Times Advocate, 1991-01-30, Page 10Page 10
Timds-Advocate, January 30, 1991
FARM IJPDATF
Archives corner
No -till corn as good as
conventional says study
OTTAWA - An Agriculture Can-
ada study shows no -till corn can
perform as well as or better than
conventionally -tilled corn when
measurements are taken at identical
stages of plant development.
"No -till and minimum -tilt corn
generally reach maturity slightly
later than corn grown using conven-
tional tillage methods,' said Agri-
culture Canada scientist Dr. Marie -
Claude Fortin, the researcher who
supervised the study. "But produc-
tion on no -till ground sloes not
seem to adversely affect yield and
other performance characteristics of
the hybrids we tested."
The project was funded through
the Soil and Water Environmental
Enhancement Program (SWEEP), a
federal -provincial, $30 -million pro -
gram to improve productivity and
reduce phosphorus runoff from ag-
ricultural sources.
Dr. Fortin drew her conclusions
from a study on the influence of
soil temperature on corn develop-
ment in Harrow Sandy Loam soils
at Agriculture Canada's Harrow
Research Station in Essex Coun-
ty. Throughout the 1990 commer-
cial corn hybrids in no -till, mini-
mum -till and conventionally -tilled
fields.
"Crop residue associated with
no -till and reduced tillage lowers
soil temperatures," said Fortin.
"Our study looked at the effect of
these lower s'6i1 temperatures, not
just on germination rates, but on
development patterns throughout
the enure life cycle of the plant.'
"Crop comparisons are often
based solely on a calendar -oriented
time scale," she adds. "But in
teams of performance characteris-
tics, these comparisons are biased
in favour of the hybrid which ma-
tures earliest."
In a previous experiment con-
ducted jointly by Agriculture Can-
ada and Michigan State Universi-
ty, Fortin rated the success of no- .
till corn according to plant bio-
mass, height and nitrogen uptake.
Using specific stages of plant de-
velopment as her yardstick, she
obtained excellent results from no -
till. "In some cases, leaves were
actually larger in the no -till crops
when compared to conventionally
grown crops at the same stage of
development," she says.
•
OMAF seeking grant proposals
TORONTO - Grant proposals for
on-farm demonstrations and conser-
vation education projects under the
Land Stewardship II program are be-
ing sought by the Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food (OMAF).
The ministry is seeking proposals
from both local and provincial farm
organizations as well as conserva-
tion authorities.
Grants for on-farm demonstration
and evaluation projects are available
to local farm organizations working
in co-operation with agribusiness,
colleges and universities. Projects
can include: tillage systems, nutri-
ent and pest management practices,
conservation structures, and manure
and waste management systems.
OMAF will share half the costs
for up to $10,000 per project site
per year. The projects will be care-
fully monitored and resulting data
will be made available to agricultu-
ral specialists and farmers in the
province.
Grants for conservation aware-
ness, promotion and education pro-
jects are available to local farm or-
ganizations for one-time projects,
and to provincial farm organizations
and conservation authorities for
longer-term programs. Local pro-
jects may receive grants of up to
$5,000. Longer-term regional or
provincial programs may be cost -
shared up to 50 percent to a maxi-
mum of $40,000.
Organizations wishing further de-
tails about the grants are invited to
contact the ministry's resources
management branch in Guelph.
Farm labour management course
INGERSOLL - Attracting, keep-
ing and motivating skilled farm la-
bour is a major issue in the 1990s.
Already, farmers and agribusinesses
are having difficulty identifying the
help they need and finding people
who can do the jobs that must be
done. Increasingly, operators are
recognizing that labour must be ef-
fectively managed, efficiently used
and highly motivated.
Personnel Management for Farm-
ers and Agribusiness is an intensive
two-day coursedesigned to provide
farm and agribusiness.managers
with up-to-date information on hoW
to attract, keep and motivate em-
ployees. Sponsored by the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food,
the Ontario Agricultural Training
Institute and the University of
Guelph, the course will' be held
February 26 and 27 at the Elm
Hurst Inn in Ingersoll, at the inter-
section of highways 19 and 401
(Exit 218B).
Course leaders are University of
Guelph agricultural economist
Wayne Howard and Ken McEwan,
who teaches farm management at
Ridgetown College of Agricultural
Technology and has a special inter-
est in the area of personnel man-
agement.
Using ,the team approach, they
will provide useful, current infor-
mation about establishing a frame-
work for human resource manage-
ment, deciding to hire (job
analysis and job description), re-
cruiting labour (finding a source,
advertsiing, interviewing and se-
lecting (choosing recruits), com-
pensation and benefits and esta-
blishing farm human resource
management policies.
Personnel Management for Farm-
ers and Agribusiness provides parti-
cipatory training through group ac-
tivities and case studies based on
actual farm situations. It will be of
benefit to managers in agricultural
seuings who want to improve their
personnel management skills, in-
cluding farm managers who current-
ly employ full-time labour or antic-
ipate hiring full-time personnel,
and managers of small to medium-
sized agribusinesses.
Alternative crops
p
and livestock
•
•
0
•
TORONTO - Ontario is launch-
ing a new group to promote the
production and marketing of alterna-
tive crops and livestock, Agricul-
ture and Food Minister Elmer Bu-
chanan announced recently at a
meeting of the Ontario fruit and
Vegetable Growers' Association.
The mission of "Innovation Agri-
culture" is to work closely with
producers, with a vision to encour-
age altematives to traditional crops
and livestock.
Some possible alternative crops
are sweet lupines, evening primrose
and sweet potatoes. Innovation Ag-
riculture will also be studying non-
traditional livestock, for example,
deer and rabbits.
Buchanan said that Innovation
Agriculture will complete some of
the successful work conducted by
the ad hoc Transition Crop Team
(TCT), established in 1986.
"For some years now, the mini-
stry's Transition Crop Team has
been addressing the challenges to
Ontario agriculture, particularly in
the production and marketing of
non-traditional crops, and has
found opportunities in marketing
_1 and group business planning," Bu-
b chanan said.
'i': Innovation Agriculture will con -
o; tinue the work of the TCT and
31 "will capitalize on initiatives creat-
t'ed by the industry for the continu-
O. ing benefit of rural communities,"
IJ he said.
i/ The new unit will also "reinforce
31 the crucial importance of business
>> planning and marketing in the
n search for new opportunities," he
Farmgate egg price nosedive said
OTTAWA - A seasonal pricing
adjustment will mean sharply low-
er farmgate prices per dozen Cana-
da Grade A eggs in all provinces,
the Canadian Egg Marketing
Agency announced recently.
Effective January 13, farmgate
prices will fall by seven cents a
dozen in all provinces except
Newfoundland where the decline
will be six cents.
One cent of the price adjustment
is due to lower feed and interest
costs while the rest is due to the
CEMA's policy of adjusting prices
to reflect seasonal variations in de-
mand.
The farmgate price is based pri-
marily on a Cost of production
formula and any changes in this
price arc approved by the National
Farm Products Marketing council,
a federal regulatory authority.
Prices are adjusted on provincial
basis to allow for actual produc-
tion. cost differences.
The second component of the
price change is seasonal pricing
which helps to make egg produc-
tion more market sensitive. Ttic pe-
t riod after Christmas is traditionally
a slow period for egg sales and so
are adjusted downwards.
is discourages excess production
and reduces the cost to the Agency
of removing large amounts of eggs
from the table market at high prices
to the, lower priced industrial mar-
ket.
CEMA's general manger Gerry
Gartner encouraged retailers to
lower prices to consumers in the
upcoming period.
"The pricing formula determines
only the farmgate price," he said.
"But, we hope retailers will pass on
lower prices to their customers.
Lower prices benefit shoppers
across the country and will encour-
age a higher sales volume."
ONTARIO FEDERATION
OF ANGLERS &
HUNTERS
Talk about New Trends
with your Old Friends at
Huron Tractor's
16th Annual
Farm Industry Show
Date: Feb. 11 - 12
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p,ms
Place: Hum Trgcjor, Exeter
AJ KA
We're Taking a Bus!
Toronto Farm
Show
Wed., Feb. 6
Reserve your seat now
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Phone 262-2605 Hensall
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