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Times Advocate, 1993-05-26, Page 12FARM IJPJJATF CC14 T gradtiatioiz Times -Advocate, May 26,1993 Page 11 Ain't the same as the country Playwright and author Dan Needles entertains greduates'and guests at Centralia Colleges graduation ceremonies last Thurs- day. Needles was the guest speaker. One Foot in the Furrqw ByBoboller Four years ago, we sold our hob- by farm in the country and moved into the city. Two years ago, I offi- cially retired. When people ask me about liv- ing in "the city", I have a tough time telling them about it. It is quite different than living in the country. Although our neighbours were a few hundred yards away from us in the country, we knew them well. They were kind to us and we still see them. Here in the city, we live in one half of a semi-detached home and we do not know the name of the neighbour in the other halfof the building. Only by acci- dent did we find out the name of the neighbor on -the other side of us and=that was when a new fence had to be built and I wrote a cheque to pay our half and made it out to the neighbor. I do not -miss •some things about living in the country. I do not miss spending four or more hours every week mowing Deadline for applications extended GUELPH - The deadline for ap- plications to the Advanced Agricul- tural Leadership Program (AALP) Ims been extended 'to May 28, 1993. Application .farms and informa- tion about -the program are availa- ble at the AALP office, Box 1030, Guelph, Ont., N1H 6N1,.telephone • 519'76773266 or fax 519.837-3049. 'Patricia Mighton, executive • di- rector .of AALP, announced . the new deadline:in Guelph Friday. Exeter rmgaee'Theresa Allen, .left, ;t elves. the Foods Technolo- "We.are lookingandthroughout ad- f.,,�,,��f4:kortl, Intim r .. Mia; l td ;�t..Ce a .Col. tariop'oote for tial :womenwitit7nent lege': graduation ceremony:last4hurs y,afternoon. Alren,also 'p p° and a conarnm'ner't graduated from the. ro to agriculture," sbe said. "They can g p gram with honours. •be farmers, agri-business employ- ees, food processors, wholesalers or retailers, bankers, educators, jour- nalists, or others with an interest in the agri-food industry." The program, which runs from September .1993 to April 1995, con- sists of nine three-day seminars held in different Ontario locations, plus two weeks of study travel in North America and an intemational study travel experience. Study topics include communica- tion and organization skills, deci- sion-making and issue analysis, government systems, trade and marketing, consumer and environ- mental issues. The Advanced Agricultural Lead- ership Program is run by the Agri- culture Leadership Trust, a unique partnership of the Ontario Federa- tion of Agriculture, Ontario Minis- try of Agriculture and Food, Foun- dation for Rural Living and the University of Guelph. Funding comes from tuition fees, donations from agri-food businesses and or- ganizations, and the partners in the Trutt. Please call Pat Mighton or M- ministrative Assistant Cathy Hon- derich 519 767-3266 for informa- tion or an application. Veterinary'Technology graduate and Dashwood resident, Tam- my Rau receives the MTC Award from Kevin Smith for Highest Proficiency in Anesthetic Principles. Rau also graduated with honours. CCAT graduation ceremony upbeat HURON PARK - The mood at Centralia College's graduation cere- mony was upbeat last Thursday af- ternoon as speakers made only brief remarks about the closure of the college next year. Graduation speaker Dan Nee- dles, a playwright and author, told the 70 students of Food Service Management, Veterinary Technolo- gy and, Agricultural Business Man- agement to remember the circum- stances of their last year and remember the changes that are tak- ing place. "Remember to be sensitive to people who need and use your ser- vices," he said at the end of of his Tight -hearted address. Earlier in the ceremony, Director Kathryn Biondi told the audience that the specialized education the students received is known to em- ployers in southwestern Ontario. Almost half the students, she said, had jobs to go to this past Monday despite a poor economy and high unemployment figures. "The skills they learned gives them the versatility to deal with what's ahead," she said. Local students, Theresa Allen, Tammy Rau and iulie Glavin also received awards for academic ex- cel lance. Graduating with honours is Crediton resident Julie Gla- vin, displaying her food Ser- vice Management diploma from Centralia College. the clipping a huge lawn. My lady does not miss those farm odors that wafted across the lot when neighbors were spreading manure or when we were spreading ma- nure in the back field. I must confess 1 miss those smells, a little. I can actually enjoy horse manure and the X11 of cat- tle manure. 'Pigs? Well, _I don't love it but I can put up with it. Same with poultry although the ammonia fumes can be overpower- ing. I make it a point to talk to a few farmers almost every week, though, just to be sure that I am writing timely material. I do not miss that feeling of re- sponsibility that goes with keeping farm animas healthy, worrying about mastitis in a dairy herd, scours in hogs and any number of little diseases in poultry. I do not miss leaving to feed do the chores --. twice a day,.rain or shine, snow or sleet, all holi- days and Sundays. I got quite tired of that routine before we sold out. But I do miss so many of the lit- tle pleasures of life that simply are not in the city. I was reminded of so many of them last week when the WSA - Winchester Newsletter arrived. Dawn Runnalls, the articu- late editor, wrote about having tam* fun and about all those won- derful, amazing, miraculous, astounding, fabulous, divine, dreamy and delightful things so common in the country. Such as: the wild flowers. Every- thing is so antiseptic in the city what wild flowers do not thrive. Such as: the birds to name. We had a hardwood bush behind our country home and we all took great pleasure identifying the many doz- ens of feathered friends around our barnyard and in the bush. The first time I identified a kingbird, I was glowing with happiness the rest of the day and the lonely pair of blue- birds that nested in a hollow fence - post near the bush kept our entire family excited for weeks until the youngsters hatched. Such as: the velvet nose of my buckskin mare as she cuddled my neck when feeding time came and her throaty little nicker when she smelled the oats. Such as: the awe -filled sight of a newborn colt struggling to its feet; a screech owl glaring at us from the barn rafters; the swamp singers in the spring; the hoot of an owl... Such as: several spectacular dis- --ptttysof northern lights when, be- cause we were in the country and the night sounds were hushed, we could actually hear the swishing and crackling of this most awe- some sight. Our middle daughter. would get us all to spread our alms up into the sky as the ' lights flashed. "Drink it in!" she would exclaim. "Let it come in through your fin- gertips. It is God's 'clergy and it's free" Ah, yes. We sold our country property, bought a much smaller place in which to retire and we no longer have a mortgage over OW heads but it ain't the same as living in the country. Environmental safety focus of new transgenic plant complex GUELPH - The impact of genetically engineered ' plants on the environment is a major focal point of the .new S1.5 -million Guelph Transgenic Plant Re- search Complex, a unique facility dedicated to uni- versity and industry research in central and eastern Canada. The 7,000 -square -foot, state-of-the-art complex offers unprecedented opportunities to safely devel- op and evaluate new plant varieties developed through genetic engineering. Agriculture Canada stringently regulates transgen- ic plant experimentation in both the field and labor- atory. The Guelph research complex will help uni- versities and industry meet federal testing protocols without any potential environmental risk, says pro- ject co-ordinator Bryan McKersie, a professor of crop science. "The federal government, quite properly, regu- lates the release of genetically modified plants and other organisms into the environment for field test- ing until an environmental risk assessment has been made," says McKersie. "This complex will allow assessments of the performance of transgenic plants, replacing or preceding field trials." The heart of the complex is a computer - controlled, eight -cell "living" greenhouse - designed by University of Guelph horticultural scientist and greenhouse expert Mike Dixon - that regulates its own atmospheric conditions. Two growth rooms, eight cabinet -type growth chambers and a prepara- tory facility make up the rest of the facility. The complex has been built with the support of an $875,000 major equipment grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Other contributions have come from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and the university. "The University of Guelph is a leader in transgen- ic plant research in Canada," says NSERC president Peter Morand. "Its strength in both basic plant biol- ogy and agricultural science puts it in an ideal posi- •± tion to meet she challenges and opportunities of- fered by transgenic plants." Transgenic plants have been modified in the lab to contain a small portion of the genetic code of an- other organism. The modification results in new , traits not normally associated with their species,. such as disease resistance and stress tolerance. The transgenic plants will be tested in the research com- plex, then - if ultimately intended for commercial release - will be field tested to measure performance under common growing conditions. • Guelph has been active in transgenic plant re- aearch for nearly a decade. About two dozen faculty and their associated graduate and undergraduate stu- dents in the departments of crop science, horticultu- ral science, botany and molecular biology and ge- netics are working on transgenic soybeans, canola, barley, alfalfa, potatoes, asparagus, tobacco, cassava and bananas. The transgenic plant complex will advance their work, says Larry Milligan, Guelph's vice-president for research. "Much of the leading-edge research in plant ge- netics, physiology and molecular biology involves transgenic plants," he said. "This facility will help us maintain leadership in basic plant biology re- search and explore,commercial opportunities for the development of new plant cultivars for agriculture." The Guelph Transgenic Plant Research Complex and a similar lab in Saskatoon are the only all- inclusive, dedicated transgenic plant growth facili- ties in Canada. Interim payment for bean producers TORONTO - White bean produc- ers in Ontario will receive an inter- im payment for the 1992-93 crop year under the Market Revenue In- surance Program. The payment rate for white beans will be equal to the difference be- tween the support price (8O percent of,the adjusted 15 -year avdage On- tario price) and the expected annual market pricc. The rate will be final- ized in mid-June and the first cheques are scheduled to be mailed out in mid-July. "The Ontario government is com- mitted to ensuring the longrterm vi- ability of the white bean industry in the province, in co-operation with the Ontario Bean Producers Mar- keting Board," said Ontario Minis- ter of Agriculture and Food Elmer Buchanan. "This interim payment is good news for producers because it means they will rcceive,more mon- ey sooner," said federal Agriculture Minister Charles Mayer. These payments meet the guide- lines established by the National GRIP (Gross Revenue Insurance Program) Committee, which pro vides general policy direction to the program. The Market Revenue Pro- gram is funded by the federal and provincial governments, and Onta- rio producers. Owning a Canadian classic is simple. The 512G Classic lawn tractor puts such time-honored Canadian virtues as performance, durability and quality construction into a product with the one thing all Canadians look for: value. Stop in and see one today. Plus see tt'ityoptional Mulching/Leaf Shredding attachment that eliminates raking and bagging while nourishing your lawn. The 512G Classic. Only $2399... and only at your AOCO Allis dealer. ACCO ALLIS HYDE BROTHERS FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED Jct. told Hwy 117 & Mitchell Road 81 Wellington St, Rannoch 2294700 Haman 2824106