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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2016-02-17, Page 3Wednesday, February 17, 2016 • News Record 3 More bang for the buck Hu ro nCounty share The impact of the Community P Futures Development Corporations' • cover crop experiences Forty-five local agricultural producers share with each other in Clinton at event about cover crop challenges, successes Special to Clinton News Record Forty-five agricultural producers met in Clinton on January 29, 2016 to share their experiences planting cover crops and to learn about what works well and what doesn't work as well. Guest speak- ers included Huron County farmers Tom Hay- ter, Mike Strang, Doug Walker, Nathan Bender, and Stefan Zehetner. Those who attended also talked with each other to ask about the cover crops they had planted and how those crops were working out. Presenters talked about the long-term eco- nomic benefits of cover crops and the increases in yields they are finding. They also talked about the cover crops that are work- ing well and cover crops they don't plan to use in the future. Those who took part learned about ways to plant cover crops, the types of crops to plant, cover crop seeding rates, how much exposed soil to leave to warm up the soil, and how to manage the crop once it's in the ground. They discussed the leaf -stages of corn and what stage works best to plant different cover crops into the field. There were also new ways to look at cover crops, for instance the advantage of driving a tractor over green instead of soil when harvest comes. Those who took part also heard success stories of cover crops planted in all soil types. Speakers talked about the need for patience when using cover crops. Every year is different but last autumn was ideal, the audience heard. Attendees saw examples of how cover crops were reducing nutrient loss from water running off the field. Presenters shared how they no longer like to see bare ground on a field and are now aiming to have some continuous cover on their fields 12 months of the year. The event was called Cover Crops: Huron County Farmers Weigh In. Event hosts say they were very pleased to have so many people attend the workshop, held at the Province of Ontario and OMAFRA office on Don Street in Clinton. Many of the people who attended were from priority areas such as Garvey Creek - Glenn Drain; Bayfield North (Gullies); and Main Bayfield watersheds. Those who attended found great value in talking to other farmers as well as cover crop dealers, said Kate Monk, Manager of Stewardship, Land and Education at Ausable Bay- field Conservation. "It was great to see so many people take part and share what they are planting, what they plan to change, and what they plan to plant next," she said. "We thank the pre- senters for agreeing to share their stories with other farmers. There's so much knowledge and expe- rience in this area and this was a great way for Huron County farmers to share that expertise with each other." The workshop hosts were the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Ausable Bayfield Conserva- tion, and Maitland Conser- vation. Funding for this workshop was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs through the Canada -Ontario Agree- ment respecting the Great Lakes. To find out about cover crop planting incentives through the Huron County Clean Water Project please contact Doug Hocking at 519-335-3557 or Kate Monk at 519-235- 2610 or phone toll-free 1-888-286-2610. Two Huron County municipalities announce unique shared services agreement Laura Broadley and Concept report was the Huron County commit- Goderich Signal Star approved by both councils to tee meeting on Feb. 10. share services for Public It was the most efficient The municipalities of Works, Building, Drainage way of getting things done North Huron and Morris- and Administration. without having any jobs lost. Turnberryhave entered into There was a shared ser- There will be changes in a two year pilot project to vices workshop in Septem- organization to make things share a number of services. ber 2015 and North Huron more streamlined, he added. Morris-Turnberry Mayor Reeve Neil Vincent said the The cost analysis esti- Paul Gowing said the two project moved quickly. mated savings in excess of municipalities chose to go "Little did we realize at $600,000 by the end of 2018 forward with the project to that shared services meeting with Public Works showing alleviate the tax burden on we had back in September the biggest savings, Gowing ratepayers. that we would move this far said. A Cost Analysis Report forward in it," Vincent said at Over a two year period it is get it online clintonnewsrecord.com Get all of your news, sports and more. Serving Huron County cost-saving but over a 10 year period the savings are an "eye- opener; Gowing said. Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he hoped to get more details of the project so it could potentially be used as a template for other municipalities. The partnership would see the two municipalities share equipment, staff and other resources and will be in place by July 1, 2016, according to a press release. When: Thursday March 10, 5:30-9 pm Where: The White Carnation, Holmesville Speed networking First 20 SEB graduates to register will be free Cost: $30, Men and women welcome lending on Ontario's economy Special to Clinton News Record The Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) undertook a research project for the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corpora- tions (OACFDC) to determine the economic impact on Ontario of the lending services provided through the Commu- nity Futures Lending Program from 2009-2014. This report, More Bang for the Buck—The Impact of the Community Futures Program on Ontario's Economy, is an update to the CBoC's June 2010 research report. This new research shows a continued positive impact. Again, it con- firms what many involved in the Community Futures Pro- gram have long believed: "We find that the program, which is meant to ease credit conditions for small and medium-sized businesses in rural communi- ties, has significant economic clout," is the way the independ- ent research organization, the Conference Board of Canada sums it up. The CBoC applied its well - tested Ontario econometric model, noting that from April 2009 to March 2015; the pro- gram disbursed $396 million in loans and raised a total of $ 1.142 billion in new capital investment funds—with just over $746 million in spending due to investments from own- er's equity and funds borrowed from third -party lenders. A total of 22,600 person-years of employment were created by the program over the report's 6 -year timeframe. The report goes on to point out "for each $1.00 of direct lending through the program, real GDP is lifted by $4.50." This is up from the $4.22 indi- cated in the last report. Excluding the potential boost to corporate income tax revenues, the Federal govern- ment's books would stand to improve by a cumulative $307 million over the 2009-14 peri- ods. This compares favourably with the $122 million in Fed- eral contributions to support the Community Futures Pro- gram over the same time period. "The key to this program has always been its grassroots focus," said Diana Jedig, the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Com- munity Futures Development Corporations. "The commit- ment of the staff and volun- teers at our 60 offices, who work with and for the entre- preneurs and communities they serve, proves that the Community Futures Program lending services remains rele- vant and beneficial to Ontar- io's economy." 2016 Registration Saturday February 20 10:00 am - 2:00 pm AT THE CENTRAL HURON COMMUNITY COMPLEX IN THE EASTLINK ARENA'S MEETING ROOM MIDGET (b 2000, 1999, 1998) $185 BANTAMS (b 2001, 2002) $160 PEEWEE (b 2003, 2004) $160 MOSQUITO (b 2005, 2006) $135 SENIOR ROOKIE (b 2007, 2008) $135 *After April 1, 2016 - Add $25 FOR MORE DETAILS GO TO www.clintonminorbaseball.ca