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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-03-23, Page 12• PAGE 12—CLINTON NEWS RECORD THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1978 Soybeans on increase In Huron• By Ashley Geddes Farmers in Huron County are moving toward soybean production as an alternative to other less profitable and sometimes troublesome cash crops. In 1976 there was 900 acres of soybeans planted in the county; last year more than 2,000 and this year Mike Miller, agricultural representative for Huron, said he expects acreage to increase to between three and four thousand. The reason for the increase, said Miller, is that compared to other grain crops the profit decrease in the last two years is less with soybeans. A farmer can still make enough from a bushel of soybeans to make it an attractive crop. Even though the price of a bushel of soybeans has also gone down in the last year to $6.20, from $7 a bushel, To break even a farmer must get $5.50. Many of the farmers south of Clinton- are trying 10 -acre test crops of soybeans. Miller said farmers were trying to find an alternative .to wheat because of the extremely wet fall that prevented the grain from being sown. The farmer can switch over to soybeans from other grain crops with little cost. Soybeans require no new equipment and extra cost when replacing wheat, and some farmers are sub- stituting a little corn acreage or white bean with soybeans. New varieties of the bean are making it increasingly popular for soybean t000, he said. Miller explained the soybean market is more at- tractive than the market for white beans because soybeans have more uses. The oil from them can be used in the production of margarine, cooking oils and vegetable oil processing. The meal is used in meat ex- tenders and as a supplement in food for livestock. Farmers who already grow corn and white beans find the harvesting time of soybeans convenient, said Miller. The crop is ready to be harvested in late September - early October, which is after the white " bean harvest and before the corn harvest. New varieties of the bean have made it possible for farmers to plant in the county. In the north, a variety called Maple Arrow is widely used but in the south two varieties, Beachwood and Evans, are popular. These types of soybeans have suitable growing adaptation abilities for the climate in Huron County. Another attraction for prospective soybean farmers in the future is a new soybean co-op opening in Hensall. Until this year, farmers had to take their soys to Forest to sell, but now they will not have to travel as far. CFF looks at farming future by Rhea Hamilton "The trend today is to turn away, from the. family farm enterprise and swing towards industrialization of agriculture," stated Albert van Donkersgoed, executive director for the Christian Farmers' Federation, (CFF) at a meeting Tuesday night in Blyth. "The trend in society today does not recognize the family farm and even fewer are interested in being stewarts of the quality of products let alone concern for the future generations." Said Mr. Van Donkersgoed, "I see us moving down the road to corporate enterprise with an elite managing ' and not knowing the soil or " the climate." Mr. van Donkersgoed pointed out to the 20 people gathered there that industry is very different from agriculture. "Agriculture is and haS been primary to life and industry has been secondary, we have existed without in- dustry. The ideal of industry is to eliminate the living factor including the human factor." Farming is an enterprise and consists of four factors that determine its makeup; manpower, management, resourses, and finances. The manpower is drawn from the family as opposed to unions for industries. Where industries suffer from walkouts, lockouts, con- frontation and lack of productivity farmers enjoy working for themselves. Management on a family farm is knowing where you fit, as opposed to having unknowing outsiders calling the shots. In industry, resourses are input costs from another source but in farming, "you need land rain, sun, and technology." "These resources are God given and basic in the creation, for us to use in the preparation of the food in- dustry," pointed out Mr. van Donkersgoed. Financing on the family as opposed to shareholders for an industry where their chief concern is profitability. "Years ago with a piece of land and a strong back you could make a go of it," said Mr. van Donkersgoed. "The financial situation now is crucial as to whether a young farmer can start up or even stay going." "The encouragement toward industrialization is seen in our governments who have set up tax benefits for nvestments in machinery. is encouragement of in - CHANGE IN NAME INDEPENDENT SHIPPER TO United Co -Operatives of Ontario Livestock Department Toronto Ship your livestock with FRANK VOOGEL Dashwood, Monday Is shipping day from Varna Stockyard previously Roy Scotchmer Call Dashwood 23S-2707 or $oyfleld 565`2636 Sy 7:30 a.m. Monday for prompt service No charas oh plck .up dustry reduces the role of the family enterprise." "In the CFF there is a strong concern that the marketing boards are slow to recognize the trends. The higher the quotas the more control the financial in- stitutions have over our farms," Mr. van Donker- sgoed pointed out. The CFF is outspoken against high quotas. "There ' are many in- dividual things structured into society that set our regulations and goals so that we encourage the develop- ment of corporations. Thus our control is turned over to the enterprise structure and thus reduces the family role again." "Will thenext generation be able to reclaim that control?" questioned Mr. van Donkersgoed. "Remember if you don't have the finances, you don't have the resour- ces." "We have a responsibility to see beyond for someone else and for next generations." It iso too tempting, once recognizing the loss of family control, to argue - why doesn't the government do something, or the credit agencies, or the universities professors who keep telling us to do that or this, or the • general farm leadership? We know what is going on better than others. Are we up to giving the family farm a future chance?" The meeting closed with a question period which ranged from the loss of farmers and the irresponsible ex- pectations of people believing that the farms should expand for efficiency reasons. "We should not let con- sumer associations brow beat us with words on efficiency," commented ,Mr. van Donkersgoed, "I have yet to see any member expand his enterprise in order to be efficient. They always ex- pand towards profits. ' It was also brought to the attention of the group that the profit margin has dropped on a good many items. Therefore when farmers expect they can weather through a slump in the market they may not realize that they will be in a loss position a lot quicker thaj five years ago. - The CFF is an organization working towards a better farming community through their common faith in: -their religion, and policies which benefit that belief. There is a local in Clinton and there are members at • large in the Blyth and Lucknow areas. This past winter has been nearly ideal for cutting lumber in area bushes, and local sawmills have been taking advantage of the weather to gather logs for summer cutting. `Here Harold Baechler of Auburn uses the modern method to load logs onto a truck destined for Craig's Sawmill in Auburn. The logs came from a bush west of Varna. (News - Record photo) news farm news Better herbicide application important With Spring just around the corner, many farmers in Ontario have begun serious thought to their weed control plans for the coming season. One of the keys to broad spectrum weed control lies in the area of careful herbicide application. Proper equipment main- tenance and vigilant ad- justment of application equipment are two crucial steps overlooked all too often by farmers as they rush to prepare their fields for spring pl nting. Misapplication of her- bicides is another frequent cause of disappointing weed control results, and it , can take many forms: too little or too much herbicide; too little or too much herbicide in the wrong places; or, improper timing of herbicide ap- plication. "There are eight key elements to an effective herbicide application program", says Monsanto Product Development Representative Bob Ingratta, who assists farmers throughout Eastern Canada all year long with .their weed 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 FARMPLAN ... 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 FARMCHEK Business Record System, FARMPLAN Income Opportunities and total AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT Services. Here too is the ROYFARM MORTGAGE Program. Your Royal Bank manager will be pleased to discuss FARMPLAN and the many other Royal Bank services with you. Mery Dill ASSIfSTANT MANAGER Iner Smith MANAGER ROYAL BAN K serving Agriculture MAIN CORNER, CLINTON 482-3477 control programs. Ingratta offers these eight tips to help ' growers avoid unnecessary difficulties this spring. "The first and most vital things farmers should do before spraying is to ensure they are using the spray nozzle that's matched to the rate of herbicide application they desire. The gallonage sprayed per acre is in large part dependent on the size of the nozzle," Mr. Ingratta explains. "Another important con- sideration with spray nozzles is making sure they're not worn. Stainless steel, har- dened stainless steel, and brass nozzles each wear with different degrees of speed and should be checked and replaced at regular intervals. When a nozzle gets worn, the hole gets larger and the spray rate per acre increases ac- cordingly. "Farmers should check their spray tank to insure that it is clean and free from dirt," he continues. "Dirt or rust in the tank will plug the nozzles and cause misapplication and streaking. It is similarly important to clean the tank, lines and boom between applications of different herbicides to avoid an unsafe chemical mix that can damage crops. The fourth tip Ingratta offers is that boom height be adjusted to produce a two- inch overlap at the bottom of the spray pattern. "This helps prevent streaking, which leaves some weeds uncontrolled, or overlapping, which can cause carryover," he says. "One piece of equipment that should get good main- tenance attention is the pump. Farmers should examine it closely at the start of every season to avoid possible breakdowns during spraying when timing is vital to success. Dairy Herd Association hold annual meeting Don Tayfor, co-ordinator for the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Toronto spoke at the DHI's 45th annual dinner meeting in Westfield on March 17. Taylor gave an informative talk to the 75 people in at- tendance on the in- terpretation of herd reports. Those receiving cer- tificates for high herds in 1977 were: highest BCA, 151 average, Clarie and Ray Cox, Bayfield; highest increase, in BCA, 16.5, Lloyd McClinchey, Auburn; lowest calving in- terval) 12 months, Van den Hengel Bros., Seaforth. (Cit:°\ PIONEER. SEED CORN Roy Brown 529-7260 Sharron Brindly 524-8114 SHUR-GAIN CANNED DOG FOOD • • log food ,: nt pour 11•,; 145N food pour log foot nt pour ns } 4 food t pour 4111 og food nt pour is� A welcome addition to the Shur -Gain family of fine pet products. SHUR-GAIN Canned Dog Food is a nutritionally complete diet carefully prepared under Government In- spection. It is fortified with all the vitamins and minerals to meet or exceed the nutrient levels established by the National Research Council (N.R.C.) NHL"animal health service v HummeIs Feed Mill 35 Mary Street, Clinton 482-9792 PLEASE NOTE: WE WILL BE CLOSED OVER THE EASTER WEEKEND, MARCH 24-25-26 CO-OP SPECIAL Long Handle 0 Wire Brush 115„ All steel wire bristles 1 long with three rows of 17 round wire bristles set in hardwood btock Ideal for scraping off old paint or removing rust 547-793 All -purpose lubricant stops squeaksprotects metal, loosens rusted parts and frees sticky mechanisms Lightly reapply for longer protection 12 oz 548-100 Keep your basement dry' Fea- tures automatic adjustable , float control, 1'3 H P . 1 15 -volt motor, '/2" chrome -plated im- peller shaft. galvanized steel ' column and 11,4" size top suction screened discharge Cap. up to 3,000 US gph. 525-342 Drainage Kit with 24' dram tubing, male adaptor steel clamp 525-395 Ea. $0.00 Gerlkral Pu with Leg As ' embly Rugged and dependable, wood fra • e made of selected straight gram lumber One piece drawn tray with no seams or bolt holes Steel tray has ca - ose Wheelbarrow 5544 pacify to hold 4 cuft dry, and 3 cu ft wet Comes unassembled Wood frame 591-163 Steel tray 591-003 2 ply tire 591-004 HAS EVERYTHING FOR THE FARM AT MONEY SAVING PRICES... The boot you need for work around the farm or yard Men s black waterproof boots Saes 6.14 549-701 Perms -Press Work Pants 50/50 blend. Full cut. Zip- per fly with button closure on waist. Five pockets in- cluding watch pocket. Waist sizes 30 to 54. Leg lengths 29, 30'/2, 32. Colour Green. 546-651 ''' I � �,�1,1 ill• � ” , � � i;' ,l�ll�, lli Perma-Press Work Shirts Strong blend of 50°o cotton and 50°' polyester for .no - iron ease and long-lasting good looks Buttoned poc- • kets and pencil slot Green 141'2 to 18. 20 546-650 $995 ea. HENSALL DISTRICT CO-OP Zurich Hensall Brucefield 236-4393 262-3002 482-9823 416 -Alt AU, itu 1`