Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-03-31, Page 13Wednesday,March 31, 2004 It all starts tthe a culture 13 TIMES -ADVOCATE Meteorologist forecasts good growing season By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF MITCHELL - At a meeting of Huron -Perth Women in Support of Agriculture (HPWSA) March 25, meteorologist Jay Campbell told the group his seasonal fore- cast is for a good growing season. "Nobody believes my five-day forecast, so I might as well go out on a limb and do a seasonal forecast," he said. Campbell said we can expect slightly above nor- mal temperatures this April, followed by slightly below normal tempera- tures in May and above normal temperatures throughout the rest of the summer. Campbell said there may be late frost because of the cooler tempera- tures in May, which may have an effect on crops. Campbell has been a meteorologist on the New PL for 21 years. He told the group many factors affect the weath- er, including variables which are both outside of and within our ecosys- tem. Some extraterrestrial factors include long -wave radiation which is trapped in the atmos- phere. There are also high pressure and low pres- sure areas depending on geographical location. The time of year also has an effect because of how close the earth is to the sun and the tilt of the earth towards the sun. "We tilt towards the sun in our summer, but we are actually farther away from it," Campbell said. Asteroids can also affect the weather. Campbell pointed out that as recently as last week, a 30 -metre asteroid came within 43,000 kilometres of earth, which is closer than the moon. Within the earth's ecosystem, continental drift can cause oceans to get bigger or mountain ranges to form. Volcanoes can also erupt, creating clouds of dust, ash and chemicals to create a shield. Campbell said humans also have an impact, through ozone levels, acid rain and the enhanced greenhouse effect. The ozone is a layer of the earth's atmosphere which is approximately the thickness of three dimes and filters out ultra violet rays which can cause effects such as wrinkles, sun burns, melanoma and cataracts. "We need to be mindful of it," Campbell said. "Use ozone friendly prod- ucts." While the ozone layer is helpful, Campbell said we do not want the ozone which lies near the ground and is caused by burning fossil fuels. "It's not good to be breathing it in large amounts," he said. Campbell said one way we can tell there is too much ozone near the ground is to look at bean plants, which will curl and turn yellow from its effects. Campbell said acid rain conditions have been improving since they came to the public's attention in the 1960s. Brussels Livestock report For the week ending March 26, 2004 Total Receipts 2,403 head of cattle, 1,247 lambs and goats Summary Tuesday: The fed steers and heifers sold at prices $2 lower. Fancy and double muscle steers & heifers: 90 to 94.75, Choice steers & heifers: 80-85, 2nd cut steers & heifers: 75-80. The cows traded at prices $5 to $7 higher. Thursday: The veal sold on a steady market. New crop lambs sold sharply higher at 160 to 227. Heavier lambs sold on a higher market also. Friday: The calves traded on a steady market while the year- lings sold under pressure. Steers There were 494 steers on offer. Phares Kraemer, Paisley con- signed one blonde steer weigh- ing 1435 lbs which sold to Holly Park Meat Packers for 92.50. His overall offering of sixteen steers averaged 1505 lbs selling for an average price of 79.08. Eight black steers consigned by Robert Mitchell, Listowel averaged 1364 lbs selling for an average price of 82.94 with sales up to 92. Pete Dewys, Varna consigned two gold steers averaging 1238 lbs which sold to Dominion Meat Packers for 87. His overall offering of three steers aver- aged 1278 lbs selling for an average price of 84.79. Heifers There were 393 heifers on offer. Sixteen heifers consigned by Sellers Farms, Bluevale aver- aged 1346 lbs which sold for an average price of 84.63 with their top limo heifer weighing 1245 lbs selling to Dominion Meat Packers for 93. Ivan Dane, Wroxeter con- signed three limo heifers aver- aging 1360 lbs which sold for 85.75. Cows There were 183 cows on offer. D1 & D2: 35-45 sales to 51: D3: 20-25; D4: 10-15. John VanBakel, Bornholm consigned one limo cow weigh- ing 1585 lbs which sold for 51 and one limo cow weighing 1835 lbs selling for 50. One char cow consigned by Eugene Perkins, Dobbinton weighed 1550 lbs which sold for 50. His overall offering of four beef cows averaged 1476 lbs selling for an average price of 44.64. Neil Dolmage, Walton con- signed one char cow weighing 1920 lbs which sold for 46. Bulls There were 3 bulls on offer selling from 12 to 33. One limo bull consigned by George Chettleburgh, Wingham weighing 1980 lbs sold for 33. Brad Patterson, Dobbinton consigned one char cow weigh- ing 1940 lbs which sold for 29.50. Veal There were 251 head of veal on offer. Beef: Not enough to establish market. Good Holstein: 60-75 sales to 86.50 Medium Holstein: 35-50. Plain Holstein: 20-35. Mark & Paul Pennington, Mildmay consigned one lim veal steer weighing 705 lbs which sold to Holly Park Meat Packers for 111.50. Three char veal heifer con- signed by George Ducharme, Dashwood averaged 678 lbs which sold to Holly Park Meat Packers for 99. mof /le Denfield Livestock Sales Ltd. Market report for Tues., March 23 - The market at Denfield Livestock Sales traded on a steady demand with some pressure on all but the fancy cattle. Good cows sold sharply higher, stockers steady, sows and boars strong. Don Eedy and Mark Vanderploeg, Denfield sold 18 heifers avg. wt. 1360 avg. price 90.10 with sales to 95.25 purchased by Norwich Packers. Randy Dale, Thamesville sold 6 heifers avg. wt. 1386 avg. price 91.53 with sales to 97.50 purchased by Norwich Packers. Ross Duff, Croton sold 18 steers avg. wt. 1530 avg. price 88.02 with sales to 94. Bill Woodburn, Parkhill sold 12 steers avg. wt. 1537 avg. price 87.81 sales to 92.50. Morley Hodgins, Parkhill sold 18 steers avg. wt. 1524 avg. price 80.10. Choice steers: 90-95; Good steers: 80-86; Plain Steers: 70- 75; Aged steers: 35-50; Choice exotic cross heifers: 90-100; Good heifers: 80-85; Plain heifers: 50-70; Good fed cows: 30-40; D1 & D2 cows: 20-30; D3 & D4 cows: 15-20; Shells: 8-12; Good beef bulls: 30-50; Holstein bulls: 25-30; Good Holstein bull calves: 100-165; Sows: 50-55. He said acid rain is a mixture of sulphur diox- ide and nitrous oxide which has the same pH level as lemon juice. As for the greenhouse effect, Campbell said it also comes from burning fossil fuels. Campbell said average temperatures in the Mackenzie River Valley have increased by 4.5 C. He said warmer tem- peratures are melting the permafrost, which releas- es more methane into the atmosphere and com- pounds the problem. "You can't look at one isolated place, you have to look at the whole plan- et," he said. Campbell said the earth has experienced climatic changes in the past, but this time they are coming about a lot faster and it is the rate of warming which is the cause for concern. He said it will have an impact on agriculture and pest control. "Things more common in the tropics will come here," he said. "It is changing so quick- ly, we don't have time to adapt." He said to slow down the process people should make sure their vehicles are well tuned and run- ning efficiently. "Organize your day, so you don't have to get in your vehicle as often." Campbell said it's also important to conserve electricity and recycle. "Develop a respect for nature and develop a respect for the weather," he said. "We should be environmental stewards." Campbell said weather forecasting is becoming so precise people will soon be able to enter a postal code and assemble data which can be used to put together a forecast specific to a certain par- cel of land. Campbell said to keep track of the weather, peo- ple can watch the New PL, or log on to Environment Canada's Web site weatheroffice. ec.gc. ca which is updated every hour or www. intellicast. coin which is updated every 15 minutes. BORLAND FARM SERVICE Ploughdown Clover Seed It is time to order your ploughdown clover seed for spring application on your winter wheat. Double cut clover $1.15/lb. Single cut clover $1.05/lb. 41538 Thames Road East, R.R. #1 WOODHAM, ONTARIO 519-235-3805 FAX: 519-235-2043 STRATFORD FARM EQUIPMENT CASE -IH OIL SAVE UP TO 26% No. 1 15w40 Engine Oil As Low As $1.78 Per Litre Save 9.46 litre jug $28.62 26% refill jug $21.19 Save 18.93 litre pail $48.43 12% refill pail $42.40 Save 113.6 litre barrel $206.57 2% refill barrel $202.21 Save $7.43 Save $6.03 Save $4.36 S.F.E. ADVANTAGE Refill Container @ Refill Price Save Money - Save Environment BUY HERE - SAVE MORE Lube Special Ends April 7, 04 CASE -IH FILTER SPECIAL SAVE UP TO 10% - 1% PER FILTER UP TO 10 FILTERS. STOCK UP & SAVE!! Service News! Hytran Ultra As Low As $2.15 Per Litre Save 9.46 litre jug $29.14 Save 25% refill jug $21.76 $7.38 Save 18.93 litre pail $49.56 Save 12% refill pail $43.54 $6.02 Save 113.6 litre barrel $295.56 Save 17% refill barrel $244.24 $51.32 TILLAGE SPECIAL SWEEPS REG. SALE 1547097C2 71/2" $5.70 $5.13 372560A1 7.3" $7.75 $6.98 1547098C2 9" $6.04 $5.44 SPECIAL ENDS APRIL 2, 2004 For those who are looking for a dealer to service your Case IH Equipment, We Welcome you, by Extending our 10% labour discount, as well as our Other "Off Season" perks. Just give us a call before April 7, 2004, and we will hold the discount for you. We are also here to look after your regular service requests. Warranty problems, Ultra Shield checkovers, regular Maintenance, and dealing with your In Season breakdowns. It is all just a phone call away. For those Customers who have participated in our "OFF SEASON PROGRAMS"; THANK - YOU "S.EE. - COMMITTED TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION" CAIRN a A Iladtlan of Loaderahip Stratford Farm Equipment (1983) Limited 519-393-6162; 273-3788 Fax 393-5152 Stratford Farm Equipment (London) Limited 519-659-0429 Fax 659-7775 Stratford Farm Equipment New Hamburg Limited 519-662-1780 Fax 662-2702