The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-11-30, Page 35loot
lurrow' by 0.4
Urban encroachment is insidious.
It's like catching a cold. First, a shiver up the spine.
Then, a sniffle. You ignore it. Hope it will go away.
Wake up a day or two later and you're full of the cold.
Same thing with disappearing farmland. Just a few
acres at a time. Annexations where towns and cities are
growing. A new highway. A power line. A subdivision.
Wake up some say and half the good farmland in the
province is buried under ticky-tacky houses, miles of
concrete and utility corridors.
Many townships in this province originally consid-
ered rural suddenly find only a handful of farmers left.
Drive north from Tranna. It has become a single bu-
siness strip right through to Orillia, almost to Midland.
Drive east and it's the same thing to Port Hope and
Cobourg. Drive west and it stretches, yea, almost to
London.
And it happens in- some areas before rural folk are
aware.
Few townships in Ontario tried harder or longer to
remain rural than little North Dumfries Township in
Waterloo Region: Those stalwart Scots came here in
the early 1800s to be farmers and, by Jove laddie, they
tried to remain farmers. The township's coat -of -arms
depicts a farmer with a team and a plow.
I believe it. was one of the first townships in Ontario
to pass zoning bylaws to discourage farmers from sel-
ling agricultural land to city intruders.
Years ago, I was reporter at many of those township
council meetings.
Almost unbelievable differences
Letters are
aPPreaated by Bob Trower Eidate Rd Etrnua Ont N3B 2C7
The rural philosophy colored many major decisions
for years.
But four years ago Statistics Canada revealed there
were 1,400 households. How many were farmers?
Just 140.
Hard to believe that a so-called rural township could
suddenly become non -rural. This. experience is con-
crete evidence that no municipal law can prevent the
gobbling up of good farmland.
Non -farmers with enough money and a hankering
for the country life will find loopholes in the laws or
the planning restrictions.
And the developers will do the rest.
Which is just another reason why this province
needs a comprehensive land -use law and a government
with the guts to carry it out.
Less than six per cent of this Canadian land mass is
suitable for agriculture. Only about four per cent is
considered prime farmland which leaves plenty of
rough, tough soil on which to build homes without tak-
ing good land:
You think because you live on the back concessions
80 miles from Toronto that it can't happen to you?
Don't be complacent. It can happen. It will happen
unless farmers keep pounding away at those seats of
power to prevent such a senseless waste of an irreplace-
able resource.
You can't do anything about it when it is gone.
They don't make land anymore.
Ghana farms different from Canadian
by Ross Haugh
Dr. Bruce Hunter, a
specialist from the
University of Guelph, told
of his recent two year
stay in Ghana at Thur-
sday's annual banquet of
the Huron. Soil and Crop
Improvement
Adsociatiorn" at -the new
Lucknow Community
Centre.
He-Irste --the com-
parisons of farming in
Canada and Ghana and
described them as
"almost unbelievable".
The largest farm is
about five acres and is
obtained from the chief of
the village, and kept for a
term at the discretion of
the head of government.
Dr. Hunter said the
total capitalization on a
Ghana farm would be.
from $3 to $10 and all
work was done by hand:
He added, ' "Their
methods are very labour
intensive and a cutlass to
be used by hand for
cutting and threshing
grain was the only im-
plement used."
The'average yearly
family income in Ghana,
was estimated at about
$300.
Soils and crop
specialist Pat Lynch gave
a summary of the field
trials held during the 1978
growing season along
with the amount of
rainfall at 10 locations
throughout Huron and
Perth counties.
One of the most in-
teresting reports was on a
forage seeding rate taken
on by four co-operator
farmers. The comment
was that high seeding
rates don't guarantee a
high number of plants' per
square foot.
One farmer tried three
different amounts of
alfalfa seed per acre and
saw very little difference
in the plant ,count. A
planting of 5.5 pounds per
acre produced eight
plants per square foot
while plantings of 9.8 and
11 pounds brought 10
plants each.
The highest production
came from one co-
operator reporting 19
plants pee sgtlare fbdt
from a planting of 10
pounds while half the
amount of seed produced
14 plants.
Huron Ag Rep Don
Pullen, told the gathering
each farmer should make
a New Year's resolution
and try to stick to it.
• In this regard, Pat
Lynch suggested farmers
keep track of corn yields
as a new resolution.
He added, "corn hybrid
selections are so im-
portant. I know of one
operation of 800 acres of
corn where $25,000 was
lost because of corn
selection.
Fat cows problem
Overweight dairy cows
don't pull their weight in
the milking herd. They
cost producers money in
r uced milk production
and reduced reproductive
efficiency.
Late lactating and dry
cows require less feed
than cows in peak lac-
tation, says Blair
Murray, Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food
dairy cattle specialist.
"Most cows allowed
free access to forages,
especially silages, will
eat more feed than they
need."
Ideally, a cow should
weight only 15 to 20
percent more at the erid
of her lactating period
than at peak lactation.
This means a 585 kg cow
should gain 90 to 110 kg. If
she gains more, her
metabolism will start to
'deposit fat, instead of
producing milk and milk
fat.
"A cow too heavy for its
size has fat deposits in the
liver and kidneys," says
Murray. "Fat is also
deposi,ted around
reproductive organs so
that they don't function
properly."
Fat cows are suscep-
tible to more health
problems than normal
WATER WELL 1
DRILLING.
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• FARM • SURURRAN • INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL •
• FREE ESTIMATES
• GUARANTEED WELLS
• FAST MODERN EQUIPMENT
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- "OUR-EXPERIIENCE-ASSURES
LOWER COST WATER WELLS"
DAVIDSON
fIVEi II DPILLING 4 Rtlttary and Iiareusslc i Drills
LIMITER PHONE 351.1910
9NINGHAM
Collre"t galls Ac apted
die* APIO'S FINE* WATER WELLS Siit E'140"
cows, including milk
fever, retained placenta,
ketosis, displaced
abomasum and udder
edema.
"Many farmers ask
what they are doing
wrong when they notice
post -calving disorders,"
says Murray. "Usually
these problems started
months before with the
management of dry
cows." •
The best time to correct
excess weight is during
the last two months of the
cow's lactation. The dry
cow ration should merely
maintain the desired
body weight.
"To prevent late, lac-
tating cows from gaining
excess weight, feed them
separately, away from
the -milking herd," he
says. "Limit the energy
and protein intake, but
don't forget to provide the
proper balance of
essential minerals.
"This can be ac-
complished through the
use of forage analysis and
•the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and.. Food
Feed Formulation Ser-
vice."
A report on cereal
grain trials) showed two
new hybrids. They are
Sentinel oats and Sum -
mitt barley with yields
comparable to existing
varieties.
In referring, to soil
testing on the farm of Bev
Lynch
"Between the row' vs.
within the row has been
carried on for three years
on the Hill farm. While
there is'some year to year
variability, the soil test
level within the row is
much higher than bet-
ween the row. This is just
anotherreason to soil test
while the crop is growing.
This way '.,you are not
sampling residue fer-
tilizer."
In the rainfall report,
the driest spot turned out
to be the, farm of Ewart
Crago in Blanshard
township where it was
only 14:55 inches during
the growing season from
April to October in-
clusive. The 1977 amount
was 33.4 inches.
While rainfall was
down in mostchecks, two
did show an increase
from the previous year.
They were F. Kreis in
Fullarton from 24.81 to
26.01 and R. Siemon n
Logan township up to 32.4
from 27.5 inches.
At Centralia College of
Agricultural Technology
the rain gauge showed
20.74 inches of rain this
past summer as com-
pared to 23.54 inches
during 1977.
Chairman of the
meeting was Huron Soil
and Crop president Don
Martin. , The vice-
president is Hay township
representative Don
Rader who is expected to
be named 1979 president
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'
90c.
95c.
95'
'1.75
95'
40'
OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY
DUNGANNON PITS ONLY
529494 '
at a directors' meeting to
be held within the next
couple of weeks. Mike
Miller, Huron's associate
ag rep, is secretary of the
group.
•
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, NOMIEWR30,197$ I'AGEE.15A
Sa.ys groundSays.grounct beef
price statement wrong
Alex Connell, President
of the Ontario Cat-
tlemen's Association, has
challenged the Statement
attributed to Chester
Wilcox, Corporate Meat
Manager, Dominion
Stores Ltd. that regular
ground beef could go as
high as $2 per pound
unless the Federal
Government increases
beef import quotas for
1979.
Mr. Connell, a beef
producer from near
Palmerston, Ontario
said: "The statement is
misleading in that it
implies that the price
level for ground beef is
determined primarily by
import controls. This is
simply not the case since
price relationships
among the various cuts of
beef are reasdnably fixed
and the general price
level both for cattle and
beef in North America is
primarily a function of
supply and demand."
Imported beef, which
comes primarily from
Australia ._ and New
Zealand, represents
approximately 7 percent
to 9 percent of per capita
beef consumption in both
Canada and the United
States and is used
primarily in the in-
stitutional trade as op-
posed to the retail trade.
A study conducted a
number of years ago
indicated that ground
beef sold through major
retail chains was
primarily derived from
the meat cutting
operation where high
quality carcasses are
used.
Less than 20 percent of
ground. beef being sold
over the retail counter
originated from imported
product.
Mr. Connell concluded,
"The price level for
C mpiete Automotive
Machine Shop
and
Radiator Repair Service
Let US do the work....
IDEAL SUPPLY
COMPANY LIMITED
145 HURON ROAD, GODERICH
524-8389
ground beef is going to be
determined by the
general price level- for
carcass beef."
Mr. Connell went on to
say, "Cattle numbers
have been declining not
only in North America
but alt around the world
since 1975 because of
heavy supplies and ex-
tremely low prices. The
year 1978 will be the
fourth consecutive year
of herd liquidation
because of low prices.
Few consumers seem to
realize that beef prices
were so depressed from
1975 to 1977 that the
current price levels, even
though markedly above
last year, are no more
than adequate to renew
interest in the cattle
business and to provide
enough financial in-
centive to cow herd
owners to begin
rebuilding breeding
herds. Since it takes one
year for a decision to
materialize in the form of
a new born calf and a
further two years to get
that calf readied for
market, consumers can
expect dwindling beef
supplies for at least three
more years. The situation
has been similar in every
other major beef
producing nation in the
world."
Massive increases in
beef imports, would be a
signal, to cattlemen not to
expand breeding herds
and the inevitable result
would be still lower
supplies. Reasonable
import levels should not
discourage herd ex-
pansion.
Mr. Connell concluded
by saying, "It is
ridiculous. to . say that
Ottawa's policy is "to hell
with consumers". Many
beef producers have the
same feeling about.
Ottawa's attitude toward
cattlemen. The federal
government has in-
dicated that it would
control beef imports for
the next three years.
Cattlemen in Canada,
through their provincial
and national
Associations, have been
seeking a long term and
permanent import policy
for beef so that producers
can make long range
production decisions and
consumers can know
what to expect."
Pioneer
Seed
Corn
in the
Goderich & Clinton area
Call
Ray Brown
529-7260 or
524-8114
FARM
• CLASSIFIED:
SECTIQN
A. For sale
A QUANTITY of choice
conditioned, first cut hay.
Duncan Farrish, phone
395-2728.-47,48
B. Custom work
BULLDOZING, Allis-
Chalmers No. 650, with
six way hydraulic blade.
Bill Robinson, RR 2,
Auburn. 529-7857.-43TF
CLAY -
Silo Unloaders
Feeders
Cleaners
Stabling
Leg Elevators
Liquid Manure
Equipment
Hog Equipment
BUTLER -
Silo Unloaders
Feeders
Conveyors
FARMATIC -
Mills
Augers, etc.
ACORN -
Cleaners
Heated Waterers
WESTEEL-ROSCO
Granaries
B 8 L - Hog Panelling
LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS
RR 1, Kincardine, Ont.
Phone 395-5286
DAVE HAYLOW
ELECTRICAL
Serving
Industrial, Commercial,
Residential Needs
524-6038
Olson's Gravel Pit
Dunganpon, Ontario
WHOLESALE PRICES
PER TON 100
TONS
C GRAVEL FILL
132 GRAVEL
BI GRAVEL
STONE DUST, SAND
CEMENT OR A GRAVEL
SCREENED STONE
a/4 STONE"
. 15
. 30
.40
.90
. 95
.95
1.60
Prices include delivery up to 2 miles
529-7942'•.
Compare our delivery price's per ton
400
tons
200 100
tons tons
Load
Prices
.30 .35 .40 .44
.40 .45 .50 .54
.50 .55 .60 _ .64
1.10 - 1.14
1.15 - 1.19
1.15 - 1:19
1.80 - 1.84
Add 10c per mile over 2 miles
Dozer and scraper available for a Good leveling job
When you buy
Canadian- made products,.
you create jobs in Canada.
That's why
Ontario urges you
to Shop Canadian.
Every time you buy something,
look -for 'Made in Canada'
identification because when you
buy products made in Canada,
you create work for Canadians.
For example...
• if you spend $500 on a Canadian -
made sofa, you create about
3 days work for Canadians.
• if Canadians increase their
purchases of Canadian -made
clothes by only 5%, it would
create more than 4,000 new jobs.
The more Canadian products
we buy, the more jobs we create.
Your Ontario Ministry of
Industry and Tourism wants you
to know that buying Canadian
products ber.fits all of us in
Ontario; it,I3400sts our economy
and maintains our standard
of living.
So when you shop Canadian,
you'll be giving Ontario a more
prosperous New Year.
Larry Grossman,
Minister of Industry
and Tourism
William Davis, Premier
Province of Ontario
r,
r
•