The Rural Voice, 1979-05, Page 33ambling in an adjacent field. He called Mr.
Koene, was soon on the scene, only to find
that the boar had disappeared again.
Returning home, he fetched a helper and a
hunting dog, and the rest is history.
Bruce betting fever
Bruce County is experiencing a bit of
betting fever. And farmers are the ones
who are into the money. They make five
doilar wagers betting that they can produce
more and better corn silage than their
neighbours.
Mac Bolton, the Bruce County agri-
cultural representative said the Bruce
County Corn Sweepstakes got started
about 10 years ago. The farmer harvests
with his forage harvester; the length of
area harvested is measured with a land
measuring wheel by OMAF personnel and
the yield from an area is determined by
weighing an empty wagon and then
weighing it with a load on. -
There is a minimum qualifying objective
for the contest of 15 tons per acre which
means that the money won't be given out if
there are no yields above this.
Mr. Bolton thought the contest got
started because the Bruce Soil and Crop
Improvement Association wanted to know
what the silage yield was in the county. He
said the idea of the sweepstakes came from
an annual meeting of the Association.
"Our purpose was to provide a com-
petition for the outstanding yield," he
said.
About 20 farmers a year enter in the
competiton. One of the benefits Mr. Bolton
says is that, "We have a better idea of
what the yields are for corn silage in the
county."
Last year's winners, Cyril Spitzig of
Chepstow. Bill Zettel of Formosa and Art
Zettler of Cargill had respective yields of
17.9, 17.3 and 17.1 tons per acre during
1978.
Christian Farmers
hear history of
family farm
On April 3rd, the Christian Farmers
Federation of Ontario's Silver Anniversary
was celebrated by holding a Family Farm
Seminar at the University of Guelph.
Professor S. H. Lane of the Agricultural
Economics Dept. spoke on the History of
the Family Farm. He said that fewer farms
producing the bulk of agricultural com-
modities will be the predominant farming
structure in the future, but the day of the
family farm is not over. "The social and
political benefits associated with viable
family farms are too significant to
oonccive that governments would intro -
We have the largest selection of
garden and flower seeds in Huron
County, also onions - dutch sets,
spanish sets, multipliers, and
seed potatoes
Buy just a package or In bulk ..
"No matter how small or large the order, the service Is
always presonal"
Baker's
Farm and Garden Centre
22 Isaac St., Clinton 482-9333
PG. 32 THE RURAL VOICE/MAY 1979
duce programs which would jeopardize
efficient and progressive family farms.
Aggressive commercial family farms have
expanded by leasing additional land,
frequently from part-time or hobby farmers
who have invested in land as a hedge
against inflation or to capture the benefits
of rural living, he said." Prof. Lane
cautioned that it is not economically
attractive today to expand beyond a two to
three man operation or beyond the amount
of labor a farm operator and his family can
provide.
Prof. Lane
said desirable attributes of farming—self
employment, moral values, and human
understanding and mutual respect—have
been maintained during two centuries of
evolution.
The 125 participants in the seminar were
divided into workgroups to discuss policy
options to help the family farm. Some of
the items discussed were, that all
government programs, including stabiliz-
ation should be limited to family farmers;
that there should be restrictions on selling
foodland to non -family farmers; that there
should be opportunity for new people to get
started in all commodities; that financing
should be possible from the rural farm
community through retired farmers by
better govt. tax programs.
Concern was expressed over foreign
ownership of Ontario Farmland, where the
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