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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-01-11, Page 13Slippery stuff Friday afternoon, it was Precious Blood School's turn to use the ice surface of the South Huron Recreation Cen- tre for their school skating program. Usborne Central, Exeter Public, and South Huron District High School all use the arena regularly. Here teacher Joanne Tonini gives a hand to kindergarten student Michael Joyce trying to deal with the slippery surface. The teachers said the program is made possible with the help of several parent volunteers - particularly since tieing and untieing dozens of skates is no small task. F14 I1DATE_ Times -Advocate, January 11, 1995 Potato chip and diabetes experts share "technology FREDERICTON Those ugly brown potatoes that find their way into chip bags could vanish when a new device hits the market. Brown chips and french fries are a result of a high sugar level, but scientists at Agriculture and Agri - Food Canada have developed a glu- cose monitor to measure the sugar level in stored potatoes. The hand- held monitor met a test -strip that measures glucosWhen the levels start to rise, the producer can adjust the storage temperature or sell his potatoes. The gadget is based on the same technology that diabetics use when they measure their blood sugar lev- els. The monitor will soon be avail- able commercially. Behold the belching bossy OTTAWA - Research underway at Agriculture and Agri -Food Cana- da could help settle the debate over how much methane cows add to the environment. Scientists have wired up a barn to measure exactly how much meth- ane is produced by a herd of cows. Because most of the gas is pro- duced in the cow's stomach, re- searchers are also looking into ways to improve feed utilization and milk production. If s9ccessful, the scientists could Page 13 One Foot in the Furrow By Bob Trotter Animal rights group threat to agriculture Ten years ago, no ode would have thought that animal rights groups would be a threat to agri- culture as we know it, but today, these groups are soliciting -- and getting -- funds from many sources. I have heard some farmers say that these groups could be the death of agriculture since many of them want the entire world to become 100 percent, true-blue, no -flesh -of -any -kind vegetari- ans. Farmers must learn solid, ef- fective ways to fight these peo- . ple because they, will stop at nothing to reach their goals. Another group of sincere do- gooders whb could be threaten- ing agriculture as a way of life could be called the "emotional environmentalists." They have become more vocal in recent years because they seem to be on an environmental binge. A tetter to the editor in a daily paper here suggested that farm- ers are the major cause of air pollution (cow farts), water pol- lution (chemical runoff) and soil pollution (chemicals in the ground for fertilizers). As is the case so many times, there is just a hint of truth in the assertions. Agriculture does cause some air pollution but no- where near the amount caused by factories and automobiles and so on. Agriculture causes some water pollution, too, but not nearly even approaching the water pollution caused by man- kind's many factories and pollu- tion -producing cities. Wherever you find polluted water, there you find people, a lot of people and many factories where the water actually burns and where the water is unfit for animals to drink. Ground pollution? Elmira's water supply was not contami- nated by agriculture. It was caused by a chemical company. Love Canal? It was not a town made ghostly b5' farmers. It was done by a chemical company. Organic farming sounds great in theory but in practice, it would be impossible today. No- body that I have ever talked to who were members of the emo- tional environmentalist groups was a farmer or even knew a thing about farming. Every farmer in North America could go back to organic farming but, if they did, they would not raise enough food to feed all of North America. Someone would have to decide who would get the food because literally millions of North Americans would starve to death. They would die because there wouldn't be enough food for them. Without modern farming methods such as the judicious use of chemicals, weedicides and herbicides, production would fall back to the level it was 100 years ago, less than a third of today's standards and almost every one of us would have to be a farmer. In addition, half the crop pro- duced would go to waste before it got transported to consumers. I know of no other sector of the economy that is more aware of pollution problems than farm- ers. More and more of them are becoming more and more aware of using the least amount of chemicals for the best crop. I hope the legislators of this nation don't overreact to these people who keep howling about agriculture polluting the air, the ground and the water. Every farmer in this land needs a healthy ecosystem to survive. The healthier the better. North American farmers are going to continue to feed more and more people from less and less farmland. Unless, of course, organic farmers can keep up. Are you willing to pay a dollar for one apple? Fifty cents for a potato? Three bucks for a loaf of bread and $10 for a quart of (oops, a litre) of milk? Fifty dollars a pound for filet mignon or $50 for a rack of ribs? Not bloody likely. help Bossy be more socially accept Farm registration renewal deadlines able. Local man is program member OTTAWA - For New Zealand fanners the answer was obvious! 'What we needed to do," said New Zealand High Commissioner, Maurice McTeague, "was redesign our sheep. We needed sheep that would produce $30 instead of $13. So we looked at the market. A rack of lamb sold for more than a chop, so we had to sell more racks." An oversimplified version to be sure, but this was the nature of New Zealand's approach to eco- nomic reform, as McTeague ex- plained it to the Advanced Agri- cultural Leadership Program participants in Ottawa last month. McTeague would not comment on the feasibility of similar sweeping change in Canadian agricultural policy, but the differences in popu- lation, size and diversity of land and production are an obvious stumbling block. John VanderBurgt, RR 1, Dash- wood is a member of the Ad- vanced Agricultural Leadership Program. In addition to McTeague, the group met govern- ment and opposition M.P.s lobby- ists, bureaucrats, a senator and the senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada. The 30 participants of the New York State Food and Agricultural Leadership Program joined the Ontario group in Ottawa for two of the three days. Agriculture and tradepolicies were high on the agenda. The im- pacts of GATT and NAFTA are felt throughout the agri-food com- munity in Canada and the U.S. Not surprisingly, there was some scep- ticism among the leadership partic- ipants from both sides of the bor- der about the way the new rules are enforced. Lyle Vanclief, Par- liamentary Secretary to the Minis- ter of Agriculture and Agri -Food Canada, discussed Canadian pro- grams and policies. Richard McDonnell, Agricultural Attache for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, presented the American view. The aim of the Advanced Agri- cultural Leadership Program is to enhance the leadership capabilities of individuals involved in the Onta- rio agri-food industry. The two- year program consists of nine three-day seminars, each held in a different Ontario location, plus two travel seminars. This class visited Saskatchewan and North Dakota' in July 1994, and will visit South- ern California and Mexico in March 1995. Through this pro- gram, participants broaden their understanding of the forces that shape both our industry and our so- ciety. They meet leaders who are dealing with complex issues and Steckle to speak at farmers' winter meeting in Huron After publication of report on Ag- riculture griculture and Agri -Food Steckle will talk at Christian Farmers' meeting CLINTON - The Central Huron Christian Farmers Association is holding a winter meeting Wednesday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the boardroom of OMAFRA, 100 Don Street. The focus of the meeting will be the governrnent and agricultural policies. Huron -Bruce M.P., Paul Steckle will be in attendance at the meet- ing as a resource person. Steckle has recently published a report based on input from focus groups in Huron -Bruce representing the diverse aspects of the agricultural landscape. Two members are needed for the local board and will be nominat- ed at the meeting. The meeting will also feature an update on local activities of the association. For further information contactJack Kroes at (519) 482-7362 or Peter Van Driel at (519) 524-7071. gain skills to deal with issues them- selves. The program was initiated by the Agricultural Leadership Trust, a partnership between Ontario Minis- try of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; University of Guelph; Foundation for Rural Living; and Ontario Federation of Agriculture. The Trust celebrated its lOth anni- versary during the Ontario Federa- tion of Agriculture annual conven- tion in Toronto, November 22. Funding for the program comes from the Trust partners, private and corporate donations, and partici- pant tuition fees. For information about start of the next program contact Patricia Mighton, Box 1030, Guelph, Onta- rio N I H 6N 1, Phone 519-767- 3266. TORONTO - Ontario farm own- ers will soon receive their person- alized renewal registration packag- es for 1995. The first mailing was sent at the end of December. Under the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act, Ontario farm businesses reporting a gross farm income of $7,000 or more are required t register every year with the Ministr of Agricul- ture, Food and Rural �ffairs and pay a $150 farm organ nation fee to either the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) or the Christian Farmers' Federation of Ontario (CFFO). For the second year of the pro- gram, registration deadlines are as follows: Fifth postal code character, A -G registration due date January 31, 1995, H -P, February 28, 1995, Q - Z March 31, 1995. Farmers are reminded that their SUPER CHARGED! Yo EQUIPMENT SHOULD START WITH US Ford New Holland batteries: • Long lasting • High cranking performance • Vibration -resistant • Impact -resistant See us for batteries first. Ford Tractor battery $11.7.05 30H 625 CCA Truck Battery $71.12 Combination Top & Side Post Battery 730 CCA $77.66 LONDON FORD NEW HOLLAND � IIMINEINMOINIIIMINMMINIMMINANINSIAM 4D A DIVISION OF COLD SPRINGS FARM LIMITED' Hwy. *22 - West of Hyde Park Rd, Hyde Park Ont. Phone: (519) 641-8820, Fax (519) 641-8756 business registration cannot be completed unless they include a cheque for $150 directly payable to one of the two accredited farm or- ganizations with their registration form. Timely registration will en- sure farmers have uninterrupted ac- cess to designated ministry pro- grams such as the Farm Tax Rebate Program. The Act, which was passed in November 1993, institutes a fund- ing mechanism to provide general farm organizations with the Finan- cial support they need. The legisla- tion provides farmers with the op- tion of receiving a full refund if they apply in writing to the farm organization within 90 days of their registration due date. Farmers who have not received their renewal registration package within 30 days of their registration due date should call (416) 3260- 9900. TIME IS MONEY! Thinking of purchasing a new planter for 1995? Now is the time to make your purchase. Your local AGCO White Planter dealer has "early order" savings available! Place your order be- fore December 10 for super prices. And ask about the interest waiver program. 4 -row to 12 -row sizes are available for conventiomin-till or no -till. ,Lower input costs and,higher yields can pay for a new planter in three to five years! White planters have accurate seed spacing and precise depth control. These greatly affect your input costs and your harvesting yield. 'Contact your AGCO White Planter dealer today. Don't delay! Now is the time to buy! WH'TI ,t