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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-03-20, Page 364 - The Farre Edition, Week of March N. 1986 GARY McKNIGHT SALES & SERVICE LTD. A. COMPLETE LINE OF DAIRY FARM EQUIPMENT AND SANITATION PRODUCTS GARY McKNIGHT SALES & SERVICE LTD. R.R. 3, WALKERTON 881-2440 74# 9�die Br Dit'1eC BEST EVER' SALE OF TRUCKS! • Cop OMP 1111111111. 111- • F DODGE EXCLUSIVE CANADA'S BEST TRUCK WARRANTY 5YR/80,000k1 /ROTFCYION. �. ENGINE ANO POWERTRAIN 2, OUTER PANEL CORROSION PERFORATION SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS AT NO EXTRA COST GODERICH PLYMOUTH CHRYSLER LTD. Located 414 Huron Rd. At the Entrance To Goderich 524-7383 FULL SIZE 1.985 , DODGE 4WD *Cloth Seats * Automatic Transmission *Sure Grip Axle ' * 318 V8 Engine * Dual Low Mount Mirror * Gauge Package * Body Side Moldings, Upper & Lower * Rear Step Bumper * Front Bumper Guards * Oversize Fuel Tank * Aux. Transmission Cooler * Maximum Engine Cooling * Heavy Duty Shocks, Front•& Rear * Front Stabilizer Bar ' * Mud & Snow Tires all around * Transfer Plate Skid Case *•6010 Ib. G.V.W. Serial No. 508521 IN STOCK FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY •Mfgr. Suggested List $15,128.00 Less "Thank You Canada" Discount $ 400.0° Less "Goderich & District" Discount $1,888.00 NET SELLING PRICE. 1 21840E9°' INCLUDED° rile qa coo "Ne C9reat Deal ?�f/leze Sezcoice Sella %Raid. Theirony of erosion By: Robert Trout "The neighbours are trading soil today," was the comment made by one area resident as Monday, April 30th, 1984, swept past the province. He stood helplessly and watched his valuable top soil being ravaged by the forces of nature which were slowly citangiing the topography and productivity of his farm. Winds fn)m the south east readied 100 km per hour during the day and its influence was felt in many ways. A combination of many factors on that day led to a major wind erosion event on this farm. Let's take a look at their influence. Soil .texture played ori important role: Sandy soils have structure consisting of single grains with less sticky day than loam or day loam soils. The sand particles can be detached and moved from the soil surface when dry. Wind speeds must be siicsent to cavy these partides. Where measures have not ' been taken to lower wind speeds, sand particles will blow. Residue management can help to lessen wind speeds and protect soils. In their natural state, soils support plant growth whose vegetation, in return, enrich and protect it. No till planting is an ideal way to maintain this balance, particularly with sandy soils. Ridge till' planting is an effective way to maintain crop residue in poorly drained sands or heavier soils. This system involves the formation of ridges in the field during the growing season and planting the following crop on the ridge. Both no till and ridge planting leave maximum amounts of crop residue near the surface of the soil. Mouldboard plowing can bury crop residue completely but modifications can improve this. Removing cover boards, alter- ing mouldboards and chisel board plow attachments can be used to disturb the soil and leave crop residue on the surface. Crisp residue also decreases water erosion by absorbing water, opening the soil and stopping water flow. This allows water to infiltrate the soil, thus limiting surface runoff. An added benefit to ,crop residue is protection intim wind erosion. Wind speed is reduced and soils are less likely to blow dry. Hilltops are particularly susceptible to winds which drift soils into low lying areas leaving stones, debris and subsoil, behind . Winds' Can also be 'averted by the use of windbreaks. With each tree that is removed and not replaced, trees become a dwindling resource which has contributed to • higher winds at ground level. Windbreaks should be carefully planned and planted to give maximum protection to soil. More trees are required than those which protect dwellings and barns. Wind- breaks along fields are required to protect larger acreages. Clay loam soils will also benefit from windbreaks which protect them from the major wind erosion events which affect them. This situation usually oocum when frozen soil, unprotected • by snow cover, is subjected to driving winds whidi carry drifting snow. This snow detaches soil partides and creates snoil, a combination of snow and soil, which is deposited in drifts along with snow. El osion is the, affect of many forces in nature. All these factors individually' must reach maximum potential for an erosion event to occtw, but in combination they can easily . turn to page 21 No till necessary toeliminate declining productivity :Lobb A Clinton area farmer who has been using no tillage conservation practices on his farm since 1981 sees no -till as a necessity to eliminate the declining productive potential of the soil on the steeper slopes on his fann as well as areas where soil types are not well adapted to no -till. "After all, yields that are sustainable at 90 - 95 per cent of full potential will very shortly be higher than yields on eroding land under conventional -till," observes Don Lobb. Why should no -till work for Don Lobb when frequently reported results from on farm tillage trials, demonstrations by various government and Ontario resear b have tended to produce condescending' comments at best? In the instances of the farm tillage trial reports and government demonstrations, Lobb says the least familiar tillage systems are disadvantaged because he suspects '.a predetermined production formula is used, without regard for the needed ' adaptation process for management and local conditions. Tb complicate matters, immediate yield comparisons are deemed necessary to justify time and dollars spent. Thus a system such at no -till is treated as a curiosity rather than a Possible solution to specific problems. , "The object as I see it," says Lobb, "should be to determine where and how it can be fitted to local conditions and individual management. The results of Ontario tillage 'research produces headlines like, "Fall Plow Offers 'Dnp Corn Yields", or researdiers' continents like, "Average No -Till corn yields decrease is 12 per Dent",. Examination of the facts indicates that with few exceptions, tillage research in Ontario has been done in teras of the continuous corn ethic which was popular a decade ago. "We already know that continuous corn is neither good for the soil or our bank ' accounts," observes Lobb. Long term Elora tillage trials, which include no -till vs conventional till justify some consideration. The predictable yield reduc- tion associated with continuous com is evident. It is interesting to note that recent no -till yields,in the longest running trial at this site, are very dose to those of conven- tional till. The question raised is, are we seeing the result of biological adjustment in the soil or improved equipment? Research which incudes other than very recent data may have questionable value as a measure of potential for a tillage system, says Iobb. Researchers too must be learning as they use anew system. "I gather as muds information as possible, consider it and then relate it to my situation, with as mudi objectivity as possible," says Lobb. "The same principle applies to farmer testimonials, magazine articles or whatever." On the positive side, current University of Guelph work, whidi does not include Dorn following crops others than com, has the potential to produce more practical informa- tion and more useful tillage recommendations in terms of today's needs. The workof the tillage team at the Guelph university hasibeen limited, Lobb suspects, by the lack of Ontario commitment to tillage research. The result is that Lobb must look to the United States for coripieihensfve tillage vs, soil type vs coop history comparisons. Lobb believes the best is a Purdue University paper. As with Ontario studies, no -till corn is disadvantaged ion fine textured soil when following corn. In all other areas, it suggests good potential. The conservation tillage yield relationship indicated in this paper is attain - turn .to page 8