The Rural Voice, 1993-10, Page 48Water Matters
Conservation Sinks — another way to protect
the environment from farming activities
As we know, the improper
disposal of milkhouse washwater
poses an environmental hazard
particularly in regards to surface
water pollution and public health.
many cases, untreated
washwater containing
vast quantities of
bacteria, nutrients and
possibly parasites,
end up in local
streams and rivers.
Once in the
watercourse, these
pollutants are carried
downstream to other
users.
Health, both
animal and human,
may be affected
through direct contact
with contaminated
surface water.
Contact can be
established directly
through recreational
activities such as
swimming, or
indirectly, for example, through the
handling of livestock who are
allowed access to a river or creek.
In order to address these specific
pollution sources and promote the
concept of environmentally
sustainable agriculture, incentive
programs such as the Ministry of
Environment and Energy's Clean Up
Rural Beaches (CURB) Program and
the Ministry of Agriculture and
Food's Land Stewardship (I and II)
Programs have been developed.
Financial assistance for milkhouse
washwater disposal is among the
eligible project items within these
two programs.
An additional item eligible under
the CURB Program is the installation
of "conservation sinks". In many
cases, the sinks used in milkhouses
were originally used for cleaning
buckets and milk cans. With pipeline
systems, these original sinks must be
filled just to draw water. This type of
system unnecessarily uses large
In
volumes of water for equipment clean
out.
Design
Universit
student, an
ed by Mitch Anderson, a
y of Guelph graduate
d Ron Forbes of R & M
Dairy Innovations in
Oxford County,
"conservation sinks" are
specifically designed to
conserve water in the
milkhouse and thereby
reduce the effluent. The
sinks are flat-bottomed
and triangular in shape
for maximum water
efficiency.
Upon testing, a
farmer formerly using
an average of 90 litres
of water per cycle to
clean equipment, used
only 61 litres.
Assuming most dairy
farmers use six cycles a
day, the savings in
water would be 63,510
litres a year. The results
also provide significant
savings in the cost of cleaning
chemicals and electrical power
necessary for heating water. If
planning to construct a treatment
trench system or a storage tank for
subsequent disposal of the washwater
effluent, a reduction in the size of
tank or length of treatment trench
lines would also occur providing
another cost savings. According to
the research findings of Mitch
Anderson, water consumption and
effluent discharge may be reduced as
much as 45 per cent through the use
of "conservation sinks".
For more information on
"conservation sinks" contact Ron
Forbes at 519-285-3800, or your local
Conservation Authority.0
Untreated
milkhouse
wastes can
carry
bacteria,
nutrients
and
possibly
parasites
44 THE RURAL VOICE
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.
Advice
Procedures for
storing and selling
red wheat
With wheat harvest completed,
growers are concerned about
handling the red wheat varieties
Fundulea and Ruby.
Ruby and Fundulea must be stored
separately from each other and from
soft white wheat. Failure to do so will
result in a downgrade to feed wheat.
If growers decide to use their own
seed, it should, of course, be cleaned
and treated with a fungicide before
planting. Publication 296 "Field
Crop Recommendations" from the
Ministry of Agriculture and Food
outlines choices. Growers may wish
to do a germ test to determine seed
viability. To get a good indication of
germ, growers are advised to send a
sample to a Seed Testing Laboratory.
They will do a pre -chill to ensure
accuracy.
The following is a summary of the
three pools for red wheat:
Pool B
Grades 1, 2, 3 only (not feed).
Initial payment will be $106 per
tonne, less $1 per tonne licence fee.
No on-farm storage is paid. Farmers
must make their own arrangements to
ship the wheat to board appointed
agents (basically, country elevators).
A sales memo for seed supplies last
fall must be provided to the receiving
elevator.
Pool C
Grades 1, 2, 3 only. Initial
payment will be $106 per tonne less
$1 licence fee. This is delivered
directly to the processors. Again,
proof of seed purchase from last fall
is required. The Wheat Board will
supply the bill of lading, so apply to
them at 519-354-4430. The grower
acts as the agent designate; he
arranges handling and shipping
including their cost. The Wheat
Board will pay a set fee of $8.50 a
tonne to the farmer for this service.
The board will also pay for farm
storage. Producers must register for
the on-farm storage program prior to
October 31, 1993 and must apply to
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