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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-09-07, Page 31TC ne 1 For the past year. I have been a member of one of the public panels discussing pollution in the Great Lakes. Because of other commitments. I havenot been able to at- tend alt the meetings but a recent report from the Interna- tional Joint Commission on land use and land practices has me deeply concerned about the future of forming in this .._pcouince _— — Urban development in the Great Lakes basin will con- sume 2.5 million acres of farm land in the next 40 years. That is a disturbing figure, a distressing prediction. Not only that. the report predicts that 7.5 million 'acres will go out of farming in the next four decades. In other words, 2.5 million acres will be lost under concrete and asphalt and an additional five million acres just simply will not be farmed. The decline in farming will occur mostly in Ontario, the report says. Urban development in the province will in- crease by 48 per cent in 40 years compared with 35 in the U.S.A. TheGreat Lakes basin, on both sides of the border, is one of the fastest-growing industrial and urban complexes in,the entire world. It is also one_of the largest in the world. Four- teen per cent of the population of the United States live in the basin and 33 per cent of the Canadian people live in the. basin. We are. in Ontario, acutely aware that the greatest growth will be around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie where the country's best farm land is located. I'm well aware that a great many reports in years gone by have not been totally accurate and I'd be willing to allow a 10 per cent error factor in this report. Nevertheless, those are important acres and. it would seem, little action is !aping taken to prevent the loss. Bill Newman. Ontario's agriculture minister. huffs and puffs but gets little support from cabinet in making •any malL a The Ontariq , Wiieat Producers' . Marketing Board has atnnounced the final paaymeatof $946 per tonne or 26.8 cents per bushel on 1977 crop wheat sales by producers; Board chairman Russell W. Rogers of RR, 1, Kingsville said the payment will be made • THE GQDW,RiCH SINAL -STAR, THUEtSDAY, SHPTHIIBE;R 7,1978--FA,GE 11A' inent o w ea before the end of Sep, tember to over 1$,000 producers who sold wheat during the 1977 crop year ending June"30,1978. Rogers said the payment will `bring the total received by producers for the "77 crop to an- average of $83.36 per tonne or. $2.26.8 cents per bushel. He pointed out the average is substantially less than• the previous year's level of 8114. per tonne due to depressed export prices • during the marketingrperiod. Out. of tie record producer sales of 801 800 tonne purchased by the. board, plus 55 300 tonne carried over from the Letters are aporeoated by Bob Trotter Eldale Rd. Omura .Ont N38 2C7 definite strides to preserve farm land. The recent cabinet decision to allow 300 acres of farmland north of Toronto to be developed as a family fun park made me so mad I had to be scraped off the ceiling. It is not, as I have said before, just the land for the park. It is what will happen to a few thousand acres in the vicinity of -tt pleastwe..park; the-l4and-for-hotets;-motels;tfast-food"out= •`-'W lets -and--everything else that goes with a huge development such as that envisaged. Provincial officials talk glibly about more acres being farmed now than five years ago in Ontario. And their statis- tics can look most convincing. It sounds good but in all of Canada, .there are only eight million acres of land suitable for farming. They are the same acres where most of the dvelopment and urban ,growth is occurring. This trend already has forced a lot of farmers to marginal land farther north. How can an agricul- tural operation compete when land prices start soaring? Farmers are forced off the land by the inevitable dollar increases.. in property. values.. That is what happens when a big development begins. Growth follows growth. Highway 400 between Toronto and Barrie will become one long development. A great many people alive today will witness this happening just because a few jobs will be created in an amusement park. The land will be lost forever. Those beautiful, rolling fields of grain and hay and corn will be covered with empty paper cups, napkins, ticky-tacky motels. circus rides and phoney fairylands. • When the good land is gone, it costs. more to produce less on poorer land which leads to higher costs and higher food prices. . • There is no choice. Farmland must be preserved in.this province for future generations. • Gailyna, a purebred Arab, seems to be looking back to make sure her master, Carolyn Dinsmore of .. RR j,, Fordwich, is doing a good job of brushing and grooming. Gailyna was exhibited at the Bluewater Centre's second annual Farm Show recently along with various other kinds of, livestock brought to the Centre'by members of various Huron County 4-11 groups, Calf Clubs and Junior Formers. (Photo by Joanne Walters) Solar c_oliedolo..lheip§:keop fuel bills low Driving north along concession 15 and 16 of Goderich Township the old Stone school quickly catches the eye. According to the cor- nerstone set into the building, the old • school was constructed in 1873. Yet despite its age, the old school has been modernized by Harry and Isabel Mitchell and made into their home. The couple who have lived there since 1971 have maintained the school's original struc- ture and have furnished the inside with antiques and old decor but the building has actually been modernized more than any other old or new home. Looking at the south side of the old school's roof, there appears to be a skylight, but ,after a, conversation with the Mitchells and on closer inspection it becomes clear that the structure on the roof is a solar collector. The collector is used for Mr. Mitchell's solar water heating, which he constructed by himself at a cost of $250. Although it has only been in operation for a' few months; • the water heating system does work and can be used all winter long by putting antifreeze in the system to keep it flowing. The collector itself is made from a four foot by six foot storm window, a copper- plate and. a few. inches of insulation. The collector converts the sun's rays into heat. The heat in .turn is used to warm water from the well which is stored in a pre -heat tank in the basement. When the water reaches a certain temperature it is automatically tran- sferred into a regular Cascade 40 heater. So, rather than taking water out of the well at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the water comes from the collector at 90 degrees, taking less energy and hydro to heat. Harry Mitchell, standing, shows an interested person the workings of one of the new, modern, airtight wood burners in use at his 105 -year-old former stone school house In Goderich Township. The Mitchell home will be one of the stops on Saturday's energy conservation tour sponsored by the Huron Alternate Energy and Lifestyle Group and CANTDU, .. - (News -Record photo) JOHNSTON BROS. Bothwell Ltd. New Gravel Prices CASH & CARRY EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY FILL STONEDUST SAND. CRUSHED GRAVEL CEMENT GRAVEL DRAINAGE STONE OVERSIZE STONE PIT RUN 15' 95' 90' 95' 95` '1,75 95' 40' OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY DUNGANNON PITS ONLY 52407941 "I save four Kilowatts a day or 22 cents a day which adds up to $75 a year," Mr. MitcheH explained, "It may not sound like much but just think how it would be if everyone did this." The more people get interested, the cheaper things will get," he ex- plained. "People are now getting ripped off, this is all a binge. Here;s an article called Peddling the Sun. People think that you have to have a sophisticated system. and the kits you buy cost anywhere from $800 to $1,800." However, - as Mr. Mitchell has shown through his water heating system, solar con- structions don't have to be,expensive. There are many 'books and magazines on the market illustrating and discussing solar systems and special courses are now offered. "Buying books and magazines on this is almost like a drug habit with me," Mr. Mitchell" said. "I'm retirecr and have extra time to do this;" explained the former air force man. However, he said that the solar heating system will take little main- tenance. "I try to do one project a year. In the spring I'll start on a solar greenhouse but I want to read everything and learn all the pros and cons," Mr. Mitchell went on. An organic gardener for the past 12 years, Mr. Mitchell is looking for- ward to his proposed greenhouse. "We never have to buy vegetables andwe have enough in our garden to last until April," he ex- plained. Along with the regular vegetables; the Mitchells also grow soybeans. They said that they turn out in the freezer like baby lima beans. The solar greenhouse will be about 1.2 feet by 16 feet and will be attached to the south wall of the old stone school. The ab- sorbing wall will be built on a 63 -degree angle to get the maximum heat infiltration. Mr. Mitchell, noted; "I watch the papers. In the Free Press there's a green house being torn down. I plan to get some of the salvaged material from it but I don't want to make a hodge podge." In his plans for the greenhouse, Mr. Mitchell is considering the idea of putting the benches on 50 gallon drums filled ..with. water. They absorb the heat and equalize the greenhouse temperature from 60 to 75 degrees instead of 45 to 95 degrees. "We're not only into solar we're just partially self sufficient," he went on. He further explained that the 1,100 square foot stone school is always kept at 64 degrees Fahrenheit inside. "We wear a sweater instead of running around in shorts," Mrs. Mitchell commented. As well, another energy saving device is their air tight wood stove. The stove, which is now becoming more popular is welded together to give 80 percent efficiency. The Mitchells used to have a Franklin stove but Complete Automotive Machine Shop and Radiator Repair Service Let US do lite work.... COMPANY LIMITED 145 HURON ROAD, GODERICH 524-8389 Seed Wheat For Sale Certified Canada No. 1 Buyers of Timothy and Trefoil Seed ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ i ♦ ....... AndersonFiox Products LUCKNOW 5284203 say that they wouldn't go back to it. In their present stove a load of wood can burn up to 14 hours and the heat can be modified by two controls on the outside. Although Mr. Mitchell belongs to individual solar energy club his house will be included as part of a solar energy tour sponsored by the area Energy Con- servation Centre. The tour will be held on September 9 and will take in a total of 15 homes, from Grand Bend to Wingham. Six homes from the Goderich, Clinton, Blyth and Seaforth area will be included in this. ',The homes will be open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 , p.m. Detailed maps giving directions to the homes will be available with the tickets. Tickets can be purchased by writing to the Lucknow Conservation Centre. Vis.coning previous crop yea', he. to the federal govern- board was required tar merit in April to have the export 593 0.00 tonne and 1977 crop designated sold' 25 400 tpnne to . under the Act and to domestic processors. grant deficiency Carryover from the 1977 payments accordingly. crop was minimal. The lower 1977 average price has resulted in producers qualifying for deficiency payments under the Agricultural. Stabilization Act. The Ontario Wheat Board' made a submission CLAY Silo Unloaders Feeders Cleaners Stabling Leg Elevators Liquid Manure Equipment Hog Equipment BUTLER — Silo Unloadors Feeders Conveyors FARMATIC — Milis Augers, etc. ACORN — Cleaners Heated Waterers WESTEEL-ROSCO Granaries B & L - Hog Panelling LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS RR 1, Kincardine, Ont. Phone 395-5286 FARM CLASSIFIED SECTION A. For sale APPROXIMATELY 25 bushels of Genessee seed wheat, cleaned and treated. Phone 524- 8086.-36,37 CASE 200 Baler,good ' condition or will trade for rotovator. Phone 482- 3149.-35,36 B. Custom work CUSTOM silo filling, 2 row three wagon outfit. $50 per hour. Fred Dutot 482-3350.-36x BULLDOZING, Allis Chalmers No. 650, with six way hydraulic blade. Bill Robinson, RR 2, Auburn, 529-7857. —16tf WATER. WELL DRILLING "76 YEARS EXPERIENCE" • FARM • SUBURBAN • INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL • • FREE ESTIMATES •. GUARANTEED WELLS _1 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 WINGHAM Collect Calls Accepted "ONTARIO'S FINEST WATER WELLS SINCE 1900" Olson's Grovel Pit DUNGANNON, ONT. 529-7942 PRICES ARE PER TON SANDY FILL B-2 GRAVEL B-1 GRAVEL DUST OR SAND 4" UNDER STONE ROAD GRAVEL CEMENT GRAVEL 5/8" 3/4 STONE 500 tons .20c .30c .40c 300 Eton .30c .40o. .50c 100 tons .40c .50c .60c' .95c 1.20 .95c 1.20 1.75 OUR DELIVERY CHARGE IS LESS FOR CASH Doze r and scraper available for a good leveling job Howson -Mills ELEVATOR DIVISION Receiving White Beans & Corn • Fast Unloading • Probe System for Corn • Sell, Store or Contract your Corn. • Satellite Dealer for W. G. Thompson & Sons Ltd. in Beans ONLY HOWSON & HOWSON LTD. BLYTH 523-4241 ELEVATOR: 1 mile tont c'! Riyth off County Rd. 25 PHONE 523-9624