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The Rural Voice, 2004-04, Page 72GREY County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER 446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 Email: grey@ofa.on.ca Website: www.ofa.on.ca/grey 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 • The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Grey County by the GCFA BSE situation not simple anymore What once appeared to be a simple and straightforward answer no longer is. With seeding time approaching quickly. some of us are wondering how we are going to pay for all that seed. fertilizer and spray because of the BSE crisis and lack of money. If that isn't enough of a challenge. the next phase to comply under the Nutrient Management Act is by June 2005. This probably means that whatever construction is needed may have to be done in 2004. At the BSE front everybody is working hard to convince the government what is needed to make the current situation better. Let's look at some possible scenarios that the government could do. Closing the border to all beef imports has often been mentioned. It sounds simple but can our government take a stand, or will there be retaliation against other products? It has also been Public Speaking competition held The GCFA 59th Annual Public Speaking Final Competition was held on March 2. 2004. at St. Peter and St. Paul's school in Durham. Congratulations to the following winners: JUNIOR: first - Emily Lawler, Macphail Memorial School. "Girls Hockey"; second, Isaac Goodings. Beaver Valley Community School. "Sir Isaac Brock"; third. Emily Damm, Normanby Community School. "Bullying". INTERMEDIATE: first. Jordan Kroes. Egremont Community School, "Jessie James"; second. Jessie Lamberti, Beavercrest Elementary School, "Body Language"; third. Erica Hall. Beavercrest Elementary School. "Orthodontic Braces". GCFA would like to thank all the participants in our Public Speaking Competition. All the speeches at both the semi-finals and finals were well done, both in content and presentation. Also thanks to the teachers who assisted the students to prepare for the event. and the principals and schools that hosted the semi-finals and finals. We would also like to thank the judges and time keepers. Special thanks to all the co-ordinators: Edith Preston, Marjorie Davidson. Bessie Green. Don Hill, and Donna Milne. Thanks also to the Township Federations who provided refreshments for the semi-finals. As well thanks to GayLea Foods Inc. who donated the chocolate milk and to St. Peter and St. Paul Parent Council who generously provided cookies and coffee at the finals. It would not be possible to have a successful competition each year without everyone's participation and co- operation.0 Bale wrap recycling system begun The Township of Southgate (Grey County) in co-operation with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture have sourced CS Plastic Services Inc. of Waterloo to recycle UV -protected plastic into lumber products. The price of the 100 per cent polyethylene lumber is expected to be comparable to cedar, although actual prices have not been set yet. The lumber will last a lifetime, does not rot, and is easy to wash and clean. The solid boards and posts are ideal for fencing, pig barn flooring, horse stalls, and patio decks. A number of municipalities in Grey and Bruce as well as other counties have picked up on the recycling pro-ject. Diverting bale wrap from landfill and 68 THE RURAL VOICE burn barrels is important to environment and future generations. How do you as a farmer participate? Collect the bale wrap on the farm and deliver it to one of the waste sites which have appropriate storage to protect it from weather until it is picked up by the manufacturer's collection system. For collection location of the plastic wrap, contact your local municipality. The recycler asks that farmers remove all of the vegetative matter and shake or sweep off as much dirt as possible. Some contamination and moisture is acceptable. For further information contact Lisa Lackenbauer or Chuck Sparks at 1-800-295-7604 or e-mail: extruders@csplasticserv.com our mentioned that some companies cannot operate without imported beef. Another option is to build more slaughter capacity in Ontario and other parts of Canada. This is probably time- consuming and if we did get the necessary slaughter capacity. we can never eat it all so some of it must be exported. What happens when the border finally does open up and how are we going to compete with U.S. plants that are larger and have a cheap labour force? Depopulation of the beef herd is one other option but it poses environmental concerns about what to do with all the excess animals, and sends a negative message to consumers. Supply management is often talked about by some farmers. But who decides who gets to stay and who must quit or does everybody cut back by half? That is not all because of our WTO agreement which states that tariffs can not be increased. It is pretty much impossible to have supply management without protection to keep beef out of the country. It is one thing not to be competitive with other countries but it is another that we are at a disadvantage to neighbouring provinces because of different support levels. In conclusion, it all comes down to politics. What once appeared to be a simple and straightforward answer no longer is. For this reason it is important to continue to support the Ontario Federation of Agriculture so that we can keep the pressure on the government to make the necessary improvements.0 — Paul De Jong, President Grey County Federation of Agriculture GREY COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE DIRECTORS' MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2004 — 8:00 p.m. Grey County Agricultural Services Centre meeting room (Grey Gables) 206 Toronto Street South, Markdale GREY COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE TOMMY COOPER AWARD MEETING Friday, April 2, 2004 Elmwood Community Centre Social: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m. Local Entertainment Tickets: $15/person For tickets please contact the Federation office at 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551