Times-Advocate, 1983-11-09, Page 17• 16 Times-Advocote, November 9, 1983
JUNIOR FARMERS' GIFT — The South Huron Junior Farmers donated a lovely coffee table and a pair of table
lamps to the Albert St. residence for mentally handicapped young adults. Junior Farmers' representative Rob
Essery (left) made the presentation to very pleased residents Colleen Carter, Jim Archer, Theresa Klimkosz,
Terry Gobb and Barbaro Mills. The Junior Farmers have hosted activities such as picnics for the residents during
the year, and the money for the gift was raised through dances and the food booth at the Exeter Fair.
The Farmer Takes A Wife
is a delightful book released
a month ago. The statistics
quoted in this column a week
ago came from a study, put
together by the Concerned
Farm Women, and incor-
porated in the book.
It was written by Gisele
Ireland and tells a poignant
story about farm wives. Much
has been written about
farmers over the years but,
for the most part, the farm
wife has been virtually ig-
nored. In truth, most farm
organizations have been ,run
by the men while the farm
wife stayed home to do the
chores.
The book focuses on the
psychological and financial
stress experienced by farm
families as seen through the
'eyes of the farm wife. The
stress resulting from the re-
cent crises in agriculture has
taken a great toll in the coun-
try as the statistics in the
study so graphically illustrate
but the thoughts and the fears
of women on the farm are
what make The Farmer
Takes A Wife required
reading for anyone who wants
to understand the plight of
farmers and farmers' wives.
It is not written as a tear-
jerker to elicit crocodile
tears. It is a simple,
straightforward story which
gives the reader the facts in
fictional form.
It is filled with touching
paragraphs which illustrate
the drive, the determination,
the resignation and the love in
most farm families.
Example: The farm couple
sit down and sort through the
receivables and payables and
try to come up with
something resembling a
balance. They glance at each
other and remember that last
year at this time they promis-
ed themselves a week away,
just the two of them. Neither
the time nor the money ever
materialized for this dream.
They discuss the possibility of
selling some of the livestock
to pay some of the bank loans
His large calloused hand
reaches across the desk and
enfolds hers and he smiles
and tells her, "maybe next
year."
No different, of course, than
what happens in many homes
every year but the. way the
story is told here has an
undercurrent of determina-
tion mixed with love and
understanding that almost
brings tears to the eyes of the
reader.
And did I get a sense of
hopelessness, too? Was the
author suggesting that things
are so bad on some farms that
the farmer and his wife may
be struggling against insur-
mountable odds? Will they
just continue until they are so
old and bent by the struggle to
survive that they will have
spent an entire lifetime in
quiet desperation?
The writer quotes a poem
by an unknown author which
describes the feelings of
farmers who are trying to
produce food under strained
conditions:
"We, the willing, led by the
unknowing,
Are doing the impossible for
the ungrateful
"We have done so much for so
long
Letters are apprec.ated be Bob Troller Etdele Pd
With so little we are now
qualified
To do anything, with
nothing".
Doing the impossible for the
ungrateful...that is the line in
the poem that surely
describes the feelings of most
farmers and their wives.
Farmers have a level of pro-
duction far greater than any
other sector of the economy.
They are quick to use new
methods and new machinery.
They are feeding the entire
nation plus helping to fill
Elmira
Oni N30 2C7
bellies around the world.
Yet they get less of the food
dollar than they did last year.
The prices paid for free
market farm goods have
dropped to the 1976 level, yet
they are paying far more to
produce that food than they
did in 1976.
Is it any wonder they feel
the rest of the nation is
ungrateful?
If you can get a copy of The
Farmer Takes a Wife, read it.
And wbep for agriculture in
Canada.
i
PLAQUE WINNERS. — The Exeter Agricultural Society hos won the Ken Reoney
Memorial Plaque for ottendancefor the second year ina row.Twenty-three members
travelled to the District 8 meeting in Listowel. Shown with the plaque are Barb
Passmore (left), 1983 Exeter Fair queen Alice Dietrich and Maxine Sereda.
Costume winners picked
at Kirkton centre party
The Kirkton Community
Association sponsored a
Hallowe'en party, Monday at
the Kirkton Woodham Com-
munity Centre.
The judges for the costumes
were Rev. and Mrs. Peter
Derrick and Rev. and Mrs.
John Vardy, Kirkton. The
pianist was Ethel Stephen.
Pre school and grade 1:
David Marshall, Rachel Sloat
and Tina Bertrand.
Best comic: Kelly
Stephens, Karen Watson and
Jason Denham.
Best representation: Bill
Bickel!, Holly Zwaan and
Wesley Craig.
Best patriotic: Terri
heiger, Stephen Denham aril
Doug Chappell.
Best dressed couple: Reg-
gie and Greg Young, Catrina
and Pauline Brandt. Trudy
Chappell, Chad Webber,
Jeremy and Sherra
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Grade 2,3, 4: Best
Hallowe'en costume: Cauley.
Zvankin, Glen Bertrand and
Sherry Reiger.
Best comic: Jamie
Osborne, Greg Blackler and
Tina Anderson.
Best representation:
Bengie Stoat, Mark Foster
and Christian Brandt.
Grades 5, 6: Best
Hallowe'en costume: Denise
Ferguson, Michael Richard-
son and Bonnie Watson.
Best comic: Brian Switzer
and Chris Anderson.
Best representation: Deb-
bie Gee, Susan Selves and
Rhett Hawkins.
Best patriotic: Karen
Foster.
Best dressed couple: Tracy
Shute and Jenny Burgin, San-
dra Spence and Susan Wiles.
Grades 7 and 8: Best
Hallowe'en costume: Gerald
Cooke, Jamie Westman and
David Switzer.
Best comic: Jason Beckell,
Stephen Selves and Michael
Osborne.
Best representation: Chris
Osborne and Bob Switzer.
Best patriotic: Tammy
Richardson and Andrea
Blackler.
Adults: Best Hallowe'en
costume: Frances Zvonkin.
Best comic: Keith Stephen
and Margaret Muilwyk.
Best representation: Vince
Zvonkin, Floyd Gregory and
Melina Cleve
Best dressed couple: Donna
Stephen, Mrs. Helen Rumble.
Youngest person in
costume: Jonathon Zvonkin.
Oldest person in costume:
Mrs. Helen Rumble.
Huron farm and home news
Farm c.mparlsion figures are available
Wouldn't it be nice to be
able to compare your cost of
production with averages ob-
tained from other farmer's
figures?
Ontario farmer's figures
have been used for years for
comparative analysis pur-
poses and these confidential
records are used to arrive at
averages.
Each farmer's individual
figures are printed back to
him so he can compare his
costs and returns with the
other farmers in his par-
ticular enterprise.
In 1982, financial analysis
records were completed on 27
beef feedlots, V cash crop
farms, 104 dairy farms, 33
farrow to finish and 12 swine
finishing operations.
From the feedlot sector, it
indicated that in 1982 feed
costs were $46.24, bedding,
marketing, trucking,
veterinary and medical were
$5.06 for a total of $51.30 per
hundred weight of beef pro-
duced for direct expenses. In-
direct expenses, including
machinery, building repairs,
car, taxes, insurance, labour,
telephone, hydro and
depreciation and
miscellaneous totalled $18.92
per hundred weight of beef
produced. The total of $70.22
represents the cost of produc-
ing 100 pounds of beef. Cost of
interest alone was $10.51.
The same type of analysis
is done with all enterprises
analysed. For example, pigs
produced per sow per year
and milk sold r.r cow per
year are other figures
available in the production
area.
Financial analysis showing
performance efficiency, li-
quidity and solvency, pro-
fitability return on invest-
ment, etc., are also available,
provided adequate informa-
tion is submitted for the farm.
The Economics Branch of
the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food
welcomes 1983 figures from
farmers interested in par-
ticipating in this Ontario
Farm ManagementAnalysis
Project. Proper inventory of
crops and livestock at the
beginning of the year and,
year end are important. Crop
harvest figures are required
plus livestock purchases,
sales, births and losses. This
information, plus income and
expenses and depreciation,
can then be put into the final
analysis.
Local offices of the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food are pleased to assist
producers interested in par-
ticipating. Farming is big
business. Why not compare
your figures with averages
for the business?
There is no cost for this ser-
vice. Please call your local
O.M.A.F. office if your are in-
terested in participating.
Stanley J. Paquette
Farm Management
Specialist
New Energy Estimates
for Forages
The University of Guelph
Feed AnalysisLab is pleased
to announce the addition of a
new energy predicting ser -
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By MRS. J. TEMPLEMAN
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Miller
were recent dinner guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Duncan,
Kirkton.
Mrs. Tcd Harburn, Jim,
Gail, Denise and Scott Holla-
day and friend Erin, Exeter,
celebrated Denise's 7th birth-
day with supper and a birth-
day cake at Mothers and
bowling later.
Dinner guests with Mike
and Mary Jane Parsons, Sun-
day evneing were, Joanne
Templeman, Mississauga.
Hank, Nancy and Kim
Bertens, Fullerton, John,
Roberta and Barb
Templeman.
Attending the London area
convention at St. Marys Com-
munity Centre Thursday and
Friday were, Mrs. Carter
Kerslake Mrs. Dalton Smale
and Mrs. John Templeman.
Mrs. Bert Daynard hosted
the Family and Consumer Af-
fairs meeting of the Staffa
Women's Institute, at her
home October 26.
Guest speaker was Mrs.
Russell Miller who
demonstrated the art of
refinishing furniture.
Mrs. Dalton Smale presid-
ed opening with the Institute
Ode and Mary Stewart Col-
lect. Members answered the
roll call by naming the
residence in which they had
lived.
A mini bake sale followed
the meeting •
Mrs. John Drake, Staffa,
Mrs. Gordon Hess, Zurich and
Mrs. Bill Freeze, Parkhill
visited for a few days with
their sister Mrs. Ron Rossi,
Etobicoke.
Several from this com-
munity were guests at the
Bunting -Roney wedding and
reception in Brodhagen.
vice for forage samples This
new service will estimate the
Total Digestible Nutrients
(TDN) and Net Energy of
Lactation ("E(1ac) > in hay,
haylage and corn silage
samples.
Unfortunately there is no
direct method for the lab to
measure the TDN or NE(lac)
in a feed sample. Precise
energy values are only
available by conducting con-
trolled feeding trials. Such
trials require large volumes
of feed and livestock, not to
mention great time and ex-
pense. Since precise energy
measurements are not prac-
tical we are faced with
estimating the energy content
of forages as best we can.
There are various methods
of estimating the energy con-
tent of your forages. Many
labs use "book values" to
estimate the energy content.
By knowing the proportions of
forage species in the sample
and their maturities an
energy value may be
predicted. This method is
therefore dependent upon col-
lecting an accurate descrip-
tion of the sample
components.
Some labs estimate the
energy content of a forage
after they have conducted a
protein analysis. Research
trials have shown a positive
correlation between protein
and energy content in hay and
haylage samples provided the
grass/legume composition of
the sample is known. This
method has been used by
OMAF's ration balancing ser-
vice in the past.
Today, more and more feed
analysis labs are estimating
the energy content of forages
by conducting an Acid
Detergent Fibre (ADF)
analysis.
Of all commonly analyzed
feed components ADF
analysis presently appears to
have the strongest correlation
to energy content in forage
samples. Regression equa-
tions have been developed us-
ing the ADF analysis results
to generate estimates of TDN
and NE(lac). Theseegiiations
vary according to the type of
forage analyzed and the
region where they are grown.
Energy values are used
routinely in balancing
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livestock rations. "Over-
estimating" energy values
will result in rations which
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needs. Low gains, low produc-
tion and health problems may
develop. If you "under
estimate" the energy content
of a forage then you may
overfeed grain. Expensive
over -conditioning often oc-
curs in this situation.
Obtaining a good energy
estimate is essential to
develop a well balanced ra-
tion. For more information
regarding the University of
Guelph Feed Analysis ser-
vices, contact you local office
of the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food.
Stephen J. Dolson,
Co-ordinator
Feed Advisory Program
Ont. Min. of Ag. & Food
University of Guelph
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Advance tickets only
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EXETER DISTRICT COOP
235-2061