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The Times Advocate, 2004-08-04, Page 7Wednesday, August 4, 2004 Exeter Times—Advocate Producers hear about changes in the navy bean industry Martin Dickinson, a senior buyer with Premier Foods spoke about changes in the navy bean industry from a UK canner's perspective at a meeting with local pro- ducers and Hensall District Co-operative. (photo/Mary Simmons) By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Local navy bean producers gathered at the South Huron Rec Centre July 27 to hear about changes in the industry from a UK can- ner's perspective. Hensall District Co-oper- ative (HDC), which has a long-term relationship with Premier Foods of the UK, hosted the event. Derwyn Hodgins, HDC field marketing manager, welcomed everyone to the meeting and told them of the company's wish to share their new vision for the dry bean industry. HDC CEO Earl Wagner spoke of the working rela- tionship with Premier Foods, which has Summer jazz concert GRAND BEND — The London Jazz Society is sponsoring a summer jazz concert in Grand Bend Aug. 22 at the Royal Canadian Legion. The Joe Edmonds All Stars will be performing from 2-5 p.m. featuring bassist Larry Ernewein, tenor and soprano saxo- phonist Andy Lusher, drummer Sandy MacKay, trumpeter Paul Mitchell, trombonist Ron Sherm and vocalist/guitarist Larry Smith. Edmonds will be singing and play- ing the trombone, alto and soprano saxophones and the flute. The Cameo Jazz Band take over the stage from 5-8 p.m. featuring drum- mer/vocalist Ken Biggers, clarinetist Bill Bricknell, cornetist Allan Colter, baritone and trombonist Tom Elliott, trombonist/manager Peter Emmans and banjo and guitarist Jim Groulx. Advance tickets are available for $15 from the Royal Canadian Legion or The New Grapevine in Grand Bend. Tickets will be $20 at the door. expressed a desire to increase purchases from HDC. This means the com- panies are asking produc- ers to increase acreage. Wagner said Premier Foods is the third largest buyer in the world. He outlined how food safety is key to meet the needs of global customers. To give the crowd some background on the indus- try HDC's dry bean mar- keting manager, Gord Pryde, said he has been working with senior buyer Martin Dickinson of Premier Foods for the past three years. They have been working on commer- cial programs and think- ing about the future of the industry with a concern about long-term supply. He said the producers are a critical part of the partnership with HDC and Premier Foods. Dickinson said he has been privileged to work in the canning industry for the past 18 years. "We want to go that extra mile and we want you to be a part of it," he said. According to Dickinson, the UK canning industry has changed greatly since its beginnings at the turn of the 20th century. In the past, it was labour-inten- sive and not the safest environment to work in, but everything is now done by robotics with no manual labour. Premier Foods was formed in the 1980s and has two canning factories and two glass factories, annually producing 1,000 million cans and deliver- ing in excess of 700,000 tonnes of product in a year. Dickinson said produc- ers have to grow to crop protocol, recording herbi- cide and pesticide use and delay times. He said farmers who decide not to follow these protocols will end up sell- ing to second and third class markets, taking whatever price they can get. Eventually no one will buy their crop and they will be forced to sell their farms. He said he has seen this happen to farm- ers in England. Dickinson said most of the beans used by Premier Foods in its canned prod- uct come from HDC. The beans are delivered to the factory, blanched, sent through plates to get rid of any dirt balls and sent down a conveyor belt to electric sorting equip- ment. They are then put through a volumetric filter and put in the can. Tomato sauce is added and the cans are sealed. They are then cooked, sterilized, labelled and shrink-wrapped before being delivered to the store. He said beans in tomato sauce are a popular food in England. "Everywhere in England sells baked beans and everyone in England eats them," he said. Navy beans have been a traded commodity and the Propane Cylinder Refill Special Bring your Bar -B -Q Cylinder to the I@A@T to -44 D i IT on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and "TOP -IT -UP" for ONLY 89.95 MAX. 8 KG. TAX INCLUDED (REG.VALUE $12.00) price has been dependent on market volatility. Dickinson said growers had little or no knowledge of the destination of their beans and the canner had no knowledge of where the beans had come from. There was no traceability. He said Premier Foods would like to change this. According to Dickinson, Premier Foods would like to move towards contract grown crops for a specific end user. "We're going to know where it came from and you're going to know where it went," he said. He said Internet auc- tions are not the solution to buying and selling beans. They drive the price down and there is no way to ensure quality. "It's not about the cost at the factory gate," he said. "It's about the cost into the can." He said Premier Foods has a good relationship with HDC. "They know about grow- ers and they understand husbandry," he said. "We need to work together to can and test new varieties. "We just want to go the extra mile. You should be part of that experience," he said. "If we have our way, you will." Pryde said farmers will be contracting with HDC on behalf of Premier Foods. "There will be total transparency," he said. "It will be an ongoing process that will involve the grow- ers." Pryde said the key goal is to stabilize the Ontario market. There are now 60,000 acres of navy beans grown in Ontario and HDC would like to see that number increase to between 75,000 and 85,000 acres. He said the two to three year plan is in the consul- tation phase and is diffi- cult to put to an exact timeframe, but farmers should not have a problem working the extra navy bean acreage into their rotations. "If you're a good soy bean farmer, you'll be a good navy bean farmer," he said, adding the pro- gram is not designed to increase the costs or time demands on the farmers. Dickinson said he will be back in the area in November to take part in grower focus groups. Capsule Comments by Ernie Miatello Systolic blood pressure (the higher number on a pressure measurement) is a measure of how hard the blood presses against the blood vessel after each heart beat. In older people lover 501, there is some hardening of the arteries making them less elastic so blood pressure rises. A high systolic is a sign of hardening of the arteries. We've all heard it many times before but to get that blood pressure down do the following: lose weight, eat a diet high in vegetables and fruit and low in salt; exercise daily and limit alcohol consumption (maximum: 2 daily for men and one daily for women). Drying out the ear with a hairdryer set on the low setting can prevent swimmer's ear. Also, instilling some acidified drops in the ear will also help. You can make these yourself at home by mixing vinegar and isopropyl alcohol in equal parts. Rimonabant is a new drug being researched in the U.S. What makes this drug exciting is that it might be the "magic bullet" to help people stop smoking and help them lost weight at the same time. It's important to be an advocate for your own health. Be an active learner about all health matters including the drugs you take. We can help you with this information. Huron Apothecary Ltd. Phone 235-1982, 440 Main St. EP L "YOUR HEALTH CARR E PHARMACY PHARM ASSIST l NI UNICIPALITY OF l\ B,LU ENWAT0E R 201 NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING for the new Official Plan TAKE NOTICE that the Municipality of Bluewater will hold a statutory public meeting under the provisions of Section 17(15) of the Planning Act to receive input on the proposed Official Plan. The public meeting will be held: Saturday, September 11th, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at the Stanley Complex, 38594B Mill Rd. (County Road #3) Staff will make a presentation at 2:00 p.m. and there will be opportunity for questions and answers. The remainder of the time will be an open house format for individual discussions with staff and Council. Purpose and Effect: The Official Plan applies to all lands within the Municipality of Bluewater, and is a statement of where and how development should take place within the municipality. The Plan includes the vision, goals and policy directions for the municipality, as established by the community, and also text and maps that show how lands are designated. Copies of the Plan: Every property owner in Bluewater has been mailed a copy of the draft Official Plan. Copies of the proposed Bluewater Official Plan are also available for review at: Bluewater Municipal Office, 14 Mill Ave., Zurich Huron County Planning & Development Department, Court House Square, Goderich www.town.bluewater.on.ca Ontario Municipal Board If a person or public body that files a Notice of Appeal of a decision of the Municipality of Bluewater in respect of the proposed Official Plan, and does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Municipality of Bluewater before the proposed Official Plan is adopted, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. Notice of Decision: If you wish to be notified of the adoption of the proposed Official Plan, you must make a written request to: Janisse Zimmerman, Clerk -Administrator, Municipality of Bluewater, Box 250, Zurich, ON NOM 2T0. Dated at the Municipality of Bluewater this 4'h day of August, 2004. Janisse Zimmerman Clerk -Administrator Municipality of Bluewater