HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-10-12, Page 21Severances and farmland
MILTON - The Christian Fam-
ers Federation of Ontario is calling
for stricter controls on housing
severances in prime agricultural
areas.
The Federation is calling on the
province to develop policies which
will discourage the creation of lots
in areas with significant agricultu-
ral activity. More specifically; the
CFFO is not in support of sever-
ances for residences surplus to
farming operations, or for the crea-
tion of retirement lots for farmers
exiting the industry.
"The long-term negative impact
of a residential lot on the business
of farming far outweighs the short-
term benefit of living on the corner
of the farm," John Markus, CFFO
president, says of retirement sever-
ances. "There is no justification
for farmers having a special status
among rural landowners."
Board members of the CFFO ex-
pressed concern at their recent
September meeting that lot sever-
ances will create an "urban" shad-
ow around them which will in-
creasingly grow and restrict the
farm use of quality agricultural
land. Also, there is concern among
the Federation that non-farm eco-
nomic activity be centred in rural
towns and villages and not scat-
tered across a township or county.
"We do not support scattered ru-
ral severances of any kind," says
Elbert van Donkersgoed, the
CFFO's research and policy direc-
tor. "There is not enough develop-
ment activity across rural Ontario
to support both scattered rural resi-
dential, industrial and commercial
activities and the healthy redevel-
opment of our towns and villages.
Allowing development to scatter
will guarantee a further decline in
our towns and villages."
The CFFO's policy on severanc-
es was developed as part of a re-
sponse to the Ontario govern-
ment's Comprehensive Set of
Policy Statements. which includes
a section on Agricultural Land Pol-
icies. That set of policy statements,
through an Order in Council, sets
the government's overall direction
on policy development.
And while the Federation found
some weaknesses in the severances
policies - along with some other
weaknesses in the definition of
"agricultural use" and "prime agri-
cultural lands" - it found much to
which it gave its endorsement.
Endorsements were given to the
following:
• Protecting all prime agricultu-
ral areas for agricultural use.
• Including prime agricultural ar-
eas in the extension of built-up are-
as only if there is no other alterna-
tive.
• Avoiding the inclusion of spe-
cialty crop land in the extension of
built-up areas in all cases.
• Not permitting non-agricultural
uses, including public service facil-
ities, within prime agricultural are-
as.
• Encouraging the location of
non-agricultural uses in existing
communities to support community
economic development.
• Permitting infrastructure within
prime agricultural areas only if it
has been approved through an envi-
ronmental assessment process.
• Requiring new non-farm devel-
opment and new or expanding live-
stock facilities to comply with the
minimum distance separation for-
mula.
• Defining many of the words
and phrases associated with agri-
cultural and the rural environment.
Treat your wheat seed
By Tom Hartman
Pest Management Advisor
CLINTON - Each year we seem to find good reasons for treatint
wheat seed. This year there were more than a few cases of bunt
or stinking smut in wheat. There are actually two kinds of bun
caused by related but different fungi. Common bunt, which is
easily controlled by treating the seed with fungicides, and dwar
bunt, which still cannot be controlled.
Bunt affected plants by destroying the contents of affected ker-
nels and replacing them with the spores of the fungus. It also caus-
es stunting of the plants and can make them more susceptible to
other disease and to winter injury. Yield losses vary depending on
the number of plants affected. In addition, the wheat can be down-
graded to feed, due to discoloration of seed and/or sample from the
foul decaying fish adour the stinking smut imparts to the whole crop. Dur-
ing harvest of infected fields, large clouds of spores may be released in the
air.
The spores of common bunt over -winter mainly on contaminated wheat
kernels and less frequently in the soil. Common bunt can survive less than
two years in the soil, while those of dwarf bunt fungus remain viable for at
least three years and for as long as ten years.
When contaminated seed is sown or healthy seed is sown in bunt -
infested fields, approximately the same conditions that favour the germina-
tion of wheat favour the germination of common bunt spores. The spores
infect the seedling on germination and then grow inside the plant and
eventually replace the starch in the kernel.
The dwarf bunt fungi, however, germinates slowly requiring three to ten
weeks or longer for maximum germination. Persistent snow cover on un-
frozen ground (-2 to 2 degrees C) are conditions for high dwarf bunt inci-
dence. Dwarf bunt usually only affects the tillers of wheat seedlings. The
more tillers formed during the infection period, the greater the number of
bunted heads. This is the reason why traditional seed treatments are not
that effective on soil -borne dwarf bunt.
Seed treatments are mainly used for control of seed decay and seedling
blights and should be used as a precautionary measure to ensure a healthy
seed which will hopefully produce a healthy crop.
Once dwarf hunt is established in a field, control must include a rotation
without wheat for a number of years. There is work being done on a seed
treatment which has systemic activity in the plant. This may help in the fu-
ture in the control of dwarf bunt.
Kverneland PLOWS
It's what we leave behind
that puts us up front
True Variomat frame design
provides accurate
adjustment of all furrow widths
and the line of draft, on the go, and
with just one cylinder.
Fully heat treated Sagitta steel construction for
strength without bulk.
Non-stop auto reset system proven effective by decades
of use in the toughest conditions.
• Variomat series mouldboard.
• most advanced designs available.
• incorporate features to reduce power requirements.
• enables "conservation plowing"; tum uniform durable furrows
with minimal shatter, as well as allowing for generous amounts
of residue to be left protruding if desired.
High Quality Performance Products From:
Times -Advocate, October 12, 1994
Page 21
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Ride and Drive Da s
i Y
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