The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-03-20, Page 35Jane Sadler Richards appointed soil conservation advisor
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and
Fbod is continuing its soil conservation and
management efforts with two new initiatives
this year, Agriculture and Fbod minister
Philip Andrewes announced recently.
Pburteen soil conservation advisors have
been hied. on three year contracts to work
with farmers to solve soil conservation
problems. Nine are already in place with
another five scheduled to begin work April '1,
he said. Jane Sadler Richards has been
appointed senior soil conservation advisor
and will work out of the Clinton OMAF office.
The .enhanced advisory service is part of
the $25.5 million Ontario Soil Conservation
and Environmental Protection Assistance
Program announced in 1983. The program
More money for research
After spending one year as the Ontario
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Fbod, Dr.
Clay Switzer says the Ministry's main goal is
"helping fanners help themselves".
Switzer told more than 300 farmers, in
Hanover recently, that it was the role of the
ministry to provide information to fanners to
help make them more productive.
Providing information to fanners comes
naturally to Switzer. Before his appointment
to OMAF last January, he spent 29 years as a
professor at the Ontario Agriculture College
in Guelph.
One area where Switzer hopes the govern-
ment can help farmers is in research.
Ontario currently spends $30 million on
research each year. Switzer outlined the value
of research. He says that each dollar spent on
research generated $30 to $40 in income to
fanners through increased productivity.
In order to help fanners market their
products, Switzer said he hopes to see
Ontario agricultural . exports double in the
next five years. Ontario currently'exports $1:6
billion worth of produce each year.
Red meat development
More than 4,700 Ontario producers are now
enrolled in the three red meat development
programs for beef and sheep.
The programs, announced last May as part
of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fbod's Red
Meat Plan, have paid out more than $1.7
million in incentives to beef and sheep
producers.
"The programs were introduced to boost
the quality, productivity and efficiency of the
, beef and sheep industries in Ontario," said
program co-ordinator Dr. Jim Ashman. •
There are three development program,
one eadi for cow -calf, stocker -slaughter and
sheep producers.
"The main component for each program is
enrolment in performance testing pro-
grams," said Ashman. "There are additional
grants induding assistance for herd health
programs, feed testing, management analysis
and capital facilities.
"We are pleased with the progress of the
programs so far and we are considering some
enhancements to the stodserslaughter and
sheep programs," he said.
Other red meat development initiatives
indude a red meat research fund to accelerate
red meat research, and improved advisory
services for beef and sheep producers.
The red meat development invitiatives
were formulated as the first part of .the
ministry's $62.5 million; five-year Red Meat
Ran. The plan also includes strategies to
improve marketing systems for beef and
sheep.
Producers may contact local agricultural
offices for additional information about the
red meat program
also provides capital assistance for on farm
erosion control projects and manure storage
facilities.
"The program has created greater aware-
ness about the devastating effects of erosion
which causes losses of about $68 million each
and every year in agricultural productivity,"
said Andrewes. "These losses are due in part
to poor soil and avp management practices.
The Improved education service will try to
remedy this situation by advising producers
on better soil and cop management and soil,
conservation for better profits." •
Hun off 'agric Mural lands has also
contributed greatly to water quality problems
both in the Great Ickes and local inland
waters. This advisory program should help to
reduce the levels of phosphorous, bacteria
and sediment in these waters by encouraging
improved erosion and conservation tillage
methods.
'a "This service actually had its genesis,"
said. the minister, "as our contribution in .a
recent co-operative effort with the Ministries
of the libvironnient and Natunal Resources to
find ways to improve water quality in the
province."
•
The program staff for the advisory service
will be l_oeat i_inaeven_of the province's most
erosion -pion areas, where it is becoming
increasingly vital to maintain cop land
productivity.
The second phase of the 1985 soil conser-
vation thrust involves the implementation of a
joint agricultural soil conservation program
with local conservation authorities.
"Negotiations are nova underway with 12
oonservatiort authorities and we hope to be
making joint arrnourroenmehwith then next
month," he said.
Earlier this year, the ministry introduced a
soil conservation awards program in co -open
ation with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improve-
ment Association, to recognize fanners who
have made a - cornmitrrhent to good soil
management on their ferns. The awards
pin is administered by local soil and cop
improvement associations which will also
select the recipients.
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