The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-08-29, Page 24Duron Fawn and Home News ,Twitchgrass his w�akness BY PA LYNCH, SOILS AND CROPS SPECIALIST, AND. BRIAN HALL, FARM MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST Twitchgrass is probably one of your !girder to control perennial weeds. It can t9tthstand wet weather, droughts, frosts, summer fallowing, discing and chisel ploughing. However, it does have one weakness. It is very susceptible to a man made chemical called glyphosate. This chemical is manufactured and sold under the trade name 'Round -up'. I'm not sure why twitchgrass is so sen- sitive to Round -up. However, it is more sen- sitive to this chemical than probably any other chemical. You can use this sensitivity to your advan- tage, Put there are some things to remember. Twitchgrass can go dormant, especially under really dry conditions. If twitchgrass is dormant it will not translocate the chemical Round -up from. the leaves to the roots. Round -up herbicide' must enter the plant through the leaves. Once this chemical hits the soil it is tied up or inactivated by the soil. This means that all the rhizome roots of the twitch'grass must have, leaves attached to them. This is why we -recommend if you plan to spring apply Round -up, 'do not fall plough. When you fall plough twitch, you bury a certain percentage of the roots. These roots get buried so deep that by late May some of them do not have leavesiNbove ground. If there are sections of roots in the/ soil with no leaves attached to them, when you spray Round -up they will not be. con- trolled. ' What Rate Of Round -up There is a lot of interest in lower rates of Round -up. The low rate of 2.5 litres per hec- tare (1 litre per acre) is meant only for fields with annual cropping 'systems. The reason is simple. In a field that has been fall tilled in '83 or spring tilled in '84, you have cut the rhizomes. Once,these rhizomes have been cut each one tends to put, out shoots. Thus you have a lot of twitch grass plants with small root sections attached. The low rate of Round -up appears to be giving us 87 to 93 percent control of twitch grass under this system. Probably the low rate is work- ing because you have a smaller root system to be killed. If you are controlling twitchgrass in a perennial crop system such as an alfalfa field or pasture field, you need the high rate of at least five litres per hectare or two litres per acre of Round -up. This higher rate ap- pears to be needed to move into the more ex- tensive root system that becomes establish- ed when twitchgrass is allowed to grow for two or three years. Other Considerations About Round -Up If you are using the low rate, there are three other considerations besides having the twitch actively growing. Each plant must have three to four leaves. You must use flat fan or cone nozzles 1 do not use flood jets). And you must use a lower rate of water - five to 10 gallons per acre. This lower rate makes the surfactant that is already in Round -up more concentrated and appears to improve ound-up's effec- tiveness, There ' s of ba -roads talk about us- ing this or tha ' we to reduce the rate of Round -up even ..farther or to hurry Round- up's killing action. I have looloed at a lot of this research. I've talked to the Monsanto people, as well as the government resear- chers. In all of this, there has been no consis- tent performance with any of these ad- ditives. Sometimes some of them work, other times they do not. As of September '84 'hone of these are registered for use with Round -up. I would suggest that you follow the label and don't use any of the other ad- ditives. Finally,.if you have twitchgrass in a field and have a lot of other plants protecting the twitchgrass - other broadleaf weeds, red clover or alfalfa, your twitchgrass control may be reduced because the Round -up must contact the twitchgrass leaves. In fields that have been in alfalfa for two or three years and have twitch and alfalfa, you probably should treat these fields with atrazine and grow corn for two years. Try before you invest BY. ROBERT TRAUT, CONSERVATION AGRONOMIST, - HUR(SN SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Many Huron County farmers are concern- ed about their farms and the losses of topsoil which have resulted from wind and water erosion this spring. These farmers would like to implement' conservation tillage and planting measures on their farms but are uncertain of the management systems and equipment re- quired for successful crop production under a conservation tillage system. Farmers may also be unable or unwilling to make purchases of equipmetit which may not be effective on their farms. In order to allow farmers to use con- servation tillage and planting equipment an a trial basis, the Huron Soil and Crop Im- provement Association in co-operation with the Huron Soil and Water Conservation District I HSWCD I is again making several pieces of conservation- planting and tillage equipment available to Huron" County farmers. The John Deere no -till planter will be available to farmers next spring for the planting of corn, soybeans, and white beans in a high residue situation. It is equipped with double plow coulters mounted in front • of each row. One coulter runs directly in front of the fertilizer disc openers, while the second runs in front of the seed disc openers. These coulters cut residue, fracture the soil, and prepare the seedbed area to receive the starter fertilizer and seed. Trash whippers on the no -till planter move residues, away from the seedbed area. Double concave discs move the residue which allows the soil to warm inore quickly • after planting. Observations this year have also shown reductions in slug damage as an added benefit to moving residue away from the young crop plants. The Best no -till drill will be available for the planting of winter wheaii and canola this fall. Winter wheat trials !Ranted last fall with conventional drills have shown there is considerable potential for no -till wheat in Huron County. -Co-oRerators will also be able to use.the 'drill next spring to plant barley, mixed grain, soybeans, canola, 'and 'renovate pastures on a trial basis. Go -operators with the HSWCD can also become involved in the ridge planting system. A -Hiniker ridge cleaner, Kinze ridge planter and a ridge -forming cultivator are available. These pieces of equipment are supplied by Hyde Brothers Farm Equip- ment in Hensall. A 28 percent nitrogen sidedresser suitable for high residue, situations is available in order that co-operators rhay apply nitrogen materials with shallow incorporation during the growing season. A chiselboard plow is also available so co- operators interested in retaining surface residues can do so while fall plowing. Co-operators with the HSWCD also receive technical assistance, assistance at planting time, and crop monitoring throughout the growing season. Each farmer's cropping practices, rotation, and preferences are considered in an attempt to develop conservation tillage practices suitable for the entire operation. If you are interested in developing con- servation cropping systems on your farnis, contact Robert Traut at the Clinton OMAF office at 482-3428 or the new inwats numbers, 1-800-265-7044 or 1-800-265-7045. Sole proprietorship vs. hsband-wife partnership BY RALPH S. WINSLADE, FARM BUSINESS ADVISOR I recent months there has been some in- ter sting discussion' about the pros anfl cons sole proprietorships vs. husband -wife partnerships. Like many subjects in the far- ming business and married life, the debate may never cease and will selcibm be won. Being a poor debater, perhaps I can take both sides in this article. Those ,!who favour a sole proprietorship with the other spouse ( usually wife) receiv- ing a salary put forward two main arguments. The sole 'proprietorship is simpler - I cannot debate the point. The an- nual tax savings is similar. That point can be debated because the angwer depends on the facts of an individual situation.. Generally speaking, at modest levels of net farm income, a significant tax saving approaching $1,000 can be gained by split- ting about $6,000 into the other spouse's in- come. Sometimes a salary achieves this result; in other cases a partnership achieves it. In the short run, the tax implica- tions may well be similar. However, in the long run,'partnerships ap- pear to be preferable. The closer that spouses are to a 50:50 usually creates the least tax. However, 30:70 can still be Mean- ingful. Back to the long run perspective. if the business prospers, as you hope it will, taxes on the business income should be less with a partnership. If each partner invests some profit outside of the business, tax on the investments will be less. If each partner has a share of capital, taxes on the sale of the business and on retirement income will be less with a partnership. However, there is more to farming and marriage than taxes. While there are ex- tremists on both the chauvinistic side and the, equality side, I find that most farm couples sincerely want both the farm business and the marriage to succeed. Thus the choice of business arrangemen may well be dictated by the personal reltion- ships present in the farm business and mar- riage. If only one spouse only looks after the business and the other only looks after the home, then there is no opportunity for either a salary or a partnership. However, if both are involved in the business then there may bean option. If both have contributed to capital as well 'as labour and management, a partnership (especially one closer to 50:50) can be more easily justified. Personal concerns involve responsibility roles. If one spouse makes most of the decisions, does most of the work and the other is a helper, then a proprietor- ship may well suit their personality style. If both parties are closely involved in the management decisions and both know how to run things, then a partnership likely will ' suit their personality. A few female spouses feel that a salary in a proprietorship is demeaning because of an implied raster-servantrelationship. If that is a real febling, then a partnership should be discussed. A few writers indicate that the spouse receiving a salary may be in a weaker bargaining position should the mar- riage break down. Presumably the salary recipient was paid as the years went along. For persons concerned about rights under marriage break -down, a partnership may, again, be more business -like. However, it should be realized that only family belongings and the marital home are divided under the family law reform act. Business assets will be divided by legal pro- cess either by way of legal agreement or by way of a court decision. This division should occur according to the facts of the situation and the desire of both parties to see the business continue. While trying to moderate the debate, my bias towards• a partnership probably shows through. A legal partnership can exist without a written agreement. However, a written agreement is desirable. It is extra proof -of the existence of a partnership. ueen "IN THE HEART QF DOWNTOWN VARNA" 482-7103 n � (FRESH CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI CAULIFLOWER - 6.50 DOZEN BROCCOLI - 9.00 CASE 3 MILES WEST OF EXETER ON HIGHWAY 83 OPEN DAILY 9 AM to 8 PM - Closed Sundays VISSCHER FARMS 237-3442 1 HORST FEIGE DoTw NOW OPEN! - — — — — - GODERICH 58 WEST ST, (Kitty corner to Police Station) 524',6688 By appointment only if busy phone 1-800-265141S GODERICH G1V LrSTAR, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29,1$84 --PAGE 9A ISH 6A ®SIT A RI® pN t votl 6IJZH�E�TERr1 �� lace heip liars, we ceaissue g pall 111954..nier information lees in the our magazines distributing hotels and cam• trip We're dis s, too . n cen4lres, grants, right places, restaurants, tourist and rBUSICanadiaAmerrcan li You wan re t ls Spring ur rists trorn N1aYto st to ySe tepleach tougtratiord to the east, t tourism Georgian L temper, fro on in he west' to ErieGn the South `a the north, h nts a� Major centres in r d all Por between. — a ■ plyoan�s d shops, and cies . store ng Canadian lxgeers ire eros °pile Clubs and day tripe Whe ever travellers quent. V • magazine • is a travel guidnv de a c°ate in - its PuOde to he muStiteste`n iprehensivthe god file v1 sons wthhott t our area,yet• tOntario.oIt PrO es abou community terestinti hl�hts,v8l�ts maps, morel �ades, special e gui 29 Kin ar feel gal wl (519)396-2963 k5A9 528 2g221Luc iorw (5191 527.0240 l$ei,'r - 15191 D 1 � 13, .1984SE�� ASOIE 1"nuatly is P b shedignai serni-anStar Publishing i Ont. N7 ng Lt d. P U 6 Sr9. Sox 220, Goderich, LtP 3311 C,drrchl 15 1.9l45 34431 to) l519)345.5431 59134-843OtcheM E 1984 GODERICH INDUSTRIAL FASTBALL LEAGUE 16Th ANNUAL t,. LABOUR DAY WEEKEND FASTBALL TOURNAMENT FREE DANCE FRIDAY NIGHT Music by RICHARD EARNST Disc Jockey CONSOLATION SEMI FINAL. 100 00 QUARTER FINAL. $50 00 SI)NDAY "A" DIVISION WINGHAM B.P S FHIIIAP Dl LUCKNOW 1'M AGRICULTURAL PARK, GODERICH FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY AUGUST 31, SEPTEMBER 1, 2, 3 TEAMS COMPETING FOR X3140.00 PRIZE MONEY CHAMPIONSHIP SI'NDAY 9 AM 10 .IO AM 112 WOODSTOCK REDMEN IDI SATURDAY 410 AM Dl 4l'AHTF:H PI NAI !95 00 MONDAY ORANGEVILLE DAIRY 10 30 AM 02 FINAL Dl MON. 4:30 125.00 SARNIA MICOR ti ATUR1 )AY DI SUNDAY LONDON PEST CONTROL SI 'NDAY 12 AM 130 PM 02 LONDON ROYAL BANK n1 SATURDAY 12 30 „,„,,,,„.„„=„=„d PM 02 100.00 SUNDAY 3 P 02 PETROLIA SQUIRES LONDON TED DILTS M) )NIDA Y Ill 30 AM DI CATURDAY 2 PM Dl SARNIA RIVERPORT AVON A'S SATURDAY 3 10 Pm 02 MONDAY POINT EDWARD 1 30 PM rn JOHNSON SPORTS BF SUNDAY 4 30 PM DI 919500 6 FINAL Dl MON 730 WINNER 0275 00 595 00 SUNDAY ePM MONDAY 1 30 PM 01 SATURDAY • 6 30 PM 01 ENZO'S PIZZA SARNIA TIGERS SATURDAY Dl -0:00PM SUNDAY 7:30PM . D1 CAMBRIDGE CLEANING CONSOLATION 1S0 00 FREE DANCE SATURDAY NIGHT RICHARDMusic By EARNST Disc Jockey "B" DIVISION GODERICH FRENCH CLEANERS 1100 00 Asmattlatetem MONDAY 900 AM 02 FINAL MONDAY 300 PM 112.5 00 50.00 SUNDAY 900 AM 11 FRIDAY D1 10 I'M SUNDAY ZURICH WALTON SATURDAY 02 9 30 AM SARNIA RES BRYANSTON ISATURDAY 9 00 AM D1 IIEURY SUNDAY 10 30 AM 02 CHAMPIONSHIP !45 00 SUNDAY 1200 I30 PM 01 GODERICH DENOMME ARRANGERS „...........dSATURDAY 1) OO AM 02 NAIRN GODERICH KIPKEY'S'CAR CARE S,.... ATURDAY 1 MONDAY 12:00 132 SUNDAY 3:00 PM D1 12 30 P MONDAY SEPT 6 900 AM D1 WEST CORNERS WILKESPORT SATURDAY - 2 00 PM 02 SUNDAY 4 30 PM D2 1195 00 FINAL MONDAY 0:00PM 42 1'775.00 ALVINSTON HENDERSON GULF COWBOYS SATURDAY •3•30PM Dl SUNDAY STRATHROY SUNDAY 11:00PM HICKSON 9:00PM Dl D1 SATURDAY - 5.00 PM D1 GODERICH CANADA CO. FQF� MONDAY 12:00 D1 PIIIMRAIIAS avaiiabllle at valri ius outlets in Goderich and at the Arena