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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-09-02, Page 13PAGE 12—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1981 Farm safety should be priority at harvest time Farm safety should be a major concern of every farm Airing harvesting when the combination of big machinery, long hours, and inexperienced help can be deadly. "The majority of lost -time farm accidents occur during the harvest season and the .accidents. are usually quite , serious," says Jim Ross, senior .safetyAconsultant for the Ontario Farm Safety, Assoc iation. Careless accidents - slips and falls by someone getting on or aff a piece of equip- ment- are the most common lost time injury, he says. Farmers and their em- ployees can avoid accidents by following a few common sense safety practices. "The first thing a farmer should be concerned with," says Ross, "is that har- vesting equipment is in good repair, has had proper maintenance, ' and has all shields in place." Safety shields protect operators when they make mistakes. All you have to do to cause an accident is lean on equipment without thinking, or slip and reach out to gain your balance, says Ross. A farmer should be BOWLING THURSDAY NIGHT MIXED LEAGUE Starting September 10 at 7 p.m, Cost - '3.50 per player Everyone welcome. For more information call: Nancy Ferguson - 524-8942; Jane Arthur - 524-4174 or call The Lanes 524-9966. THIRD ANNUAL LAS VEGAS NIGHT SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 1981 GODERICH ARENA 7:30 P.M. TO 1 A.M. LUNCH -GAMES -PRIZES -AUCTION TICKETS 00 §4.' • PER 4 • PERSON THIS TICKET ENTITLES BEARER TO '70,000.. PLAY' MONEY. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE BOOTH IN THE MALL OR CALL 524-2788 OR 524-2256 SPONSORED BY: GODERICH FIGURE SKATING CLUB completely familiar with his equipment. Hired help operating machinery must be properly trained and - aware of safety procedures. Inexperienced operators often don't know how to react when something goes wrong. Even experienced operators have to take care of themselves, says Ross. Proper rest is essential for someone spending long hours at the wheel of a tractor or combine. Regular and frequent, refreshment breaks while working keep an operator alert. An alert operator reacts more quickly than a tired one. A split second delay can mean the difference between a stone staying in the field and a stone causing damage to expensive machinery. Good personal protective equipment also makes an operator more comfortable and alert, says Ross. Such equipment has the added advantage of providing protection from long-term health hazards such as noise and dust. It includes ear muffs if equipment is noisy, BUTLER - Ring Drive Silo Unloaders Big Jim Silo Unloaders Volume Belt Feeders Convey -n -Feed Cattle Feeders Single Chain Conveyors B arn Cleaners Oswalt Ensilmiaer3 FARMATIC- Blender Hammer Mills Blender Roller Mills Blender Mills for Ground Hi -Moisture Corn Augers Leg Elevators ACORN - Cable Barn Cleaners Hydraulic Manure Pumps WESTEEL-ROSCO Grain Bins - 1,350 to 250,000 bu. B ulk Feed Tanks ACME - Fan -Jet Ventilation Systems ASTON - Ventilation Systems B & L - Complete Hog Confine- ment Systems SLURRY -SLINGER Liquid Manure Spreaders CLAY - Parts and Service. fort Clay Equipment AERO -FLUSH Liquid Manure Pumps, Aerators, Separators WE HANDLE. EVERYTHING -ALMOST proper fitting clothing, a dust mask when combining, safety boots, and a hard hat. To protect equipment health, gays Ross, keep engines chaff -free and clean. Bigger machines should have a fire extinguisher — a five pound type is recom- mended for a combine. All • platforms should be ob- • struction-free to prevent slips and falls. When getting on and off any machine; always remember the three point method -- one foot and two hands, or two feet and one LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS, RR 1, Kincardine, Ont. Phone 395-5286 hand, on the machine during ascent and descent. If working on your own farm, says Ross, letsomeone know where you are and when you'll return. Custom operators should have a two- way radio to call for help if they get into trouble. Finally, every farmer should take special care that children are not riding on machinery or playing around working machinery. Accidents - happen all too quickly' at thishectic time of year. Test barley seed at university After buying a pedigreed barley seed from two sup- pliers, a farmer may notice he gets different yields from the two seed lots, even though they are thesame variety. A research project at the University of Guelph is trying to find out why this happens, says Dr. Ed Gamble, crop scientist. He wants to know why seed lots of the same variety yield differently. "We're trying to identify the best production con- ditions for seed barley," he says. "We want to be able to tell barley seed producers how to grow seed that will give the highest yields to their customers." This summer, Dr. Gamble is overseeing a project to determine the yield per- formance of barley seed lots obtained from pedigreed seed growers across Ontario: Apart from yield, the seedlots are being analysed for seed size, test weight, germination vigor, proportion of different seed sizes, and mineral content. The study will also look at the original production conditions of the different seedlots. These include fertilizer use, basic fertility level of the soil, planting and harvest dates, weather conditions, and storage methods. All this information should help to explain why dif- ferences in yield occur among the seedlots, says Dr. Gamble. After further experiments in 1982, he hopes the ac- cumulated information will enable hum to make recommendations to seed barley producers in Ontario for the best -;growing con- ditions- OFA enthusiastic The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is en- thusiastic about a federal proposal to provide low cost loans for farmers. OFA President Ralph Bar- rie said farmers have been pushing federal government ,Qr;over a year to provide af- fordable loans. The announcement • was made by federal agriculture minister Eugene Whelan in Toronto hast week. He said the Farrn Credit Corporation (FCC) Act would be amended this fall to allow the corporation to receive outside funds. In- vestors will not have to pay tax on the interest so loans GO. .TRUCKIN' IN ,A TOYOTA OUR BIGGEST TRUCK SALE EVER!! NOTE: Some features illustrated are optional ABOVE UNIT While Supply LastsREG. SUGG. RETAIL s6589oo PLUS FREIGHT & SERVICE00 ONL� INCLUDING FREIGHT & SERVICE PHONE; AMERICAN MOTORS TOYOTA JEEP elfM . e•r•veee,.. 524-88411 524-9381 524-8311 could be made to farmers at 14 percent. Barrie said he hopes the federal government will. .make it a priority item when parliament reconvenes. "Low cost money, and lots of it, couldkeep.thousands of Canadian farmers from be- Ing forceditit of'.bu8inesa. We need help, and yee ,need. it soon." Barrie cautioned,that over the past two years, Whelan has made several other sug- .gestions for giving FCC ' more funds. "I hope this isn't just another trial balloon", he said. Barrie urged the federal government to make its in- tentions known as quickly as possible. "A lot of bankers will soon be deciding which farmer goes and which one stays. If they know for sure help is on the way, it will make all the difference." Barrie urged all farmers to let the federal government know they need help right ,away. f16 fi-»i....";;T furrow'' It's sad to see a once active and militant organization such as the farmers union disappearing into limbo. Farmers have precious few organizations willing to speak for them at all times. As an' observer of the farm scene for more than 30 years, I regret ;the' coming demise of the Na- tional Farmers Union. I -stress the tact, too, that I am an observer and ' not a "full-time, active participant in agriculture; • I can remember when the Ontario. Farmers Union was a strong, clear voice. When men such as Frank Gamble of Chatsworth, Frank Mills of Feversham, George Sutherland of Chatsworth, Albert Cormack of Arthur, John Dolmer of Corbetton, Mel Tebbutt of Markdale and Walter Miller of Tara were at the helm of the union, it was fun to listen to them. And yes, even Gordon Hill of Varna who was president from about 1957 to 1960. He was young and outspoken even then, a man not afraid to voice his opinion and take his lumps when they came. His ex- perience with the union, no doubt, gave him plenty of training for his later years as president of the federation- of agriculture. Back in the late '60s, the union was a voice to reckon with. The farmers union demonstrated a militant attitude in car- rying out the wishes of its members. In April of 1965, more than 2,000 members marched on Ottawa demanding better farm prices. A year later, more than 1,500 union members paraded to Queen's Park. That same year, the farmers union organized tractor parades to emphasize farmers' demands. A mammoth march on Ottawa was organized in 1967 and tractors clogged roads all across Ontario and even into Quebec as farmers took to the highways to bring their plight forcibly in front of the public. What gave the union a great clout in those days was the women's branch with such stalwarts as president as Mrs. Arnold Bain at Grand Valley, Mrs. George Prosser of Blackstock, Mrs. Harold Hopkins of Fenelon Falls, Mrs. George Williams of Stirling and Mrs. Michael Opsitnik of PontypooL leve, e GPV'e. 41e3 u, 0tw Lone kko•le Baa I ".•e Ont 143013 The Ontario chapter of what is now known as the National Farmers Union seems to be' in its death throes. A few at- tempts to revive it are being made but few people believe it will be resurrected. Blame is being cast in the direction of Roy "Big Red" Atkinson, the portly westerner who was na- tional president for half a decade. Those: who should know are saying that Atkinson used the farmers union — and the membership's money — as a means to further his own political power and prestige. They accuse him of bankrupting the union by abusing his power and prestige. - I'm not sure it is all that simple. The union would not have allowed it had the membership been on its toes. When the federation of agriculture went from a loose organization of federated farm interests to individual memberships, the union began losing members. At no time did the union ever divulge actual membership but I can recall being unable to refute Walter Miller when he said the union had 16,000 paid-up members in Ontario. Delmar Ben- nett was another exceptionally strong union leader that I, as a farm writer, could not argue with: They were both just too good as leaders to get pinned down by a journalist. I suggested the union will soon die in Ontario and across Canada except, perhaps, in Saskatchewan. I have nothing to base this assumption on except its ineffectiveness. Precious little is heard even from the diehards. Membership has dwindled to fewer than 300 in any province but Saskat- chewan. Such a minority voice simply will not be listened to by politicians at the provincial level, let alone at the national level. And that's where farmers must be heard — by the senior levels of government — if they are going to be effec- tive. When the federation of agriculture swung to the left in the early '70s, it took the steam from the farmers union, a head of steam that has never been regenerated. It appears that power, that steam, has dissipated for good. Too bad, too. I used to like to argue with those guys and gals. See play review on page 1A Ted Jolms (left) is seen here as Aylmer Clark and William Dunlop is seen as Anton in the Blyth Summer Festival's hilarious production. of Ile Won't Come hi from the Barn, "an agricultural comedy for cynical times." (Photo courtesy of Blyth Festival) • OFA. takes crisis into its own hands LESSONS AVAILABLE * ACCORDI A N *GUITAR *PIANO *ORGAN CALL 524-2711 OR 524-9578 OR 482-9869 INFORMATION GDCI STUDENTS School reopens on Tuesday, September 8th. Buses will run at the regular time on Tuesday morning, and will leave at the regular time (3:55 p.m.) Tuesday afternoon. Students from the Godorich district attending Central Huron in Clinton will leave by bus from South Street at 8:45 a.m. Students from the Godorich district attending G.D.C.I. will report to their Home Rooms no later than 8:55 a.m. Home Room lists will be posted as follows: Grade 9 -East Gymnasium Grade 10 -Technical Corridor Grades 11, 12,&13 -West Gymnasium Students who have net registered should do so im- mediately by telephoning the school office (524-7353) between 8 o.rn. and 3:00 p.m. Students are asked to bring either a Dudley com- bination lock or '2.50 to purchase a now lock. Grade 13 students should bring funds to purchase fere- tbooka. Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 students will be supplied with all textbooks by the Huron County School Board. The Ontario' Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is taking. the economic crisis facing farmers into its own hands. Tired of government half - measures, OFA is forming . -an independent task force to find solutions to farmers' financial problems. OFA President Ralph Bar- rie said farmers can't go on "lurching from one crisis to another". High interest rates and low commodity prices are expected to drive many farmers off their faints. this fall. OFA predicts the situation will worsen over the winter. The emergency task force will look at interest rates, commodity prices, and the future of agriculture in On- tario. "We need to search for stability", Barrie said. The task force will report its conclusions and suggest solutionsto the OFA by the end of November. It Will -be' made up of pro- minent farm leaders, as well as consumer . and bank representatives. They will hold hearings for several days in a number of centres across Ontario. Farm groups, marketing boards, and any concerned member of the public will be invited to speak at the hearings. Barrie said farmers have to take the initiative and find solutions for their industry. "Things ' just get bogged down when government bureaucracy gets involved." The task force hopes to en- sure a stable future for agriculture. OFA will take other action to help farmers who need immediate finan- cial help. It will be putting increased pressure on governments to provide farmers with short - WATER WELL DRILLING "SO YEARS EXPERIENCE" • FARM SUBURBAN • INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL • FREE ESTIMATES • GUARANTEED WELLS • FAST MODERN EQUIPMENT . 4 ROTARY & PERCUSSION DRILLS "OUR EXPERIENCE ASSURES LOWER COST WATER WELLS" DAVIDSON WELL DRILLING LIMITED 4 Rotary and Percussion Drills PHONE 351.1960 WINGI4AM Collect Calls Accepted "ONTARIO'S FINEST WATER WELLS SINCE 1900" term relief right away. OFA will push the pro- vince to give subsidized in- terest rates to all farmers and loW cost, guaranteed loans to those who are about to lose their farms. Other provinces, provide similar programs. OFA wants the federal government to make Small Business Development Bonds readily and quickly available, and to provide the Farm Credit Corporation with more money at lower rates. Silage gas can be fatal Silage gas can be fatal says the Canada Safety Council. Silos should not be entered for at least two weeks after filling and they should be properly ven- tilated before entering. If you have to enter the silo before the two week period is up, wear a self-contained breathing apparatus and always use a life rope. Never enter a silo during the danger period without another person present. GUARANTEED INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES 20' BRUCE ERSKINE 86 North 521-9553