The Rural Voice, 1999-05, Page 70People
OFAC honours Ron, Sharon Douglas
Ron and Sharon
Douglas of Clifford were
the recipients of one of 10
"Friends of OFAC"
awards presented at the
10th annual meeting of
the Ontario Farm Animal
Council.
According to Mike
Cooper, chair of OFAC,
the purpose of the
Awards is to recognize
those who have helped
inform the public or the
agri-food industry about
animal agriculture issues.
In 1987 the Douglases
spearheaded an effort by
the Ontario Pork
Producers' Marketing
Board to set up a booth at
Ron and Sharon Douglas — educating urbanizes.
the Royal Winter Fair. Since then they
have widened their efforts with
displays at the Canadian National
Exhibition and the Western Fair in
London and other smaller
popular displays help urban consumers
learn more about farm animals and
how they are cared for.0
fairs. The
Jim, Donna Fisher win Wildlife award
Walkerton's Jim and Donna Fisher are known for their role in farm
organizations, but recently they won a Wildlife Habitat Canada award for work
in forestry.
The award is for the couple's work at their nature retreat covering several
hundred acres of forested land near Algonquin Park.
The Fishers did selective logging on the property, taking out dying or diseased
trees. They then leveled the ruts left on logging trails by the logging equipment
and planted the trails with grass for the deer and moose in the area. Fisher said
the exercise was an experiment of sorts to see what different effects will be on
the existing growth and on the new growth they initiated.
The Fishers plan a prescribed burn, overseen by trained personnel, to imitate a
forest fire on part of the property. The fire will promote new regeneration of
white pine by reducing competition from balsam fir and releasing nutrients to
help seedlings grow. Their goal is to make the property more conducive to
wildlife than it it now.0
Fellowship honours Morris' memory
A new fellowship supporting
innovative policy projects by leaders
in business and academia is being
established to honour the memory of
George Morris.
The George Morris Fellowship is
aiming to raise $40,000 to support an
annual fellowship program that will
fund leaders to carry out projects on
behalf of the George Morris Centre in
Guelph. To kick-start the campaign a
$100 -a -ticket barbecue called "A
tribute to George Morris" is being
organized at the Farm Museum at
Milton on June 18 from 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. All money raised at the
event will be matched equally by the
George Morris Centre to establish the
new fellowship.
Morris who died in January at age
89 was a visionary Kent County
farmer who, 10 years ago, donated the
money to found the George Morris
Centre, an agricultural think-tank.0
Photo by Kevin Shillinglaw
Dixon presented
with Stewardship
Council award
Andy Dixon, whose research into
agroforestry has been featured many
times in The Rural Voice over the
last 15 years, was honoured for his
work by the Land Stewardship
Council April 21.
Dixon took up research into
promoting faster growth of trees to
produce quality saw logs after his
retirement from 18 years as a teacher
at South Huron District High School
in Exeter. His experiments were
based on his experience with a
hardwood plot he planted at the back
of his Ailsa Craig area farm, now
operated by his son Jim. Observing
the slow growth of trees in a
"survival of the fittest" style
plantation, Dixon, in 1977 decided to
try planting trees in rows in a more
open setting, much as the trees in his
orchard were planted.
"If you treat trees as an
agricultural crop you will make more
money in the long run than any other
agricultural crop," Dixon said. "If
you give trees room to grow, they'll
grow fast."0
Perth's Clare
Schlegel returned
as Ontario Pork VP
Clare Schlegel, R.R.1, Tavistock,
was returned as vice -chair of the
Ontario Pork Producers' Marketing
Board at the board's March meeting.
Schlegel operates a farm in Perth
County and has represented Zone A
(Districts 1-6) on the board of
directors since March 1995. He runs
four hog finishing barns and is a
participant in a small multi -site
production loop. Currently working
on his MBA, Schlegel believes in
life-long learning.
Will Knapp of Thornton in central
Ontario was re-elected as chair of the
board. Executive members include
Carl Moore, Oxford (past chair) and
Andy Ernewein, Bruce County.
Joining the board at the March
meeting were Mary Ann Hendrikx,
Middlesex; Dave Linton, Huron and
Larry Skinner, Perth.O
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