The Rural Voice, 1992-07, Page 3R.V.
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Neil McCutcheon, farmer, Grey Cty.
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Adrian Vos, Gisele Ireland, Cathy
Laird, Wayne Kelly, Sarah Borowski,
Mary Lou Weiser -Hamilton, June
Flath, Ian Wylie-Toal, Susan Glover,
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Darene
Yavorsky, Peter Baltensperger, Sandra
Orr, Yvonne Reynolds, Dorothy Smith
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising sales:
Merle Gunby
production co-ordinator:
Tracey Rising
advertising & editorial production:
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
Anne Harrison
laserset: with the Macintosh Classic
printed & mailed by: Signal -Star
Publishing, Goderich, Ontario
subscriptions: $16.05 (12 issues)
(includes 7% GST)
Back copies $2.75 each
For U.S. rates, add $5 per year
Changes of address, orders for subscrip-
tions and undeliverable copies (return
postage guaranteed) are to be sent to The
Rural Voice at the address listed below.
Canadian
Magazin,' Pubhsheis
Assu. lanon
All manuscripts submitted for considera-
tion should be accompanied by a stamped,
self-addressed envelope. The publisher
cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited
manuscripts or photographs, although both
are welcome. The opinions expressed
herein are not necessarily those of the pub-
lisher. Editorial content may be repro-
duced only by permission of the publisher.
Published monthly by The Rural Voice,
Box 429, Blyth, Ontario, NOM 1HO, 519-
523-4311 (fax 523-9140). Publication mail
registration No. 3560 held by North Huron
Publishing Co. Inc. at Goderich, Ontario.
The Rythm of the Seasons
July- How can we have July and
January in the same country? Now
the July heat is here and, as we wipe
the sweat from our brows, it's almost
as hard to believe we were once piled
high with snow as it was in January
to believe it could ever be this hot
again.
But it has happened. The country
that was a frozen wasteland a few
months ago now experiences jungle
growth. On a hot day when there has
been enough rain to provide plenty of
moisture, you can almost hear the
corn growing...and the weeds grow
faster still.
Our love of heat has passed. Our
cold -saturated bodies had enjoyed the
strength of the sun just weeks ago but
now we seek the cool of a shady tree,
pray for a stiff breeze to cool us
down. We almost ... but not quite...
wish for a little of that white stuff we
were so happy to be rid of in March.
The heat makes the last few days
of the haying season seem to last
forever. Farmers, at least those old
enough to remember earlier, crueler
days, thank the makers of air-
conditioned tractor cabs as they criss-
cross the fields scuffling or spraying
weeds.
The bounty of nature is
everywhere now. Strawberries are
followed quickly by cherries and
raspberries and plums and peaches.
These were hectic days in the kitchen
of farms of old as farm wives
perspired over steaming canning
kettles, stocking pantries for the bleak
winter months ahead. Nowadays, too
often the women of the house are
busy holding down off -farm jobs to
worry about homemade preserves,
jams and jellies. Those who do try to
save the products of their own
gardens say a thankful prayer to the
inventor of the home freezer who
saves them so much time and bother.
Now the winter wheat that was
like a green lawn only weeks ago,
becomes an undulating dry -land sea
of blue-green. Soon the first hints of
ripening come and by the end of the
month farmers will be preparing
already for the first of the succession
of harvests. It's a reminder the
summer is slipping quickly away.0
Behind the Scenes
Summer is a time of bounty in farm country, from the corn, beans, wheat and
hay that cover fields as far as the eye can see, to the smaller crops of fresh fruit
and vegetables. It's also a time when urbanites like to get out to the country, and
therefore an opportunity for rural people to re-establish direct contact with
consumers. Farmers' markets, with the encouragement of OMAF, are springing
up all over the province. For farmers who go to the markets, the world is
different than the normal anonymous marketing of their product through
processors or assembly yards.
Another part of summer is the barbecue. For most of us it's a couple of steaks
on the backyard grill. For Jeff and Cathy Cardiff of Cardiff Catering service, it
can be roasts, potatoes, salads ... the whole meal ... for 1000 or more people.
Again, however, there's the reward for this farm couple of having direct contact
with their customers, and receiving the compliments first hand.
There's an addiction to being near the top of power in government that makes
some people want to stay for their whole life. For one man, however, the
attraction couldn't stop him from yearning to be home in the country, spending
more time with his family. Tony McQuail, former Executive Assistant to
Agriculture Minister Elmer Buchanan, gave up the high office in Queen's Park
earlier this year to return to his family and his farm home. He tells why this month.0