Loading...
The Rural Voice, 1978-04, Page 21paid tribute to Huron Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell for his efforts in helping the canning crop industry. VanderPol continued. "Jack did one hclluva job for us in getting through legislation which allows us to operate effectively" Canadian Canners plant manager at Exeter Jack Urquhart urged growers to continue their battle to keep costs down. Urquhart said contracting for 1978 crops .:ere expected to get underway shortly. He said he expected pea acreage would be about the same as 1977 but the number of acres of corn to be planted could be down somewhat. In his remarks MPP .lack Riddell said he hoped the two current strikes in Huron would be settled soon so ".:c can fall back into our quiet way of doing things .•:hereby ..e act responsibly". On the teachers strike. Riddell who formerly was on the teaching staff at South Huron District High School said, "I've been in touch with the Education Commission on a daily basis. but. I won't attempt to bail either side out." Keith Strang, chairman of the Huron- Pcrth Can Crop Growers was master of ceremonies for the evening. Also speaking briefly were Exeter reeve Si Simmons. Huron Ag Rep Don Pullen, Perth Ag Rep Allen Scott and Tim Carroll, secretary -manager of the Ontario Veget- able Growers Marketing Board. Pork producers want vaccine stockpiled A contingency plan to help confine and eliminate any outbreak of pseudo rabies among Canadian hogs was called for recently by farmers attending the annual meeting of the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board. The farmers want the federal and provincial governments to develop the plan and stockpile vaccine in -case pseudorabies disease slips across the border and breaks out among Canadian hogs. In the last few years, the disease has caused havoc in some parts of the United Stats and many Canadian hog producers believe it's only a matter of time until an outbreak occurs in this country. The federal government has stepped up its border controls and now lists pseudorabies as a "named" disease. This has had the effect of keeping the border closed to imports of live hogs from the United States this month. The only hogs which have been allowed into the country are those which have undergone an extensive quarantine and testing program. In the past, the quarantine was necessary because of hog cholera outbreaks in the United States. The quarantine requirement must be lifted when the United Stated can go 18 months with no outbreaks of the disease. That requirement was fulfilled on March 1. However, experts doubt it will ever be possible for the United States to meet the 18 month disease-free requirement for both hog cholera and pseudorabies. Should the requirements ever be met, then live hogs could begin to move across the border to Canadian meat -packing plants, which would offer Ontario packing plants the first opportunity to "break" the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board control of hog marketing in the province. While the board doesn't exercise any restraints on production volumes or prices. it is the sole selling agent in the province. The board markets their hogs through a dutch auction system which forces all packing plants to bid against each other for supplies available in Ontario. While provincial packing plants could import from the west or Quebec, access to the United States would be a more effective measure should the packing plants want to boycott the Ontario board or pressure Ontario hog prices lower. Ontario slaughter hog prices are the highest in North America. In other business, the hog farmers approved a resolution asking feed companies to label feeds • with their composition and source of protein, minerals and vitamins. Canada -U.S. expand co-operation Canada and the United States have agreed on expanded co-operation in agricultural research. including crop forecasting from data supplied by space satellites. Joint arrangements were completed in March during a visit here by Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland. The two officials signed a memorandum of understanding under which Canada and the Unitcd States will exchange crop forecasting strategies, methodologies and on-site crop information in order to improve accuracy of each country's crop forecasts. The technology will include data from the U.S. Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE), as well as future research that will be jointly conducted. In addition, they agreed upon an expanded effort in more traditional research, which will involve the exchange of research managers and senior scientists between the two countries and exchange of information in the field of pesticide evaluation. The co-operative efforts will extend to research on plant gene resources', problem vertebrates, land use, soil salinity, waste disposal, energy, atmospheric pollution, and soil reclamation. RAY.� POTTER 'igoE AND SONS LTD. �I c4vRc1 Farm, Industrial Garden Tractors b Equipment QscORPlon SNOWMOBILES 275 HURON ST., CLINTON [SOWS ervice 482.99971 ZWAAN' S WELDING AND EQUIPMENT Bldg. 25 Winnipeg Rd. Vanastra 482-7931 Next to Bayfield Boats SALES AND SERVICE OF Livestock Racks Edbro Hoists Grain Bodies Fifth -Wheel Trailers General Repairs THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1978. PG. 21.