The Rural Voice, 2000-11, Page 3l
i
R.T.
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, Janice Becker, Andrew Grindlay,
Sarah Caldwell, Larry Drew
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
How do you get their attention?
At the recent annual meeting of
the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture, Gordon Hill, who led the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
through the rocky transition from a
federation of county organizations to
an individual membership during the
early 1970s, stood up to ask what
farmers were going to do to get
political leaders to listen.
"What are we prepared to do if we
don't get resolution to our
problems?" he asked in debating one
of the resolutions calling for creation
of a level playing field for Ontario
farmers. "Are we going to just sit
around on our hands?"
Frustration is growing as nobody
seems to be taking the problems of
farmers seriously, but what can be
done? It's a question we decided to
put to some farm leaders, both
today's leaders and the veterans of
battles from the past.
Speaking of the past, freelance
writer Larry Drew takes a look at the
history of the bank barns and other
designs that served Ontario's farmers
so well for more than a century.
Though disappearing rapidly with the
evolution of agriculture, these barns
were integral to the mixed farming
operations that build the province's
farm communities. There were
unique characteristics to barns
according to their geography and the
cultural background of the builders.
In that article, Larry mentions how
buildings in the pre -electricity area,
were dark inside. Bringing in the
light is, of course, one of the
advantages of the larger modern
barns. These barns not only often
have curtain walls and other aids to
bring light and air into the barn, but
they also take advantage of the latest
in lighting technology. Sandra Orr
writes about some of the latest
developments.
Also this month we have the news
from the annual meetings of the
Huron, Grey and Perth Federations of
Agriculture.
In his Agrilaw column this month,
London lawyer Paul Vogel comments
on the rights of municipalities to
impose restrictions on intensive
livestock operations.
In her decorating column, Patti
Robertson tries to bring some
perspective to the "high" cost of
decorating. Bonnie Gropp's recipes
welcome the colder season with the
comfort of home -baked cookies.0
Update
More Bridges being built
School's back in and for 22 students in the Bridges to Agriculture program,
that means learning about, and working on, farms.
As we reported in May, Bridges to Agriculture is a co-operative effort between
the Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board and the Avon Maitland District
School Board, supported by the Ministry of Education and Training. The goal is
to "bridge" the gap between senior students who may want to pursue careers in
agriculture and agribusinesses and farms in Huron and Perth counties.
During the 1999-2000 school year, the pilot year for the program, 31 students
participated in the co-operative education component, earning 124 credits toward
their secondary school diplomas. Students participate in classroom sessions then
go to work at two different co-op placements.
From that initial class, several students have been hired by their co-op
employers while some are continuing their studies at University of Guelph and
Ridgetown College.
In the first semester this year, eighteen students from Mitchell, Listowel and
Stratford have been taking part in the comprehensive, co-operative package.
Students will be based at Mitchell District High School for their classes before
their work term. As well, four students from Central Huron Secondary School in
Clinton are taking an in-house program, studying farm safety, developing a
business plan, resume writing, land stewardship and farm financing.0