The Rural Voice, 1979-04, Page 5Bean Growers' Marketing Board, said he is
making one major change in his crop
operaton this year.
This spring, he plans to plant more of the
earlier maturing Seafarer strain of white
beans. In the past, Mr. Cardiff said, he has
always grown a larger acreage of Kent-
wood beans, but by making the change, he
hopes to avoid problems in the fall harvest.
In 1977, white bean crops in the area
were virtually wiped out by rain and some
farmers also experienced problems with
their 1978 yield due to last summer's dry
weather.
Mr. Cardiff, a cash crop and hog farmer,
said the Kentwood variety of beans is
usually higher yielding and produces a
larger bean which takes longer to dry
down. But Mr. Cardiff has decided to risk
sacrificing some yield in the switch to more
Seafarer beans in order to ensure a better
harvest. RISK
Mr. Cardiff said he plants his bean crop
about June 1 if the field conditions are
right, and waits until June 15 to 20 if wet
weather is a problem. The risk in delaying
the planting is that the crop will run into an
SANDRA CURRAN
early frost in the fall.
Mr. Cardiff also plants barley - as early
as the land can be worked - and corn,
between May 5 and 18.
Mr. Cardiff said he operates on a four
year rotation program, starting with beans,
then going to corn and barley and back to
beans, keeping the acreage of each crop
the same from year to year. This year, he
plans to plant about 275 acres of beans, 200
acres of barley and 400 acres of corn.
15-25% DROP
Mr. Cardiff said indications received by
the Ontario Bean Growers' Marketing
Board this year are that there will be a 15 to
25 per cent drop in white bean acreage,
although not necessarily a drop in the
number of producers. Acreage cuts are due
partly to grower reaction to the two poor
years in 1977 and 1978 and also due to
higher prices offered for soybean and corn
crops.
Merle Gunby, an Ashfield Township
farmer and president at the Huron
Federation of Agriculture who operates a
farrow to finish operation combined with a
cash corn crop, said he doesn't anticipate
making any changes in his operation this
spring.
In the winter months, Merle said he
services his farm machinery and starts
investigating fertilizer, chemical and seed
purchases. He used to make these pur-
chases in January, but now chemical price
patterns aren't the same, and he often
pruchases the herbicides right before
planting now.
Merle said he tries to have machinery
and chemicals ready by the first of May
and when the weather permits, the second
week in May is the optimum time for
planting. He grows mainly corn, with a
small winter wheat crop.
RECORD KEEPING
Mr. Gunby said he completes his year
end reports in January and has the bulk of
record keeping caught up by the time
planting begins. One of the first spring
jobs once the land is dry enough is to
empty the liquid manure storage tank from
the farrow to finish operation and to spread
the fertilizer on the fields.
Doug Jones, of R.R.3, Walkerton,
started raising beef cattle for slaughter on
THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1979 PG. 3