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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-03-16, Page 16PAGE 16—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 1978 OFA to publish farm price index The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) an- nounced Monday it will publish a Farmer Price Index to complement the federal government's monthly Consumer Price Index. "It's really misleading to say only that the price of food went up 17 per cent in the last year (as the consumer index did in January) and our index is designed to show the change both at the consumer and farmer levels," OFA president Peter Hannam said in a telephone interview. The OFA compiles its monthly farmer index with available government and industry statistics to show what farmers have been paid for their raw products. "We're going to publish everything, not just stuff that's biased toward far- mers," Hannam said. "With our index, we feel the con- sumer is in a better position to see where their dollar has gone." The farmer index will be issued by the OFA about two days before the consumer index is issued each month by the government, he said. Every three months the OFA will also issue a farmer input cost index from government statistics to show where farm costs have risen or fallen. The farmer price index will not list fish, imported fruits and vegetables and highly processed foods which use various farm products which would be hard to correlate to farm prices, Hannam said. But for the items listed in the farm price index, the OFA will use the same criteria and information available for compiling the consumer index, he added. . The OFA farmer index this month shows farm prices up 13.9 per cent from January 1977 to February this year, compared with the consumer index of 17 per cent. Beef showed the sharpest, increase ' at 33.1 per cent, Hannam said, because the price last year was "so in- credibly low" that farmers were losing money. Pork was up 15.3 per cent and other meats 19.4 per cent; poultry was up 8.7 per cent; processed fruits 12.2 per cent; processed vegetables 7.4 per cent; frozen foods 22.9 per cent; dairy products 7.2 per cent; and cereal and bakery products 9.8 per cent. Eggs showed the only decline — 2.7 per cent. Ramblingw� Lucy th It takes "oldsters" like Lucy to recall colder weather than we have been experiencing so far this winter. On Victoria Day, 1934, Lucy left the Goderich CPR station en route to Montreal where with Mr. and Mrs. E. Groves and Joan, she boarded the Duchess of Bedford for Ireland to visit her Aunt Lucy in Greystone' County, Wicklow, Ireland. A sad sight was the apple orchards along the St. Lawrence River, all frozen - not a leaf on a branch. Some varieties in Huron County were also killed with frost but the white blossoms of the tall Juneberries and shrubs dotted the landscape, especially in the bush, or swamp in this area. In Bayfield the thermometer registered 20 degrees F. In Goderich Township it dipped to 24 degrees F. as recalled by Mrs. Charles Bell. Lucy's sister Jean was a patient in the Byron Sanitorium and Mrs. Woods took the opportunity of a ride to London to visit her. It was a Saturday night. Margaret Groves who was assisting in the post office had gone home to Goderich for the weekend. Mother telephoned that she wouldn't be home until the next day and asked Lucy to get Floyd Edwards to come over and stay with her or else got to Edwards' for the fi ht.'S')�ie $geed and mother was quite happy staying the"Mrs. R. H. F. Gairdner and Betty. At nine o'clock she went over to the post office to lock up and fix the fire in the old box burner. Then she came back and stoked up the kitchen range in their home next door, now owned by Mrs. Floyd Westlake. After that she decided to light a fire in the stove in the Bank of Com- merce building as the down ground soil pipe from the bathroom above had once frozen and had to be thawed out. The bank had been closed almost two years. Next came the oversized furnace to stoke and since Ted Mittelholtz of Stade and Weidi, Zurich had advised that the intake pipe from the well should be drained if the temperature went as low as it could not be insulated so she undertook to do that. The tank was to be Tilled, then a lev,,er turned on to, prevent it running back and two but- tons turned to drain the pipe. It wouldn't 'drain. It was only 10 feet from the smokestack of the furnace. Lucy put up her lips to suck the water and they stuck to the pipe, however she did get it drained. Lucy had bad arthritis for about two years and when she finished all these chores, she was so tired that she wasn't fit company for anyone. So she opened the dining room door, knowing that her little fox terrier Mickey Free, would raise alarm in the kitchen and defend her if anything untoward should occur. She took some medicine for pain and went upstairs to bed and slept soundly - so did Mickey Free. Let us hope that the weatherman doesn't do a repeat performance this year. At any rate, there is a good covering of snow over the roots of the orc:iards this year. This is your invitation to attend... GRAIN DRYING AND HANDLING SEMINAR Wednesday, March 29 10:00 a.m. at the PINERIDGE CHALET Hensall, Ontario. FEATURING: Presentations by Shivvers Inc. of Corydon, Iowa on: in bin grain drying; Cardinal Div. of LML Corp. on: grain handling and displays of both products. DOOR PRIZES 6 FREE LUNCH MF AFRI BUILDERS BUTLER R.R. 2, Staffa !AGRI-F UIL.DEI 345-2611 61 Arm in arm Steve Campbell of Clinton, left, and Fran Sores, right, parade down an aisle of the Clinton Legion Hall March 8 at the Spring Fashionation show. (News -Record photo by Ashley Geddes) news farm news Crop insurance loses $8.4 mill. The Crop Insurance Commission lost more than $8.4 million last year as a result of heavy claims for white bean cropdamage, commission director Henry Ediger said last week. The commission paid out about $9.5 million in claims, but took in only about $1 million in premiums. It was the first time in 10 years the commission lost money on the program. The high number of claims was due to the wettest Sep- tember to ,hit southwestern Ontario -in 15 years, Ediger said. Damage resulted in a three -to four -cent price 'in- crease on a can of beans. The insurance plan is subsidized by the govern- ment. Tight controls on sales of cattle Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan announced last week that new regulations designed to eradicate brucellosis from Canadian cattle herds come into effect on April 1, 1978. The regulations, which place tight controls on sales and movement of cattle, were first announced last November and form part of an Agriculture Canada campaign to eliminate the contagious, bacterial disease that causes loss of production and abortions in cows. Under the new regulations, the county is divided into three separate regions, based on the incidence of brucellosis in each. They will be known as brucellosis -free (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island), brucellosis low - incidence (Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) and non- designated (Ontario and Quebec). Basically, the new regulations control the movement of cattle into areas with lower levels of infection than that which exists in their home areas. These cattle require blood -testing to guarantee they are not carrying the disease. For instance, cattle moving from a non -designated area to one of low -incidence, or from a low -incidence area to a brucellosis -free region, all require blood -testing prior to movement. Animals from brucellosis - free listed herds are exempt.. Smile ' The college graduate's first big discovery is usually that jobs are handed out by old fogies like his dad. roadleaf weeds present problems Corn farmers in Ontario and Quebec will be facing a new weed problem as they begin farming their fields this spring. A series of broadleaf weeds only recently identified by agricultural researchers appears to have developed a built in -resistance to weed, control. The broadleaf weeds ap- pear to survive applications of commonly used herbicides with triazine as their ,prin- cipal active ingredient, and the discovery signals a series of new obstacles t to good weed control for many far- mers this spring. According to Bob Ingratta, Product Development Representative for Monsanto Canada Limited in the Ontario and Quebec areas, researchers at the University of Guelph have already pinpointed lamb's -quarters as a ``resistant broadleaf. "Thus far, definite cases of triazine resistance in lamb's - quarters have been identified in a nine -county region in southern and western Ontario, including Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford, Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk, Perth, Huron, Bruce and Waterloo Counties," he says. "A sequential treatment which has helped many corn farmers solve the triazine- resistance problem is a preemergent application of LASSO surface -applied herbicide followed by a postemergent application of a suitable broadleaf chemical," Ingratta notes. In farm financial matters farm experience matters • ... and that is just what you can count on, farm financial experience, when you team up with the Royal Bank. Here is FARMPI AN . .. the Royal Bank's financial services package that provides line -of -Credit Financing including Credit for operating, expansion and improvements. Here is FARMPLAN Creditor Life Insurance, the FARMCHFK Business Record System, FARMPLAN Income Opportunities and `total AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMFNT Services. Here too is the ROYFARM MORTGAGE Program. Your Royal Bank manager will he pleased to discuss FARMPI AN and the many other Royal Bank services with you. Mery Dill ASSISTANT MANAGER Iner Smith MANAGER ROYAL BAN IL serving Agriculture MAIN CORNER, CLINTON 462-3471 "Many farmers believe that triazine resistance is a regional problem, ' and for now this is true to some ex- tent. However, researchers at Guelph find that the problem is spreading in both Ontario and Ouebec. Mr. Ingratca continues. They can move freely throughout Canada .and also are eligible for export to the United States. In an area of high brucellosis incidence - such as Ontario and Quebec - most cattle also require testing prior to movement to another farm, a public sale, auction or market, or to a show or exhibition within this area. Exempt from this testing requirerhent are cattle from brucellosis -free listed herds, dairy cattle less than 18 months old, beef cattle less than, 24 months old, cattle for immediate slaughter, steers and spayed heifers. In all instances in which animals require a test prior to movement, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, on -the - farm blood testing must be conducted by an accredited veterinarian, or his technician - at the expense of the animal owner. The test is carried out by either a provincial (Ontario and Quebec only) or federal (all provinces) laboratory. Statistics for the period ending January 31, 1978, show that 685 herds were under quarantine for brucellosis in Ontario and Quebec, 140 herds in the low -incidence region, and one in the 1 brucellosis -free regions. When a blood test is required for cattle movement, its results must accompany the animal when it is moved. Owners who don't abide by these new regulations run the risk of forfeiting government compensation if their cattle are found to be infected with brucellosis, and also may be prosecuted under the Animal Disease and Protection Aot. thicker, greener, (awns. with 0320 LAWN FERTILIZERS BAKER'S FARM & GARDEN CENTRE 22 Isaac St., Clinton 482-9333 Goderich Township Federation of Agriculture INFORMATION MEETING at HOLMESVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL on' THURSDAY, MARCH 23 at 8:00 P.M. Dr. DOUG HOFFMAN, from the University of Guelph will be speaking on the Effects of a Nuclear Generating Station or}, p Rural Com- munity. Mrs John Merrill, Secretary. -Coffee and Donuts - John Westbrook Twp. President. CUT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OFF F obi �Ci c�rnputerized Comfort Control Heat Pump 000 Y7739 While you were being warned from every direction about the energy crisis, ,the engineers at YORK were doing something about it. The result... YORK'S, new MaxiMizer ADD-ON HEAT PUMP. 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