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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-05-08, Page 34• ' • ••' • c, .•• • • BY .11 The five-year. red Meat plan is swingin into the second _year after excellent response in Iiiiron county during the past year. Presently, there are 110 cow -calf pro- ducers enrolled_ who represent '4,027*cows. This is approximately 30 per cent of the beef cow herd in Huron county, These producers are taking advantage of the varionsbPtiOns availablete them under the Redlleat Plan. d The intent of ther.lted'Neat Plan is to boost the quality, weft** and efficiency of the beef industry by encouraging producers to adopt modern Management techniques. As well as benefiting from these various management ideas, a producer will receive some financial assistance. To begin with; the major component of the plan far cow -calf producers is the Beef Herd Improvement Program (BHIP). This in- volves weighing calves at approximately 200 days of age to obtain a weaning weight which is adjusted according to breed, birth weight, age and breed of dam and the sex of the calf. Each calf is given an index based on its adjusted average daily gain which ex- presses the calf's ability to grow and the milking ability of the dam. Hence, a pro - e4 Besides ti trait to Use In his. forliis 00.0 weight is - taken J20 to 20 dys lat�r on heifers to obs gailitpr :,producers to utilize In. their selection' Of replacement heifers. The Red. Oat Program provides in- centives „$25per weaning weight for calves and $ Per.. yearling weight for heifers,•. In order to assist producers in setting up, adequate handling facilities, and obtaining the necessary equipment and. inatorials; capital facilities:: grant that covers two- thirds of the cost up to $1•fi00 is provided.. These include such items as scales, gates, chutes and head gates. Besides that, the. grant can be used for pasture renovations, watering equipment, scales for wgighing. feed and fencing permanent,,pastiires. A detailed explanation of what qualifies is available to all participants and should be consulted to ensure your project idea qualifies. Since the feeding and the health programs play a major role in raising cattle, each par- ticipant is given two free feed analyses and $100 t ds two consultative visits by their owar. 265-5170. veterinarians. In addition, ;with preconditioned calves proving? 'their advantages in Adana feedlots, the Red Meat Plan provided:4 grant for each calf that receivesa prescrib. ed preconditioning progIWTIIR,precondi- tioned calves that are sold are tagged with a sP9clalkait and have a certificate noting the preconditioning program they Went • Chum the last component is the . enterprise •, altalysia incentive grant of $100 per year for • producers who submit their records for a detailed computer analysis. Based on the in- " formation provided, the farmer will receive a -confidential computer business analysis which will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the feral business. An unique feature of the report is that all the costs per- taining to the cow -calf enterprise are ex- pressed on a per cow basis. Therefore, if you are a resident of Ontario who owns or leases land for beef farming and will have ten beef calves born within a — 90 -day period, you cantake advantage of this program. To enroll, please contact the Clinton O.M.A.F. office at 4823428 or 1-800- Huron County, farmers are leaders in many segments of agriculture BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE Huron County Council heard last week that the county is first in many agricultural commodities as well as being a leader in soil loss. This word came from Huron agricultural representative Don Pullen who presented his annual report at the May session of coun- ty council. Across the province, Huron ranks first in having the most improved farm land, in • barley ; white beans, silage corn, oats and Weed control needs attention BY BRIAN HALL Weed control in cereal crops does not receive• the attention compared to corn, beans or other row crops possibly because of conomics, and early seeding allows the ureal crop to compete successfully with, the weeds. Weed control using herbicides can be a major expense, one of the many costs of production:In our efforts to trim production costs, herbicide use may be trimmed. Still I feel we should take a second look before we decide not to spray, because in cereals the herbicides, such as MCPA and 2, 44D are reasonably inexpensive and yield in- creases do net have to be very big to give a profit. Should you spray your grain this year for weeds? There are 'many variables to this kind of question such as kind of weeds, degree of infestation, height of the crop relative to weed height, kind of growing season and so on. This spring the warm weather and timely rains have given the cereal crops an ex- cellent start. Unfortunately what is good for the crop is also good for the weeds. Thus, I think we will have to keep a close eye on their development to decide. Dr. Rudy Brown at Ridgetown College has been doing a lot of work on the cost of weeds to a crop. His work shows that weeds reduce crop yields approximately 10 to 30 percent depen- ding on the kind of season. Competition for moisture is the most important effect weeds have. A 10 percent or 6 bushel yield decrease in a 60 bushel barley crop due to weed competi- tion would cost us $15.00 per acre, (60 bushels x $2.50 per bushel). Our cost for weed con- trol in this field would likely be less. EARLY CONTROL LS IMPORTANT Studies show that the earlier you control weeds the better. Competition from weeds in the first 4 -6 weeks after crop emergence has the most significant effect on yields. Most of the herbicides that hre available for us to use must be applied between the 2 and 5 leaf stage of the cereal. There are three reasons for this. Weeds must be inerged Lurid hi the edrlystages-of-growthlo- be killed by the rates of the herbicides used on cereal grains. Secondly, although cereals are quite resistant to chemicals like 2, 4-D, they are most resistant in the Mr -leaf stage - of their growth. In order to achieve ade- quate spray coverage, spraying before the 5 leaf stage is important. We have a good selection of herbicides -for weed control in cereals either underseeded or not underseeded. Wild oats is showing up in more barley fields, although we have several herbicides like Hoegrass 284, Avadex BW, Avenge 200C, and carbyne that give excellent con- trol. , Consult Publication 75 "Guide to Chemical Weed Control" for selecting the right herbicide to use. There is a benefit in investing in the best weed control methods available to us. We must reduce competition of weeds with the crop, provide good harvesting conditions, and above all prevent the buildup and spread of weeds. 4 rutabagas, Mr. Pullen said. However, the ag. rep. also promoted the ministry of agriculture and food's new soil conservation program. The program is be- ing run in conjunction with the Ausable- Bayfield and the Maitland Valley con- servation authorities as well as the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association. Questioned on the financial plight of farmers, Mr. Pullen said there is a wide specttum with some farniers doing well and others going bankrupt. He expressed con- cern for the pork producers in the county, particularly beginning farmers, because of the current low price of pork. The ag. rep. also reviewed some of- the other programs such as farm management, livestock managbment and rural organiza- tions services offered by OMAF. It was noted thatthe county runs second in total number of cattle and hogs, in poultry production, and in hog's marketed. 'Huron is third in total corn, mixed grains, winter wheat and grain corn. ;* Ailanctoi vockaintnit FAMILY CARPETAND UPHOLSTERY piing —1-- . ' "-,,,,,re?t• ''' ' -.,,' ' '" ,,., LIMITED TIME 014E11- CAU NOW Have All the Carpet In Your Home Steam Cleaned For The Low Price of 9 5 And we move the Furniture! Special Price on ALL • Upholstery Cleaning We Still Have A Few Appointments Left! Bonded & Insured 9 AM 9 PM TOLL FREE 1-800-265-8q24 • WANTED' POLARIS DEALERS Polaris, one of North America's leading manufacturer of snowmobiles and distributor of fine snowmobile accessories is looking i to expand their dealer network in Canada. If you're looking for an opportunity of becoming a part of this exciting industry contact: • Mr. E. 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