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Times Advocate, 1991-05-15, Page 16tides," Samson said. "We believe that increased use of rotation and cover crops will improve profitability and address growing environmental concerns," Samson says. and recent difficulties with the United States in other agricultural issues only clearly indicates that the Ontario Wheat Board has some very serious questions on the suc- cess of an open border for wheat and wheat products," said Dme- triuc. Although Canada and the United States have agreed on the producer subsidy calculations,* the Ontario Wheat Board has made requests di- rectly to federal cabinet ministers responsible, and to the Prime Min- ister, that the border not open. "Canadian producers can produce with the United States but only if we are competing on an equal foot- ing. The Ontario Wheat Board knows that opportunities are availa- ble to producers if we are playing by the same rules of the game: says Dmetruic. The Ontario Wheat Board will be pressuring the government to say no to the open border through a po- litical decision process. The board, regardless of the decision, will be moving forward in our marketing plan and marketing system for the betterment of wheat producers. • cy affects the 8,600 producers lo- cated in Southern Ontario. The 400 producers in Northern Ontario pri- marily supply fluid milk processors and are not affected by this policy. The policy will improve the availability of industrial milk used in a wide variety of dairy products such as butter, cheese, ice cream and others, which relate to milk pro- duced under market sharing quota (MSQ). The new policy will encourage producers to target for more consis- tent production of industrial milk under MSQ by shipping 45rcent or more of their annual MSQ the first six months of the dairy year (August through January), subject to an 85 percent maintenance re- quirement. Dashwood farm wins dairy award DASHWOOD - Bill Weber's RR3 Dashwood farm has been se- lected as one of Huron County's top 10 dairy farms for milk production. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food presented awards to the 10 most productive dairy farms in the county at a recent Annual Milk Re- cording Banquet in Brussels. Weber's farm ranked ninth in the county with a composite B.C.A. of 178.9. Webers Dashwood farm also won the OMAF award for best breeding efficiency by getting its calving interval down to 11.9 months. GEHL 3410 SKID STEER LOADER You'll appreciate the roomier cab. The easy, unobstructed access. All made pos- sible by thane," split, side -mounted T -Bars. Your arms stay on the armrests for prosier comfort. For more precise bucket and drive control. As soon as you feel the smooth, Ii hand action, youll recognize a superior_ performer. You'd expect oonvsr>isr from these Gehl classics. And get it. NO other loader its size can boast of as much. Like new Hydro -Lode for switetlrh9liottad arm attachments from your seat. Self -leveling. Easy maintenance. Just remove two ff to flip up cage and seat without ciisoonnecting wiring hamess. Locks in place while you work. And the slatted floor with remov- able rubber mats lets you flush out dirt and debris. There's new oomfort too. A wider, softer seat The new ROPS/FOPS cape with rear safety glass keeps noise down and rut out. An overhead Instrument panel lets you monitor perfor- mance at a glance. ONE ONLY! (DIESEL ENGINE) CASH & CARRY PRICE ONTARIO'S FAVOURITE 4x5 ROUND BALER GEHL 1470 • Total Density Control • Variable Size Bale • Aulo-Wrap Tie • 1991 Gehl List — 519.975. , Cash and Carry GEHL 2170 MOWER/CONDITIONER Gehrs uncomplicated side and conditioner roll drive systems deliver extra sitting force and thorough conditioning with up to 45% fewer parts. And the Intermeshing rubber roils with inter- mittent ribs provide outstanding conditioning for last dryng. • 4 — 1990 MODELS LEFT — CASH & CARRY ONLY 1991 GEHL LIST 814,888 , Farm Equipment .rt { -2605 Ask for Terry, Joe or Bo We're your low ovei1 Oad » fair priced dealer, a commitment to fulfiti your exact etluOrnent nt o fft A Farmer bashing is becoming quite Even CBC -TV's environmental affairs series, The Nature of Things, is taking potshots at agri- culture. In March, a documentary about Canadian ;fanners and their use of pesticides slammed the way farming is carried out. The show featured a group of Saskatchewan farmers who suc- cessfully practice organic farming. They were compared to farmers who rely on chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The show was criticized by Mary Wiley, public information co- ordinator for AGCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resourc- es and the Environment), an organi- zation involved in issues of agricul- tural pest control. Wiley said the CBC gave a distorted view of farm- ing. The average urban viewer, said Wiley, would get the idea that farmers are not overly intelligent people who are being used by big, agnbusiness interests. I must confess I did not see the show. Who watches CBC -TV any- way? I cannot comment with much accuracy on the contents of the show but Wiley is right when she says 96.7 percent of the population would see distortions. At one time, everyone knew a lit- tle bit about farming. Not so now. Only 3.3 percent of this country's population is now directly involved in agriculture. Only 3.3 percent are left to fight back if some fancy - pants producer wants to, show a segment of the population as dumb- bells who pollute the land and streams. I have heard farmers say it would be impossible to revert to the old- fashioned methods of farming be- cause food costs would be exorbi- tant Apples would cost $2 each. Bread would cost $8 a loaf. Milk Best egg awards LONDON - The best eggs in Ontario were all under one roof at the Poultry Industry Confer- ence and Exhibition in London, Ontario. This years contest drew 176 entries from across the province. The contestants were competing for top honours in eight classes, as well as high- est cummulalivApentts. and best entry in show. Wednesday, April 10 saw the awarding of the United Co-op Trophy for Best in Show to Wes Baxter of Tillsonburg. Other winning producers in this year's closely contested event were: McKinley Trophy (Highest Cummulative Points) - Robert and Shirley Cowing, In- nerkip; Intervet Canada Award (Best in Class 1) - Andy and Nance Orosz, Merton; Donald MCQQ Shaver Trophy (Best in Class 2) - Robert and Shirley Cowing, Innerkip; New -Life Mills' Trophy (Best in Class 3) - Ian and Allan McKillop, Dut- ton; Master Feeds' Trophy (Best in Class 4) - Scott Poultry Farms, Seaforth; Campbell's Soup Co. Award (Best in Class 5) - Quality Eggs Ltd. (B. Too - nen), Kerwood; Shur -Gain Tro- phy (Best in Class 7) - Brett, Kevin and Sean Graham, St. Marys; Wallenstein/Fisher Tro- phy (Best in Class 8) - Doug Easton, Exeter. Judging for this year's entries was conducted by Agriculture - Canada Officials. The Egg Quality Contest is held each year to promote egg quality among Ontario egg producers and consumers. FARM AND MUNICIPAL DRAINAGE Clay and plastic tile installation - Backhoe Service The Big '0' Drain Tile' Company Limited Call Wayne Cook Zurich 519 - 236-7390 would cost $18 a litre. And so on. When the general public is ready to pay these kinds of prices for food, perhaps fanners could go back to ploughing the land with a five -horse, tandem hitch using ma- nure for fertilizer. Again, I do not know how much truth there is in these statements but I am convinced that much harm can be done to legitimate farming by well-meaning people. The producer stands by the accu- racy of the show and contends that the chemical industry pours mil- lions of dollars into advertising, promotion, research and funding for agricultural schools. "We put out one hour of televi- sion about a group of farmers try- ing to stop the progression toward what they believe is a form of non -sustainable agriculture and we are accused of biased reporting and programming," he said. I foresee a great many more pro- grams in the same vein as more and more people become aware of this earth being a living entity. I believe agriculture as a whole will have to respond to such charges in a professional manner. Marketing boards have come un- der fire on a number of occasions. Even Reader's Digest took a big slap at the egg marketing agency a couple of years ago. The federal government's an- nouncement in April that more than $425 million will be spent to aid agriculture has caused a stir in some circles. Some people want to know how long farmers are going to need help. Right now, three- quarters of farm income comes from government subsidies ac- cording to some pundits, about $17,000 per farmer. I know a great many farmers who would like to see that $17,000. PARKER & PARKER LTD. Quality Service Competitive Rates FARM UPDATF Times -Advocate, May 15, 1991 Page 15 4111.1.11110111111111.11011.1101.111.1111111111.1111.111 Farmers can decide cost of retiring land CLINTON - Through this three- year txograrn., the federal govern- ment is offering up to $10,000 per farmer. Producers can receive funds for retiring and protecting fragile land, especially farmland strips adjacent to streams and open ditches. This program is unique, in that producers can establish their own level of compensation for the land retirement through the bidding process. The Ontario Soil and Crop Im- provement Association is adminis- tering the programs on Agriculture Canada's behalf. Local county com- mittees then consider each proposal or bid for approval or rejection. In Huron County, the total amount of compensation to be al- lotted is 4443,000. In 1991 which was the fust year of the program, the local committee received 175 bids. Approval was given to 40 per- cent of these bids, accounting for approximately 50 percent of the County funds. The total area which will be retired from production is approximately 270 acres. The bid process will be repeated later in 1991 and beyond if neces- sary, until all funds are allocated. Details will be announced as soon as they are available. The local O.S.C.I.A. committees are authorized to set specific guide- lines within their county in order to meet the local needs. The Huron County Committee used to follow- ing conditions and/or priorities for bid approval: 1) project must meet the, objec- tives of the program. 2) bid must not exceed the "Total Bid Price/Acre" upper limit as de- termined by the committee. 3) bid must not exceed,"one time payment for maintenance and land retirement" upper limit as deter- mined by the committee. Note: The above figures are dif- ferent because of tree costs, estab- lishment costs, etc. 4) must be a quality project. 5) bidder's contribution to his pro 6)priority of the component un- der which the bid was submitted. Approximately 98 percent of the projects approved were of 15 year duration, rather than for 5 to 10 years. In addition, projects involv- ing trees were given priority. The three major components of the program, receiving 95 percent of the funding were: fragile land re- tirement into trees; grass buffer strips including trees; and. pass buffer stripe. The Huron County Committee is encouraging all those eligible to submit projects for consideration in the next round of bidding and please keep in mind the following: 1) as you calculate your corn- pensation for retirement costs, maintenance, etc., remember that , this is a competitive bidding pro- cess. The upper limit for approvals in each component is established basically by the amount others are willing to do a similar project for. 2) it is the local county commit- tee's responsibility to Agriculture Canada to retire the most land pos- sible for the least amount of'fnon- ey. 3) this program is very, unique and quite possibly will never be The National Soil Conservation Program presents an opportunity to receive compensation to carry out work which may become man- datory in the future, say the com- mittee. • Board changing fall milk quotas MISSISSAUGA - A new Ontario Milk Marketing Board (OMMB) policy will increase the industry's market Nis siveness and its abili- ty to ., ' y more milk to proces- sors in fall months.when consu- mer demands are high. The dairy industry has continued to experience a two-year cycle that often resulted in lower milk pro- duction in the fall period of one year followed by higher milk pro- duction in the next year. Tine differ ence between "high" and "Low" fall production was less than five percent but further fine-tuning has become desirable. This long-term seasonality policy will be in place for the 1991-92 dairy year which begins August 1. It replaces a temporary program in place for the current year. The poli - Free -trade hurts wheat CHATHAM - The chairman of the Ontario Wheat Producers' Mar- keting Board, George Dmetriuc, re- acted with mixed feelings and with a great deal of scepticism on the an- nouncement that the Canada -United States border for wheat and wheat products will open under the free trade agreement. "Since the Canada -United States trade agreement was signed, The Ontario Wheat Producers' Market- ing Board has been very cautious on the effect to the Ontario wheat producers where subsidies are used as an indication of a level playing field. The export enhancement of the United States now competing with traditional Canadian markets Cover crops reduce phosphorus WATERLOO - Most growers re- alize the value of a legume cover crop to increase nitrogen levels in soil and to reduce the need for solu- ble nitrogen fertilizers. But a new study shows that legume cover crops can also raise the level of phosphorus available to the crop in the following year. These are the preliminary findings of a two-year study conducted by Resource Efficient Agricultural Pro- duction -Canada (REAP -Canada) for SWEEP, the Soil and Water Envi- ronmental Enhancement Program. The purpose of the research trials, which were carried out on ten farms in Oxford, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington Counties, was to reduce input costs while maintaining or im- proving yields. Of particular interest to SWEEP is the study's finding that a cover crop/rotation system could reduce phosphorusuirements for corn production. SWEEP is a multi-year, federal -provincial program to im- prove productivity through soil con- servation and to reduce phosphorus 1 run-off from agricultural sources in, the Lake Erie basin. "Instead of just concentrating on ways to reduce agricultural phos- phorus runoff, we wanted to see how we could reduce the amount of phosphorus used on crops," says Roger Samson, Research Co- ordinator for REAP -Canada. The study found that legume cover crops take up from the soil during fall and return it early in the spring. This process could reduce the need for soluble phosphorus fertilizers and reduce the crop input costs. One of the cover crops tested in the REAP trials was hairy vetch, which also replaced almost all of the nitrogen required by the corn crop in the following year. "Based on our research, we rec- ommend cover crops of grass, winter wheat and legumes in a three-year com-soybean-cereal ro- tation. Our work so far shows that using these kinds of cover crops • reduces tillage requirements and I the need for fertilizers and herbi- •.. for botair results at less cow including15 weeds, ecies Got�;rols over resistant spec vetleal and triazil�e " esisQ ailedv e1 - no vapour drift t * Nonvitile nea bV cry rotations residue to affect crop * No soil re - - - * PaTdner Post with Atrazi�1e Can it Ca be tank-miXed w 9UPPUESAND • INFORMATION FROM HENSALL DISTRICT COOPERATIVE Hensali 2624002 Zurich 236-4393 Exeter 235-1150 Alias Craig 293-3282 PAtP fl' ls a t=tAs d.mIi l el Rheine•PouAeno Aprod+'P�l., Lyon - miheirtusd Leelcamas inc.