The Lucknow Sentinel, 1988-06-08, Page 3Luclmow Sentinel, Wednesday, June 8, 1988—Page 3
Organic farming attitude not economics
• from page 1
have been tried on the farm, with much
success.
In the early stages of the McQuail farm,
times were tough. Very little was coming
from the over -used soil and excess
chemicals from years gone by plagued
their attempts.
"We supplemented our income at that
time by taking work off the farm," Tony
admits. "I worked in carpentry and con-
struction and was President of the County
Federation of Agriculture for two years.
Now, the farm is supporting itself."
Says Ted Zettel, Public Relations Direc-
tor of EFAO, "It's working for them, and
that is crucial. We are in an age when big,
expensive farming operations are going
broke and here's Tony feeding his family.
They have to feel good about that."
Attitude not economics
Prior to the afternoon tour, a short
ecumenical religious service was held on
°the McQuail's lawn. The purpose was to
help promote concern for the earth and
show that a decline of the environment is a
crucial issue to all of us.
Such an Environmental Sabbath is a
result of the world wide effort by the
United Nations Environment Program to
bring religious and environmental com-
munities together.
"Ecological or organic farming is not
just about economics, its about attitude,"
said Zettel. "We're talking about the long-
term here, not just short-term gains. That
really is the problem with agriculture to-
day. We are too concerned with, the short-
term economics."
Through tours such as Sunday's, the
EFAO hopes to spread the philosophy that
a farm family can make a living while
working with the earth, not against it.
"It takes endurance," said Lawrence
Andres, President of the EFAO. "It can be
a heart-warming strategy, an honest living
with the emphasis on honest. Farming is a
business that should not be as business
oriented as it has become."
Of the McQuails, Andres says, "They
have worked extremely hard for what they
have. You'd have to look far and wide to
find an operation such as this."
Other tours
With the first organic farm tour of the
season under their belt, the EFAO is look-
ing forward to the next scheduled for
Saturday,' July 9 near Tiverton. The next
tour will look at the large scale operations
of the Andres and Hack farms.
During this tour, the Association, its
members and interested guests will see
how it is possible, through hard and
dedicated work, to make a big organic far-
ming c,peration economicaly feasible.
The Andres farm, at which the tour will
begin, has been bio -dynamically farmed
since 1980: It is a cattle and crop operation
and it works.
A concern for the earth
The Ecological Farmers Association,
grew out of the Natural Farmers Associa-
tion which was formed at Linwood, On-
tario, in April of 1979. Herb Eldridge was
the moving force behind the organization
and acted as its president during the for-
mative years.
When the NFAO began sponsoring farm
tours in 1980, its membership stood around
40. Today, the EFAO boasts a membership
of 500 and is growing daily.
Lawrence and Mathilde Andres took
over the leadership of the association upon
the retirement of Herb Eldridge in 1983
C.A.M.C.
Bookkeeping
Income Tax Preparation
Experienced Staff
Alan Campbell
328A Josephine Street
WINGHAM
357-3687 or 887-9451
Hours: Mon -Fri 9-6 Sat 9-1
B.A.
McDONAGH
REAL ESTATE & INSURANCE LTD.
528-2031
LUCKNOW
FARMS
3 BEDROOM HOME - 2 baths, large kit-
chen, electric heat, 2 blocks from P.0,
101/2% mortgage available.
ONE ACRE - edge of Lucknow, 4 bedroom,
family room, fish pond, 15 fruit trees. Pric-
ed to sell.
LUCKNOW • 3 bedroom bungalow, 4 pc.
bath, large kitchen and dining room. Ask-
ing $20,000.00.
LOT - 2 blocks from Main Street,
$10,000.00.
WEST WAWANOSH - 100 acre farm, ap-
proximately 65 workable. red brick home,
barn and two sheds.
KINLOSS — 110 acres with 90 acres
drained and level, drilled well, electric
pump, balance bush. Asking '55,000.00.
KINLOSS - 90.5 acres, level and drained.
3 bedroom home, 2 baths, barns and 2 im-
plement sheds. Asking '75,000.
Listings Wanted
FRASER MacKINNON
528-3013
BARRY McDONAGH
528-3821
DAVID MacKINNON
395-2483
and continue to head up this .. vital
movement.
The purpose of the EFAO is to create
links between farmers and consumers and
to develop marketing channels for ,the
growers using ecological principles on
their farms. Their goal is to create an
agriculture which maintains and enhances
the health of the soil, the crops, the
livestock and the farm community through
the understanding of ecological principles.
A one year membership to the organiza-
tion is $15 and one needn't be a farmer to
join. All you need is a concern for the earth
and its people.
"There are big operations doing this and
they work. That's crucial to the organiza-
tion," said Zettel of the upcoming tour.
"Organic farming was once only for hobby
farmers but we've outgrown that now.
We're learning that it's not that difficult to
do." '
As oppossed to the recent McQuail tour,
the upcoming farm tours will be more ap-
...
propriate for the serious commercial
farmer.
For more information about the
Ecological Farmers Association and the
upcoming farm tours, you are invited to
contact either Lawrence Andres at
368-7417 Tiverton, or Ted Zettel at 366-9982
Chepstow.
West Wawanosh to get
long- awaited addition
The contracts have been let for the long-
awaited addition to the West Wawanosh
Township building. Cost will be about
$72,000 for a new clerk's office, a council
chamber, two washrooms and a full base-
ment where public meetings can be held.
Tom Pegg Construction of St. Helens will
be building the addition. Dawsons of
Dungannon will be doing the plumbing and
Ritchie Electric of Lucknow will do the elec-
tric work.
No one is happier about the new addition
than Joan Armstrong, township clerk -
treasurer. Armstrong says her present loca-
tion in the road superintendent's office is
unsatisfactory. -
"There's just not enough room," says the
clerk -treasurer.
"Just outside the door they are running
the trucks and the graders," explains Arm-
strong. "I'm really getting tired of the noise
and the fumes and the dirt. When they run
the grader in, I can't hear to talk on the
telephone."
The former township hall burned in 1986
and was never replaced.
West Wawanosh council has concurred
with a decision of Huron County Library to
close the Dungannon branch. There have
been no complaints from residents in
Dungannon about the closing, according to
Armstrong.
It is expected that Dungannon folks who
wish to take out library books will use the
Goderich library or the Lucknow library.
C OUNCIL BRIEFS
West Wawanosh enjoys a reciprocal agree-
ment with Bruce County Library.
There are two other libraries in West
Wawanosh - Auburn and St. Helens.
In the last few months, West Wawanosh
Council has been working on developing an
employment policy statement. It sets down
in writing the working conditions of
township employees.
At the May meeting of council, the matter
of the clerk -treasurer's accumulated sick
leave days was discussed. In the past, ac-
cumulated sick leave had a monetary value
and was paid to employees periodically.
Under the new policy, employees are
allowed six sick days per year. Up to 30 sick
days can be accumulated and used in case of
illness. Sick days, however, will have no
monetary value.
Clerk -treasurer Armstrong was allowed a
final payment for sick leave accumulated
before the new policy took effect.
Building permits have been issued to A.
Stutzman for a shed; to R.J.LaMarre for a
shed; to L. Morrison for a granary; to R and
R Morrison for a produce stand and
storage; and to V. Glenn for a workshop.
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