The Rural Voice, 1980-08, Page 8Erosion control
is his crusade
No series on the farmer and his environment would be complete
without the story of Norman Alexander, a Huron County man
who's taking his concern about erosion to the public.
BY JIM NEER
To Norm Alexander, retirement meant
starting all over in a new job developing
new career interests.
"For retirement, you have to have
something to do," says Mr. Alexander who
became Hullett Township drainage com-
missioner at the age of 65.
Since receiving the appointment in 1975,
Mr. Alexander said he hasn't confined
himself strictly to ditch and farm drainage
problems, but rather has taken the job one
step further. He has now become one of the
few people who are concerned with Huron
County's vanishing farm land.
"Every 24 hours, 50 tons of top soil goes
down the Thames River alone," he says
citing examples from the Environment
Canada Sediment Survey.
First involved in erosion as drainage
commissioner, Mr. Alexander described
his job as public relations.
"It is public relations between the
farmers who have drainage problems, and
the engineers who design the drains."
He said his job, which began as
examining existing drains and trying to
help farmers with drainage problems,
developed into concern for erosion control
simply because he couldn't find any one
government office that would claim
responsibility.
"Erosion," says Mr. Alexander, "is not
easily defined," adding it is a combination
of many things.
"We've gone into corn crops without
knowing what can happen," he says,
explaining that when land is used to grow
only one crop for a number of years it is
termed as monoculture.
This, he says, could result in severe
damage to a soil's extremely complex
structure. Molds, fungi and insect infest-
ation could soon develop, leaving crops
damaged and yields low.
Citing an historical case, Mr. Alexander
said the Irish potato famine is a good
example of what can happen.
"Ireland grew potatoes too much. It
resulted in a blight hitting the potatoes
which left people starving and becoming
sick with cholera."
"Monoculture could bring about a
catastrophe in seven or eight years."
Mr. Alexander says one solution is grass
rotation, but, "unfortunately most farmers
can't afford it."
How does monoculture affect erosion?
DRY BARREN FIELDS
Mr. Alexander holds up two pictures
of dry, barren fields over -laid with dead
crops and infertile soil, easily blown away
by strong winds or fast water runoffs. This)
he explains,is the result of soil that has
been used for single crop use, leaving the
field susceptible to erosion.
Concern for farm land and interest in
farming did not begin with Mr. Alexand-
er's appointment as drainage commission-
er. He was raised on a farm and worked in
farming in Kippen until 1940, when he
moved to Londesboro to work in the
general store.
His work in Londesboro soon developed
into a business for himself, owning and
operating a seed sales operation. In 1975,
he sold his seed business and soon found
he needed something to fill his time and
occupy his interests. The job as drainage
commissioner was available, he applied, it
was his.
Since his appointment and his discovery
that few government agencies claim
responsibility for soil erosion problems,
Mr. Alexander has been doing some
homework on his own.
WATER SHOULD WALK
"Water should walk, not run,'' he says
explaining that most top soil is lost when
water runs more than 2.5 feet per second.
"If you can control the velocity of runoff
water, it goes a long way in helping
prevent erosion." he says.
The cause?
"We have not been managing our soil
and water in an overall program."
"Top soil should be kept on the farm.
What we're actually doing is spending
money on better and bigger ditches to
PG. 8 THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1980