The Rural Voice, 1980-01, Page 24Lucan
to host
'82 IPM
The 120 -acre farm of Allan Scott, west of
Lucan has been chosen to host the site of
the 1982 International Plowing Match.
The decision came after a number of
meetings and discussions, more than the
usual number held, and after six sites in
Middlesex County had been inspected.
The actual plowing match and parking
facilities will be located on a number of
farms located west of Lucan and south of
Highway 4. Included in this category are
farms of Wilson Hodgins, reeve of
Biddulph Township and president of the
Middlesex Plowmen's Association.
According to Mr. Scott, it has not been
firmly decided what other farms in the area
will be used, but the association has signed
letters of intent for close to 1,200 acres.
Wilson Hodgins, plowing match commit-
tee member noted that the 1982 site was
chosen because of the easy availability of
hydro and water and the closeness of
Highway 4 and County Road 31.
"There are two heavy power lines going
right by the properties right new and this
was a big factor in the final decision," he
said.
The last time the International Plowing
Match was held in Middlesex was in 1928
when it was held on the Carmichael farm,
east of Highway 4, near the Medway
Creamery.
The 1980 match is being held in Oxford
County and in 1981 in Simcoe County, near
Barrie.
Milverton
teens start
4-H club in
forestry
Milverton -area teenagers can take part
in a unique 4-H course this winter, the 4-H
Forestry Club.
Julie Natywary, one of the club's
leaders, said the purpose of the course is to
get kids interested in conservation and the
better management of the farm woodlot,
and to practise forestry. Some of the basic
subjects studied during the course will be
how to plant a tree, how a tree grows, how
to set up proper windbreaks and shelter
belts around the farm home, restoring old
windbreaks and the identification of differ-
ent species of trees.
The club members will go on several
field trips related to the growth, planting
and care of trees. The Achievement Day
project for the course will be a collection of
twigs and leaves, identified and mounted
for display.
Julie Natywary said the Forestry Club
has been offered in the Listowel area in the
past, but never in Milverton.
Anyone interested in the course can call
Julie at 595-4754. The first meeting of the
club was held in the Gravelridge Hall on
Dec. 10.
Christian Farmers
elect new president
John Skima, a 34 -year old apple, corn
and wheat producer from Newcastle in the
Durham Region has been elected president
of the Christian Farmers Federation of
Ontario (CFFO) at their recent convention.
Mr. Skima is taking over the post from
John Janssens, a Lambton County egg
producer. Mr. Janssens headed the
organization for four years and Mr. Skima
has been the Federation's treasurer for the
same length of time.
The vice-president is William Van
Huizen, a 40 year-old chicken producer and
fruit grower from Beamsville. He has been
on the Federation's executive board for the
past three years and is chairman of the
CFFO Chicken Committee.
At the convention, the delegates decided
to encourage agriculture students to join
their federation. The convention adopted a
resolution that allows students to be
members for 20 per cent of the
Federation's regular fee charged to family
farmers.
Ken De Boer, who comes from a family
farm near Lucknow, was the spokesman for
the interested students.
"A discounted membership is essential
for us students," Mr. De Boer said. "Most
of us would find it difficult to pay the full
membership fee yet we wish to be accepted
as full members to form a local with all the
rights and privileges of members."
A number of students have organized a
Christian Agriculture Club at the Un-
iversity of Guelph for the past four years,
which has functioned largely as a discus-
sion group.
Mr. De Boer said this type of
organization was rather discouraging,
since students could discuss problems but
not do anything to change them.
Delegates to the farm convention were
also warned to be more wary of
PG. 22 THE RURAL VOICE/JANUARY 1980
government regulatory agencies in
agriculture.
Ed Vanderkloet, executive secretary of
the Christian Labour Association of Canada
warned that government regulatory
agencies can cause major problems for
Christians.
"Regulatory agencies often do more
than interpret laws," he warned. "Over
the years they develop their own set of
precedents and often give them the weight
of law . Hear ings then become lawyer -
dominated and expensive."
John McMurchy, solicitor with OMAF,
spoke to delegates on the history of the
development of marketing boards and
government regulation of these producer
organizations. Delegates questioned the
solicitor on what they can do when they are
not satisified with marketing board
policies.
Elbert Van Donkersgoerd, executive
director of CFFO, said he didn't see an
immediate problem for family farmers
from government regulatory agencies.
"But the potential exists," Mr. Van
Donkersgoerd warned, "If regulatory
agencies set a number of precedents that
favour the growing domination of farming
by agribusiness, then it won't be long
before family farmers just cannot get a fair
deal from such agencies."
He said the CFFO must make sure any
regulatory agency decision favouring agri
business doesn't go unchallenged. He said
this was one reason the CFFO objected so
strongly earlier this year to guidelines
issued by the federal government to the
National Farm Products Marketing
Council.
Brussels man is
new Gay Lea director
Fred Meier of Brussels was elected as
director of the Gay Lea Foods Co -Operative
at its annual zone meeting held in the Elma
Community Centre recently.
The following were elected voting
delegates: Joseph Moss, Embro; Donald
Pitts, Stratford; Ronald Skinner, Mitchell;
David Ireland, Teeswater; Edwin Miller,
Exeter; Morley Wall, Holyrood; Clarence
Hilton, Rockwood; Lloyd Harris, Mount
Forest; Harry Schutten, Orangeville and
John Zantinge, Arthur.
Walter Hamel, president of Gay Lea
Food Co -Operative reported that reduced
milk volume again this year curtailed
operations in the milk plants and had a
negative affect on earnings.
Mr. Hamel told members at the meeting
that this is the co-operative's twenty-first
year of operation. He said members' equity
over the 21 years had grown to more than
S7,000,000 and assets to date totalled
nearly $20.000.000.