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The Citizen, 2006-03-16, Page 26Your Sourcefor a 47 your Farm and Residential IVeeds/ff • ParaPaints • Lumber • Drywall • Shingles • Cement • Hunter Douglas Window Fashions • Kitchen & Bath Design • Murray Feiss Lighting • Casablanca Ceiling Fans • Price Pfister Faucets • DeWalt Power Tools 295 Bayfield Rd., Goderich lin 524-1778 GOIDIEF111101-11 TIM 4 mk k-41.94 fA1 A:44i* P.O. Box 140 Brussels, ON NOG 1H0 85491 Brussels Line McCall Livestock - • Order Buyers • • Slaughter/Feeder Cattle • • Western/Eastern/Local Cattle • • Cattle Appraisals -. Processing Available • Ross McCall Office/Res. (519) 887-9571 20 Maradon Drive Fax (519) 887-9171 Brussels Mobile (519) 3575139 rm. Cleaning Power of Water —IMMO AIIIMINEINUIPAIO 'Winter delivers a lifetime of salt, sand, and grime -to my customers' Snow removal equipment. With an Epps pressure washer, they can protect their investment from the abuse of winter and know they've got a quality product from a company that stands behind what it sells." Chris Hoffer Huroh Tractor Sales Representative We'll help you find the pressure washer that's right for you... 3 For jobs large or small 3 Hot or cold water 3 Electric or gas pump drive motors 3 Belt drive or direct drive pumps 3 Electric, propane, natural gas, or oil fired poet 3 Extended warranty available *Dr V We service what we sell! 011 HURON TRACTOR www.hurontractorcom THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006. PAGE A5 Agriculture 2006 Countryside Energy Co-operative forms By Bonnie Gropp Citizen editor "One of the things we want to do is actually demonstrate that a community-owned energy co- operative is a viable option." Paul Nichol of the Huron Business Development Corporation is one of the driving forces behind the newly- formed Countryside Energy Co- operative. said that the data collected over the past year regarding inland wind turbine power looks very promising. There was no question that the shores of Lake Huron was one of the best wind regimes in North America. However, ,in the summer of 2004, with the province putting increased emphasis on finding renewable green energy sources, Nichol and others began talking about the idea of a locally-owned and operated co- op. Another issue was to discover if the energy could be produced further Continued from A2 one time we could export to Mexico, but the Americans shut that down too, saying they wouldn't allow any Mexican product in if they had Canadian cattle. We do sell embryos to Japan and England. We've tried_to zero in on embryos to create another income." It's a move that has lessened the pressure for at least some of the breeders. "It has been very good. We are quite happy with the response, but we got lucky. I'm sure there are others who have probably not been." Part of the reason is that Armstrong's livestock is known world-wide as quality. A regular competitor and winner at livestock shows, such as the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, Armstrong believes that this exposure has helped his business. "We had cows that had done major shows over in the States and they got to be known world- wide, so people wanted our breeding stock." Getting the cattle out •for the public to see is good advertising and provides a • breeder with an opportunity to compare their animals to others. "If you do well at shows it seems there is a deMand for your animals." And just as the ones don't have dairy to fall back on; the ones who don't sell embryos, who, were dependent on breeding stock, BSE has been disastrous. "If that was a big part of their income, well..." Farming always has ups and downs from bad weather to the high interest rates of the 1980s. But Armstrong. who has seen it all, thinkS this crisis has probably been the worst because it has come when prices for everything from land to machinery are high. "The people who don't really understand everything about the industry are the ones who've created the problem and I doubt they realize fully what they've done. This is touching everything. Where once you could buy a tractor' for $10,000 now it's $100,000. And you can only repair them so many times before you have to have a new one to stay going. So it's had an impact on machinery dealers too. People are spending money on repairing them for a longer time rather than trading them inland. With HBDC and Perth Community Futures leading the way, two test towers were erected. The purpose was to first determine how much wind drove how much energy, then if that was enough, bidding on a request for proposal (RFP) from the province. "We are still waiting on final approval from the province to sell the shares," said Nichol, "but the wind data looks really good." While there had been honest questions he said about whether inland properties could generate wind power, "it appears there is not much difference between the Bervie tower and the Milverton one." "We are just about to complete the wind testing to see where the viable sites are, then will very shortly launch a membership campaign. The hope is that there will some day be 2,000-5,000 members across mid- western Ontario." Nichol said that once they receive off." Armstrong himself is still hauling cattle to shows with a 1986 truck that he admits he'd like to be able to trade, but the simply can't afford a new one. However, he still manages to maintain a sense of humour in light of the worries. "I read that after 20 years they're considered a collector's item, so maybe it will be worth a lot by the time I get rid of it." Trying to put things to rights' seems to be a long, slow process, with few rewards seen along the way. The governments and farm organizations maintain that they are working on the problem, but the last report Armstrong said he heard was that it could' be next year before there is a change in the border rules. In the meantime he thinks Er change in strategy.might be wise. "I'd like to see them do a better job of telling people what the problems are in agriculture today. It's time we really let the public know. I think we could spend more of our money to advertise the problem and I think organizations provincial approval they hope to raise about $10 million through preferred shares. Another unknown is what the standard will be. Nichol said they are waiting for the Ontario Power Authority to release its figures on the standards required for a property. "It now appears the province is saying it will give a standard based on price per kilowatt hour. When we do know for sure the business plans can be in place because we will know what our energy stream will be." This will help when they approach potential investors as "we will pretty much be able to tell them what the return on their money will be." Another positive is a partnership ..with the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative, which erected the wind tower at Exhibition Park. "They have a lot of lessons to share to help us. It's kind of a nice urban/ rural mix." • Nichol said that if the group raises the money, then the Toronto co-op should zero in on that more. I believe that would accomplish a lot more than these rallies and protests will. People don't understand. We need to explain it." As for government, Armstrong said it's time to give in. "Forget lobbying, because nothing's happening. Let's work on the consumer. I think it's time farmers stopped living off one another and got a fair return. It would be nice to see everyone get a fair standard of living out of their work." In the meantime Armstrong continues to raise livestock for breeding stock. "I keep hoping this will turn around then we in the industry can re-cap our losses." For some, however, it may be too late. "There are probably going to be some who can't hang on until this is over. It depends on their debt load and I'm sure some will just decide to sell out. With land prices the way they are and, milk quota high, I'm sure there's going to be some, especially people my age just throw up their hands and say why bother." will come forward with money equal to the amount or more. "So what I'm saying is that we have a very solid partner." While the Countryside towers are modest in the big scheme of things, Nichol said what's really important is that they present a viable option. "Rural residents have a chance at a full piece of the pie." To extend the slice, local residents St. Thomas 631-7230 Thamesford 285-3845 Arva 850-7020 have recently been brought on board to campaign for investors. Bill King of Brussels, whom Nichol describes as a "self-taught expert" on wind power and Joan Van der Meere of Wingham are both familiar with the community. "We are glad to have them on board. They are the ones who will be driving up lanes in dayito come to solicit membership." Exeter 235-1115 Blyth 523-4244 Mitchell 347-2251 Embryo sales have helped