Loading...
The Huron Expositor, 1989-03-01, Page 5THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MARCH 1 , 1989 — 5A III,:''>::;:';1 - __,..` tl__ HEALTH ON THE HILL A series of ba -weekly reviews of activities at SEAFORTH COMMUNITY HOSPITAL WINTER INTERLUDE A SUCCESS Little did Hospital Staff know about the individual talents of the Laboratory Staff lurking unsuspectingly behind microscopes and syringes. Give them the challenge of orchestrating the dinner and dance "Winter Interlude" and watch out! Those individual talents combined and harmonized to produce quality like a symphony. All we can say is "Encore"! Profit to date is approximately ,8,500.00. HOSPITAL TOUR PLANNED On March 22 you can see for yourself first hand the inner workings of your Community Hospital. See how x-ray equipment works and experience the Physiotherapy hot wax bath. There is lots mere to explore. We know you'll be impressed. GIANT YARD SALE Calling all Pack Rats and Garage Sale Enthusiasts! A great opportunity to participate in the biggest yard sale while enjoying an old fashioned breakfast is approaching on the May 24th holiday weekend. Have fun while supporting the Building Fund. , ACTIVATION GROUP Thanks to Don Hulley, Maintenance from the Activation Group for constructing an embroidery frame that patients are enjoying the use of. SPECIAL PERFORMANCE - Marian Doucette of the Huron Coun- Huron Centennial School in Brucefield on Thursday - the school's ty Library, put on a puppet show for the Kindergarten classes at Resources Day. Falconer photo, Legion cribbage team in district finals There was a good turn out for Brotherhood night last Thursday night. After a meal served by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Legion, guests enjoyed a speech on Brotherhood by Rev. Joseph Hardy of St. Columban Catholic Church. After the meeting a few, games of euchre were played by those present. Two weeks ago a team of Senior bowlers, Don Wood, Don Eaton, Bill Harris, Bob Har- ris, Gord Scott and Alvin Sma1e competed in the District C bowling finals. With only one other senior team participating the Seaforth Seniors were the victors and can compete at Cornwall next April in the Provincial Finals. This coming Saturday two teams of Crib- bage players will journey to Kincardine to play in the District C finals. We will have the LEGION NEWS by Gordon Scott results next week. Also on Saturday there will be a pot -luck supper and mixed euchre in the evening at the Branch. The Entertainment committee is holding a Pub -night and dance on friday, March 17 this year and there will be more on this next week. The stag euchres are still proving very popular every other Wednesday evening. The next one is March 8 at 8 p.m. • Don't forget the change for the Executive AND THE LUCKY WINNER IS... meeting to this Thursday evening at 8 p.m. (March 2) and Seniors euchre every Mon- day afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Members of the Branch were very sorry to hear of the death of Comrade George Hays last Saturday. Comrade George was a Past President of the Branch and also a Life member. A Legion service was held at the funeral home on Monday evening. To George's wife and his many friends we offer sincere sympathies in their loss of a hus- band and friend. They grow not old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. Bar Roster March 1, K. Smith; _March 2, B. Barry; March 6, K. Swan; March 7, D. Hulley; March 8, J. Graham. Ontario DHI solidifies position in dairy industry "The Ontario Dairy Herd Improvement Corporation has now solidified its position in the dairy industry with the delivery of a pro- fessional, accurate and credible milk recor- ding program." ODHIC Chairman, Roger Dyment delivered this introductory comment at the 1989 Annual Meeting - held January 10 in Toronto. On behalf of the Board of Direc- torS;Thltnent eir iz:essed'his'apprecintion for the support and co-operation of industry related organizations and recognized their contribution to the Corporation. A special acknowledgment was extended to both levels of government for their continued financial assistance and support. The provision of a highly sophisticated service with increased accuracy was iden- tified as a Corporate objective by the ODHIC Chairman. Meeting the specific needs of producers was also stressed. "Our Corporation has an obligation to supply and deliver programs that service the broad cross section of our users," he said. Towards this end, Mr. Dyment discussed the Corporation's recent decision to lease its own computer in order to increase cost ef- fectiveness and efficiency of service. ODHIC's on-going examination of new ser- vice options was also reviewed. Dyment concluded by emphasizing the need for ODHIC to be "cognisant of the pro- blems of the past but also sensitive to the needs of the future." ODHIC General Manager John Meek outlined several Corporate achievements of the past year in his report. He emphasized ;the significant progress made in the areas of .record processing, financial position, and 1:corporate credibility. The Corporation's present focus on systematic field staff train- ing and development was also stressed. Meek spoke of the Corporation's improve- ment in data editing and transmission techniques throughout 1988. In addition, he . referred to ODHIC's on-going commitment towards meeting and communicating with producers and industry associations alike. – Keith Davenport, Director, Zone 3, presented a review of Corporation Ac- tivities. The report indicated a decline in total herd numbers enrolled in Ontario milk recording programs, reflecting both the overall decrease in size of the provincial dairy herd and the attempts made by dairy producers to reduce costs of production. The • review also highlighted Corporation options for cream and goat producers, the meter rental service, herd management pocket guide, and somatic cell count. The morning agenda included the presen- tation of the auditor's report and the 1987-88 financial statements by Gaston Levan. His announcement that ODHIC successfully ended its fiscal year in a surplus position of $796,886 contributed to the positive at- mosphere of the meeting. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture's Jim Pet- tit commented that "the previous growing pains of the Corporation has led to an ex- perienced, better managed Corporation." Grant Smith of the Ontario Milk Marketing • Board and Agriculture Canada's Malcolm MacGregor both expressed a similar positive attitude. All three speakers recognized the development in ODHIC's ser- vice and congratulated the Corporation on its progress. Ohio's Philip Dukas, Director of Technical Development, National DHIA, was the Noon Luncheon guest speaker. Mr. Dukes referred to the difficulty of predic- - ting Dairy Herd Improvement trends in the future. He cited this as a common problem for both American and Canadian Milk recor- ding .services. As pressure to reduce milk production costs elevates, Dairy Herd Im- provement associations must realize how the requirements of dairymen can be met, Mr. Dukas maintained, He spoke of a need to develop programs that are specific to pro- ducer demands rather than those perceived by DHi. staff to be necessary. In terms of innovation, he mentioned how American DIE was looking towards in- dividual tailoring of farm reports, as well as developing a broader range of DHI.services. Such initiatives are also being consideredby ODHIC"for the future. " m" Following the luncheon it was announced that delegates had elected two new Direc- tors, and re-elected a third to the ODHIC Board. Ron Versteeg, a dairy producer from Russell will assume the directorship for Zone 5, while Bradford area Hostein breeder John McCallum will now represent Zone 3. Bob Ross will begin his fourth term as Director for Zone 1. John Shepherd, Director representing the O.A.B., presented the 1989 OD C budget during the afternoon session. A" -modest surplus of approximately $228,000 is predicted for the 1988-1989 fiscal year. Mr. Shepherd also outlined ODHIC's new fee schedule, implemented to ensure that each level of service contributes equitably to the cost of milk recording. The fee struc- ture also reflects the principle of raising 50 per cent of revenue from herd fees and 50 per cent from cow fees. Although this restructuring has little impact on the total billing, it does distribute the fees paid by in- dividual producers more equitably.. Delegates were told that a six per cent fee increase has been budgeted for July. Questions from delegates identified ODHIC's need to look towards new ways of generating income and cutting costs to counteract the effect of decreased cow numbers and declining government fun- ding. In response, Shepherd emphasized the stability of a government grant for the next four years with the intent to renegotiate at the end of this period, and that the Board is investigating a number of options for in- creased income on an on-going basis. Don Lazenby, Director, Zone 1 presented the Customer Service Report which highlighted a discussion on the current in- vestigation into sample handling and transportation. The study included a com- prehensive review of milk sample vials, caps, and containers, as well as transporta- tion methods. The Board of Directors is ex- pecting to make a decision on the results of these trials early in 1989. Incorporated in the report was " riiscus- sion regarding the introdubtion of'Alternate AM/PM Official services as a fourth pro- gram option. Participants in this service would require the installation of a CMRB approved timing device to measure milking intervals, a minimum of 12 tests per year and unique identification within the herd. Delegates were told that Holstein Canada has endorsed the program with the provi- sion that records be designated as Official AM/PM. Questions were asked regarding the ac- curacy of this test prompting comments from ODHIC Chairman Roger Dyment. He stressed the need for better communication among industry players in order to inform those involved about alternatives in milk recording. It was emphasized that Official AM/PM testing would be offered as an alter- native service level, not as a replacement to 24 Hour Supervised test. A need to regulate test intervals was ex- pressed during the afternoon question period. Members were assured that plann- ing is already underway in this area for 1989. During the afternoon session, Mr. Dyment stated that the ODHIC Board must be recep- tive to input, and he emphasized the need for efficient transfer of concerns from the coun- ty level through delegates to the Board of Directors and then back to the county level. In summary, the Chairman spoke of a general satisfaction with the Corporation's present program. Looking ahead, Mr. Dy- ment assured those in attendance that ODHIC has a continued commitment towards providing a professional, accurate dairy information service to the industry. More details available on crop drought assistance program Farmers in many parts of Canada will remember 1988 as the year of the drought. Moisture conditions on the prairies were among the worst on record while parts of Ontario and Quebec experienced one of the driest springs ever. Under the Canadian Crop Drought A-ssistance Program (CCDAP) an estimated $850 million will be paid to pro- ducers who had significant crop losses because of the drought in 1988. "This is a complex program that takes in- to account very specific data," said CCDAP Administrator Garth Goraky. "Our goal has been to get the money to the farmers who need it most. Because the effects of the drought varied, we have had a massive job of data collection to do, right down to the township level so that we can target specific areas and specific crops." Starting February 10, personalized ap- plication forms were sent to farmers in drought affected areas. All producers who suffered significant crop losses as a result of the 1989 drought are eligible for assistance. Producers who were hit hardest can expect an initial payment before seeding time. "After all the applications have been pro- cessed and final yield data has been col- lected and split out on a township level, final payments can be made," said Mr, Goraky. "This will happen in July." Where yield information is available, payments will be crop specific. A basket of Mr Larry Henry of Seaforth Congratulations to Larry! One of six lucky winners in our Gold Rush Days Draw. Cathy Anstett Manager of Anstett's was proud to present Larry with a 10 KT GOLD NUGGET. Valued at $125.00. Many thanks to all who participated. Watch for next year's GOLD RUSH DAYS and remember....it's always a "good time" to shop Anstett's. ANSTETT JEArLLERS LI/,/ITER 26 Main St., Seaforth 527-1720 SILA-BAC INFORMATION DAY Thurs., March 2 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. AT THE BRODHAGEN COMMUNITY CENTRE commodities approach will be used to calculate per acre payments for crops in drought zones when acreage of those crops was very small. Per acre payments will be calculated at the smallest area level possi- ble. In most cases, calculations will be done at the township level. All grains, oilseeds, special crops, vegetables, and fruits produced in designated drought areas will be eligible for assistance except in areas where production losses on certain crops are not large enough to trigger a payment. Alfalfa for processing, marketed hay and forage seed will be con- sidered under this program. Crops seeded before June 20, 1988, and cut for silage or greenfeed or plowed down following crop damage are eligible for pay- ment. Payments received on such acreage through the Federal -Provincial Greenfeed Assistance Program will be deducted from a farmer's CCDAP payment. Irrigated acreage is eligible and payments will be made based on data col- lected for irrigation districts licensed by the province or by PFRA. Commodities covered by tripartite agreements, such as dry beans, sugar beets and apples will be considered for assistance under this program. For more information on the program, producers may call 1.800-287.8343. The toll- free line will operate Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. This summer, look: in more 01 heinaiurpi freshrtsss0t hey,,anddookout costNfiald woes, by using NEW SSila'bac brand 1155 alfalfa hey inoculaitt. SiIa4tc1l5 ingculant,.whenappledto tough ttt5rtalskirel alows you 10 reduce w4a25%eether xis%and saveinora of those; rtutriettt4'ich leaves py pairlg-earlier and longetlnocuta'ed at(alfa hay remairtslreaher*Itttrnwe protein and iritproved palatatatY NEW Available in an easy-to-use water soluble formulation, 1155 Is applied at, Wing, And, it's non -corrosive s0 it won't damage valuable baling equipment. Now you can feed fresher, more palatable alfalfa hay when you treat it with NEW Sita -bac 1155 alfalfa hay inoculant. Talk to your Pioneer Hi -Bred Sales Representative. today Better Management Tools from Pioneer Ht.Bred Limited BAC brought to you by HOEGY FARM SUPPLY LIMITED Brodhagen PH. 345-2941