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Clinton News-Record, 1984-09-19, Page 22• • 7'd',A4A,:•-• A • n(()Irplq att trtg Second Section • Agriculture no the heart of Huron Count ; 0- • V4 » ;,s "0 ,,, 74 ' ft 1!, A.,'4,„,, ' • ‘, ',;---,. , ,„,, , 4.,.. •• #:. .„, lot,„ •,. Agriculture is the heart of Huron County and the area's success is due to the dedica- tion and ability of its farmers. The long hours, hard work, and these days, financial acumen required of farmers put them in a class by themselves. So it follows that the kind of team necessary to help support and educate this special breed is also unique. 4 ( One of the farm management specialists at the Clinton OMAF office is Brian Hall. Here he examines the roots of a stalk of corn in a field infested by corn worms, a major pro- blem for some farmers this year. Brian is the crop specialist at the office. (James Friel photo) Farm specialists are experts in their field Dennis Martin and Brian Hall are farm management specialists at Clinton's On- tario Ministry of Agriculture and Food of- fice, each with their own agricultural specialties as well as the responsibilities for OFAAP and BFAP.. A farm management specialist must com- bine a uniqiie blend of qualities and skills to successfully deal with the people and pro- blems arising in the course of the job. They must have a solid background in sciences such as biology and botany and in addition must be competent financial advisers. And they must have the understanding and tact to deal with the setbacks periodically ex- perienced by members of the farming com- munity. Dennis is originally from Bruce County and was born and raised on a small mixed farm. His hockey skills gave him the rare chance to earn a scholarship • to study at prestigious Cornell University in the United States. He started with the ministry in 1977 and spent two years in York County. He then transferred to Huron County and his present position as a farm management specialist. This position requires "a fair bit of work" involving financial counselling and review- ing doctunents pertinent to that counselling such as statements on cash flow, net worth and income and expense. Dairy farming is Dennis' agricultural specialty and he js responsible for the pro- gram in the county. He spends a con- siderable amount of time on dairy nutrition, balancing rations for both heifers and cows. "I also work closely with the county Hols- tein Club on programs like breeding im- provement." "I think a lot of our work tends to be both production and financially related," he said as a simple summation of the farm manage- ment position. There are also seminars and other infor- mation meetings directed at the farmer for Dennis to assist with as well as the, "day to day contact with the general public on a cross section of topics", to round out some of the basic elements of the job. Brian Hall also transferred to the Huron County office in Clinton from York County. He finds the fact it is a larger county with its major industry as agriculture allows for more staff specialization and he has turned his skills toward crops and related subjects. Brian also does some work with both swine and poultry. "It's pretty challenging to keep abreast of the fields," he said with enthusiasm. And even though the opportunity is available for specialization those in farm management have to maintain a certain proficiency in the other areas. Brian has a hand in individual programs and seminars conducted through Centralia College of Technology . and sponsored by Canada Manpower. These workshops help farmers keep up with new farming techni- ques. "They pretty well cover every aspect of farming with meetings on cash cropping, dairy, swine, beef, sheep and more," Brian explained, noting that one day is also set aside for a workshop on crop production. • With both crop specialist Pat Lynch in Stratford monitoring crops problems and the Soil and Crop Association doing variety tests in small grains, like wheat, to measure their suitability for the area, • the locai. farmer has'a selection of sources to turn to for both researchers and practical applica- tion. Some work involves financial analyses of selected farms for each commodity. The farmer volunteers records and a report is compiled for the province. This provides an individual analysis of the farm and gives the farmer a benchmark for following years, as well as financial records for tax purposes. • The management specialist receives the completed provincial report developed from all agricultural areas and this can be used to help understand the overall farming situa- tion. One of Brian's biggest concerns this year is corn worm. Corn worm is not a problem in first year corn but an insecticide is applied during following years which would normal- ly control it. Good conditions existed for worm development this spring. "With the cold and warm weather andthe rain, there might have been some leaching of the insecticide so it isn't there to do its job six to eight weeks later." The result of corn worm infestation are fields of fallen cornstalks. Farmers will at- teMpt to harvest as much of the crop as possible but losses may be substantial. Both men do troubleshooting calls if they arise and during two routine visits to local farms the dedication and depth of understanding was easily evident. The position of farm management specialist is not a seven day, nose -to -the - grindstone job. There are some perks: Brian recently had the enviable task as a judge choosing the Queen of the Furrow for Huron County. OM and farmers are working together waswoe:*••••12.M. Members of the Clinton office of the On- tario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) have been doing their part in main- taining farmers' efficiency for decades now, and have long since established themselves as a credible government agency for the farmer. Don Pullen heads the office, known as a frontline extension office, as Agricultural Representative and is well known throughout the community for his work. He states the job the office is charged with can easily be lifted from the job specifications for ag rep. The ag rep's main objective is to provide assistance to the farming community and much of this assistance involves offering business advice and disseminating agricultural information. Don points to the 1968 staff expansion as the turning point for the emphasis in farm management from group workshops to in.4 dividual.attention. Workshops and seminars are still very popular but the approach is somewhat dfr4, ferent. Where the office would- fdrmer develop the program for these workshops, local farmers now act as programmers and the OMAF staff are engaged as speakers as are bankers, chartered accountants, other farmers and those representing any other subject of interest to farmers. The shift Don refers to has recently culininated in the administration of pro- grams such as the Ontario Farmers Adjust- ment Assistance Program (OFAAP) and the Beginning Farmers Assistance Pro- gram (BFAP). Although the farm manage- ment specialists are always available for questions or advice, most of their time is spent working on those two government assistance programs. These two provincial government projects are designed to help farmers with the massive costs involved in their profession. The specialists are seeing more bankrupt- cies and difficult farm problems and con- sequently more programs are being developed to respond to these concerns. "Both are good programs," said farm management specialist Brian Hall. "They're a strong benefit to the farmer and a good experience for us and the banks as well." He said the contact the three sectors have during the meetings "gives us a good oppor- tunity to bounce around ideas." Dennis Martin, another specialist, estimates that over 300 applications have been received for OFAAP in the past three years and about 100 BFAP applications have been approved in Huron County to date. But, "really we're more than that," said • Don. While the main thrust of the office is agricultural education and business advice, there are the engineers dealing with many of the technical problems,. clubs across the county, junior farmers and a host of other,pregrams. The.ifeatures and pictures on this page representxtbrnnt to capture &cross sec- tion of; At 'k at the office. There artg- many other employees at the Clinton OMAF office, all of them essential to the high calibre of service experienced by the farm- ing community. Jane Muegge is the home economist at the Clinton Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food office. She implements programs which focus on homemaking skills and home finance, making OMAF one of the few agencies still teaching these skills. (Shelley McPhee photo) Basic living skills taught by home economist CLINTON - Jane Muegge, the Rural Organization Specialist, or County home economist, is responsible for one of the most important subjects available from -the Clin- ton OMAF office. Basic living skills are Im- perative to our daily living yet, the ministry is one of the few places for an individual to receive instruction. Courses have been • rewedirern schools, said Jane, a Seaforth kiiv and consequently the 4 -II home mak- ing projects have anywhere between 50 to 70 clubs and 500 to 700 people per project. Not surprisingly, 4-H takes up a lot of Janes' time (about 40 per cent) but shealso operates the adult programs which offer basic skills like financial management, Ron Fleming teaches and sothop goes to these programs. 4 erincgent ehsor mteanagemeenrt, cook doofthheerre s.tiSmhe With outreach programs, as many as 1,000 researches as part of his job workshops consisiting of two people from people can be contacted. Jane will teach • • • Ron Fleming is one of the engineers sta- tioned at the Clinton OMAF office and in this capacity he is involved in several areas. He grew up by Woodstock on a dairy farm and earned a Bachelor of- Science in 1976 and moved directly to Clinton at that time. As an engineer one of his many duties is to help co-ordinate the teaching at Centralia College of Technology and has taught one course. In fact he says the hierarchy he and fellow engineer Sam Bradshaw belong to is centered more around the administration at the college. Ron arranges information packages for farmers, trying to condense some of the engineering expertise relatmg to a certain subject into less technical terrns. He estimated the engineers prepared about 15 of these packages, many. of them dealing with Ron's specialty, manure management. • Another major area requiring the • engineer's skills is .research and develop- ment. The current project is temperature monitoring research ' and greater. understanding of ventilation, particularly in - swine barns, the hoped for result. Ron is involved in developing courses for professionals such as farm building contrac- tors and vets, to educate them on the stan- Torn to page 2A • NEW• Stories and photos by James Friel each group any one of a variety of subjects and those two will instruct their group on that subject. Forums are also conducted by the Ryer- son home ec graduate without any obliga- tion to teach others. Home management and microwale cooking are,examples. Jane notes more males have been joining home making related programs realizing modern lifestyles often require a knowledge of basic cooking and household duties. The OMAF office also offers traditional leisure programs such as the smocking course available this fall. The stress and technology of modern society make a skill • for relaxation desirable, said Jane. ' She tries to offer programs during both days and evenings and throughout the Coun- ty to ease driving and accomodate all peo- ple. The home economist sits on a number of committees at different levels, including provincial councils intended to develop pro- grams. Her inputat provincial conferences helps. • determine programs, as the need arises, Suitable for the entire province, with minor adjustments for local idiosyncracies. Jane is on local committees as well. She sits on the Huron County Nutrition Commit- tee with dieticians and other nutritionists creating information packages, for exam- ple, for teachers and other interested par- ties. During March, which has been designated as Nutrition Month, the commit- tee stages a blitz to publicize the benefits of good nutrition. A local scholarship committee has Jane as a member too. This group chooses young people for trips and awards. She can attend, teach or coordinate con- ferences such as the recent women's con- ference at Centralia College.of Technology. She acts as a liason type for rural women's groups, speaks to a number of various groups on a variety Of subjects, gives advice on a new fabric or appliance and, due to the season, has received calls about fruit and vegetable preservation. Finally, with recent cutbacks in the ministry, work that was formerly hired out of the office is now !king shared between County offices. Jane often helps her counter- part in Perth County with programs and vice versa. • 4 , AAA • id • ,fd Dennis Martin, right inspects the heifers on the farm of Al Carter, with the help of Michelle Carter and her father, Al. Dennis is responsible for the dairy program in the qii• •• ee' •• ••• county and spends some time with the holstein dub to improve breeding programs. (James Friel photo)