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The Rural Voice, 1988-08, Page 43NEWS CONSERVATION IS CRITICAL, DAILY SAYS If you don't do it, society will do it for you. This was the message brought forcefully to more than 200 farmers by CFPL-TV farm broadcaster Ross Daily. Farmers seem to resist change, he added, but there are already various laws that force agriculture to co-operate with a society increasingly determined to save this planet. Daily was speak ng at Conservation Farming '88, a two-day event held in Woodstock this summer. It is obvious that conservation pays, Daily said, especially in the present drought. Comparing fields lying side by side, the crops on the "conserved" field are visibly better than the others. All of Ontario's class l land has been classified by slope and by soil type to a depth of one metre, he said. In the near future, it is likely that row cropping will be prohibited on certain slopes. There are pesticides in wells and no one seems to know how they got there, Daily added. Chemical companies are already defending themselves by assert- ing that farmers mishandle the product. "This makes it a farmer's problem. But if it persists, it is society's problem," Daily said. Government may also soon have hand in deciding which tillage methods are most suitable for individual farms. "Whether one believes in no -till or not, it may be dictated by government," he said. But it seems that farmers can't win, Daily said. Society fust asked for blem- ish -free fruits and approved the chemi- cals needed to achieve it; society ap- proved of chemical use that keeps down the cost of food. And while people bemoan the erosion of farm land, food land is annexed for sub -divisions. Daily, who said he speaks about 50 times a year to fanners, commented that he knows ahead of time who will be in the audience. The 200 faces in the audience at Woodstock, he said, were the same faces he sees everywhere he speaks. But it's the farmers who seldom turn up at such meetings, he added, who tend to be the poor managers.0 Adrian Vos NEWAli : LICS LIMITED • Custom Cylinder building & repair including Truck Hoists, Fork Lifts, etc. • Hydraulic Jack repair & service • General Machining • Hydraulic Seals & Packing NEW -LIFT HYDRAULICS Limited Wallace Ave., N. Listowel 519-291-4413 AEI CO-OP Potash ( Critical for forage growth ... to produce increased yields 9y' Fertilizer for higher yields High yielding forage requires top applications of plant food. Ten tonne per hectare of alfalfa can produce from 1800 to 2000 kilograms of crude protein but also removes 300 kg of nitrogen, 75 kg of phosphate and 275 kg 01 potash. On pure legume stands no nitrogen needs to be applied. Phosphorus and espectally potash are the key to higher yields. Ensure maximum yields from forage by fertilizing. Time of application Phosphate can be applied at any time. Potash can be applied after the lint cut and the balance in late August or early September. 11 nitrogen is needed d should be applied in the spring up to 50 kg per hectare. Any additional required nitrogen can be applied. up to a maximum o1 50 kg N per application, atter each cut. reen Plan 1I CO -OP's Green Plan II computer can show you the exact fertility required to meet your forage yield goals. It will also give you a complete program that takes every tactor into account including sod nutrient levels, manure applications. Cropping costs are then used to calculate a break even point Custom Application You can save time and with our applications service. Experienced CO-OP people and spreader (rucks with flotation tires give you thorough MbptuS reduced soil compaction. CO-OP Alfalfa's Special Summer Booking NOW Available • exceptional yielding • exclusive varieties • disease resistant • book now to ensure supply • guaranteed lowest CO-OP price between June '88 - May '89 PARTICIPATING Li C3 UNITED CO.OPERATIVES OF ONTARIO ELMW00D 363-2017 LISTOWEL 291-4040 PORT ELGIN 832.2077 DUNDALK 923-2014 MILDMAY 367-2657 DURHAM 369-2415 MEAFORD 538.1050 KINCARDINE 396.3451 AUBURN 526-7262 THORNBURY 599-2626 CHESLEY ... -, 363.3030 BELGRAVE 357-2711 OWEN SOUND 376-5110 MARKDALE 986-2031 WIARTON 534-1840 AUGUST 1988 41