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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-03-11, Page 15Visit to Arizona farm scene Biddulph council Biddulph council has struck the 1976 mill rate at 22.1 mills for farm and residential properties and 26 mills for commercial properties, In other council business it was decided to adopt the tax registration system for collecting arrears. Calvin Haskett, the present tax collector will be hired to carry out these duties. —Biddulph will have representatives at the Middlesex Municipal Convention in Dor- chester on March 24. —The contract for construction of the Glavin Drain has been awarded to Gerber Drainage Ltd. —The gravelling contract has been awarded to Ray Ireland. —Richard Gledhill has been hired for the warble fly control program at a rate of 25 cents per head per spray. —Building permits were issued to Wilhelm Busch for house renovations and to Marinus Vanderminnen of Granton for an addition to his house. BECKER CONSTRUCTION ...is now an authorized Cuckler Builder tt11 ,1 '11 illin11 1111 1 1 1 1 1 1111 111141111h ; I! 1 1 '111'111111 T1411111 lllli ti Cuckler' Cuckler pre-engineered steel buildings are designed for everything from commercial/industrial to farm buildings. Your newly appointed Cuckler Builder is a good businessman and a fine builder. He offers you more than 25,- 000 different frame combinations — with the strength, speed, and span of steel. Talk to him about your new building. Becker Construction Doshwood, Ont. President: Jim Becker Telephone 519237-3526 IT'S HURON IN '78 — The International Plowing Match comes to Huron County in 1978 and represen- tatives from the county plowmen's association made sure that delegates to the Ontario Plowmen's Associa- tion annual meeting knew it. Among those promoting the 1978 match during the recent Toronto meeting were (left to right) Jack McCutcheon, warden of Huron County; Allan Campbell, local committee vice- chairman; Howard Leaders, local chairman; Jim Armstrong, host farmer for the match and county director; Don Pullen, county agricultural representative; and Roy Pattison, local committee vice-chairman. I `AA. A, Ame, " li'il cotton, wheat, barley, alfalfa and pasture. So all the manure from the 75,000 cattle on feed was be- ing spread on their own farms. Most of the manager-operators with whom I talked, while con- cerned about present prices, were quite optimistic regarding summer months prices. Good management, or the lack of it, was obvious at every feedlot visited. One could almost tell without asking many questions just how the operation was doing by observing the general health, care and condition of the cattle — and the general state of the feedlot itself. Details are so im- portant in making the difference between success or failure, Several feeders went broke dur- ing the last few years due to the combination of high feeder cattle prices, high grain prices after the huge Russian grain sales, and then the disastrously low cattle prices. following the removal of the Nixon price freeze on beef, One thing was more noticeable than when we visited the feedlots 8 years ago, the manure was be- ing more carefully gathered in all the feeding pens, piled, then loaded onto huge truck-spreaders and delivered to surrounding cot- ton, wheat, barley and alfalfa growing farms. Previously it was just dumped on the desert to be gotten rid of. Where the manure was not used by the feedlot owner on his own farm, it was being, sold at $1, per ton, weighed at the feedlot, plus delivery and spreading. All of these crops are grown under irrigation which covers literally thousands and thousands of acres. It must be great due to the consistently dry climate to decide to plant one's crop on a certain day without any in- terference from weather. and then after planting it just turn on the water as required. We saw no corn silage or haylage being used as cattle feed in Arizona. While some might feel there was no way Ontario cattlemen could compete with the scale of feedlot operations we saw, largely because of the extremely dry climate — less than 6 inches annually on the desert — I came away convinced Ontario cattle feeders can com- pete in cattle feeding providing we make full use of whole-plant corn silage properly supplemented with protein, some hay, and grain if necessary for final finishing. Anyone who believes all the cattle in south-western feedlots are choice quality just hasn't seen all the mixed breeds, cross- breeds, and dairy breeds to be found. One would almost believe anything on four legs with a hide, a head and a tail was acceptable. The Brahama seem popular in the deep south, but the feedlot operators wanted them crossed with conventional beef breeds. Surprisingly there were thousands of Holstein steers on feed. 1 was told the feedlot operators like the way the Hols- tein steers gain, and find they only sell 3 or 4e per lb. less than choice steers. It occurred to me many Ontario dairy men might add another sideline to their farm operation, particularly if beef prices recover from some of their losses, as expected, in the next few years. We were told the secret in Holstein steer feeding was to push them on full feed and then, to obtain tender steaks and roasts, cook the meat more slow- ly than the conventional beef breeds, (11 na n By BILL STEWART Penfield It was our good fortune to have been able to visit Phoenix, Arizona, the first week in February. The change in climate was delightful, to put it mildly. We left home in -23°C weather, and arrived at Phoenix in 80°F with bright, sunny skies. The humidity is about 40% — no wonder this is a haven for suf- ferers from arthritis or asthma. It is about 8 years since we last visited Phoenix, and of course we saw enormous expansion in development of the city which has now grown to a population of 750,000. Winter holiday guests add several extra thousands to the population. We experienced a mild earth- quake on February 3rd at about 5 p.m. It felt as though a bulldozer had mistakenly rammed the Motel where we were staying. The centre of the quake was ap- parently about 100 miles north of the City where some windows and dishes were broken. For- tunately no damage occurred in Phoenix, But it did give us a bit of a startle. On our previous visit we had visited several beef feed lots. One operator, Spur Feedlot, feeding 42,000 cattle, was being sued by a land developer who had built a beautiful new city for retired people, known as Sun Ci- ty. There were no schools, and no one with school age families could either buy or lease a home, It certainly was an attractive place. Golf courses and parks were abundant, giving it the appearance of much open space. But there was an odour quite noticeable the day we visited Sun City 8 years ago. Having operated a feedlot of our own I was suspicious of the source of the all too familiar smell On enquiry I was advised of the feedlot which had been built some 40 miles out in the desert away from Phoeniik many years before Sun City had ever been thought of. But the developer, be- ing pushed by his new retired home owners, was pressuring the feedlot operator to close down or move his operation. In fact court action was launched, The result was the feedlot operator was ordered to close down and/or move, He appealed the decision. The Appeal Court upheld the decision to move but ordered the developer of Sun City to pay all the costs involved, Naturally we wondered if he would do this or just put up with the smell on the days the wind happened to be blowing from the feedlot direction. On arriving in Phoenix recently we learned the feedlot owned by Spur Industries had moved from north-west Phoenix to some 40 miles south- east of the City and that the cost of moving had been settled out of court by Del Webb, the developer of Sun City. We visited the new, modern feedlot with a capacity of some 60,000 cattle and a new modern feed mixing mill, office building, weigh scales, loading and sorting chutes. The Appeal Court decision has become a landmark in decisions affecting air pollution generated by livestock operations that had been established prior to urban development taking place. It seemed to me to make a great deal of common sense, and might well be emulated in Ontario where applicable. If such were the case many farmers would be relieved of justifiable concern. Interestingly Spur Feedlot was only about half full of cattle — some 27,000 on feed. We found the 5 other large feedlots we visited not be to full either. Choice steers, the first week of February, were selling from 38 to 40e with choice heifers, 950 lbs. to 1050 lbs„ selling at 35 to 37e. Even though those cattle now being marketed were bought on a relatively low priced feeder market, because of the strong prices being paid for feed, the operators, or owners, of the cat- tle as the case may be, were barely breakingeven, and indeed many were losing money, Most of these huge feedlots feed cattle on a variety of plans for their customers. About 60% of the cattle were being fed on a custom basis. Most of them buy all their feed supplies. Milo is used as grain base, trucked in from hundreds of miles away where moisture conditions are more conducive to milo growing. Alfalfa hay is used to a far greater extent than before grain prices went up a few years ago. It is grown under irrigation locally, and much is brought in from California, Approximately 6 crops are taken off annually. Baled hay is piled outside on the desert in huge stacks, as indeed is pelleted alfalfa and even grain milo, We found very little grain corn being used in Arizona feedlots. The smallest feedlot we visited had 13,000 cattle on feed. The largest, Red River Land and Cat- tle Co., had 75,000 on feed, their capacity being 82,000 head and they expected to fill it within the next few weeks. The Red River Feedlot is jointly owned by John Wayne, the famous movie actor, with a resident owner. They jointly own several thousands of acres of farm land, 16,000 acres of which is irrigated and used for By MRS, FRED BOWDEN uchre party Mr. & Mrs, Frank Hicks and Mr. Mrs. Robert Blair were the committee in charge of the euchre party in the Community Centre on Monday night, Prize winners were: ladies high score, Mrs. Chas, Rollings; ladies lone hands, Mrs. Maurice MacDonald; low, Mrs. Agnes Davis; men's high, Thos, Yearley; lone hands, Tom Kooy; low, George Dixon. Mr, & Mrs. Jack Dickens and Mr, & Mrs, Roy Swartz will convene the next party in two week's time. Persona Is Senior Citizens enjoyed an afternoon of crokinole and cards followed by lunch in the Com- munity Centre, Monday af- ternoon, Doug Gill of Crediton was organist and choir leader for the service in the United Church, Sunday morning, Mr. & Mrs, Murray Neil of Exeter spent some time this past ,week with Mr. & Mrs. Tom Kooy, Stephen Molnar of Agincourt spent the week end at the home of his parents, Mr, & Mrs. S. Molnar. Mr, & Mrs. Ken Greb have returned home following a vacation at Sarasota, Florida. Robert Snell, son of Mr, & Mrs. George Snell has been a patient in Victoria Hospital, London, for the past week. Sunday guests at the home of Mr, & Mrs. Tom Kooy were Mr. & Mrs. Heber Davis, Mr. & Mrs. Dave Ferguson, Centralia, and Mr. & Mrs. Maurice MacDonald, Grand Bend, Mr, & Mrs. Fred Bowden joined their family for Sunday dinner at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Ray Paynter and family, Kirkton. Grandpa says, "Running into debt isn't so bad. It's running into creditors that's so em- barrassing." Times-A vacate, March 11, 1976 Page 15 ONTARIO PLOWMEN MEET — The annual meeting of the Ontario Plowmen's Association was held recent- ly in Toronto, attracting former delegates from county associations across Ontario. Among those attending were several persons from Middlesex County, including (left to right) Bob Eaton, MPP (Middlesex County); Floyd Wills, president of the Middlesex Plowmen's Association; Clarence Munro, OPA provincial director; icon Wakeling, first vice-president, Middlesex Plowmen's Association; and Fred Lewis, Middlesex County Agricultural Committee. Don't Delay! Order Today! • Seed Grain • Grass Seeds SPRING FEVER Massey Ferguson It's time to spring into action—and we're offering special low prices on all new MF farm tractors under 80 pto hp. Check how much you save: *1440.6,1•••• Oft*. 41,1 Remember We Can Mix Grasses & Clovers In Any Combination You Prefer Exeter District Co-Op Phone 235-2081 Power Standby Electrical Generating Plants USED THROUGHOUT THE NORTH BY INDUSTRY Gasoline Driven Units 1, 2 KW and up PTO Driven units 15, 25, 40, 55 KW For Further Information Call or Write 35 Wellington St., St, Marys 284.3012 or ICIPISSTAFF P.O. 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