The Rural Voice, 2000-05, Page 3R.V.
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Gisele Ireland, Lisa Boonstoppel-
Pot, Bonnie Gropp, Ralph Pearce
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Sandra
Orr, Carl L. Bedal, Janice Becker,
Andrew Grindlay, Sarah Caldwell
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Joan Caldwell
advertising & editorial production:
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Students get hands dirty
While parents in rural areas often
bemoan the lack of local job
opportunities for our young people,
many agriculturally -related
businesses often find it hard to recruit
the skilled workers they require.
Meanwhile, agriculture often seems
ignored by the school system.
But in Huron and Perth Counties a
new program called Bridges to
Agriculture is attempting to open the
eyes of young people to potential jobs
in agriculture and give them valuable
hands-on experience.
The co-operative program, co-
ordinated by teacher Ron Ritchie,
involves high school students from
both the Avon Maitland District
School Board and the Huron -Perth
Catholic District School Board who
spend one work term on a farm and
one in agribusiness. We have a story
on the program.
Just how important agriculture is
to rural economies is reinforced again
with the release of a new study
sponsored by the Perth County
Federation of Agriculture. Prof.
Harry Cummings from the University
of Guelph has overseen several
similar studies across Ontario
following a pilot project in Huron
County. The new figures from Perth
show that even in a county with a
large industrial base as well as
tourism generated by the famous
Stratford Festival, agriculture is still a
huge element of the economy.
Farming becomes more
mechanized daily and one of the last
daily hands-on chores in farming, the
twice (or three -times) daily milking
of dairy cattle has recently joined the
list of farm tasks to be mechanized.
Bonnie Gropp spoke with a young
family who have introduced robotic
milkers about the changes it has
brought to their operation.
Changes in a dairy operation, such
as switching from a tie -stall to a free -
stall operation can bring management
headaches. Sandra Orr speaks with a
Perth County family who went
through the painful transition.
So many things have changed in
rural life but some people have
managed to hang on to some of the
fine traditions of the past. Greg
Brown visited two Grey County rifle
clubs dating back to the early 1900s
to talk about the traditions and the
changes.
Speaking of traditions, logging
with horses is making a comeback
because it reduces damage in
sensitive woodlots. Andrew Grindlay
looks at the return of horses in his
woodlot column.0
Update
Helping in troubled times
Even in tough times, farmers continue to think of others. Despite the fact 1999
was a period of record stress for pork producers, programs to help less fortunate
neighbours continued. Ontario Pork introduced a new province wide program by
which farmers and others could donate money to buy pork for food banks.
Back in Huron County, where the food bank program began, pork producers
and processors donated at least 31 pigs to area food banks in the past year, Jody
Durand, head of the Huron Pork Hunger Alliance told the annual meeting of the
Huron County Pork Producers' Association.
"The 31 pigs are only what I have heard about," said Durand who related the
story of one food bank receiving a donation of eight pigs from one farmer that
was never reported. Under the Huron Pork Hunger Alliance, farmers can deliver
pigs to a number of abattoirs around the county which process the animals free of
charge. The meat is then passed on to food banks that include: Knox Community
Kitchen, Blessings Unlimited, Samaritan Food Bank, Exeter Food Bank, St.
Vincent De Paul, Goderich and the Salvation Army in Clinton, Wingham and
Goderich.
Durand estimated $2,500 worth of live hogs had been donated which, when
processed, became $3,800 worth of meat.0