Times Advocate, 1993-11-24, Page 19The people who fought so
long and so hard to get legisla-
tion passed which provides
"stable funding" for agriculture
must feel like heaving a great
sigh of relief, sitting back and
resting on their laurels.
Unfortunately, they cannot. In
facie, Roger George, president of
the Ontario Federation of Agri-
culture, said it right at a county
meeting for Waterloo Region re-
cently.
The OFA will have -to work
hard to prove to farmers that it
destes $150 a year.
"We have to show disbelievers
what a fine organization can
do," he said. He also pointed out
that it is a myth that he got a
"big pile of dough dumped" on
his.desk through the new legis-
lation which requires every
farmer who wants to benefit
from provincial govemment
programs to register every year
and to make out a $150 cheque
to either the OFA or the.Chris-
tian Fanners Federation of On-
tario. The provincial ann of the
National Fanners Union was
also supposed to get some of the
money but backed out of the
deal and now will get nothing.
1 Will probably get slaughtered
for saying this but 1 believe the
NF4J has been a dying organiza-
tion for 20 years. They.never
divulge their membership fig -
urea but I would be willing to
bet that there are fewer than 500
paid-up union members in Onta-
rio. At one time, it was an ex-
tremely strong and vocal organi-
zation,_back in the days cif
Albert Cormack, Gordon Hill,
Mel Tebbutt, John Dolmer and
Walter Miller.
Mentioning the farmers union
in Ontario without; mentioning
Frank Gamble and Ed Morden,
chaps whose duties as secretary
gave them a high profile, would
be a mistake. They did yeoman
service in the '50s and '60s.
When the decision was made
"to go national" some years ago,
the Ontario Fanners Union was
swallowed up in the NFU and
the union seemed to me, any-
way, to go downhill from there.
I can remember covering an an-
nual meeting of the old provin-
cial organization in Kingston, I
think it was, and a more vocal,
more dedicated, more eager
farm organization could not
have been found in the prov-
ince.
They scared the OFA into be-
coming a much better voice for
Ontario farmers.
Walter Miller's big cry back in
those days when he was the stri-
dent and articulate president of
the OFU was to withhold farm
produce. He felt if farmers kept
their products on the farm and
refused to ship any of it, the na-
tion would soon be starving and
farmers' demands would have to
be met.
It never happened, of Bourse,
because farmers were just as
fiercely independent then as
they are now and all of them
could not agree. But the idea
sounded great.
The farmers union organized
mass marches and tractor pa-
rades to bring the plight of farm-
ers to the attention of the public
and to impress governments. I
remember taking pictures and
writing a story one year ---
around 1965, I think -- when'a
huge tractor parade went down
Highway 401. The sight of all
those tractors on 401 from the
overpass at Woodstock sent the
adrenalin flowing. Just the
thought of what one organiza-
tion could do by legally slowing
all traffic on the province's main
shipping artery was something
to see.
I am not advocating a retum to
these methods, mind you, al-
though the OFA has never been
as strident and as militant as the
OFU, but now that the federa-
tion in Ontario seems to have
money, farmers are going to
want to see something done to
justify the funds.
One area where the govern-
ment appears to be cutting back
is in research funding and this is
where the mew money for the
federation will have to take up
the slack.
Developing heifer replacements
CLINTON - In professional
sports the development of young
players is a very important part of
the team's future success. The
same is true far successful beef
cdtil!! def'tapd !'-06velopment
of replacement heifers is one of
the key elements for the herd's fu-
WM success.
A contributing factor to increase
the pounds of calf produced in a
cow's lifetime, is calving heifers as
two year olds, says John Bancroft,
OMAFs Huron County Farm
Management Specialist. -
For heifers to reach puberty at
14-15 months of age, adequate
growth must be achieved. When
heifers are bred at 14-15 months of
age, they should be 65 to 70 per -
cern of their potential mature
weight. Target weights will vary
with the various breeds. Generally,
a growing ration with a target of
1.5 to 1.75 lbs. per day will
achieve the desired weight. On
many farms, proper heifer devel-
opment has not been a prime goal.
Time, space and feed are limiting
factors.
This is where the Huron Beef
Heifer Development Project is an
alternative. As a "farm team" de-
velops young professional players,
the heifer vroject will 'develop re-
plaeement,ttaifers. 1friferstiwill be
gc m:an a nutritionally balanced
ration with a target of 1.75 lbs. per
day. Growth, temperament, sound-
ness and reproductive information '
will be collected on the individual
heifers, ,Haifers *111 be bred artifi-
cially to' thbi ebasigno1" s' chtAtn 'Al
sire, says Bancroft.
Times -Advocate, November 24,1993
Page 19
1 . $ ! 1 .Ill•I.1 '1 •
Kippen growers win blg
at Royal Winter fair
By Adrian Harte
T -A Editor
KIPPEN - Bill Coleman of Kippen knew his bar-
ley was a winner when it won the Best Seed Exhibit
prize at the Western Fair last spring. A world
championship win at the Royal Winter Fair last
week clinched it.
Coleman, and his two sons, John and Les, entered
a sample of their Lester Barley in the fair competi-
tion that draws top seed growers from around the
world. The barley, taken as a random sample from
the 4,000 bushels the Colemans grew in 1992, won
the Class 8, World Champion Pedigreed Seed Class.
The award, although won by growers from across
Canada, the U.S. and Europe in the past, may be fa-
miliar to T -A readers as Staffa-area farmer Lorne
Fell won it in 1991.
The Colemans' Lester Barley is a new variety
marketed by W.G. Thompson of Hensall. Only a
select group of growers are asked to help develop
the new varieties, as it requires extra care to keep
the fields and machinery uncontaminated with other
seeds. The Colemans were chosen on the basis of
their past performance and the fact their crops had
won prizes in the past.
This is their fust world championship, however,
and is also a feather in the cap for W.G. Thompson,
which can expect to benefit from having an interna-
tional winner in their line-up.
Barley varieties come and go every four to six
years, says Bill Coleman. Something better is al-
ways coming along, or the variety loses its resis-
tance to disease or pests.
"I'm sure if you talk to the plant breeder who de-
veloped Lester, he's bound tc be working on some-
thing new," agreed Les Coleman.
However, amongst barley growers for the next
few years, Lester Barley, a two -row variety is cer-
tain to be a household world.
The Colemans, who develop various seed varie-
ties on their 700 acres near Kippen, also placed sec-
ond in the oats class in the Royal's world champion-
ship.
Both winning seed samples came from the 1992
crop year, which for most Huron farmers was syn-
onymous with cold, wet weather, and low yields.
But grains aren't like beans and corn, reminds John
Coleman.
"Grain seems to do better in cold weather," he
said.
Bill Coleman (at right) with the Uniroyal -sponsored silver,plate he won at the Royal Winter
Fair last week. From left are sons John and Les. All three are growers of top seed varie-
ties on their Kippen-area farmland.
Some help with computers
CLINTON - With thoughts of
Christmas around the corner, have
you given any consideration of pur-
chasing a computer system for
your household and/or business? If
so, the Ontario Agricultural Train-
ing Institute (OATI) short course
"learning to Live with Computers"
could help you with your decision.
"Learning to Live with Comput-
ers" is designed to assist partici-
pants in making choices regarding
computers and computer use. You
will examine purchasing options
relating to cost, comparison of the
features of different models and
availability of software. Computer
terminology and care will also be
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discussed.
OATI is a not-for-profit corpora-
tion which involves fanners, agri-
business, and government within
the Ontario agricultural communi-
ty. OATI is a grass-roots organiza-
tion which designs and offers pro-
grams to meet farmers' requests.
Therefore, the target audience for
this course is agricultural.
Such information is useful as
well for those who, although they
already have a computer in the
home, are intimidated by it. Learn
to keep up with your computer -
smart kids!
The course facilitator is Alison
Lobb, Clinton and the cost for the
course is $45./participant.
This is a two-part course. The
dates and locations are Tuesday,
December 7 at C.H.S.S. (Clinton
High School) - Room 232, 7 p.m. -
10 p.m. and Thursday, December 9
at the O.M.A.F. office, Clinton, 7
p.m. - 10 p.m.
Call the Ontario Ministry of Ag-
riculture and Food Office in Clin-
ton to register (1-800-265-5170 or
482-3428) and forward course pay-
ment before December 3 to
OMAF, OATI Registration, Box
159, Clinton, Ontario NOM ILO
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