The Citizen, 2013-03-14, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013.
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn’s
love of his farm and varied
experiences with conservation
projects made him the ideal guest
speaker for the Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority’s (MVCA)
annual general meeting on March 6.
Ginn, who owns a farm in Central
Huron, said that while many people
are worried about the farm front or
farm gate, for him the magic of his
property is elsewhere.
“To understand me, you have to
understand my farm,” he said. “My
farm is beautiful and it’s not the
farmstead that’s beautiful, it’s the
back of the property.”
Ginn has, since purchasing the
farm from his father, reforested
approximately 20,000 trees, fenced
off two streams and recognized five
stream crossings to protect stream
beds and lake, however he hasn’t
done this out of some long-standing
desire to better the environment.
While he endeavours now to protect
fragile and marginal lands, Ginn
explained to the group that he
stumbled on to his environmental
ways nearly by accident.
“In 1985 I bought the farm and a
year later, in 1986, I went to replace
the fence on some of my property,”
he said.
Once he began looking into the
replacement, he found out that if he
limited the area the fence covered
and prevented his livestock from
crossing the Maitland River which
cuts through his property, it could
save him 70 per cent of the cost of
his electric fence.
“The more I thought about it, the
better the idea it seemed,” he said.
“Then I read an article in The Rural
Voice about replanting trees and
leaving a legacy and it helped memake my decision.”The result was that Ginn started a
lot of conservation projects and
practices on his farm including
reintroducing endangered species
like sweet chestnut, sustainable
forestry management, the
establishment of native tall grass
species, fish habitat improvement
and wildlife habitat improvement.
“Within 15 years, I’ve been able to
completely reforest areas of the
property,” he said.
He said that he has 36 different
species of trees on his property due
to the natural land he has. Most
farms in the area, he estimated,
would have two to three different
species of trees in their forested
areas. The surplus of diversity, he
said, is due to the planting of
Carolinian species. Each tree,
however, regardless of type, is
planned ahead of time.
“The importance of forestry
management is that it allows you to
plan and grow straight logs,” he said.
“A good woodlot will see trees grow
one inch in diameter every year and
provide a six percent return on
investment.”
Ginn said that, given the return, he
is shocked when people rip out a
woodlot so they can farm it.
“Anyone that owns a woodlot
needs to manage it,” he said.
“Managed woodlots double the
value of the trees in it and woodlots
that have been well managed for 30
years double it again.”
Recently Ginn took his first
lumber from trees he had planted
and the log, which had fallen
naturally, earned him $36. He said
that, since then, he has learned a lot
about the value of trees and wood
and is now known as a “tree-hugger”
for his ability to judge the value of a
tree by wrapping his arms around it.
As far as the non-forestedfarmland on Ginn’s property isconcerned, he says that the only way
anyone should be farming is no-till.
“When I first considered no-till
farming, I did a side by side
comparison,” he explained. “I did
half my field with no-till equipment
from the MVCA and one half with
standard practices. The no-till
side gained one bushel over the
other.”
He said that while this one extrabushel was certainly within themargin of error, it indicated that the
two practices are at least on par as
far as produce goes.
From there he has practised no-till
seeding and has seen a dramatic
increase in the organic matter in his
fields, some having grown
from three per cent to five per cent
organic composition in the last 20
years.
JARRED BENJAMIN HOLMES
Beloved son and best friend,
Jarred Benjamin Holmes, formerly
of Belgrave, left us suddenly on
Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. He was 32.
This kind, loving and loyal person
will be greatly missed by all who
knew him.
A graduate of F.E. Madill
Secondary School in Wingham,
Jarred (J) moved to his new life and
friends in Kitchener at the age of 18.
In younger years his involvement in
Air Cadets and his work as an
accomplished trumpet player in
swing bands were important. His
real, life-long passion was martial
arts. An instructor at Shamoun
Generation Martial Arts in
Kitchener-Waterloo, “SIFU”. Jarred
always strived to be the best – and
taught his students to do the same.
Jarred reached that pinnacle of
“black belt” status last November.
He is survived by mother Cynthia
Low, brother Tristan Holmes,
stepfather Gray Farner, aunt Wendy
Holmes, uncle Glen Holmes, cousin
Robin Holmes, sisters Dawn and
Andrea and his father Don. J will
also be remembered by his second
family, the Shamouns.
Cremation has taken place.
Friends were received by the
family on Saturday at the
Schimanski Family Funeral Home.
Jarred’s life was celebrated on
Sunday, March 10. Mr. Don Vair
officiated.
Ginn highlights conservation at annual meeting
A ‘tree hugger’
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn gladly accepts the title of
‘tree hugger’, but he puts his own slant on it. As guest
speaker at the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority’s
annual general meeting last week, he explained how he
can value the lumber in a tree just by judging its height and
wrapping his arms around it. (Denny Scott photo)
Looking for local heroes
There are so many people out there who do
so much to improve their community.
Now you have a chance to say thanks.
Nominate that special person for the 28th
Annual Citizen Citizenship Awards.
Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of the Blyth and area
and Brussels and area communities to receive an award for contribution to the
community. If you know someone you think should be honoured, please fill in the ballot
and send it in. You may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee
should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and he or she didn't win,
please feel free to try again.
I nominate
as Citizen of the year for
I feel she/he deserves this award because
Nomination Deadline April 30, 2013.
Name and phone number of nominator
❑Blyth
& area ❑Brussels
& area
North St. West, Wingham
Mac & Donna Anderson
519-357-1910
A cemetery is a history of
people, a perpetual record of
yesterday and a sanctuary of
peace and quiet today. A
cemetery exists because every
life is worth loving and
remembering - always
Distinctive Memorials of
Lasting Satisfaction
BOX 158 WINGHAM ONT NOG 2W0
Obituaries
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
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