The Rural Voice, 1987-09, Page 93Georgian Bay did not freeze over last
winter, and the trees blossomed at the
same time as those in orchards in
southern Ontario. Freezing tempera-
tures brought frost at night and affect-
ed many trees in the area. "At first we
thought we weren't going to have a
crop at all," notes Ted Taylor, presi-
dent of the Southern Georgian Bay
Fruit Growers' Association. Several
orchards this summer had no apples
on the bottom eight feet of the trucks,
and some trees had no apples at all,
but most producers were not affected.
Georgian Bay also retains the heat
in fall, blowing warm air across the
orchards and delaying the snowfall in
the area. This gives growers extra
time to pick their apples before winter
sets in.
The picking season lasts for six to
eight weeks, from about September 15
to November 15. About 3,000 local
pickers are employed throughout the
harvest season, and offshore workers
are also needed to meet the demands
of the labour-intensive cropping
operations.
Northern Spy apples grown in
Georgian Bay are renowned through-
out Canada and the U.S. for their qual-
ity, and make up about 30 per cent of
the area's total crop. McIntosh apples
account for 40 per cent, and Red Deli-
cious, Ida Red, and other varieties for
the remaining 30 per cent of the 2.7
million bushels of apples produced
annually. Georgian Bay apple pro-
duction represents 30 per cent of the
provincial total. Taylor is anticipating
an average crop this year throughout
the area, despite the pockets of frost
damage.
The Georgian Bay apple orchards
represent a small but significant part
of Grey County's agriculture. The
county's 675,000 acres of farm land
make it the second largest producing
area in southwestern Ontario. Be-
cause of the varied topography, land
quality ranges from very good to
marginal.
Areas of flat or gently rolling
fertile soil throughout the county, and
particularly in the southern townships
of Normanby and Egremont, support
established dairy, beef, and swine
farming operations. Hills and stony
ground are pastures for flocks of sheep
and cow -calf herds. Grey County has
27,000 sheep and lambs, by far the
largest number in the province. Cow -
calf herds, also ranked first in the
province, are steadily increasing.
While sheep and beef cattle pre-
dominate, all livestock are represented
in Grey. "There's no livestock we
don't have," remarks Barry Tolton,
agricultural representative for the
Ministry of Agriculture and Food. On
the exotic side are wild boars, fallow
deer, and buffalo, which are custom
butchered and sold to specialty
markets in Toronto by an enterprising
farmer.
The county is rated as having
2,300 to 2,600 heat units, a lower
figure than in other areas of southern
Ontario, Tolton adds. As a result,
cash cropping of cereal grains and
corn is limited to small acreages. The
Dundalk area of Proton Township in
the centre of the county is the highest
point in southern Ontario — hence its
low 2,300 heat units — while the
influence of Georgian Bay and Lake
Huron produce higher heat units along
the fringes of the county. "The lower
heat units do restrict us," says Tolton,
"but farmers are growing crops that
are adapted to the area and they are
doing very well."
Grey County's 170,000 acres of
hay, the largest acreage in the prov-
ince, meets the needs of the livestock
industry. Farmers are recognizing that
there is a growing market for hay
export and hay has become a viable
cash crop.
About 23,000 acres of corn are
grown each year for silage. The
13,000 acres of grain corn have an
average yield of 71 bushels to the
acre. Mixed grain has an average
yield of 62 bushels to the acre, while
barley yields slightly less at 61.
Forests cover a large area of the
county, providing a good lumber and
SEPTEMBER 1987 7