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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-12-30, Page 1GAVIN ADKIA • Carpet & Upholstery Steam Cleaning • High Pressure, Hot Water, Power Washing • Furnace & Duct Cleaning • Structural Drying • Water Damage Restoration • Fire & Smoke Restoration 524-2440 Locally Owned & Operated www.gavincleaning.com Clinton News Record www.clintonnewsrecord.com $1.50 HST included PM40064683R07600 Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Submitted Photo Ausauble Bayfield Conservation hosted an Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneur workshop held at Huron Tractor near Exeter on December 16 for the Specialist High Skills Major students at St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School, Clinton. Students tackle challenges in agriculture at Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship workshop Special to Clinton News Record Twenty-five local secondary school students learned about energy efficiency in agriculture at a workshop near Exeter on Decem- ber 16. The students are studying agricultural technology or energy as part of the Specialist High Skills Major program at St. Anne's Catho- lic Secondary School in Clinton. They attended the workshop at Huron Tractor north of Exeter. The students did not just sit in a classroom listening. They worked in five groups to come up with their own actions to improve energy efficiency at farm opera- tions. The students formed very different options to answer the challenge. Their ideas included: sensor bars on farming equip- ment that would scan a 12 -inch soil horizon to determine exact nutrients and quantities required for spraying and adjust dosages accordingly; a portable hydroelec- tric dam that could use the water flow in agricultural drains and creeks to power electric fences or charges batteries used on farm equipment; a livestock nutrition program that would adjust feed for livestock in order to produce high-powered manure to replace synthetic fertilizers; financial incentive and disincentive pro- grams to promote energy effi- ciency; and a GPS -based drone system for spraying fields. Presenters posed the challenge to students as a question: "How can we make agricultural prac- tices in Huron County more energy-efficient?" This open- ended question allowed learners to decide what direction they wanted to take. The workshop gave students a chance to think outside the box, better under- stand a real-world issue, and find solutions to challenges. Aaron Breimer, a Manager and Team Leader at Veritas Farm Busi- ness Management, spoke about current technology. He said new tools and analysis of statistics help agricultural producers to better understand cost savings and ben- efits when it comes to a purchase of equipment or changing prac- tices in agriculture. Shayne Mudge, sales represent- ative with Huron Tractor, spoke about types of farm equipment, agricultural technology, and advantages and disadvantages of different equipment types. Melissa Prout, Conservation Educator with Ausable Bayfield Conservation, spoke to the students about the need to manage manure and other nutrients to conserve water and topsoil. Students leamed about best practices in applying nutrients in order to preserve the needed soil resource and to not contaminate local water sources. Students used the knowledge offered by the presenters to inform their understanding of the issue and they then went to work brainstorming solutions. "All the presenters were very thankful to have had a chance to work with these forward -thinking students and give them a frame- work to find their own solutions to energy efficiency challenges," said Prout. "These are the leaders of tomorrow." The workshop was part of Inno- vation, Creativity and Entrepre- neurship (ICE) training that is part of the Specialist High Skills Major program in Ontario. Ausable Bay- field Conservation hosted the local training workshop in partnership with Huron Tractor, Veritas Farm Management, and Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board.