The Rural Voice, 1992-10, Page 62People
Grey man to co-ordinate
Environmental Farm Plan
Grey County farmer Don Hill has
been appointed the Environmental
Farm Plan Co-ordinator by the
Ontario Farm Environmental Agenda
coalition.
"Don had a long track record of
helping enhance farmers' roles as
stewards of the rural landscape," said
Jeff Wilson, AgCare chairman, one
of the members of the coalition.
"Before he began farming full-time in
1975, he spent several years working
for the Ontario Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Food and the Soil Science
Department, University of Guelph, in
soils and crop extension positions."
That background will come in
handy as Hill helps develop
Environmental Farm Plans which will
help individual farm families identify
areas of environmental risk on their
farms, and set realistic goals to
minimize these risks. Hill and his
family run a 250 acre mixed farm
near Owen Sound where they raise
beef cattle, hogs and sheep, produce
field crops and vegetables, run a
roadside market and pick -your -own
strawberry operation.
"Don will be responsible for co-
ordinating the delivery of
Environmental Farm Plans to the first
500 farmers, in six areas of the
province, beginning in 1993,"
announced Roger George, President
of the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture. "He will be very busy
this fall, supervising the completion
Don Hill
Heads Environmental Plan.
and pilot testing of the the
Environmental Farm Plan document,
the design of workshops, and the
hiring and training of workshop
leaders."
Hill is a past president of both the
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement
Association and his local Federation
of Agriculture. "We are confident that
Don will be effective in working with
farmers and farm groups across the
province, to promote the environ-
mental farm plan process, said Henry
Aukema, Christian Farmers
Federation of Ontario President.°
Theresa Knox: scholarship winner.
Future
journalist
makes news
Someday Melissa Whitmore
wants to be a field reporter and
anchor person for a television station.
She got a taste of what it's like to be
in front of the television cameras
when she placed third at the 1992
Ambassador of the Fairs pageant at
the Canadian National Exhibition in
August.
She learned what it's like to be
interviewed as well, as, along with
other competitors, she underwent a
three -and -a -half -minute interview to
test her knowledge of current affairs,
agriculture and the CNE. As one of
seven semi-finalists she had to give a
speech and give an impromptu talk
based on a question.
"The highlight of my trip to
Toronto was to see the filming of the
ENG television show outside the
residence we stayed at," said the 19 -
year -old graduate of Seaforth District
High School who is studying at
Carleton University in Ottawa. The
show features a fictional Toronto
television news department. She got
her picture taken with Mark
Humphries, who plays Jake, the sexy
cameraman on the series.
Sponsored by the Seaforth
Agricultural Society, Melissa is one
of the ambassadors who are to
promote fairs across the province.
"It's important to educate our
children about fairs or we may not
have fairs in the future," said the
daughter of Bruce and Margaret
Whitmore, R.R.4, Walton.°
Young farm leader wins scholarship
Theresa Knox, with an outstanding
4-H career behind her and with the
hope of a veterinary career ahead, has
been named winner of one of two
$1000 Holstein Canada scholarships.
The second year University of
Guelph student has been accepted into
the veterinary program at the
university. She has plenty of
experience with dairy cattle on the
farm of her parents Mel and Barbara,
R.R.1, Blyth.
As well as maintaining at least a 75
per cent average at university, one of
the prerequisites for applicants for the
scholarship is a background in 4-H
work. Few can have a better resume in
that area than Knox. She completed 30
4-H projects, attended 4-H leadership
camp and won the Murray Cardiff
Award, given annually by the Huron
Bruce MP for the top 4-H member in
Huron County. She heard of the
scholarship through friends.°