The Rural Voice, 1978-03, Page 19develop appraisal dolicies and procedures
geared to the rural aspect of the industry.
There are 27 members of the group so
far. President is Bill Muir of Woodstock;
second vice-president, Doug Henderson,
Kitchener; third vice-president, Cliff
Mathews, Woodstock and secretary, Pat
Fleming, London. The membership of the
Ontario chapter is spread from Chatham to
Barrie to the Ottawa area.
Farmers are destroying
their own land
About 200 farmers were told Feb. 17 that
they are destroying the soil they are
earning their living off.
Dr. Charles Baldwin told the Crops Day
audience at the Perth Ag. Week at
Stratford that erosion is steadily claiming
more and more of the precious topsoil on
which our crops are grown. There is
erosion on all lands, he said, but what
matters is the degree of erosion. A major
determining factor as to the rate of erosion
is vegetation cover. He warned that the
dust storms of the 1930s could be small in
comparison with storms that could be
coming in the next few years. In the 1920's
he said. there was a lot of vegetation but
today most of it has been removed in the
name of progress. Trees have been cut
down, fence bottoms removed and some
farmers are actually cultivating the
roadsides.
Dr. Baldwin criticized farmers who buy
all the large equipment they can and,
because they have spare time in the spring
or fall, get out on the land and "work it to
death". He classed some of this equipment
as "toys" and said the more the soil is
worked, the faster it loses fiber content and
becomes subject to wind and water
erosion. He suggested farmers look into
cultivation equipment that leaves rough
appearing fields with varying degrees of
roughage sitting on top to hold the soil in
place.
He also warned farmers against
improper use of chemicals which could lead
to tough government regulations of
chemical use.
Another speaker at the meeting was Max
McKay of R.R.5, Embro. He said that in
his own county of Oxford many of the worst
land management practices are used by the
large canning companies which rent '
farmland to grow corn and peas. One farm,
he said, has become undesirable to the
canning companies after five years of their
rental. In those five years rills have grown
progressively to deep gullies, he said. He
urged the use of crop rotation saying even
cash crop farmers should plant alfalfa
periodically to get some organic matter
back into the soil and slow down erosion.
The provincial government's recent
program of grants to promote the removal
of fence bottoms was making the problem
worse, he said by creating larger fields
THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1978. PG. 19.
Come
new
the
are
Plus,
posed
ROU BlIP
DISCOU
Buy before April
Get big preseason discounts
hay and forage equipment
John Deere Roundup of
rr
L I
S
30!
on new
during the
Bargains
II
used in our area. We're
anytime ... but your op -
these extra discounts
Don't let the savings slip
today and let's round
Discount through
April 30, 1978
`,i- '
in soon and make a deal on any equipment is
equipment described below while ready to deal
special $195 to $2.600 discounts portunity to gain
available. No waiting for a rebate. ends April 30.
no finance charge will be im- away. Come in
until the first of the month up some bargains.
MACHINES
25 and 34 Forage Harvesters; 15A and 16A Rotary Choppers;
336 and 346 Balers; 100 Stack Mover $195
1207, 1209, and 1214 Mower/Conditioners, 466 Baler;
35 and 3800 Forage Harvesters,
800 and 830 Windrowers $325
100 Stack Wagon $520
200 and 300 Stack Movers $650
2250, 2270, and 2280 Windrowers $780
200 Stack Wagon $1,040
300 Stack Wagon $1,950
230 Stack Shredder/Feeder $2.600
Discount is subject to equipment availability
HURON TRACTOR
JOHN DEERE LTD.
235-1115
B LYT H 523-4244 EXETER
THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1978. PG. 19.