The Rural Voice, 2001-11, Page 36AgriTech
Poultry tips available on the
By Janice Becker
Thinking about the season
recently, I wondered what is on the
minds of other rural folks these days.
As I remembered the September
tragedies and the Canadian holiday
last month, I mused that all families
should have taken the time to give
thanks and appreciate the country in
which we live.
Then, contemplating Thanksgiving
and the all -too -soon celebration of
Christmas, one similarity which came
to me other than the joy of spending
time with family was the meal.
For many holiday gatherings, turkey
is a mainstay of the feast, a bird
which gets considerable attention at
this time of year.
So, I went looking for websites
which would not only provide
material those in the industry, but
sites which would be of interest to the
consumer. After all, what do we do
with all those turkey leftovers which
are still in the refrigerator come New
Year's Day.
The Canadian Turkey Marketing
Agency, www.canadianturkey.ca, is
definitely an industry site. Reports
cover stats on production, value,
imports and exports, to name a few.
Charts detail the numbers for supply
and disposition, turkey production by
province and category and percentage
of turkey retail purchases by
category, from 1993-2000, with some
earlier information. Visitors can
download reports of turkey facts for
2001 and the site includes time
needed.
There are outlines of food and
safety standards for the industry,
environmental concerns and trade
issues.
The fall issue of the newsletter
includes articles on the CTMA
allocation policy, storage stock
report, market report, federal and
provincial agreement renewal and
understanding globalization.
There is a private chat room for
producers and officials of the
industry only.
The Ontario Turkey Producers'
Marketing Board, located in
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www.tcc.on.ca
Office 519-263-2211 Toll Free 1-888-263-8225
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Marvin L. Smith
B.Sc.F. (Forestry), R.P.F
Farm Woodland Specialist
570 Riverview Dr.
Listowel, Ontario N4W 3T7
Telephone: (519) 291-2236
Providing advice and assistance with:
• impartial advice/assistance in selling timber,
including selection of trees and marking
• reforestation of erodible or idle land
• follow-up tending of young plantations
• windbreak planning and establishment
• woodlot management planning
• diagnosis of insect and disease problems
• conducting educational programs in woodlot
management
• any other woodland or tree concerns
34 THE RURAL VOICE
web
Kitchener, has its website at
www.ont-turkey.on.ca. This site, as
well as the National Turkey
Federation in the United States at
www.eatturkey.com/, are consumer -
oriented.
Surfers can check out long lists of
recipes on both sites, everything from
turkey crab gumbo to medallions
napoleon and stuffed turkey legs.
There are even heart smart recipes on
the Ontario site.
Both locations help novice cooks
with the basics of turkey purchasing,
thawing, stuffing, cooking and
storing.
ont-turkey includes a section
geared to commercial establishments
with recipes and newsletters from the
industry, as well as tent cards,
posters, buttons, menu clips and
balloons for promotions.
The education icon offers three
teacher -resource packages and a
video for different ages of elementary
school students. There is also
information on the history of turkey
production since World War II and
current practices regarding housing,
disease prevention, research,
transport and HACCP.
To see what is going on in the
turkey business in the west, take a
look at the Alberta Turkey Producers'
site, www.abturkey.ab.ca, BC Turkey
Marketing Board,
www.bcturkey.bc.ca and Manitoba
Turkey Producers, www.turkey.mb.ca.
Though links to actual producers,
particularly Canadians, were harder
to find, I did locate a great one from
New York , just north of Syracuse.
Plainville Farms, in Cicero, NY, has
a turkey tourist attraction. Not only
can visitors peruse their website at
www.plainvillefarms.com/index.htm,
but a physical trip to the farm offers a
petting zoo, chats with animated
characters, and a gift shop. A few
miles down'the road, the family owns
a restaurant where, of course, turkey
is featured.
So for a trip online or in person,
check out turkeys.
Contact me at jlbecker@wightman.ca.
Janice Becker is a computer
enthusiast and journalist living near
Walton, ON.