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The Citizen, 1990-11-21, Page 19THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1990. PAGE 19. Middle East crisis could help change wasteful practices The current Middle East crisis could spark a move toward more healthy farm practices, Bob Ver­ dun, editor of Farm Gate and the Elmira Independent told the Fall Conference of the Ecological Farm­ ers Association of Ontario in Ethel Saturday. The often-controversial writer, who himself farms a 100 acre Waterloo region farm, told the 120 farmers from across the province that many of the most damaging farm practices are also the most expensive from an energy input basis. The current crisis will put extra pressure on North Americans to continue the conservation mea­ sures they had begun with the energy crisis of the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Those shortages and increasing petroleum prices had driven us to make substantial conservation efforts but we had been backtracking in recent years until Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, preciptating a new round of foil price increases. He said that it would be better to cut our energy needs in half than to waste one life in a war to push Hussein out of Kuwait, he said. “It’s all about oil’’, he said of the current crisis. Having travelled to many places in the world, he said, he had seen lots of people in worse situations than the people of Ku­ wait and “we don’t give a damn about them.” Kuwait had hardly been a bastion of democracy. People, he said, are trying to be more ecologically responsible. As a director of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture he had talked to 15 farmers and found that even those who insisted on the need for chemical sprays didn’t use them themselves. Even those companies pushing the use of chemicals are trying to make themselves “green" but their advertisements for safe handling of chemicals show just how dangerous the chemicals are. Even farmers who insist on using chemicals are changing their habits and using less chemicals. One crop consultant he knew of was recom­ mending farmers use less spray Straw key to good compost Continued from page 18 But after a couple of years, and after learning that a relative had switched to organic methods, he took a real look at his own situation. The more he farmed, the more chemicals he was needing to get the same results as when he first took over the farm and he had to gear down the tractor when culti­ vating. He decided that the old farmer had been right and made the decision to switch over the next spring. “I could see no future in farming with chemicals” because more chemicals were having to be used all the time driving up input costs, he said. He was concerned about the health of his animals, the health of the soil and the health of the family. Composting the cattle manure is secret to a healthy ecosystem on the farm, he said. He called compost making an art and said it has taken him several years to realize it takes a lot of straw to make good compost. He used to use 3,000 bales of straw but now uses 8,000 bales to get enough straw into the manure for compost­ ing. When the manure is removed from the barn it’s stored at first in a cement storage area outside the barn but it isn’t large enough on his farm so he windrows the compost­ ing manure in a field. When the composting is completed, after seeding time when the soil is dry, he spreads the composted manure on the fields. Working on dry soil is important, he said. His concentration on fall cultivation is to set up the spring cultivation. He wants to keep spring cultivation to a maximum of two passes with the cultivator before planting. This reduces the twitch problem, he said. He feels cultivation plays a vital role in determining what happens in the fields. than the recorr nended application rate. Since r any farmers routinely doubled the recommended applica­ tion rate in the past, this represents a huge reduction in the amount of chemical being applied on fields. The most powerful chemicals used are insecticides and some, such as those used to control corn root worm, should be banned, he said. The worms can be controlled simply by proper crop rotation and banning the chemical would save farmers, who insist on growing corn after corn, from themselves. Still, he said, he couldn’t admit to being an organic farmer himself because he used Roundup for twitch problems. “Even for some­ body who’s been an environmenta­ list for 20 years it’s hard to break the habit,” he said. For the environmental efforts he has tried on his farm, like establishing a windbreak he has taken a lot of ridicule from his neighbours, he said. He said the new NDP government should help the envir­ onmental program by offering far­ mers $100 per acre per year to establish and maintain windbreaks on their land. He warned the Ecological Farm­ ers not to be too dogmatic and evangelical to the point of driving people away from their movement. Organic farming is still being hurt by some of the extremists who led the movement in its early days, he said. “You can be most effective working with friends and neigh­ bours,” he said. Looking at current trends it’s obvious the public is way ahead of the politicians in environmental matters, he said and it was his perception that this was a perma­ nent change. HENSALL LIVESTOCK SALES LTD. SALES REPORT The market on Thursday, November 15 met a moderate demand, selling steady on choice steers and heifers. There were 334 slaughter steers and heifers. Choice steers sold at $91 to $96 with sales to $102.00. Six steers consigned by Dean and Paul Aidwinkle averaging 1072 lbs. sold for $96 with a top sale of $100.00. Purchased by Corsetti Meat Packers. Forty steers consigned by Maple Emblem Farms averaging 1370 lbs. sold for $93.85 with a top sale of $98.75. Purchased by Corsetti Meat Packers. Fourteen steers consigned by Kerslake Farms averaging 1290 lbs. sold for $93.75 with a top sale of $102.25. Purchased by Corsetti Meat Packers. Seventeen steers consigned by Steven Eadie averaging 1227 lbs. sold for $91.10 with a top sale of $93.60. Purchased by Norwich Packers Ten steers consigned by Bill Sproule averaging 1213 lbs. sold for $91.90 with a top sale of $95.30. Purchased by St. Helens Meat Packers. Choice heifers sold $89 to $94 with sales to $98.00. Twelve heifers consigned by Fraserhill Farms averaging 1136 lbs. sold for $94.10 with a top sale of $98.00. Purchased by Corsetti Meat Packers. Three heifers consigned by Dean and Paul Aidwinkle averaging 1050 lbs. sold for $94.50 with a top sale of $97.75. Purchased by Darling Food Markets. Two heifers consigned by Gordon Daer averaging 1050 lbs. sold for $90.35. Thirty-two heifers consigned by Neil McKenzie averaging 1075 lbs. sold for $89.25 with a top sale of $96.00. Purchased by Corsetti Meat Packers. Fourteen heifers consigned by Allan Webster averaging 1143 lbs. sold for $88.70 with a top sale of $96.25. Purchased by Norwich Packers. OWNERS MANAGER 262-2831 SALESREP. BARRYMILLER JOEZEHR 235-2717 887-9599 TOXIN ALERT New crop corn may be contaminated with molds and mycotoxins. Protect your livestock and your livelihood by chemically testing for mycotoxin contamination in your corn. SYMPTONS: A) Feed Refusal - vomitoxin (DON) and T-2 toxin are most com­ monly associated with feed refusal in swine. Reduced intake, vomiting, nervous disorders, reduced disease resistance, irritation of skin & digestive system. 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AUBURN CO-OPERATIVE County Rd. #25, Auburn 526-7262 Store Hours: Mon -Fri 8to5 Store Hours: Mon -Fri 8:30-5:30 Sat 9-12 noon Sat 9-12noon BELGRAVE CO-OPERATIVE Hwy. #4, Belgrave 357-2711 523-4454