The Rural Voice, 1993-08, Page 48News
Farm Products
Tribunal orders
consultation
on cream conversion
There must be more consultation
with all producers before a cream
quota conversion program goes
ahead, the Ontario Farm Products
Appeal Tribunal ruled July 16.
The ruling was made after an
appeal by the Converted Cream
Producers Association. The Tribunal
told the respondents (the Farm
Products Marketing Commission, the
Ontario Milk Marketing Board and
the Ontario Cream Producers
Marketing Board) they must "consult
with the Converted Cream Producers
and any other affected group of
producers and reconsider the terms of
the 1993 agreement from the point of
view of equitable treatment of all
producers, be they cream, milk, or
producers who have converted from
cream to milk."
The ruling complicates the
beginning of the new Dairy Year on
August 1 when the new rules were to
come into effect.°
Beyond Barriers
theme for women's
conference
The sixth annual Farm Women's
Conference in Vancouver, November
10-13 will focus on meeting the
challenges of the 21st Century. Dr.
Owen Anderson will speak about the
changing global economy and
marketplace and how it can provide
equal opportunities in local
communities as well as being
competitive in the world markets.
Susan VandeVclde, a farm woman
from Manitoba, will challenge farm
women to be at the dccision making
table and become an advocate for
agriculture and for issues that
concern farm families.
International visitors will share
concerns and information relating to
farm women's issues and agricultural
issues from their countries.
All women interested in
agriculture are invited to attend.°
44 THE RURAL VOICE
Water Matters
New alternatives to treat agricultural wastes
Part I — Constructed Wetlands
Many livestock farms in Ontario
produce a variety of wastes which
contain disease causing bacteria and
nutrients such as nitrogen and
phosphorus. Typically, these wastes
normally include milkhouse waste and
runoff from yards, pads, feedlots and
solid manure storage areas. These
wastes, if not controlled, are known to
cause both surface and ground water
pollution problems.
Current recommendations for man-
aging the wastes involve either treat-
ment or storage and land application.
With the need to control these wastes,
new less expensive alternatives are
currently being researched:
• constructed wetlands
• vegetative filter strips
This article will focus on construct-
ed wetlands with next month's article
highlighting vegetative filter strips.
A Fullarton Township dairy farmer
has recently constructed a 0.8 acre
wetland which is presently treating
runoff from a solid storage area and
yard. Only six weeks old, this wetland
will be transplanted with various
wetland species this fall. Trees and
shrubs will also be planted around the
site to aid in nutrient uptake and
provide a habitat for wildlife.
The wetland concept is one of total
containment which uses aquatic plants
and organisms to treat the wastes.
(This is not to be confused with a na-
tural wetland which is linked to ground
water supplies.) In the constructed
wetland system, runoff is temporarily
ponded in a grassed settling area where
water drains slowly through a vertical
pipe inlet into a second treatment cell.
The secondary treatment moves the
runoff water through a shallow channel
planted with wetland vegetation such as
cattails and grasses. The water then
moves to a third pond area which also
supports a variety of vegetation.
The design of the system was
supplied with the Upper Thames River
Conservation Authority (UTRCA).
Construction was co-operatively funded
by the landowner and the Ministry of
Environment and Energy's Clean Up
Rural Beaches program. Extensive
monitoring of ground and surface water
will be undertaken to measure the
effectiveness of the system. Support
during the monitoring phase of the
project comes from Centralia College,
the Ministry of Environment and
Energy and Canada Trust.
If this experiment is succesful,
agriculture will have another waste
handling alternative which would be
less costly and environmentally
friendly. The vegetated filter strip is
another inexpensive technology
presently being researched for use in
treating agricultural wastes. This
system will be explored in the next
issue of "Water Matters".
Questions regarding the Fullarton
Township wetland or to arrange oppor-
tunities to view this research site, con-
tact Brad Glasman or Karen Maaskant
at the UTRCA at 519-451-2800.0
This is another in a series of articles by
Janette Smiderle of the Saugeen Valley
Conservation Authority, highlighting
information on water quality in the
rural environment.
APPOINTMENT
Keith Roulston, publisher of
The Rural Voice, announces
the appointment of Anna
Vander Heyden as sales
representative for The Rural
Voice. A farm resident, Anna
has many years experience
in the retail industry. She will
concentrate on sales for the
Rural Living section.
CaII her at 519-523-4311