The Rural Voice, 1998-09, Page 24is based on a computer -simulated
program that works on a regional
basis, rather than on individual farm
yields. For corn, soybeans and winter
wheat, farmers pay insurance based
on their average crop yields.
Emke pointed out that forage
insurance has really meant protection
against drought. While insurance on
corn covers disease, hail, too much
rain, too little rain, insurance on
forage has only ever covered lack of
rain.
Due to its ineffectiveness farmers
in the affected areas chose not to take
out forage insurance and risk a bad
year instead. Of the close to 1,900
farmers across Ontario covered by
Agricorp's forage program, in the
drought-affectcd areas less than 100
farmers insured their forage crops
this year. In Grey County, 53
growers have forage insurance
whereas in Bruce County only 24
farmers are covered and the same for
Huron County.
Peter Canning, an executive
director at the OFA, is not optimistic
for farmers this year.
"Farmers are realizing that crop
insurance probably won't help them
this year," said Canning. With
discussions presently under way,
Canning said the changes Agricorp is
hoping to make to its forage
insurance program will help farmers
next year.
Canning, who is also a sheep
farmer in Bruce County, said sheep
farmers in his area are starting to
move their sheep into the barn where
they can feed them because their
pastures have burned out.
The same is true for dairy farmers.
Lloyd Hendry, a dairy producer in
Kincardine Township, said that while
his 70 cows are not on pasture he is
suffering as a result of his poorest
hay crop. Hendry said, one dairy
farmer he knows with cows on
pasture are getting less milk from his
cows because of the lack of feed.
Not only has finding feed for
livestock been a problem, but finding
water has been also been a serious
concern. The surface water in south-
western Ontario have dropped close
to five feet, but fortunately the water
tables have not been affected.
Farmers with dug wells less than
25 feet deep are having their wells go
dry and farmers used to having their
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livestock drink from a shallow stream
or creek are having to cart water out
to the pasture. Farmers with drilled
wells between 50-400 feet deep are
not suffering from a lack of water.
For the past two months,
Davidson Drilling in Wingham, has
been receiving 10 calls a day from
concerned farmers and other
residents worried about their wells.
Gertie Blake, OFA field
representative for Bruce County said,
the federation is asking all farmers
affected by the drought to provide
their local federation or OFA
representative with information
concerning their situation, so a clear
picture of the entire drought can be
documented.
While plenty of advice and help is
available through local OMAFRA
offices, according to farmers and
several ministry employees, it is
doubtful anyone will see disaster
relief this fall. Farmers arc left to
their own resourcces.
Cheryl Russwurm, livestock
advisor at the OMAFRA Walkerton
office, has seen farmers in her arca
somehow make due with very little
this summer, "a lot of producers have
been very resourceful," she said.0
Hay listing service
Due to the impact of the
drought in certain pockets of
mid -western Ontario, the
Walkerton OMAFRA office, in
co-operation with the Bruce
County Federation of
Agriculture, is providing a listing
service for hay.
If you have hay you want to
buy or sell, contact:
OMAFRA
220 Trillium Counrt, R.R. #3
Walkerton, Ont., NOG 2V0
519-881-3301 or
1-800-265-3023
Fax: 519-881-2739
Those wishing to list hay for
sale should include quality, size,
number of bales and type. The
OMAFRA office will place your
name on the appropriate list. The
staff will not be responsible for
any transactions that could occur.
The service is effective until
November 30, 1998.