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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-04-01, Page 3011, PAGE 8A—GODEIi.1CH SIGNAL STAR, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1,1981 The flak has only just begun. Unless supply -management marketing boards come to grips with this thorny problem of quota values, .the flak will get unbearable. The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has come to the conclusion that, in the dairy business at current quota values, a dairyman's quota equity is approximately equal to 15 percent -of his total equity, a broiler producer's equity in quota value is 25 percent of total, equity and an egg pro- ducer's quota is worth 50 percent of his equity. Milk quota prices declined in the exchange monitored by the -Ontario Milk Marketing>,Board this month. Fluid milk quota prices dropped — dropped! — to $95:05 a litre from more than $100 a litre two months ago. If quota values are about 15 percent of equity in the dairy industry, why in tarnation are the values so much higher for broilers' and eggs? It seems to me something is wrong in the system when quotas become so. valuable that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The more junior boards such as the egg board and chicken board could take some lessons from the milk board which always seems to be.a step or two ahead of the others. Perhaps that is because they have been in operation longer but it also may be because the milk board' has managed to elect and' hire the best people for their jobs. Even so, I believe the price of quota, even for milk, is too high. . There is no way that such high prices cannot be reflected in the finalprice of the product. Marketing board managers will deny it and show you figures to prove it but the cost, the value, ofl,l ota is simply too high to have such statements hold water. Partners were forewarned at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture's, annual marketing seminar. The Economic Council of Canada is going to get some recommendations to do something about quota values. A special committee of the ECC will be suggesting that quota values are really ripping off consumers. I'm not convinced this is true but the agricultural com- munity is going to have to convince this whole country that it isn't true. I do have some reservations; though, and the only solution I see is to have another regulatory body handling all quota transfers. I know. I know. Who needs another regulatory body? Who needs more interference from senior levels of government? I think supply management marketing boards do it only to prove that justice is not only done but is seen to be done. When the value of quotas gets so far out of whack that those selling out their business get the greatest benefit, something has to be done. An administrative body to supervise the sale and,transfer of quotas seems to me to be the only sensible answer. Quotas could still transfer freely within families. A "bank" of quota could be left with the regulatory body each year and be given to those who apply for it when they can prove gains in produc- tivity and efficient management. The regulatory body could also allot quotas for those wishing to become iiew producers. Sounds like a big job. You would need Solomon as chair- man? Or even someone who wants to play God? For a while, the screaming and yelling would be heard across Canada. The weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth would be awesome to behold. But something has to be done. If you have a better idea, get it on paper and tell the powers that be about it. Farm people have been struggling with the problem for many months but ho one seems to be seeing any light at the end of the tunnel yet. Wool collection depot situp at Walton for area In response to the dramatic increase in wool production during 1980, the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers have taken steps to ensure that wool continues to .be handled as efficiently as possible,. To this effect, a depot for wool collection has been established in the Walton area where growers may br- ing their wool clips rather than to Toronto as has been the practise in past years_ The depot will also serve as a location where growers may pick up wool sacks and paper fleece twine. A limited line of sheep supplies will also be available such as sheep wormers and powders for ked control. The depot is located at the farm of Gavin and Marg Wright, RR4 Walton, and, growers should phone before arriving (592-1638 ). Agricrews for hire Looking for a summer job? The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food is look- ing for young people who en- joy variety and outdoor work. The assignment is Agricrew. Agricrew is a three-year- old program designed to pro- vide Ontario farmers with short-term work crews to get odd jobs done during the busy season. "There are many jobs that a farmer can't get around to doing because of the more pressing chores," says Nor- ma Brown of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food extension branch. "These jobs may include painting fences or barns, cleaning stalls and general Huron farm and home news BY PAT LYNCH, SOILS AND CROPS SPECIALIST AND . . ,- ..-rte-tea '._ i�r�lity� ri�l:�uc env; ASSOC. AG. REP. Anhydrous may be best form of nitrogen The current _issue. of field - crop recommendations has the latest research informa- tion on nitrogen rates for corn. It points, out that anhydrous ammonia gives a three to five percent yield advantage over dry forms of nitrogen. This research was mainly done in southwestern On- tario. However, the' resear- chers esealchers have extrapolated that the same should occur on clay and clay loam. soils in Perth and Huron. counties. ' This finding shouldhelp offset a disadvantage of preplanting anhydrous nitrogen. Earlier research had stated that to gain equal results from nitrogen you should apply 30 kg per ha ex- tra,if preplanted vs. sidedressing. We. have always interpreted this to mean that a producer apply- ing nitrogen in early . May in the south end of the county should apply 30 kg per -ha more than if sidedressed. Also, the further north and the later in the season you go, this rate is reduced. Thus farmers in the north end will see no difference between applying, N early and apply- ing it late. Ifyour farm is in the cen- tre of the county and you are applying nitrogen around May 15, you should increase your rate by about 15 kg per ha if you are preplanting. Fit N Source to your needs Each form of nitrogen has characteristics unique to it. Anhydrous is the cheapest and most dangerous. Urea is the cheapest source of dry, N; 28 percent solution Can give the . most uniform ap- plication and can_beused as a herbicide carrier. On the other hand, sidedressing in June interferes with other work. The point is, you should choose a system, not just a product. Look at the characteristics in your N source, not just the cost Per kg of actual N. . • If you apply anhydrous in the conventional method or with a cold fllo�adapter, you m11V._i_ii days before planting. Iknow alot of you. don't wait. Every year we get to• see at least one farm where there was no . delay. Damage will not show upevery.year._- . Fertilizer vs. Herbicides While all these points are" critical for a good _crop pro- gram, most fanners worry too much about fertilizer and not 'enough about weed con- trol. ontrol. The . first dollar you spend on fertilizer returns you more than each ' suc- ceeding dollar. The first dollar you spend on weed control in corn will not return any money. For good weed control you ,have to spend a certain number of • dollars to get any return. Each year. I see too many of you over -fertilizing and skimping on weed control. In the summer I, get ten calls about poor weed control for every one call about fer- tilizer deficiency.:' If you are concerned about • costs, I suggest you map out a good weed control pro. • gram -keep the rates up. If it . costs you more than you planned, take some,of your fertilizer money .to pay for good 'weed control. The final result will net you more pro- fit. Which brings \me nicely to another point about cutting. costs. Recently at one dealer meeting, I was asked a ques- tion about spray adjuvants. The jist of it was company "A". was suggesting farmers user their - adjuvant with atrazine to reduce costs. They even have testimonials where farmers have reduced rates of herbicides using their product. They claimed their adjuvant made water wetter. The point that I tried to make was that extensive testing by federal and pro- vincial yesearchers as ro- vincial.researchers.as well as companies selling atrazine have proven that corn oil or corn oil concen- trate gives more consistent control of twitch grass and foxtail • than the adjuvant. Sure, there are some cases when the adjuvant worked WATER WELL DRILLING "80 YEARS EXPERIENr 5• o FARM o SUBURBAN o INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL . FREE ESTIMATES o GUARANTEED WELLS FAST MODERN EQUIPMENT 0 4 ROTARY & PERCUSSION DRILLS "OUR EtPERIENCE ASSURES LOWER COST WATER WELLS" DAVIDSON WELL DRILLING LIMITED 4.0 4 Rotary and Percussion Drills PHONE 337.1960 WINGHAM Collect Calls Accepted "ONTARIO'S FINEST WATER WELLS SINCE 1900" just as well - but that's not good enough - with weed con- trol we need 99.99 percent there is no such thing as a bit of twitch grass-- it's like be- • ing pregnant, either you are consistency in our weed con- or •you are not. Se ondly, in teal.' •Another reason —w�i-- 'PenhCount-"an� most of and then grow beans or alfalfa. If you use 2.25 kg in the fall of '80, repeat the treatment with oil in the spr- _- . ( y y ing of '81 ''ou can. grow corn you or your y neighbour may Huron, you cannot grow ' in '81 and '82 and then beans have results one year, with corn, fall plough, control or alfalfa in '83. an unregistered herbicide twitch grass and plant beans However, in 1982, you must combination and not the next the next year. You have to not use any atrazine. There year ). decide which you waist - corn are all kinds of herbicide Finally, this -brings me to and -twitch -grass control or treatments that will control beans the next year. To con- all of the- annual weeds trol twitch you have to use • without leaving any residue. four pounds per acre active In fact, in view of the poten- atrazine. One pound of tial damage due to atrazine atrazineper acre does not carryover, the last year of control twitch grass. All it corn should not include any does is give carryover to the atrazine. next year to give you residue damage. To control twitch you ,have to use a split application of 2.25 kg per ha actual atrazine - twice. The second application has to be made with oil after the twitch is up. You can control twitch with this high rate of atrazine, grown corn for two . years my annual reminder about the hucksters roaming the back roads with their miracle products. Some of them, : I ain sure, • are just over -zealous salesmen who have been loaded up with misinformation. The oftener they repeat it the better it sounds. They have 'repeated it so ,often they believe it themselves. These people, I think we can tolerate, even though you will lose money. 'y The other type, L don't think we should tolerate any longer. • Our . forefathers would probably have tarred and feathered them.' We are too -polite to do that. These are the group who, at one time or another, have been taken to court for misrepresentation of facts to the public. This year, when somebody does offer you a deal that. sounds too good4o be true - first get that person to put their claim in writing - have them sign. it. If they won't put it in writing, keep your wallet closed. If they do put it in writing, send it,to us and we will send it on to the Con- sumer and Corporate Affairs - Trade Practices Branch. No such thing as abit of twitch I have been asked many times this past winter - "I have a bit of twitch grass and want to grow corn this year and beans next year - how do I do it?" First of all, Guide to cheemical weed control It is just that - a guide - not the last word. This year, as in other years, there are some typing errors in it. This means you have to read the label to get the final word on ratesand weeds controlled. Light harms milk Whether the consumer buys homo, 2 percent or skim milk, all types are sub- ject to flavour deterioration when exposed to light, accor- ding to a recent study con- ducted by the Department of Food Science at the Univer- sity of Guelph. Samples of milk exposed to light for 24 hours and milk. protected from light were evaluated by 145 panelists for flavor differences. More than two-thirds 'of the pahelists were ahje to cor- rectly identify light -exposed and partially skimmed milk. "Of the three types of milk used in this study, the unex- posed milk was significantly preferred," said -Dr. J. M. deMan, who headed the pro- ' ject. "The mean preference McK'ILLOP MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY 0,01',101,•(I 11t •1. 91 Main St. Seaforth P h . 527-0400 FULL COVERAGE Farm & Urban Properties DIRECTORS R. ADJUSTERS Ken Carnochan 482-3354 Lavern Godkin 527-1877 Ross Leonhardt ` 345.2234 John McEwing 523-9390 Stanley McIlwain 524-7051 Donald McKercher 527.1837.. John A Taylor 482-7527 J.N. Trewartha 482.7593 Stuart Wilson 527-0687 AGENTS E.F. "Bill" Durst James Keys Wm. Leiper 527.1455 527-0467 523-4257 CALL AN AGENT OR THE OFFICE scores tor the unexposed homo and partially skimmed milk were 7.1, and the skim milk rated 5.8. After light ex- posure, the mean flavour scores were 3.4, 3:_5 and 3.3 respectively. Flavour deterioration in light expos- ed milk appears to be unrelatedto its fat. content: After light exposure for 24 hours in plastic pouches, the loss of ascorbic : , acid (Vitamin C) ranged from 84.7 percent to 90.3 percent in the three types of samples. B UTLER - Ring Drive Silo Unloaders B ig Jim Silo Unloaders Volume Belt Feeders Convey -n -Feed Cattle Feeders Single Chain' Conveyors Barn Cleaners Oswalt Ensilmixers FARMATIC- Blender Hammer Mills Blender Roller Mills Blender Mills for Ground Hi-Molsture Corn Auger Leg Elevators ACORN - Cable Born Cieanors Hydraulic Manure Pumps WESTEEL-ROSCO Grain Bins - 1,350 to 250,000 bu. Bulk Feed Tanks ACME - Fan -Jet Ventilation Systems ASTON - Ventilation Systems B d, L - Complete Hog Confine- ment Systems SLURRY -SLINGER Liquid Manure Spreaders CLAY - Ports and Service for' Clay Equipment AERO -FLUSH Liquid Manure Pumps, Aerators, Separators WE HANDLE EVERYTHING -ALMOST LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS, RR 1, Kincardine, Ont. Phone 343-5286 maintenance work." Agricrews of four young people are posted in 20 areas throughout southern and central Ontario. A ,total of 238 young people are being employed this year under this program. , The farmer is required to book the crew in advance through the local agricultural office. Ah in- dividual farmer is allowed to hire the crew for only five days during the summer, at a cost of $90 per day. Young people par- ticipating in the Agricrew must be 15 to. 21 as of May 1 and must have some agricultural skills. This is not a • training program. Members of the Agricrew are paid the minimum wage of $2.45 per hour. (under 18) and $3.30 per hour (over 18). Crew foremen are paid $3.50 per hour,' Information about Agricrew is available ,from school guidance depart- ments in the Experience '81 Guide Book published by the Ontario Youth Secretariaat, , od from local agritlltural _ offices.• 'Deadline for applications is April 25. Your Pioneer Seed Corn Dealer for COLBORNE TOWNSHIP In order to accommodate the bulk of the growers in the area, the depot will be open weekday evenings and Saturdays from May 1 to Oc- tober 30. It is hoped that growers in Western Ontario will fully use this deporto ensure fre- quent truckloads leaving the SEED CORN "Performance Proven" depot. For more information please contact: Manager, Ontario . Field Operations, Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited, R-0. Box 9, Carleton Place, Ontario K7C 3P3. RX295 &RX29 for 2600 HAI areas RX 383 for 3700 H.U. areas Cecil Cranston R.R. 2, Auburn Phone 529-7691 'AS PART OF ITS "CANADA WEEK" CELEBRATIONS THE WILL BE HOLDING A CANADA .WEEK PARADE SUNDAY AFTERNOON JUNE 48 af$V.M. The Parade will hove as its thelt,es: 1. FRIENDSHIP DAYS "HelpFng•Our Neighbours'1 2. FOUNDER'S DAY ' "Then and Now" Community Gfoups, industries, businesses, Towns, individuals,' etc. are invited to take part. We are looking for Bands, Floats, antique cars, or TROPHIES &PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED IN VARIOUS CATEGORIES ti. If you, club or organization would like to enter our parade, please complete the following: NAME ADDRESS PHONE CLUB OR ORGANIZATION TYPE OF ENTRY (Float; Band, Vehicle, etc.)____ MAIL TO: W.A. FIND iE Goderich Tourist Committee 166 MacDonald St. Goderich, Ont. for Ontario Junior Citizens of the Year The purpose This program will be inaugurated in Ontario to provide recognition for outstanding achievements or acts of courage and initiative, by boys and girls between the ages of six and eighteen years. It will include individual awards presented for meritorious conduct, and special group awards for recognition of the efforts of young people throughout the communities of the province. The reason Extraordinary deeds of Ontario boys and girls are often performed within the community. We need you, the local nominators and newspaper editors, to bring these outstanding young people to our attention, so that we will be able to give them the honour and public recognition, which they so richly deserve. Who is eligible Young individuals who have performed acts of heroism, perhaps endangering their own lives, overcoming disabling physical or psychological handicaps to match or exceed their peers, or being involved in some worthwhile community service endeavour. For further information contact your local newspaper or Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association, Tel: 1-800-268-5054 for a brochure. the Goderich SIGNAL—STAR A COMMUNITY PROJECT OF CP AIR AND THIS NEWSPAPER. A;. ('P mid C4 ere re4nrerod u`ndemnrko of Cnnodmn Pacific booted