 demonstration projects and trials. He said al- though heat units were down con- siderably in most areas from a year ago, they were still very close to the long term average. He noted quite a difference in heat units in the north of Huron at 2,528 in Ashfield as compared to 2,965 at the Tom Hartman farm in Hay township and 2,937 at the Hu- ron Research Station. Rainfall from May to September of this year was also higher in the southern part of the county. At the Huron Research Station 785 milli- metres of rain fell and at the Hart- man farm it was 684.5 mm. Both of these amounts were more than double from 1995. The lowest fig- ure of 461.2 millimetres fell at the Brussels station. A year ago at Brussels the amount was 460 mm. A second speaker, Rev. Roger McCombe added a great deal of humor to the program. McCombe is a full-time high school teacher, an Anglican Priest, a United Church supply minister and chap- lain to the Ingersoll police depart- ment. The Huron Soil and Crop Im- provement Association will be staging an Information Day at the Seaforth Community Centre on January 24, 1997 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Animal Lover By Jason Sangster, Grade 5 Exeter Public School One day, a normal kid named Jay was walking and listening to his walkman, when he heard a drown- ing dog. He ran to the swimming hole, and jumped on after it. He brought it back to shore, where the owner was so shocked that she ,could light up a light bulb. She oulsi bately rtecoggize it. The dog riVas !; att ltilhephei 'w7 . It utif�at he asked his mom if e could have two German Shep- herds for Christmas. His mom said, "I'll think about it Jay", and sure enough, on Christmas Eve, his mom went to the pet shop (after he went to bed) to get one. After his mom went to bed he heard a clatter, so he got up and saw a fat man in a red and white suit. Jay woke up his mom, but when they came back he was gone and there were twice as many presents. In the morning, Jay woke up and went downstairs. When his mom woke up, she brought down a big box. Jay opened it and a German Shepherd jumped out. After that, they lived a very peaceful life. thiationssi Mary Agnes Hall, RR 3 Ailsa Craig, was the winner of the John Deere 21S gas powered nylon trimmer at our December 6 and 7 Farm Show HURON TRACTOR Hwy. No. 4 North Exeter 2354115 :' .0 The Staff at W.G. Thompson & Sons Ltd. extend a special Thank -you to all our good friends and patrons for your confidence, loyalty and support... a very Merry Christmas to all and all the best in '97 Seaforth Hensall Mitchell Ailsa Craig Granton Pt. Albert les 346-2545 262-2527 348-8433 293-3223 225-2360 529-7901 •; oj foTheilloria Denfield market sales Market report for December 17, 1996. The market at Denfield traded on a strong demand on all classes of fed cattle at prices 2.00 cwt. higher. Good cows sold at prices 2.00 cwt. higher. Stockers sold steady. Pigs strong, sows and boars strong. Norman Hodgins, Parkhill sold 32 steers avg. wt. 1255 lbs. avg. price 91.39 sales to 101.75 purchased by Holly Park. Andre and Peter Verstraete, Bothwell, sold 3 steers avg. wt. 1233 lbs. avg. price 92.40. John Payne, Wardsville sold 4 steers avg. wt. 1244 lbs. avg. price 91.50 Mike Pickering, Dashwood sold 6 steers avg. wt. 1214 lbs. avg. price 92.80 sales to 97.25 purchased by Norwich Packers. Don Eedy and Mark Vanderploeg, Denfield sold 11 heifers avg. wt. 1190 lbs. avg. price 95.23 sales to 100.00 purchased by Den- dekker Meats. Choice steers: 90.00-95.00 sales to 101.75 Good steers: 86.00-90.00 Plain steers: 65.00-80.00 Choice exotic cross heifers: 90.00-95.00 sales to 100.00 Good heifers: 85.00-90.00 . Common and medium: 60.00-70.00 Good cows: 45.00-50.00 sales tO 58.00 Canners and cutters: 35.00-42.00 Shells: 20.00-30.00 $. Direct to packer cows over 600 lbs.: 86.00 Bulls: 88.00 Choice holstein veal: 85.00-98.00 Good holstein bull calves: 60.00-125.00 Pigs: 40-60 lbs. 100.00.120.00 Sows: 58.00-63.00 Boars: 45.00-51.00 TIiANk you FOR OUR SUppORT WE look FORWARd TO SERVING you with joy iN 1997 HAppy Holidays!. FEEDS, GRAINS, SEED, FERTILIZER, FARM SUPPLIES Lucan, Ontario 227-4479 The Christmas miracle... a Child is born and with Him comes the peace and joy of His love. May this peace and joy which is the glory of this holy season be an inspiration and a comfort to all. To our many friends and valued customers, we thank you for your patronage