The Rural Voice, 2004-02, Page 42Advice
New programs offer funding for environmental projects
Farmers have two major
environmental opportunities under
new programs, farmers attending the
Crops Day of Grey -Bruce Farmers'
Week were told by Andrew Graham,
who heads stewardship programs for
the Ontario Soil and Crop
Improvement Association.
Under the new Agricultural Policy
Framework a national environmental
farm plan program is being started
and between now and 2008 there will
be $67 million of federal money
funnelled into the Ontario program.
By comparison, in past years the
Ontario program has had $2.5 to $3
million a year. Under the new
program that will grow to $13
million.
The problem for Ontario farm
plan leaders has been that the
appointed leaders for the new
national program are in Manitoba
and communicating with them
"hasn't been without some
difficulties," Graham said.
The national program has
Taking a horse to
By Gerrit Rietveld
Animal Care Specialist, OMAF
"You can lead a horse to
water....", the old saying goes, but it
must not be in the form of a frozen
pond or a snow bank in the pasture.
The horse's body is a hydraulic
machine that needs fluid to function
and without sufficient amounts of
clean water, it cannot run efficiently.
Therefore, it is very important to
ensure horses have ready access to
water (ideally warmed to 8-20
degrees C). Research has proved that
when water is warmed to this
temperature in cold weather,
consumption will increase by as
much as 40 per cent! This is the
most important and cheapest nutrient
in the horse's diet.
An average horse (900-1100 lbs.)
will consume an average of 8-12
gallons/day. This water is stored in
the Targe intestine where it is mixed
with the dry matter and absorbed in
the digestion process.
Horses may not drink frequently
in a 24-hour period in colder weather,
but they will often take a "main
drink" of 10-20 swallows at least
38 THE RURAL VOICE
different priorities than the Ontario
program has had but EFPs will still
remain voluntary and confidential
and will still be based on self-
assessment and an action plan.
Graham said the goal is to
increase the current 120 workshops a
year and increase the current
participation. To date 26,000 Ontario
farms have undergone the EFP
process. The hope is that by 2008 at
least 70 per cent of Ontario farms
will have created environmental
plans. It's also hoped that many who
have taken part in the past will take
the program again.
The extra money will help boost
incentives from the current level of
$1500 for a project. There will be
about $10 million a year available for
environmental improvement projects
instead of $2.
Under the federal funding,
performance will be measured and it
must be demonstrated the program is
improving soil, water and air.
The federal Green Cover program
water and getting
once a day. Relying on snow as a
water source is a poor management
decision, as a horse must eat six
times the amount of snow to get an
equivalent amount of water. Subtract
from this the amount of valuable
energy that must be expended to
convert the snow into usable
moisture and it's quickly obvious a
horse can't possibly get enough water
to meet its dietary needs. Failure to
provide adequate amounts of potable
water, along with an increase in the
consumption of hay can lead to
digestive impaction and colic.
Severe cases can result in death.
Nursing mares will have
additional water intake requirements
to replace fluid given away as milk.
Following, are some tips for keeping
outside water troughs free of ice:
• float a basketball in the trough to
prevent complete freeze -over
• situate outdoor waterers in a sunny
location in the paddock or pasture
• construct a frame around the water
trough and backfill the space between
the trough and the frame with horse
manure. (The heat generated from the
decomposing waste material will
also offers money for environmental
improvement but the portions
unveiled so far aren't likely to attract
many Ontario farmers, Graham said.
One program encourages converting
vulnerable class 4-7 land to trees or
native forage.
"This program was designed with
a prairie perspective," Graham said.
The payment rates are just not high
enough to attract farmers on more
costly Ontario land.
The rest of the Green Plan hasn't
been rolled out yet but will provide
more assistance to Ontario
landowners, Graham predicted.
Grants may cover 50 per cent of
establishing riparian and buffer zones
along streams, for instance. But the
program hasn't been unveiled yet
even though the Green Plan was
announced in 2002.
"We all would have hoped that
Green Cover and EFP would have
been more clearly defined by now
but I think it will benefit farmers,"
Graham said.°
him to drink
help to prevent freezing below the
level of the manure.)
• "float heaters" and heated buckets
are commercially available. Ensure
there is no stray voltage that will
discourage horses from drinking.
A quick word on feeding in colder
weather. Well-fed horses can adapt
without problem to cold weather,
whereas underfed horses lose weight
and cold tolerance as a result of
expending energy trying to maintain
body temperature. Yearling horses
fed a high quality, free choice hay
diet are able to tolerate temperatures
as low as -11 degrees C (not
considering wind chill or other
factors, such as rain, sleet,
compromised health, etc.) with no ill
effect. Horses will generally eat to
meet their energy requirements,
provided they have ready access to
good quality hay and free choice
trace -mineralized salt. It is
recommended that adult horses
housed outdoors on a maintenance
diet, be provided with an additional
two percent more feed for every
degree below the Lower Critical
Temperature (-15 degrees C).0