Times Advocate, 1994-06-15, Page 19Times -Advocate, June 15, 1994
Farmers make cash
from hay
Farm family profiled in
National Case IH publication
Hay rotation important part of
farming enterprise.
LUCAN - The Scott family has been profiled in a recent issue of
Canadian Farming, a national agricultural magazine sponsored by
Case IH dealers. Each issue of Canadian Farming profiles progressive
farmers and farm families and describes the strategies and practices
that add to the success of their businesses.
The Scott family started an elevator, feed and farm supply business
here back in the 1930s. Now a son and grandson, Alan and Mark, run
Scotts Elevator Ltd. and a farming operation on 1,000 acres of owned
and leased land.
In the 1970s, the farm grew "corn, corn, corn," as Alan recalled in
the article. But as the decade ended, their corn was in poor condition.
In 1982, the family hosted the International Plowing Match, which
changed for good the way they farm.
The Scotts experienced firsthand the time -proven practice of hay
rotation. As part of the preparation for the match, they had to plant
the plow area entirely in hay. "The next year," Alan recalled, "we had
a beautiful corn crop."
Hay is not only a good rotation crop for the Scotts but also an im-
portant cash crop. At first they fed the hay only to their 300 -head
herd of feeder cattle. Then they went the next step. "We decided to
put up hay for sale," Alan said in the Canadian Farming article.
Their first challenge was determining the size of the bale. Small
rectangular hales require much labor, and big round bales appeal little
for commercial sales. So the Scotts, bought a medium square baler
and started a custom baling business.
According to the article, the Scotts donated 17 tons of hay to South-
ern Illinois flood victims last year. "I like to help people whenever I
can," Alan said.
Canadian Farming is a quarterly magazine, with two regional edi-
tions, published by JI Case Canada on behalf of Case IH dealers. Cir-
culation in Canada is more than 50,000.
1
Thank You, Buyers
1994 Hensall Calf Club thank you for supporting
the Hensall Calf Club Show and Sale
Buyers of Top Calves: Dale Good, of W.G. Thompson & Sons
Ltd. bought the Grand Champion calf for $1.95 lb. Owner of
the calf Suzanne Coleman, Dave Delbridge of the Hensall Co -
Op bought Dianne Dolmage's reserve champion calf for $1.70
lb
1994 Hensall Calf Club Buyers
Grand Champion - W.G.
Thompson 1
Reserve Champion + 2
- Hensall Co -Op
Brussels Livestock - 5
Norwich Packers - 4
Veal's - 3
Dorr Bros. - 3
Corsetti Meats - 3
Hensall Cattle Co. - 2
London Food - New Holland -
Metzlers Abattoir - 2
Knetchel's (Food Mart)
Hensall - 1
Hensall Livestock - 1
Cook's - 1
Hay Mutual Fire Insurance - 1
McKillop Mutual Insurance - 1
Homuth Taylor, Pinder CA - 1
Wayne Shapton Const. Inc. - 1
Talbotville Livestock - 1
Denfield Livestock - 1
Fisher's Abattoir - 1
Townsend Tire Londesboro - 1
Becker Farm Equipment - 1
Exeter Toyota - 1
2 Tuckersmith Telephone - 1
HMP - 1
Lobo Abattoir - 1
Pata Bar Farms -1
L & J Farms - 1
John Coleman - 1
New Life Mills - 1
Thank you Hensall Livestock Ltd. for the use of their facilities
and supplies. Auctioneer Larry Gardiner, M.C. Denis Martin.
Judge Jim Coultes and Roeszler Trucking for transporting
some of the calves.
Thank you to all the buyers, helpers, donators of trophies, mo-
nies, articles and rosettes. Your tremendous support and gene-
rosity is greatly appreciated by the committee and families of
the Hensall Calf Club.
Crop update
GODERICH - Last Thursday,
County Council received an up-
date on farm activity so far this
season.
Bill Weber, an agriculture repre-
sentative with the county told
council: Heavy rains kept fanners
off the fields during the last week
of the month. Soil temperatures re-
mained low.
Field crops
Winter wheat has survived well.
Some winterkill was reported
close to Lake Huron. It would ap-
pear that 12 percent of the acreage
is in hard red winter wheat.
Spring cereals were planted in
relatively dry soils. Predictions for
soybean planting show an increase
of 15 percent; white bean acreage
is predicted to decrease 10 percent;
corn is also down 5-10 percent.
There is a greater interest in canola
in North Huron.
The price of fertilizer is higher
than expected, especially anhy-
drous ammonia.
New herbicides being introduced
this spring are ULTIM and ELIM
from Dupont, and FRONTIER
from Sandoz. Chemistry is moving
away from soil activity because
soil can move. Post emergence
treatments are more specific and
less product is used.
Environmental farm plans
Seven workshops were held over
the winter with 107 E.F.P. manu-
als distributed. To date, 26 plans
have been returned covering
12,500 acres. Last year 23,500
acres were covered under the pilot
project.
Dairy
The ratified GATT has caused a
few producers to leave the milk in-
dustry. Others are looking at ways
to compete.
Quota prices have been steadily
increasing since January and will
likely continue. Traditionally, pro-
ducers pay too much for unused
MSQ at this time of year (April
37.50/kg.)
Based on early results of the On-
tario Farm Management Analysis
Project 1993, participating milk
producers enjoyed a profitable
year.
Sheep
Leading up to Easter, lambs un-
der 50 pounds sold at Brussels
from $1.70-2.25/Ib. Lambs be-
tween 50-79 pounds went for
$1.46-1.93/Ib. Many shepherds sell
through OLEX\Kitchener and a
few go to the new Stockyards at
Cookstown.
Page 19
One Foot in the Furrow
By Bob Trotter
Is it time to go full circle again?
A hundred yealago, when
you bought rura and in some
parts of this country, you had to
provide a road along your land.
As I understand it -- and I was
not there at the time; migawd,
I'm not that old -- the owner of
the farm was responsible for
building the road and maintain-
ing it. If you did a good job,
you got a tax credit on the land.
If not, you paid for the road any-
way.
Eventually, of course, the gov-
ernment took over the entire
road system which brought
about a Trans -Canada Highway,
provincial highways, country
roads, township roads and mu-
nicipal roads. The grid system
became too complicated for in-
dividuals to maintain.
These days, all citizens have
to do is keep a sidewalk cleared
in the winter time and many
don't even do that properly
which gives you a good idea of
why the road system had to be
taken over by governments.
Is it time to go full circle
again? I'm speaking primarily
of rural roads, here, country
roads. Is it, as a citizen of our
region has recently suggested in
the local paper, time for groups
or even individuals to "adopt" a
road?
I think it is a tremendous idea
and could catch on all across the
country. The idea is that groups
could take a mile or two or three
or four and keep that section of
the road clean and environmen-
tally sound. This chap's name is
Colin Galloway and he is a re-
gion transportation manager.
Volunteers, he thinks, could
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clean up many miles of roads in
this region.
Governments cannot do every-
thing, he suggests, because they
are starved for cash. People
want to do their bit for the envi-
ronment and all the govern-
ments have to do whether local,
county or provincial, is supply
such things as safety vests, work
signs, trash bags and perhaps a
little schooling or training.
As a horseback rider, I would
be fully in favor of such a plan.
I have seen too many wonderful
animals injured by trash in
ditches not to commend these
cleanups.
We live quite close to a mini-
mal]. Every dam day, there is
garbage blown onto our lawn
from the mini -mall, everything
from bottles and bags to bones
and bucks. That's right. Two
years ago, I looked out the back
window and found a five dollar
bill. We subsequently found a
church envelope with a two dol-
lar bill in it and several one dol-
lar bills before the advent of the
loony.
In my many years and many
miles of travel along country
roads, I have seen everything
from stoves and refrigerators to
batteries, ties, wheel discs, muf-
flers, hubcaps, tailpipes and
wrappers from every fast food
outlet in the region along with
countless beer bottles and boxes
and liquor jugs galore.
A great many farmers, when
they have the time, clean up the
litter in front of their homes
right now. They must do it be-
cause so many thoughtless ur-
banites drop so much junk along
the highways and byways that
farmers have to do some mainte-
nance. I have seen a three-piece
livingroom,suite just dropped
along a rural road. It was obvi-
ously done deliberately -- the
furniture stunk -- because the
chesterfield was pushed into the
ditch and two "matching" ch.iire
were ri ;ht beside it with cush-
ions in tact.
I think Mr. Galloway has a
great idea and I do hope munici-
pal councils at the village, town,
townships and county (region)
level will co-operate by giving
groups permission and supply-
ing basic needs for the job. 1t
would only take a few hours
several times a year to keep the
roadsides clean and tidy.
It would be just like it used to
be a hundred years ago.
What goes around comes
around.
NOTICE
to
Township of
McGillivray Ratepayers
PUBLIC MEETING
to discuss
MANURE STORAGE BY-L4W
on
Mon., June 20, 1994
8:00.9:00 p.m.
at the
McGillivray Township
Council Chambers
Your comments are
welcomed.
NOTE: If you have not seen
the draft by-law, please ask
for a copy, in advance, at the
office.
Shirley Scott
Clerk -Treasurer
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