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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-10-13, Page 32George Turto LIFE, AUTO, FIRE AND ALL OTHER LINES 319 HURON ROAD GODERICH no } ri tik PAGE 10A—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1977 Agriculture and Food Minister Bill Newman has released the design'of the symbol which will highlight the ministry's food promotion campaign, Foodland Ontario. The symbol, which incorporates the words "Foodland Ontario" and the stylized trillium, represents growth and the productivity of Ontario's agricultural land. It will be used extensively in the ministry's media advertising program scheduled to begin in early November. The minister, speaking just prior to leaving on a food export mission to Japan, said that many marketing boards, commodity groups and retailers have also expressed interest in using the symbol. "I hope to see it widely displayed in the coming months, particularly on food packages and containers," he said. Mud is ankle-deep 7s, 1 have been chastised by Bill Newman.- Ontario's minister of agriculture and food, Before going on vacation this summer, 1 wrote several columns in advance so I could get away for three weeks,. One of those columns suggested that the Ontario Milk Mar- keting Board IOMMBi, the Ontario Milk Commission and the provincial department of agriculture were pushing the Old Order and Amish Mennonites of this province to the wall These bureaucrats, 1 said, can rob a significant, a passive •and an altogether admirable minority of part of their life- style because they are. demanding that all milk in Ontario must be stored in bulk coolers. In other words, the farmers without electricity cannot ship milk in cans anymore after the end of this month. Mr. Newman called my attention to a press release from his ministry dated Aug. 10, "a full 10 days before your arti- cle appeared." I never did receive a copy of that press release but 1 have only been a farm writer for 14 years and maybe the ministry hasn't caught up with me yet. Anyway. I was on vacation, The release,. says Mr. Newman. reads, For producers who do not wish to convert to bulk tanks -on their farms, there are two alternatives. (How can there .be two alternatives, Bill"? I thought an alternative meant one other course of action.1 Producers can farm - separate cream or they can combine in groups to establish communal bulk tanks off the farm, sub- ject to stringent quality control. To quote Mr. Newman: "This government values the con- tribution made by minority groups to our society and we deeply respect their religious and cultural customs. We also have an obligation to the public at large to ensure that the very best possible health practices are used within the.food producing industry. -When the difficulties with bulk -tank conversion arose. we — both politicians and civil servants -- held many discus- sions with many groups and individuals, as well as with the bne foot in the furrow'i Ls,te,s s,e apprea•ted b Bob Irons, ftdaie Rd Elm.ra Ont N38 2C7 Plowing match wet Howard Da tars of Dash- wood hopes the rain lets up by next September, but he's not t..tio s u r.3;4 w' -Standing -ankle-deep fn, mud at the 1977 Inter- national Plowing Match near Kingston, he just shook his head and prayed that next year's match near Wingham in Hu -on County gets a better break from the weather. As chairman of the Huron County organizing com- mittee, he's already worrying iihout potential mud problems in 1978 at the tented city which will he located on the farm of Jim Armstrong. "This mud just has to be a supreme disappointrntnt for the organizers of this ye'ar's match." he said, "There's at least five years' preparation goes into each one of these (plowing matches)." The hist Match held in Huron. near Seaforth in 1966, 'teas also plagued by rain, sleet and snow. which turned the grounds intoa sea of mud. Various"county plowmen's groups have to apply five years in advance to give them lead time to pick a site and arrange for such services as hydro, telephones and ac -- corn modation. And for the next five years, four Southwestern Ontario counties will play host to the match, which has been running for 64 years, They a`ro. in 1978, Huron: 1979, Kent: 1980, Oxford: 1981, Simone: and 1982, Middlesex. About the only entrepreneurs -doing a thriving business at this, year's match were the rubber hoot salesmen, many of them teen-agers, who set up shop on opening day Tuesday at the entrance to . the tented city mudhole. Considering the situation, the match drew a :reasonable crowd_. of about 80,000 over the first four days. "The kids have been having a riot,'' said Lee Allison of the Ontario agriculture ministry. "But i don't envy the teachers....Kids are jumping off wagons into the rn ss and having mud fights." Because of the desperate. condition of the tented city, setting up their booths, thus officials have found more making• a bog before the people attending the plowing match even began. rna4ssk/"• a44ropaa t w.i2 .•past..--- 1dr I1 Iray t; -th'e rrt.Irse tier- - years-. The reason given- is service .arteries behind the that the fields have not hcen as churned up"asethe ground at the tented city. Roy Pattison of RR3, Wingham, vice-chairman of the Huron plowing group, thinks he knows how to prevent some of the mud problems next year, if there are similar downpours then. He contends that much of this year's problems resulted from exhibitors using main tented city thoroughfares in exhibits, rather than the streets out front where people walk," he said. Although' some exhibitors at the far reaches of the 100 - acre tented city this year are complaining about lack of pedestrian traffic, they aren't all fed up. "The farmers that are interested are plodding through to our booths," said one exhibitor at the most southerly boundary of the tented city. Farmers need ear protection Being able to hear well is a valuable ability that is often tak-en for granted. Recent studies have found that farmers are greatly jeopardizing this ability. In fact, of all occpuations in Canada farmers are listed in the top three groups whose hearing is damaged by the work they do. Much of the farm machinery used today emits noise at levels far above the acceptable level of 85 decibels (decibels • units of measurement of the power and pressure of sound). Sound levels above this lead to fatigue or temporary loss of the functioning of the cochlea within the inner ear. If these sounds are repeated often and long enough then permanent hearing damage will result. Another damaging effect is a decrease in blood 'circulation. Hearing damage can he controlled by reducing noise at its source (e.g. reduce equipment speed, use mufflers and silencers), controlling noise of the the transmission path (e.g. sound harriers, ac- coustical absorbing treat- mtfn,t), and by. the person using protective devices (e.g. properly fit ear muffs, ear plugs, canal caps), Although noise pollution has a most definite effect on hearing the effect of weather is becoming another health concern. A 1973 study -sum- med up six categories of ear disease found in agricultural workers. Two of these were specifically caused by noise, two by weathertexposure, one by allergy and one by contact with chemicals (fumes). Farmers spend many of their working hours exposed to adverse weather conditions, thus protection should be used. Health studies and the circulation of more in- formation are increasing awareness of the hearing loss that farmers and farm workers incur. Farmers, like everyone, are unwilling to admit that they may have a hearing loss no matter what the extent. With proper action taken now, hearing loss may he prevented. As the Canadian Farm Safety Association stales, "hearing protection makes sense; next to sight, hearing is your most important asset". CORN ELEVATOR Our New Elevator is Now Open: a Fast Unloading [Probe System] • No Long Line-ups • Competitive Prices • Storage Available Elevator S23-'624 Howson & Howson Ltd. Blyth, Ontario 1st Corner East of Blyth Mill 523-4241 ot OMMB. We took very great care to see to it that no one would be caused unnecessary hardship by this regulation. I might point out that the Mennonites were not the only people whose. situation had to be considered. % Mr. Newman hinted that another paper in southwestern Ontario took a more — if you'll pardon the expression — liberalview of .the regulations. He quoted the London Free Press and sent me a copy of the editorial which says: New - man's offer is about as far as the government can safely go without compromising the public health safeguards that prompted the OMMB regulation, At least it indicates that the province isn't bent on inflexible conformity. I would wager that the writer of that editorial. did not read the regulations for those who wish to use a communal bulk tank. Milk must be taken to the tanks within two hours fol- lowing each milking. The milk has to be received atthe bulk tank by a licensed milk grader. The communal bulk tank must be housed in a building which, too, must be licensed as a dairy plant under the milk act. The resident milk grader will be responsible for the general operation and cleanliness. of the receiving station. There are other regulations but I'm sure you get the idea. Under a communal farm, few people could object to these regulations, I suppose. but the Amish and Old Order Menno- nites do not live communally. They can be as much as 15 or 20 miles apart and a communal tank could be quite a hard- ship. There are, as Mr. Newman well knows, other things to do on a farm besides carting milk tanks back and forth by horse and buggy. Mr. Newman ends his letter by expressing the hope that these Plain People can accept his compromise and continue to grace our countryside and our society with their" unique way of life. I express the same hope'but I'm doubtful if they will accept this compromise. Some have left Ontario already. For many farmers, the fall of 1977 will go down as the worst in memory, but for apple growers in the county, it's the best in 20 years. Stewart Middleton, shown with a sample of the, excellent crop, says the yield and quality are the best in two decades because of the dry warm spring, and the August rains. Despite the rajn, the crop is coming off in good time. (News -Record photo) Hose and Fittings Suction, drain, spray, hydraulic Quick Couplers Pumps for every need Transfer pumps, sewage pum. ps, water pumps, specialty pumps. Ce.p'ps EPPS Sales & Service HWY. 8 EAST CLINTON 482-341 C CLAY — Siio Unloaders Feeders Cleaners Stabling Leg Elevators -- ` Cicfiid Manure Equipment Hog Equipment BUTLER — Silo Unloaders Feeders Conveyors FARMATIC — Mills Augers, etc. ACORN — Cleaners Heated Waterers ZERO — Bulk Tanks Pipeline & Parlour Equipment W ESTE EL - ROSCO Granaries B & L - Hog Panelling LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS RR 1, Kincardine, Ontario Phone 395.5286 s P, FARM CLASSIFIED SECTIO C. Wanted WANTED horses to come in and board for winter months. If interested contact 529-7185 after 6 p.m. -40,41 D. 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To help motorists deal with car „repair problems, your Ontario Ministry ofCnsumerand Commercial Relations has prepared special stickers giving tips on "How to get the most from your car repair dollar." Car manufacturers and dealers have been asked to distribute them to purchasers of new cars and the stickers are available from the Ministry. I- fere are the car repair tips: • If your car warranty still applies, review it carefully and determine exactly who pays for what. • (:heck your Owner's Manual; you may find the solution to your problem right there. • fit' -specific when describing the problem to i your serviceman and don't be atr,iid to ask questions, s Ask for an estimate before !wadi with major repairs. lakesurealle iss-a1uthorized by you and neversignt blank work order. • Get full detatIS on repair work warranties (parts and labour). If you feel that you h,ive been misled or deceived, WU mat appeal under The Business Practice, Act. Your Pr(ivinci,il Government Wants you to know what 1(iur nghtsare under The- Business Practices Act, For complete information, write for the free booklet: "ConsumerG010e to The Ontario Business PracticesAai Consumer and Commercial Relations/Car Repair, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario MIA 2H6 Larry Grossman, Minister of consume Commercial Relations William Davis, Pfole' Province of Ontario