The Rural Voice - August 2023

Rural Voice August 2023

The

THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE ... $2.50 PM 40037593

VIRTUAL VETERINARIANS Veterinary care has gone virtual allowing farmers to access advice via an app

MARKET UPS AND DOWNS It’s a mixed bag for sales at farmers’ markets as consumer worry over grocery costs continues

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16

The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

Published monthly by: The Rural Voice, Box 429, Blyth, Ontario, N0M 1H0 Telephone: 519-523-4311 Fax: 519-523-9140 E-mail: info@northhuron.on.ca Website: ruralvoice.ca Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot rveditorlisa@northhuron.on.ca

22 Columns

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Newsletters

National Farmers Union . . . . . . . . . .66 Perth County Pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Grey County Federation . . . . . . . . . .68 Bruce County Federation . . . . . . . .69 Perth County Federation . . . . . . . . . .70 Huron County Federation . . . . . . . . .72

29 AUGUST 2023 • Cover Photo Glen Yates, Woodstock Photo by Jeff Tribe

Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Arnold Mathers, Donna Lacey, Melisa Luymes, Anne Mann, Carolyn Crawford, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe, Amanda Brodhagen and Hetty Stuart

• Deadlines: Sept. Issue – Aug. 8

Advertising Sales: Shelley Kroes rvads@northhuron.on.ca

16 Virtual Veterinarians

Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell

October Issue – September 12

Glen and Colin Yates are hoping their new VETSon app will improve veterinary service

22 Food Traffic at Market Farmers markets feel the pinch of consumer’s tightening fists

29 Home Away from Home Apple orchards in Bruce County are like a home away from home say foreign workers from Jamaica

32 Serving up Spice

Anup and Adita Joshi can serve it hot or hotter at Kin’s Social in Kincardine

Advertising & editorial production: Dianne Josling PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40037593 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 429, BLYTH ON N0M 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca Subscriptions: $25 (12 issues) $45 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $2.75 each.

Make cheques payable to: NORTH HURON PUBLISHING CO.

36 Conservation in Kenya Kenyan John Mbae views conservation work in Ontario and Kenya

39 Remembering John Grace New environmental fund honours John’s Grace’s passion for community and the environment

All manuscripts submitted for consideration should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Editorial content may be reproduced only by permission of the publisher. The Rural Voice makes every effort to see that advertising copy is correct. However, should an error occur, please notify The Rural Voice office within 30 days of invoicing in order to obtain a billing adjustment.

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“

Ruralite I want them to feel like they

•

are home, not like they are in a

COP

boarding house.

“What we should be asking

”

~ Brian Gilroy on providing services and housing for the

is ‘is what I’m paying for

Jamaican workers he hires to pick apples Story on page 29

that cucumber allowing a

Paraprosdokians

farmer to grow it again

(A sentence or statement with an unexpected ending —

next year’.”

it means “against expectations” in Greek)

~ Erika Schilthuis of Maitland

● What do you call a bee that cannot make up its mind? A maybe ● I tried to sue the airline for losing my luggage. I lost my case. ● I wasn’t originally going to get a brain transplate. But then I changed my mind. ● I saw an ad for burial plots and I thought: That’s the last thing I need! ● I broke my finger last week. On the other hand, I’m okay.

Market and Supply on farmers

August Inspiration “Agriculture is the greatest and fundamentally the most important of our industries. Cities are but branches of the tree of national life, the roots of which go deeply into the land. We all flourish or decline with the farmer. ~Bernard Baruch

markets, the price of food, and paying for cost of production.

See page 22

Humour • I’ve started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes.

It’s about raison awareness ▪ I’ve started investing in stocks — beef, vegetable and chicken.

One day I hope to be a bouillianaire

•

Neil’s One-Liners (Wisdom from McGavin Files)

● One thing common to

make success stories is the

Cat days of summer

It’s that time of the year when the two cats you thought were BOTH fixed revealed they were not. “Free Kittens” sign will pop up on the end of farm laneways and someone will get a great deal on an excellent mouser ~Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

alarm clock. ● A foot is a device for

•

finding furniture in the dark

August 2023 3

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot Lisa B. Pot is editor of The Rural Voice and farms in Huron County

Food waste does not support food security As a June/July drought affected crops in southwestern Ontario, stress climbed over the potential decrease in bushels per acre. This year’s crops may not break production records, but we know there will be food to feed our animals, pay our bills and feed our families.

Such is the luxury of living and farming in Ontario.

In contrast, millions of people around the world are going hungry as indicated by the United Nation’s annual State of Food Insecurity report released this summer. It reveals global hunger is still far above pre-pandemic levels and increasing throughout African,

Western Asia and the Caribbean.

Over 122 million more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, states the report.

The report had more concerning statistics to share: Child Malnutrition: Child malnutrition is still alarmingly high.

In 2021, 22.3 per cent (148.1 million) children were stunted, 6.8 per cent (45 million) were wasted, and 5.6 per cent (37 million) were overweight.

Urbanization’s Impact on Diet: As urbanization accelerates, there is a noticeable increase in the consumption of processed and convenience foods, leading to a spike in overweight and obesity rates.

Rural Dependence on Global Markets: Previously self-sustaining rural regions, especially in Africa and Asia, are now found to be increasingly dependent on national and global food markets.

Future Outlook: By 2050, it’s projected that 70 per cent of the global population will reside in cities.

This significant demographic shift

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necessitates a reorientation of food systems to cater to these new urban populations and eradicate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.

The positive side of the report is that there has been a stall in the growth of global hunger numbers.

Thank goodness...the aforementioned statistics are alarming enough.

Imagine a future where 70 per cent of the global population will reside in cities. Wow. That puts a lot of pressure on farmers to feed the world.

So I fully support a new movement to eliminate our bestbefore-date labelling system to reduce grocery waste.

A report on grocery affordability from a House of Commons committee on agriculture and agrifood includes calls for Canada to do away with best-before dates due to the widespread misconception that they indicate whether a product is safe to consume, stated Nicole Thompson of CBC news.

“Experts say all they indicate is when a product is past its peak freshness,” reads the July story.

There is a vast different between “best before dates” and actual “expiry dates”. Expiry dates indicate that a food’s nutritional quality will degrade over time while best-before dates are required on food that could go bad within 90 days.

What happens to best-before labelled foods that go past their date?

They are thrown out.

Yet a study by Dalhousie University and the Agri-Food Analytics Lab suggests 30 per cent of Canadians say that they oppose doing away with the labels while 32 per cent say they strongly oppose it. The other 30 per cent said they would strongly support or support eliminating those date labels.

I “strongly support” the move. At the very least, let’s educate people what those labels REALLY mean and encourage them to use their senses to decide when food is no longer good. A quick testing system to monitor food’s unsafe bacteria levels would be helpful too.

What is more sickening than defying best before labels is realizing our abundance is trashed while others go hungry. ◊

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Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

Smoky air causes problems As I write this in early July, I’ve just had several days staying indoors because of smoke from forest fires in northern Ontario and Quebec.

Being retired, I have the choice to avoid the smoke. Many farmers, not to mention contractors, etc. have jobs that require them to be out of doors despite the smoke. There are only so many days before winter weather arrives, by which time crops must be harvested and much outdoor construction completed.

This is an unusual year for forest fires. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, nearly every province is facing forest fires — something I don’t recall experiencing in my seven

decades. Smoke hasn’t affected southern Ontario many times that I can remember, let alone millions of Americans across the border.

I can only remember one occasion when forest fire smoke interrupted our life when I was a child. We were visiting my uncle in Kincardine one Sunday afternoon when the sky turned pink and yellow and the air smelled smokey. By the next day it was gone rather than hanging on.

Apparently we need to get used to this problem, say environmental experts. Climate change is going to bring more fire events in future, though just when is beyond prediction. At the same time we’ve had flooding in other areas.

It’s been a tough summer here, too, so far. As this is written, our area has had about a half-inch of rain in the last month. This past weekend we had no more than a few drops, yet to the south they had day-long rains.

I will probably lose some readers with the mention of climate change.

Despite expert opinion, many, including many farmers, are sure that so-called climate change is just year-

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to-year variation.

Recently, I read the novel The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Like John Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath, it tells the torturous story of the drought that accompanied the Great Depression across the graingrowing regions of the U.S. (and the Canadian prairies). That drought started in 1930 and lasted for nearly a decade. Many farmers from Texas to Nebraska lost their farms and moved to California where they competed against each other for lower and lower wages from large landowners.

But those Depression years came long before modern lifestyles could have changed the climate. Yet emigrants, land speculators, politicians and even some scientists believed that homesteading and agriculture would permanently affect the climate of the semi-arid Great Plains region, making it more conducive to farming. They were horribly wrong.

People changed how they farmed after the drought of the Depression years, especially after adopting soilsaving plans promoted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

But a century later, will we forget the lessons learned back then?

Recently I saw that many Alberta farmers have been hit hard from drought and don’t expect harvestable crops. Luckily, they will be helped by crop insurance, one of the great advances in that century. Can they afford insurance if we end up having a lengthy drought?

And how about the millions elsewhere in the world who have come to depend on food from North America? Large as our weather problems are, they can be worse.

–––– Apology to the chickens: In my column last month I spoke of smelly manure spread on fields around our house. I blamed it on chickens, since the spreader appeared to travel to a nearby chicken farm. But a neighbour called me after the column appeared to correct me. Truckloads of compost were dumped on the back corner of the farm to be spread on the land, he told me. My stinky problem actually came from a pile of sewage from an urban community. So don’t blame the chickens. ◊

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Kate Procter Kate farms, hikes, canoes, and plays guitar in Huron County.

The remarkable progress of humans

Humans are interesting creatures.

As a farmer, I often think about those who came before me and marvel at what they achieved. If you have ever taken a mature tree down, removed every trace of it, and prepared the ground that once supported it to grow crops, you can appreciate what a mammoth job it is.

I think about the settlers who cleared Huron County – and wonder at how they cleared and drained the land, built houses, and villages, and roads and schools. I think about how they left everything familiar – family, culture, people and places – and

bravely set off across the ocean to a strange new land in search of freedom and a better life.

They met challenges with ingenuity and hard work while constantly trying to figure out how to improve their lot. I was reminded of this recently as we were taking a much closer examination of an old bank barn. These barns are still common around the countryside, having stood for over 100 years, offering shelter to an unknown number of beasts since they were constructed all those years ago.

I hadn’t really looked that closely before, but one of our group pointed out the difference in age of two sections of the barn. Once he pointed it out, it was very obvious and I wondered at how I had never noticed it before. The hand-hewn logs – possibly hemlock – and obviously cut from huge trees showed the marks of each strike of the tool that was used to transform them from trees into square beams. In the other section of the barn, it was obvious from circular marks on the beams that they had been squared by a circular saw. The

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march of technology could be seen even in two sections of this old barn.

While technology has changed to the point that modern barns are not constructed like that anymore, those old barns are still used in much the same way that they were when they were first built. They have been modified, and adapted, and had technology added that takes away some of the back breaking labour that was a part of their use when they were first built.

I thought about all of this walking through the barn that morning. It also made me think about how much life has changed since those many hands worked together to build that barn.

Could those people even have imagined what our lives would be like today?

My uncle was born in 1923 – and will be turning 100 in October. He spent hours in barns like this, going on to continue embracing many new technologies as they came along. He operated radios as a young man, and this was his role in World War II. He worked with many different technologies before coming back to the farm in the 1960s, where he continued to progressively adopt the changes and help keep the farm moving forward. There are many areas of the farm today where I can still see his ingenuity at work.

As computers became useful for many jobs, he embraced them as well. Along with designing and building, he also had the role of bookkeeper before my Mom took on the job. Between the two of them, they made sure this area of the farm progressed by using computerized bookkeeping systems. It didn’t seem long before we were using computers to keep track of our breeding programs for livestock as well.

Today, my uncle uses a Kindle to read e-books that he buys online.

After a bad fall put him in a neck brace and made reading next to impossible, we were able to connect him using Bluetooth technology so that he could listen to audiobooks through his hearing aids. The books he is listening to are borrowed from the Huron County Library, all online.

Using a device that fits in my pocket, we can browse and check out

thousands of books, and listen to them through devices that are largely invisible to anyone else.

On that same device, I can look up weather forecasts not just for my own area, but for anywhere in the world. I have an app – Merlin – that I use for identifying birds. I can set it beside me and record the bird songs I hear, telling me what bird is singing, so maybe someday I will be able to identify the birds I hear without seeing them. People used to joke – “there’s an app for that” about just

about everything. It’s not a joke anymore, because it seems that there is, quite literally, an app for almost anything you can imagine. People can track each other in real time using the same device. I can sit in the house and lock my car, see how much fuel is in it, and determine when it needs to go for service. I could go on – and it seems that this has become so common we almost take it for granted now.

You may wonder what an old bank barn has to do with the

favourite apps I have on my cell phone. Nothing really, except that they remind me of the remarkable things humans have done through problem solving and working together – sometimes cooperatively, and sometimes competitively. It can be easy to get discouraged as the issues we face seem to be daunting at times. But then I remember... and marvel at what has been accomplished – this gives me hope that we can figure our way forward for the future. ◊

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August 2023 9

Jeffrey Carter Jeffrey is a freelance journalist based in Dresden, Ontario.

When east meets west and cook together I’ve always held a fascination for India and while I’ve never been there, there have been other opportunities to learn. Over the years I’ve come into contact with a number of academics and activists from the subcontinent.

Among them is Vandana Shiva, the environmentalist and food system advocate who is known, among other things, for her opposition to genetic engineering and the industrialization of the food system. Another is Rattan Lal, a man of humble origins, who is recognized internationally for his research as a soil biologist.

Most recently, I had the opportunity to interact with a dairy technologist from Bangalore, India’s third largest city located in the south of the country. He worked extensively in India, and also in Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi where he was involved in managing and designing dairy processing facilities.

Here in Canada, he had been staying with his son and daughter-inlaw for an extended visit and found himself at loose ends during the day.

I was introduced after my wife discovered him volunteering at the free-clothes depot at a local church.

Ravindra, who refers to me as “Mr. Jeff,” was hoping to visit a dairy farm in Canada and so I arranged a couple stops, one in Chatham-Kent at a more traditional operation and another with state-ofthe-art equipment and facilities in Lambton County.

We took a circuitous route through the countryside crossing the Sydenham River a number of times during the process.

We also shared a bit of food. I

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provided a tour of our garden offering a few vegetables, not all of which he was familiar with. Ravindra shared with me a breakfast meal typical of south Indian, a blend of wheat farina, vegetables and spices, along with a treat – a from-scratch tapioca pudding.

The tapioca was flavoured with actual vanilla beans rather than vanilla extract. Ravindra seemed a bit disappointed when I remarked that it tasted a lot like what my grandmother once made. (Had he made it with cardamon as he first intended, my reaction would likely have been different.)

Nothing like food to make a connection.

As it happened, I had been dabbling in Indian cooking, having acquired a cookbook written by Madhur Jaffrey who was described by an overly zealous reviewer as “godmother of Indian cooking.”

The diet that Ravindra and other many members of the Hindu population of India follow is known as lacto-vegetarianism. Grains, vegetables, beans and lentils are widely consumed, along with milk and milk products. As Ravindra pointed out, the cow is viewed as sacred in India, but unlike stereotypical views from the west, they are working animals, valued for their manure, as beasts of burden and, most of all, their milk.

Milk consumption goes back thousands of years in India and over the past 50 years, the dairy industry has been transformed through what is known as the White Revolution. Milk production and processing have been modernized but at the farm level remains largely in the hands of smallholders, village families who keep just a handful of animals as a secondary source of income.

There has been a great deal of education delivered to these smallholders to maintain the quality of milk and over the years a system has been developed to safely produce, transport and process milk while providing farmers with “fair’ returns. Issues still remain but today India is self-sufficient in milk and milk products, having become the world’s largest producer, exceeding

even North America in total production.

Ravindra was generally impressed by what he saw at the two Ontario dairy farms but it is difficult to compare the situation in North America to that of India. There are fewer than 10,000 dairy operations in Canada, according to federal government statistics, compared to more than 10 million farms in India where milk is produced.

Ravindra remarked on several features of the landscape as we traveled through the countryside. He learned most of the animals on pasture were beef cattle, that the Sydenham River is relatively healthy despite its muddy appearance and sluggish flow.

He came to understand the concept of farmers in Canada being land-rich but operating with narrow – and occasionally non-existent – profit margins. He also remarked as well on the relative isolation of Canadian farm families. In India farmers generally live in villages together with their livestock.

We only had one disagreement, although unspoken. This was resolved when I casually displayed a number of novels written by Salman Rushdie when Ravindra, a most observant fellow, was paying a visit.

Ravindra said he has heard of Rushdie but has not read any of his works.

Rushdie, born in Bombay and educated in Great Britain, was the subject of a fatwa issued by a leading Iranian Muslim cleric in 1989 which called for his execution after his novel, The Satanic Verses, was published the year before. A year ago, an attempt on his life was made in New York City.

Having read many of Rushdie’s novels, I’ve gained a better understanding and appreciation of the Muslim world and I can only imagine it has been the same for others, something his most virulent critics might consider. Rushdie, arguably the world’s greatest literary figure of our times, also provides a perspective of Hindu-Muslim relations in India and one, as well, of the western world, views often uncomfortable but worthy of consideration. ◊

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Mabel’s Grill The world’s problems are solved daily ’round the table at Mabel’s Grill.

“I hear they’re talking about another hot day today,” said Molly Whiteside as she delivered the menus to the guys at Mabel’s Grill the other morning.

“Yeah, I hear we’ve already had a stretch where we had the highest world temperature ever recorded for several days in a row back in early July,” said Dave Winston as he flipped open the menu.

“Oh, sure, here we go with a whole new argument about how the climate is changing,” grumbled George Mackenzie as he tried to decide between his usual pancakes and a nice, cool, half a grapefruit – with a hot coffee, of course.

“As long as we get enough rain to keep the pasture growing, my sheep can survive the heat,” said Cliff Murray as he perused the menu.

“Kinda funny how the rain has been,” said Dave. “Some areas they say they’ve had enough – even too much – and others not that far away say they haven’t had enough.”

“My brother-in-law has a cottage and he’s complaining there have been too many cloudy, rainy days,“ said Cliff. “Naturally I didn’t agree.”

“He doesn’t have that $30-million island up in Muskoka does he?”

Dave piped in.

“Heck no, he’s only a school teacher with a place on Lake Huron,” said Cliff.

“What $30 million island are you talking about?” Molly wondered.

“Oh it was on the TV the other morning. You probably had to work and missed it,” said Dave. “ T h e r e ’ s this private island with a few cottages on it that’s for sale in Muskoka.

Apparently there haven’t been too many offers.”

“Ha! I think I’ll call with an offer,” laughed Molly. “Of course with my salary the price might have to come down to about $6.98, what with the tips you guys leave.”

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island, I’m already tipping too much,” chuckled Cliff.

The guys put in their orders and Molly headed back to the kitchen.

“Imagine,” George said shaking his head after a moment of silence, “somebody wants $30 million for a place to relax in. That would buy 10 or 15 farms – and to me even farm prices are out of whack.”

“And the thing about it being on an island is that they’re left alone to enjoy it,” said Cliff.

“Well not too much alone, apparently,” laughed Dave. “Did you see one of the photos on TV was of a dining room table that looked like it sat about 20?”

“Now that part I could use when the family all comes home for Thanksgiving,” sighed George.

“Well they haven’t sold it yet so you haven’t missed out” laughed Dave.

“They need to find some movie stars with lots of money,” said Cliff.

“Remember when Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell had a place up there?”

“I don’t think even they have that kind of money,” said George.

“How about Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg? They must have a few extra dollars with this fight they’ve been in lately over Twitter and Threads,” said Cliff.

“Twitter I’ve heard about but what the heck is Threads?” George wondered.

“Threads is Zuckerberg’s challenger for Twitter after people got fed up with Twitter,” said Dave.

“Oh good grief, why am I wasting my time keeping people fed when I could be making real money making things for people to play with?” grouched George.

“You ain’t kidding. I remember watching this movie only about 10 years ago or so where Zuckerberg started Facebook to get back at a girl who threw him over,” agreed Cliff, “Now I hear his net worth is over $100 billion.”

“Good grief!” said George.

“And he’s a pauper compared to Musk who’s worth $245 billion,” said Dave.

George sadly shook his head at all this. “And all I do is keep people alive, not important stuff that excites them.” ◊

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Mel Luymes

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14 The Rural Voice

Mel Luymes works in agriculture and conser‐ vation and blogs at headlands.ca

Consensus is not about agreeing to disagree Three days earlier, we were 21 strangers in a classroom at the University of Waterloo, attending a course on Peacemaking Circles. This morning we were in a human knot, a cluster of clasped hands, stepping over and ducking under each other, working together to untangle ourselves into a circle. (Remember the good ole days of social distancing?!)

After 20 uncomfortable minutes we untangled, and then went back to our seats to debrief. This was an exercise to understand the process of consensus and as we reflected on it.

Consensus is the general agreement of a group, and I see how it flies in the face of our “majority-rules” process. Good consensus, like the human knot, requires us to flex new muscles: sharing from multiple perspectives, speaking up, switching leadership roles, flexibility (quite literally, in that case), and the ability to stay connected despite the discomfort.

The Circle course was several weeks ago for me now, but I’m still reflecting on it. Most people will be familiar with the process, it is the “talking stick” approach. All parties sit in a circle, pass a talking piece around and only the person holding it can speak, with no interruptions or reactions from the group, for as long as that person wants to talk. Or they can choose to pass without speaking.

As humans, we’ve always sat around campfires telling our stories and, historically, many cultures may have governed themselves that way.

Gratefully, the process has been kept alive by Indigenous peoples despite settler attempts to destroy it.

Circles are such a natural shape.

And it sounds easy, but we spent hours in practice and, for a loudmouth like me, it was brutal. I wrestled in my silence, unable to interject with a joke or help anyone get to their point any quicker. But it got easier as the days went on – something shifted in me, and in the group.

Circle is powerful, precisely because of the way it addresses power.

Power is essentially influence over others and that could mean one’s position, personality, physical strength, access to resources, or other means. Power is often invisible to those who have it, but they will feel deeply uncomfortable when it is taken away or threatened. The discomfort is something to notice and be curious about, instead of using it as an excuse to walk away or blow the whole thing up. (Speaking from experience…)

The process of Circle equalizes the voice of everyone in the group.

Of course, there are still power dynamics from the “outside” that can influence what is said or not said inside the Circle, and it may take several Circle meetings for real power shifts to happen or for some people to feel safe enough to speak honestly.

The first thing you probably thought is, yeah… but man that is a lot of talking. It would just be quicker for someone to decide, and the group could move on to getting things done.

And to that I would say… OK, but that is how we are currently doing things and look how that is going, huh? Consider the amount of time and resources that are wasted when people sabotage (consciously or unconsciously) the solutions that come from on high. The Peacemaking Circle trainers, Kay Pranis and Jennifer Ball, have seen that the extra time spent on gaining consensus in Circle pays off later, when everyone works together to implement their solution.

Consensus is NOT agreeing to disagree, and it isn’t compromise. It requires groups to share power, to explore nuance, respect the dignity of all parties and to fully understand all other positions in the room. Solutions are co-created to meet everyone’s

needs, so it requires creativity and the ability to hold another person’s needs as equal to our own. The longer a person digs their heels in, the longer the circle will take for them – and for everyone else.

And that is another hesitation people might have with consensus is that one person can essentially hold the rest of the group hostage. Kay Pranis said that this is why a Circle works better for consensus building; the talking piece creates thoughtful time and space between responses,

especially when tensions are high.

Through all her years of facilitating Circles, Kay has seen that if all people in the Circle are truly empowered, groups simply cannot be dominated by one person.

And, from experiencing being in Circle even for a few days, I understand that the process allowed our group to become more than the sum of our parts. There is something especially powerful in the undivided attention and listening of a group. I didn’t plan what to say, and when the

talking piece came to me, I was more surprised than anyone at the wise words that came out of my mouth.

It was such a beautiful experience to be in Circle. To think that we were able to create that kind of sharing community with a handful of strangers over just a few days is really amazing. What could our families and communities look like if we practiced Circle? What sort of a wonderful world could we create with each other? I’m still holding out hope!

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Animal Care

Virtual Veterinarians

Glen Yates and son Colin Yates are the co‐founders of VETSon, a virtual veterinary service making Glen’s 47 years of experience accessible to farmers through a phone‐based platform coordinated by Colin.

J

essica Small does not consider herself an agricultural expert, far from it in fact. A 15-year career as a senior programmer for an event planning company based out of Toronto gave her a valuable and marketable skill set.

However, her life took a turn after meeting her future husband at a tractor pull near her own rural roots resulting in a COVID-driven pivot into sheep farming in conjunction with his cash-cropping endeavours. At that point, Small’s former employment left her woefully unprepared to deal with mastitis in one of her flock’s Romanov ewes.

“She’d had twins Monday,” recalled Small, who noticed the ewe in question limping Wednesday. “That’s how quick it was.”

Beyond “YouTube school”, she took an Ontario sheep farmer’s online course and could tap into the experience of a girlfriend who’d raised sheep for close to a decade.

However, in the moment, Small was staring directly down the barrel of the challenges which sourcing veterinary care can present for many in rural areas.

Her sheep-farming friend had lined up a veterinarian eight years previously, “just squeaking in under the wire,” adding, “I don’t think they’ve taken new clients since.”

Veterinary services are absolutely necessary, says Small, but can be problematic to access, particularly for smaller farmers.

16 The Rural Voice

“It’s really difficult for ruminants or any farm, especially someone my size.”

What may seem virtually impossible for some is now a virtual possibility through the VETSon app (vetson.ca) which links farmers through their phones to experienced

• By Jeff Tribe •

The VETSon app could decrease travel for overworked, rural veterinarians while also providing animal care services for farmers

care provided by Slant Road Mobile Vet Services. The concept was pioneered by Dr. Glen Yates who graduated from Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 1976, in conjunction with the technical expertise of his youngest son Colin.

The app’s name pays joint tribute to “vet and son”, as well as “vet online”.

There has always been a demand for veterinarians: Glen starting work near Barrie two days after graduation. The following year he joined his twin brother Gord to expand Yates Veterinary Hospital in Woodstock.

“We started out mostly large (animals) and some small,” Glen recalled.

At that time, 12 veterinary practices in their home Oxford County offered service to large animals, compared to three when they finalized sale of the Yates small and large-animal operations in March, 2021.

During that period, OVC continued to graduate 120 new vets annually, a number Yates says does not even replace retirees. There has been a significant increase in demand for small animal service over his career, and a corresponding industry shift away from mixed practices and large animals.

“There are more pets today and more farm animals than there ever have been,” says Colin, noting demographically, more veterinary students are also coming from and wishing to return to urban centres.

“You grow up in the city, where are you going to work?” he asked rhetorically.

His father was certainly of an age to retire when the Yates’ practice was sold, if not of that mentality. Glen was not eager to get beaten up or hauled out of bed regularly at 2 a.m. as he had throughout his career. But he wasn’t ready to binge watch TV series either. His willingness to continue as a veterinarian dovetailed with need from farmers he had worked with for years converting to hobby operations.

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18 The Rural Voice

Mobile Vet Service.

Coincidentally, Colin was conducting research for a different application recording cattle’s body temperature in real time. Associated Q&A sessions identified a lack of access to medications at local stores as an issue, along with the shortage of available veterinary service. Many preferred an actual physical visit, however possibly against the backdrop of increased virtual human medical care through COVID-19, indicated they would be willing to work through what issues they could, given professional, experienced assistance.

“The big question I asked was ‘How comfortable are you with technology and using your mobile phones?’” said Colin, envisioning a virtual link between that need and his father’s 47 years of experience.

As expected, those under 40 very much were, but so too were those who might occasionally need help from grandchildren with their tech devices.

“Even the older ones were ‘I’m having to adopt in everything else, so it’s not that big a deal.’”

The advent and ongoing rise of technology inside the barn offers future potential to incorporate, for example, data from a robotic milking parlour’s individual chips. However, for the time being simplicity and accessibility were judged paramount to the interfacing platform, says Colin. So user friendliness trumped aesthetics or complex potential.

“Just a couple of clicks to get the vet, and only giving them the information they need and will use.”

“That was our first goal,” Glen added. “Providing service to people who were not being served.”

Users download the app with android owners creating a username and password. Apple handhelds log in with their Apple ID. The VETSon landing page has five entry tabs allowing users to schedule a virtual visit, purchase medication, review written and video notes, a fourth for prescriptions and finally, a billing and invoicing portal.

In practice, VETSon virtually links users with an experienced veterinarian via video, front and rearfacing camera options allowing ease

of conference and alternately, providing vets with real-time information. If this approach does not suffice, a physical visit can also result.

Dr. Steve Lee, a mixed practice

veterinarian with experience in New Zealand and United States before joining Slant Road, saw his wife use equivalent virtual technology in small animal practice.

“It got me thinking and realizing

Nancy Yates (right) would often wake in the morning to find her veterinarian husband Glen had been called out in the middle of the night for an emergency call. As well as providing virtual veterinary service to farmers struggling to find a practice willing to take them on, the VETSon app offers less travel demands on veterinarians.

Glen Yates was presented the monogrammed veterinarian bag propped against his body with his left hand by his parents Clara and Bill upon graduation from Ontario Veterinary College in 1976. The phone held in his right is a new tool of his familiar trade, providing access to his 47 years of experience at Slant Road Mobile Vet Services through the VETSon app.

August 2023 19

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this could apply to farm animals as in conclusion. “A huge, huge need. being beneficial, given the well,” said Lee, laughingly Every day we are learning how big it advantages of quality photo or video describing himself as the “young vet, is.” ◊ communication from areas which only in my 27th year.” could feature lower bandwidth.

His previous work confirmed However overall, she credits VETSon as “something really challenges in accessing veterinary great”. service. Not having one in the area “There is a boatload of people extends beyond Southern Ontario or looking for what they have.”

Canada — it represents a worldwide The app was launched in problem.

November 2022 with Dr. Lee “It makes you feel a little bit bad onboard, opening in January to be honest to think it took us so 2023 for a few test subjects long to offer a different option for before widening to accept new clients.” Their approach offers clients. The biggest uptake for advantages for both vets and clients, VETSon has been among smaller taking away miles and hours of travel farms, says Colin, six goats to for the former, and billing for the 100 beef cattle to the “small same, for the latter. circus”, a memorable operation “Having access to professional with 100 animals encompassing advice without the high price tag you 15-20 species. would expect,” summed up Small, Marketing has been extremely who connected with VETSon at a limited as VETSon strives to farm show in London. Dr. Lee ensure it can handle growing handled both the initial diagnosis and demand, however prospective care instructions for her ewe and a clients have connected from all follow-up consultation the following across Canada seeking service. week involving a small abscess on There is also potential to provide one of the lamb’s face. additional veterinary services “It takes like two seconds,” she with their own dedicated app, said of the booking process, meeting needs already expressed, following which “you just join the for example from Alberta. call.”

“They are finding us without During diagnosis, Lee asked her to us even trying,” said Colin. position her phone for a better look at “Which indicates they are the ewe’s udder. searching for service.”

“I just flipped the camera and “There is a need,” Glen added gave him the video of it. He was like, ‘Here’s what we can do for her,’” she added of a treatment including hot compresses and massage as well as realistic expectations of the ongoing ramifications from a serious infection.

Small appreciated both the advice and Lee’s understanding of what kind of farm operation she has, keeping her on course with “actual medical professionalism.”

Apart from being super convenient, Small also praised the service Jessica Small (left) was thrilled to access virtual veterinarian care for her flock of Romanov sheep through the VETSon app after connecting with co‐founder Glen Yates at a London farm show. as affordable.

She could see Waylon Small (right) smiles happily while bottle feeding one of the lambs from his mother’s upgrades to messaging Romanov sheep flock.

August 2023 21

Food

Food prices and labour issues affect farmers’ markets Fresh produce is still a draw and loyal customers love farmers markets but some say foot traffic is down and its harder to get local vendors

A

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

s consumers continue to question the power of Canada’s highly consolidated grocery industry and watch the price of food, given the cost of living, how are local growers and farmers’ markets faring? Are farmers’ markets experiencing higher foot traffic from disgruntled grocery store customers?

It appears not, say vendors and market organizers, though some markets are maintaining their client base while others struggle to have enough vendors.

When news outlets reported that Galen Weston, CEO of Loblaws Companies Ltd received $8.4 million in salary, bonuses and stock-based compensation for running the grocery store conglomerate in 2022, up from $5.4 million in compensation in 2021, there was a huge outcry from families struggling to pay for what was in their grocery cart.

“I thought for sure we would get slammed with customers once they realized food price increases have nothing to do with the actual cost of food,” remembers Erica Schilthuis of Maitland Market and Supply outside of Goderich. “We didn’t.”

While she hasn’t noticed a decrease in sales either, Schilthuis says she gets people from all levels of socioeconomic status coming into her market.

“From wealthy customers to those struggling to put food on the table, people who come in here want to support local food. Their primary factor is not price.”

Her loyal customers are the ones who understand that resilient food systems are important and if you have to pay a bit more to buy local, it’s an investment in sustainability. “What everyone should be asking is if the farmer who grew your lettuce or cucumbers is making enough this year that he can continue to grow it next year,” says Schilthuis. “That concept is LOST on the majority of the population.”

Heidi Danen agrees. She is the market manager for the Stratford Farmers’ Market and says while prices are typically higher at farmers’ markets, it’s because customers are paying for quality. “The fruit and vegetables you are buying were picked during the last two days. They weren’t picked weeks ago and then shipped from the United States,” says Danen.

As she walks through the market every Saturday checking with vendors and chatting with customers, she hears people saying, “Well, I can get it cheaper at the grocery store.” Danen agrees that might be the Matt Eagleson (left) and his parents Gary and Chris are vendors at case, but on the other hand, as a buyer they were the Bayfield Farmers Market and they believe foot traffic at likely just suckered into buying cookies or sugary farmers market has decreased as families face higher food costs snacks for $10. Large grocery stores can offer low but also say food prices still don’t meet the cost of production on prices as loss leaders and then snag you with all the many farms. unhealthy options down the aisles.

22 The Rural Voice

Plus, customers buying fresh produce can literally meet the farmer who grew it or visit their farm.

“Every weekend I visit Scottview Orchards stand and I hear people asking where the fruit comes from and everytime he says, ‘It comes from Scotland, Ontario and you are welcome to visit the farm’.”

Overall, she believes there has been an increase in foot traffic at the market. She was also surprised in July when a busload of people from Toronto came to Stratford for a daytrip and had the market on their itinerary. “They were super excited about buying eggs because they were less expensive here than in Toronto,” recalls Danen.

Her problem is keeping enough vendors to provide enough variety.

She is down two vendors who offer produce and says it’s the same issue as everywhere – staffing, personal labour hours and whether that business survived the pandemic.

The Kincardine Farmers Market is also struggling to keep enough vendors to keep the market afloat, says Susie Stoeckli, who manages the event.

“Smaller farmers are finding it hard to find employees which makes it hard for them to harvest produce and to have time to spend at the market,” says Stoeckli. Also, farmers who started with the market are getting older and giving up the farm, while the new generation isn’t as eager to grow produce. “They like to sell baking or plants,” says Stoeckli. Sometimes what people want to sell doesn’t fit the market’s rules and philosophy which requires that vendors have to produce 75 per cent of what they sell. “They cannot just buy it elsewhere and sell it here,” she said.

Stoeckli is curious if generalized markets that sell craft work and all sorts are more popular. “But then it is more a flea market, than a farmers’ market,” she says.

The Bayfield Farmers’ Market is front and centre on Clan Gregor Square and has been operating for almost 10 years. The Rural Voice chatted with vendors in July about the foot traffic and food sales. One of its vendors, Eagleson Farms near Parkhill, is owned by Matt Eagleson.

Erika Schilthuis (pictured with her son) of Maitland Market and Supply outside of Goderich says the questions customers should really be asking is: “Is what I’m paying for food today allowing the farmers who produced it to afford to grow it next year?” ~Photo by Hetty Stuart

August 2023 23

His parents, Gary and Chris are part of this intergenerational, organic farm which sells organic beef, lamb and pork, along with jams, jellies and pickles. Chris believes traffic is down.

“People are not buying like they used to be,” says Chris, who has been attending markets for a dozen years. “I don’t understand…are people tired of going to both the grocery store and markets or do they think costs are too high at the market?”

The thought raises the ire of husband Gary, who says he is tired of hearing about people complain about the price of food. “In 1963, people spent 18 per cent of their disposable income on food. In 2019, Canadians spent 9.2 per cent of their income on food,” he says. While that percentage rose to 11 per cent in 2021, Gary thinks people should realize that the cost of food is cheap compared to what it costs to produce it.

“And if the high cost of purchasing farms was factored into the cost of food, well then you’d better hold your hat!” he said, quite passionately. Young farmers strapped by debt can’t incorporate that cost into their food. “We’ve had people argue over 25 cents and tell us they can buy meat somewhere else cheaper. “Then go there,” Gary would like to say.

When I asked Matt if attending a farmers’ market is still profitable for their business, he hesitated. “Some days,” he said.

Joan Brady of Smoky Hollow Farm in Dashwood says farmers’ markets need to thrive because they are about power in the marketplace.

“Farmers’ markets are our chance to set a price to meet our cost of production,” says Joan, who sells fruits, vegetables and flowers from her stand at the Bayfield Farmers market. “That is what direct marketing is all about – the creation of a relationship, standing behind our products and charging for our COP.” She agrees that attendance is down both in Bayfield and in Grand Bend, where she also has a tent. “It’s not like it used to be. Eating local does cost more and after COVID-19, families don’t have as much money to spend on food.” Like the Eaglesons, she hears “we can get it cheaper at the grocery store” over and over. Yet, when it comes to the flower arrangements, no one bats an eye plunking down the $15 asking price.

Stephen Boersma is a newcomer on the scene and has been selling his vegetables at the market for two years now. He was busy and running out of certain vegetables due to demand.

“I’m a one-man Stephen Boersma (top) is a new vendor to operation so the Bayfield Farmers’ Market and says sales sometimes it’s have been great as people want to see the tough to meet face behind the produce. He had help this demand,” he says.

Sweet corn is a day from his father‐in‐law Bill Groot‐ big seller for him Nibbelink. However, Joan Brady of Smoky and he sells it Hollow farm (with daughter Becca) believes cheaper than foot traffic is down at farmers’ markets as grocery stores, people struggle with rising costs. making it a popular seller. He 24 The Rural Voice

doesn’t have years of experience to compare but says there are fewer vegetable vendors at the Bayfield and Grand Bend markets this year, which is why he is seeing an increase in business.

He believes farmers markets are all about “fresh” and that is what he

offers. “And people like to have a face behind the food,” he says.

Sometimes he gets asked if his produce is organic but it doesn’t seem to be as large a concern as the price of it. “As long as it is local and home-grown, customers seem to want it,” says Boersma. ◊

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Stratford Farmers’ Market treasurer Ruth Moore (left) and manager Heidi Danen (right) visit with Orval and Jordan Zehr, who sell their farm’s fresh graded eggs and produce every week at the Stratford Farmers’ Market. Danen says the eggs were big hit with a busload of people from Toronto who visited the market recently. ~Photo by Gary West

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Labour

Home away from home • By Kate Russell

Nighthawk Orchard owner Brian Gilroy works with his team from Jamaica, Delroy Martin and Carlos Baker. The men live in a space they have marked their own with the coat of arms of their home country. Martin has been coming to Canada seasonally since 1989 and Baker is in his tenth season here. Both say they enjoy their jobs and are able to support their families on the seasonal agricultural work they have annually taking care of the apple orchard.

S

easonal workers at Nighthawk Orchards outside of Meaford are happy with their home away from home as they prune apple trees in the sunshine.

“We grow these trees from the bud,” said Delroy Martin, who has been travelling from his home in St. Thomas, Jamaica, to work at the orchard since 1989. “We enjoy it a lot. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be here.”

Martin arrives at Nighthawk to work with owner Brian Gilroy in the spring. His long experience is a great benefit to the hard work of pruning and caring for the apple trees through the growing season.

“They’re vital,” said Gilroy of his workers, who he obtains through the federal Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) each year. In an interview at his orchard, where he manages 27 acres. The paperwork and requirements are all worth it as it is very difficult to get any employees locally. “The program is critical. Even 60 years ago it was hard to find workers.”

Gilroy, who was nominated by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in June, has always advocated for migrant workers and the challenges agriculture operators have across the province. He spoke at the spring meeting of the Grey County Federation of Agriculture about his continuing concerns about the increasing hurdles and barriers to hosting his foreign workers.

“Housing has become a real dog’s breakfast,” he said of wild accusations by certain groups “advocating about things that just aren’t true.” He suggested the government

Foreign workers are fairly treated says fruit grower ... and the workers

seems to be listening to activists rather than farmers and the workers themselves. For him to house six workers he has to follow the same guidelines as a boarding house in Toronto. “I want them to feel like they’re home, not like they’re in a boarding house.”

At his orchard, Gilroy has a multi-use building with part of it converted into an apartment. It has a comfortable, large common space, kitchen and full bathroom. There are two bedrooms with bunks for up to six workers, radiant infloor heating throughout and thick concrete walls keep the space cool during the summer. Fresh water from an artesian spring feeds the building, which has a rental unit upstairs, but it still is required to go through a UV system installed in the building.

“It’s not fancy but it’s functional,” he said during a tour of the space, which is inspected annually by the local public health department. A recent fire inspection called for auto door closures for the bedrooms, as would be necessary in a boarding house. He questioned this, as workers like to leave their doors open for air flow. “This isn’t a boarding house.”

His workers agree and are happy with their accommodations.

“It’s like a house, it’s an apartment,” said Martin, who shares the space with his co-worker Carlos Baker from St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, who has worked at the orchard for 10 seasons now. “It’s a nice place to live,” said Baker. “I don’t like it, I love it. The comfort, the people, the environment.

This is a job that brings me close to nature and I love that.”

Despite only making minimum wage in their seasonal jobs, August 2023 29

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both men support their families with the work they do in Canada. Martin has been able to build a house, buy a car and send his three children to school. He looks forward to retirement, as he will collect a pension from his years of paying into CPP. Baker, who is a carpenter in construction in his home country, has a wife and daughter, who’s a nurse who would like to immigrate to Canada. He is looking into how he might help his family move here.

“They make more in an hour here than they make in a 10-hour day there,” said Gilroy of his workers, who often have extended hours due to the nature of agriculture, which is under separate labour legislation that does not require overtime or statutory holidays. “They are covered by workers’ compensation and OHIP, they actually have more coverage than I do.”

He worries about the future of agriculture if migrant worker programs become more restrictive or increase requirements beyond the ability of farmers to cover costs of doing business. He offered that people are spending up to $50,000 per worker to build new housing for them.

“That’s a sum I couldn’t afford,” he said, offering that he has run his small orchard since 1987 and has seen costs continue to rise every year.

He added it was especially difficult during COVID-19 as he had to buy a trailer his workers could quarantine in when they arrived and if they got sick. Random “integrity audits” have hurt some growers he knows as “they can stop the processing of applications during an audit.”

The frustration for growers is real and Gilroy believes continued education of the public is key.

“Less than two per cent of the population is actively involved in farming,” he said, saying he sees his workers as his team. He even visited them once in Jamaica. “They know I

depend on them and they depend on me. It has become really important to educate everyone about the realities of agriculture.”

He used to offer sessions at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for the chance to talk to urbanites about farming and educate people about the many varieties of apples in Ontario.

But now he is more focussed on talking to politicians and policy makers to try to curb the dramatic changes to his business.

“Horticulture could not function in Canada without these kinds of programs. We need these workers,” he said, suggesting people need to

follow the rules and be good to their workers, and 99 per cent of growers are compliant to all the requirements.

“Policy makers need to have a better understanding of what we do. Walk a mile in our shoes before you make rules for us.”

You can learn more at morethanamigrantworker.ca. ◊

Delroy Martin (right) has been coming to Ontario for decades to work at Nighthawk Orchards because he, and fellow worker Carlos Baker (bottom) from Jamaica, can make more in one hour here than working 10 hours in Jamaica. They hang the Jamaican coat of arms in their on‐farm accommodations.

August 2023 31

Food

Young entrepreneurs spice up rural Ontario

Anup and Aditi Joshi (right) run Kin’s Social in Kincardine, serving up traditional and less‐spicy versions of Indian food along with Mexican‐ inspired entrees. Above is Ghotalo, which are aloo bhindi curries with naan and rice.

K

incardine was in for a treat when Anup and Aditi Joshi opened Kin’s Social in June 2019. On top of great Indian food, tacos and a fine dining experience, the couple’s warmth and sense of adventure has made this restaurant a fun place to be.

High school sweethearts, Anup and Aditi grew up in the province of Gujarat, India, north of Mumbai.They first arrived in Canada on student visas in 2010. Anup studied hospitality and hotel management in India and had worked in the United States and the United Kingdom before, but this was his first time to Canada. Aditi came as a physiotherapist student and they both got work permits after they finished studying. And work they did.

Anup started working in a coffee shop and soon moved up to management, then in the company he began to manage a restaurant, then another… and another. By 2013, he was managing six restaurants. In 2016, Anup started his own restaurant.

After a few years, they both had the work experience to apply for citizenship and they made their relationship with Canada official. They also made their long-standing relationship official. Anup and Aditi married in 2013 and have two daughters that are now seven and two years old.

They visited Kincardine often because Aditi’s cousin worked as a technician at Bruce Power and they loved the area, often wondering if they could start a restaurant in town.

Not afraid of taking a risk, they went for it. The building they settled on was formerly a Chuck’sRoadhouse which had lots of seating and parking. It turns out they would need it! When Kin’s Social opened in 2019, Anup had a staff of six ready to go, but he ended up calling up all his friends and family to help with the rush. They needed at least seven servers and

You can order a curry

that will knock your socks off but most customers

prefer the milder side at

Kin’s Social in Kincardine

32 The Rural Voice

• By Melisa Luymes

seven in the kitchen to keep up with everyone that was coming in to try the new restaurant in town.

Anup laughs, “no one had warned me that literally everyone in the area would come to check it out right away.” They open for the lunch crowd, close from 2-4 for clean up and for the staff to have a sit-down meal together, and then open again for dinner. Anup says the rush reminded him of the Hindu temples back in India, when the parking lot would be totally empty one minute, and full the next. He also notes the importance of closing mid-afternoon to allow the staff to have a break.

After two months, Kin’s Social settled to a normal pace, and they have a steady stream of customers, locals and regulars as well as the weekend tourists in the area. After their renovations, the restaurant can serve private parties for up to 100 people. During the pandemic lockdowns, Kin’s Social kept going and offered take-out; they also offered $5 meals to essential workers around Kincardine.

The couple have been so appreciative of the support from the community in Kincardine, often getting thanked for bringing more diverse food to the area. “People are so friendly, and they want to support us,” says Aditi. “That doesn’t happen in Toronto.”

The couple live in Vaughn, but they come to Kincardine often to visit the restaurant. “I love the peace and quiet here,” says Anup. Anup says he would move out to rural Ontario in a heartbeat, but Aditi would miss her friends in the city.

Still, the couple love Bruce County so much that they started another restaurant in Walkerton in November 2022 called Buddha. It is on the main drag (Durham St.) and serves only Indian cuisine. They would also love to start an Indian restaurant in Goderich or Paisley if the opportunity arose.

“More Indian people are coming to Kincardine to work at Bruce Power,” says Anup, and they definitely enjoy Kin’s Social, though it might not taste exactly like home.

The cooks have had to change some of the flavours for Western palates.

“There is less spice and less oils than

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we use in India,” Anup explains. especially sacred and roam around and a butter chicken burrito.

While those who like spicy food the country, never to be eaten.

What’s next for the couple? They can still get a curry that will knock All that to say is you’ll find plenty are planning to visit India again soon. their socks off, most customers prefer of vegetarian curry options at their Over the years, they have brought the milder side. Anup says their most restaurant, including aloo bhindi their whole families to Ontario, but popular items are the naan and butter (potato okra), methi matar malai there are still many things to miss chicken. (fenugreek leaves, green peas, cream about India. For Anup and Aditi, they Though Anup and Aditi are from from North India) or daalmakhani miss the street food. Even though Gujarat, they serve food their favourites have from other parts of India, made it onto their and Indian food is as menus (try the Owner’s diverse as the subFavourite on the continent itself. With menu), there is such a diversity of something about the religions, cultures, food, pop-up roadside food and ethnicities there, vendors in India that perhaps the only reason it makes street food so is one country is because incredible there. of British colonialism.

They also hope to England controlled the slow down in the area in attempt to profit future. “Ever since we from its booming came to Canada, we’ve economy, its coal, spices, been running around,” teas, and textiles. In the Anup and Aditi Joshi run Kin’s Social in Kincardine, serving up says Aditi, who more 1700s, several traditional and less‐spicy versions of Indian food such as Fish recently stopped independent empires Amritsari and Subz Popsicles (above) from the appetizer menu. working as a were brought under the physiotherapist to help control of the British East India (lentils and butter from the Punjab).

Anup with the restaurants and does Company and in 1858, the area the creative design. “As well, we And in case you were wondering, became governed by England itself. want to spend time with our kids, and yes, they also cater well to glutenAfter nearly 90 years of exploitation spend time on the important things,” free or vegan diets. Still, you’ll find a and mismanagement under their rule, she says. beef vindaloo on both Kin’s Social and with a growing independence When I put a call out on social and Buddha’s menu, but in India, movement, the British left in 1946. beef is only eaten in parts of Goa, media for this Rural Voice food So, this is why you may have series, Kin’s Social came out most which is a province still strongly thought that curry is a spice. And it is highly recommended by my network influenced by Catholic Portuguese true that curry powder is a mix of and after I ate at both locations, I can colonizers. spices from British India made see why! I loved the Indian music, If you’re not up for a curry, there popular in pub fare, but when you and the vibe brought me back to is biryani (mixed rice), some deeporder a curry from an Indian happy memories. I spent six months fried appetizers like onion bhaji or restaurant, you’ll get a bowl of a backpacking around India and I fish Amritsari, or the oh-so-popular thick “stew” with meat, lentils or would go back in a heartbeat. The samosas, which are fried pastries vegetables that you would serve over people there are kind, with such a filled with savoury potatoes and rice and with flat bread (naan or great sense of humour and a other filling. On the menus, Aditi chapati). In the northern parts of grounded spirituality that felt like a calls them Love Triangles!

India, the curries are made with more new home to me. Anup and Aditi As for the naan bread, it is meltmeats, cheese (paneer), cold-tolerant were such a pleasure to speak with, in-your-mouth delicious, baked in a vegetables and butter while the hotter and I’m so grateful that Ontario is a tandoor oven, which is a circular and more coastal areas of the south place for their family to flourish. drum with the fire at the bottom. The often have a coconut-oil base and Anup and Aditi are planning to naan is cooked right against the include fish or shrimp. While the bring a community event in October inside of the drum. curries are lighter in the south, they to Bruce County, with a live band And at Kin’s Social, you’ll also are often spicier too. and garba (Gujarati traditional find Mexican food. Anup manages In India, 80 per cent of the people dance). This is a celebration that Mexican restaurants in Toronto are Hindu and many Hindus are kicks off Diwali, the famous Indian and fell in love with the flavours, so vegetarians, like Anup and Aditi.

Festival of Lights. Stay tuned to their he offers tacos, nachos and Perhaps the world’s oldest religion, website(s) for more details. What a quesadillas at the Kincardine Hinduism worships several deities treat to get a taste of the incredible location. He even puts the two but essentially, they are all one God, food, culture and hospitality from cultures together into some fantastic and the Hindu worldview sees the India, and right along the shores of fusion options like butter chicken whole universe as divine. Cows are Lake Huron! ◊ poutine, chicken tikka quesadillas August 2023 35

Crops & Conservation

Strip-cropping fascinates Kenyan farmer Conservation training by Canada Foodgrains Bank is empowering Kenyan farmers to become foodsecure despite drought • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot With files from Canada Foodgrain Bank •

J

John Mbae (far left) visited Ontario farms in July including the Bluewater growing project in Camlachie along with Jack Koetsier, Ontario regional rep Henry Reinders, Bill Schenk and John Young.

ohn Mbae is quite proud of his two dairy cows and two acres. He is a farmer in Kenya, Africa who recently toured Ontario farms with Canada Foodgrains growing projects.

“It is quite a different scenario in Ontario than here,” laughed Mbae as we chatted via WhatsApp from his rural village. “What really captured my attention was the minimum tillage and soil cover. What I liked most was meeting a farmer who does strip-cropping with cereals and legumes. That was amazing because that is what we like to show farmers in Kenya.”

Mbae is a Foodgrains Bank technical advisor and works closely with farmers in Kenya, teaching conservation techniques via support from the Canada Foodgrains Bank and partners such as the National Council of Church Kenya.

Foodgrain projects in Ontario are able to feed families that are not food secure. The next step has been empowering farmers to produce their own food. “With technical support from CFB, farmers are trained to grow their own food and are able to be food-secure,” said Mbae.

One of those farmers is Margaret Kageni from Tharaka Nithi County who was named the 2023 Conservation Agriculture Model Farmer in Eastern Africa. She grows at least 27 different types of crops on three acres.

These include arrow root, maize, green gram, cowpeas, bananas, lablab, cassava, sweet potatoes, brachiaria grass, yams, pumpkin, pawpaw, mangoes, beans, lemon, passion fruit, kale, tomatoes, pepper, khat, Napier grass, pearl 36 The Rural Voice

millet, and custard apple.

Before starting conservation agriculture, Margaret and her husband were receiving very low yields from their farm, even after high investments in inputs and energy.

In 2017, Margaret started to participate in a conservation agriculture program, including training, extension services and accompaniment by communitybased lead farmers, implemented by Kenyan partner, National Council of Churches Kenya.

The training, funded by Foodgrains Bank through its Canadian member agency United Church of Canada, encouraged Margaret to try conservation agriculture on a quarter acre of her farm – taking her harvest from 270 kg per acre under conventional farming to 1,080 kg per acre with conservation agriculture.

Despite living in an area prone to drought, which causes hunger, Mbae says Margaret has never lacked good harvests since she implemented conservation agriculture techniques on her farm.

“Even during low rainfall, her crop has always looked good compared to her neighbours.

“Due to the biodiversity at her farm, she has been able to maintain a food-secure family and have production throughout the year… she is proud and happy that three of her children have successfully completed post-secondary education while two are still in school.”

Not only does Margaret produce crops using conservation agriculture, she also engages in livestock production, agroforestry and kitchen gardening – “a clear

example of the power of diversification,” Mbae says.

Now, Margaret gives back by supporting other farmers in Kenya to start conservation agriculture on their farms, by providing training to visitors from both within and outside her county.

Mbae has just returned from visiting Margaret’s farm on the day of this phone call and said he is so impressed by her willingness to share what she has learned with her neighbours and farmers from other counties. “She is very resourceful,” said Mbae.

Mbae says there are three main principles Margarent has adopted that she teaches other farmers: 1. Minimum tillage 2. Permanent soil cover 3. Crop rotation and diversity Mbae said farming in Africa may look completely different than farming in Ontario — especially in terms of scale — but conservation efforts work in both systems to improve yields and sustainability to create food security. ◊

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Perth County Plowing Match Saturday, August 12th, 2023 Host: Fred & Beth Cowdrey ~ 5172 Perth Line 8, Perth South

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38 The Rural Voice

News

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

New evironmental fund honours John Grace

F

ormer Goderich Mayor John Grace was a keen environmentalist and community advocate before he died and Goderich Lions club members are honouring his legacy by creating the John Grace Fund.

“This fund reflects John’s commitment to the environment,” says Nigel Bellchamber, who is a board member of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and its fundraising committee which manages the Maitland Conservation Foundation, of which the John Grace Fund will be a part.

“I think John Grace would be chuffed about it,” says Peter Shepherd, who is Chairman of the Goderich Lions environment committee. “It would be right up his alley.” The Goderich Lions kickstarted the fund with a $25,000 donation and have $100,000 set aside for the fund’s growth in years ahead.

John Grace was the mayor of Goderich when he died while boating on a lake north of Thunder Bay in August of 2022. Known for his leadership and volunteerism in Goderich and area, he was passionate about the environment. “He understood the lake, the power of the lake and the watershed that feeds it,” says Bellchamber. “He knew how important it is to conserve the watershed and make sure the rivers in it are clean and healthy to contribute to a healthy lake.”

The new fund will promote John’s passion for protecting the environment by funding projects that align with John Grace’s values.

“We hope to see more reforestation of the watershed area, which is something Lions members and other Lions clubs can contribute to and participate in,” explains Shepherd. “We want to replant areas that have been taken away. Farmers

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John Grace need to agree to it and that has not been a problem. They have been very cooperative … farmers are very environmentally conscious.”

Bellchamber and Shepherd are encouraging other Lions clubs, community groups and individuals to consider donating to the fund in honour of John Grace. Tax receipts are available.

“You can donate to the John Grace fund and contribute to specific kinds of projects,” explains Bellchamber. “If you want to contribute to reforestation in vulnerable areas, that is possible.”

Bellchamber believes John Grace would be very humbled by this fund set up in his name. “He was a very engaging, passionate and persistent guy,” remembers Bellchamber.

“When the tornado went through Goderich and decimated the trees on the Square, John took it on himself to lead the charge for reforestation of the Square. He was able to convince other organizations, communities and private members to make significant contributions. I think that was symbolic of his commitment to the environment and to the community.”

Donations can be made via any Goderich Lions club member or by contacting the MVCA.◊ August 2023 39

THE 163rd ANNUAL DURHAM FALL FAIR Friday, Sept. 1st - Sunday, Sept. 3rd, 2023 Durham Community Centre (Arena)

Friday

Saturday

- Homecraft Displays - Ambassador Program (JR & SR) - Bingo - Dessert Auction - Opening Ceremony - Kids’ Tractor Pull

- English & Western Horse Show - 4-H Invitational Beef, Dairy & Sheep Show - Parade - Excavator Competition - High Tea - Medieval Troup - Fun Factory - Games and Prizes - Live Entertainment

Sunday

- Community Breakfast - Community Church Service - Antique Tractor Pull ($5 Entry)

Admission

by Donation

For more information and Schedule of Events check us out on Facebook at “Durham Agricultural Fair”

Hanover Fair

August 12 & 13, 2023 Hanover Raceway Fairgrounds

* Exhibits * Beef Show * Dairy Shows * Sheep Show Inflatables * Rock Climbing * Children’s activities * Wagon Rides * Teddy Bear Picnic * 4H Shows * Horse Pull * and so much more!

TRIPLE BILL FREE CONCERT ~ featuring Tandem (Keith Hundt and Sam Glasier); Dropped Tailgate, and The Lucas Rogerson Band Saturday, August 13 ~ 6:30 p.m. - 1 a.m. at the Raceway No cover charge ~ All ages event Free admission all weekend More info. and schedule of events available at www.hanoverfair.ca or email info@hanoverfair.ca

160th Ripley Fall Fair

September 28-October 1, 2023 Family Ties and Apple Pies September 21 ~ Teen Dance September 29 & 30 ~ Exhibits, Sheep, Beef & Light Horse shows; parade; pipe bands; live music/beer garden; midway.

Special Events: Diamonds in the Ruff; FMX Show, Saturday night fireworks October 1 ~ Stoneboat Pullers

Full schedule and all other info available at www.ripleyfair.ca

Drayton Fair Asks Where have you bean?

August 25 to 27 All weekend enjoy the Children’s Village, Inflatables, Pony Rides and Try It Curling Friday Parade 6:30 pm Taste of Minto 7 pm Saturday Kinette’s Pancake Breakfast 8 - 10 am Tailgate Garage Sale 8 - 11 am Cupcake Decorating 9 am Minto Farmers’ Market 9 am - Noon Outdoor Vintage Display 9 am - 4 pm Pet Show 10 am Tie Dye in the Children’s Village 10 am - 2 pm Library Fun 10 am - 3 pm Local Youth Talent 10 am - 4 pm Baby Show 11 am Reptilia 11 am and 1 pm Aspen Ojibwe Spirit Horses 1 pm Kids’ Pedal Tractor Pull 2 pm Auction of Champions 3 pm The Consolers Live Music 4 - 9 pm Beer Gardens 4 - 9 pm Ben Cullen - Centre Stage 4:30 pm Chili Tasting 5:30 pm MFM Corn Eating Contest 6:30 pm Sunday Church Service 10 am Dog Agility Show 11 am Horse Vaulting Demo 1 pm Zucchini Races 2 pm Roast Beef Supper 4:30 - 6:30 pm

www.palmerstonfair.ca

40 The Rural Voice

August 11 to 13, 2023 Friday

5 pm - Gates open 6 pm local Truck & Tractor Pull

Saturday

7:30 am - Gates open 9 am - Outdoor Bootcamp 11 am-4 pm - Wellingtown County Library Children’s Activities 11am - Goat Show 11 am-4:00 pm - Petting Zoo 12 pm - Exhibits Open 12 pm - Dairy Show 1 pm-8 pm - FREE Children’s Activities 1 pm-3 pm - FREE Face Painting 2 pm - Pet Show 3:30 pm - Baby Show 6 pm - OTTPA Tractor Pull

Sunday

7:30 pm Gates open 8 am-11 am - Legion breakfast 9 am - Outdoor Bootcamp 10 am - Worship service (open to public) 12 pm - Exhibits Open 12 pm-2 pm - Chuckles Balloon Artist 12 pm-2 pm - Free Face Painting 12 pm - Beef Show 12:30 pm - Sheep Show 1 pm - Demolition Derby

www.draytonagsociety.com

Lego Contest • Homecrafts - Tomato Contest • Entertainment featuring the Mudmen Live! (Tickets at www.eventbrite.com) • 4H Show • Horse Show • Silent Auction

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October 13-15th, 2023 General Exhibits, Field to Fork Display, Midway, Scavenger Hunter, Photo Booth running all weekend long.

MOJO The Magic Show and Balloon Twisting, Super Dogs, Who Grew My Soup, Fire Guy, Heavy and Light Horse Shows, Ontario 4 Horse Hitch Draft Series, Pet Show, Musical Entertainment and more.

Admission: • Student – $5 • Day Pass – $8 • Weekend Pass – $10 • Weekend Family Pass – $20 Follow us on FB or IG for more information or on our website at walkertonagriculturalsociety.com

August 2023 41

Recipes by Anne Mann

The sweet joy of buttertart-inspired recipes

I

n my last column, I discussed butter tart history. This time I would like to share with you some newer butter tart-themed recipes. The first two I have not tried but they are on my to do list. The rest are ones that I have made, and we have enjoyed! These recipes either contain similar ingredients to the butter tart or actual bits of butter tart with all the flavour!

Butter Tart Layer Cake

By Michael Elliott Published in the Globe and Mail September 6, 2017.

Here is the direct link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/lif e/food-and-wine/recipes/recipebutter-tart-layer-cake/article 36134032/. This recipe is better made over two days.

Ingredients: Garnish: ¾ cup raisins Whisky to cover raisins 1 cup pecans 1 tbsp butter ½ cup brown sugar Filling: 1 ½ cups brown sugar 1 cup maple syrup 2/3 cup butter 4 large eggs 2 tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp salt ¼ cup whisky (optional) Sponge Cake: 1 cup cake or all-purpose flour 1 cup finely ground pecans ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 5 large eggs, separated ¼ cup water 1 cup sugar, divided 1 tsp vanilla extract Icing: 4 large egg whites 1 cup maple syrup Method: For the cake’s garnishes, cover the raisins in whisky and allow to soak for 24 hours. Drain, reserving the liquid and the raisins.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, combine pecans, butter, and brown sugar. Cook for 4-5 minutes until melted and bubbling. Turn out

42 The Rural Voice

onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to cool before chopping a third of the nuts into smaller pieces.

To make the filling, in a saucepan bring brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter to a rolling boil. In a heatproof

bowl, whisk eggs to combine, then very slowly whisk in the hot mixture until it is fully incorporated. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often and scraping down the sides and bottom

You can get the taste of buttertarts in ingenious ways by makinig a buttertart inspired cheesecake (above and below, bottom right) or using buttertart ingredients to make muffins (below, left).

of the saucepan until the filling is boiling and thick. Remove from heat, mix in vinegar, salt, and whisky.

Scrape the mixture into a heatproof bowl and let it cool. Cover and refrigerate for three hours until thick.

Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the sponge cake, line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment.

Combine flour, pecans, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg yolks, water, ¾ cup sugar, and vanilla for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is thick and falls away in ribbons when the mixer is lifted from the bowl. Set aside.

In a clean, dry bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar while whisking until soft peaks from.

Fold flour mixture into yolks.

Fold a third of the egg whites into yolks. Fold in remaining whites.

Scrape into the springform pan and lightly smooth out the top. Bake on the oven’s middle rack for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for five minutes, unmold, then allow to cool completely. Slice into three layers.

To begin assembling the cake, place a layer of the sponge cake on a serving platter. Drizzle with some of the reserved raisin soaking liquid.

Spread with half the filling, half the soaked raisins, and half the chopped pecans. Place the second layer of sponge on top and repeat the above steps. Place the third layer on top.

Drizzle with more soaking liquid.

For the icing, in a stand mixer beat whites into soft peaks.

In a small saucepan, bring the syrup to a boil, using a candy thermometer to bring it to 245°F. Very carefully and slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites, beating the entire time. Continue beating for five minutes until thick and slightly cooled.

Top the cake with icing, mounding, and piling it on generously. Garnish with reserved candied pecans and drizzle with more maple syrup if you like. Serves 8-10.

A fun thing I would like to try is this butter tart ice cream recipe. It is

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44 The Rural Voice

from Terri Gilson, a UkrainianCanadian currently living in Calgary, Alberta. You will find posted along with a delicious Butter Tart Bundt Cake on her “food meanderings” blog found here: https://food meanderings.com/butter-tart-icecream-no-churn/ Butter Tart Cheesecake Ingredients for the crust: 1 ¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs (you can use graham wafer or gluten-free crumbs) ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted For the butter tart filling: 1 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup maple syrup (or corn syrup) ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) ¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped ¾ cup raisins For the cheesecake filling: 3 (8 ounce) bricks cream cheese, softened 1 cup brown sugar 3 large eggs ½ cup heavy/whipping cream 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional) For the crust: Mix the crumbs, butter and sugar and press into the bottom of an 8–10inch springform pan.

For the butter tart filling: Bring the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, eggs, vanilla, walnuts, and raisins to a boil and simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes, before pouring onto the crust in the springform pan.

For the cheesecake: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cream, and vanilla until smooth before pouring on top of the butter tart filling in the springform pan, wrap the bottom of the pan in foil, place in a larger pan with a small amount of hot water and bake in a preheated 350F oven until set, about 60 minutes. (It is recommended that you let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter and then chill it in the fridge overnight, but it is also amazing while still warm from the oven!)

For the butter tart caramel topping: Heat the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat

until bubbling, let it bubble for 3 minutes, carefully add the heavy cream, mix until smooth and add the cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins and let cool before pouring on the cooled cheesecake.

I made these butter tart muffins for last year’s Guelph Area Women’s Institute meeting last fall. They were the perfect thing to serve with tea or coffee.

Butter Tart Muffins Ingredients: 1 ½ cups Thompson seedless raisins (I used golden raisins) ¾ cup sugar ½ cup butter, cut into chunks 2 eggs, beaten ½ cup milk 1 tsp rum flavouring (I used vanilla) 1 ½ cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 pinch salt ½ cup walnuts, chopped (I did not use nuts as I was serving to a group) ¼ cup maple syrup or corn syrup Preparation: In a medium saucepan, cook raisins, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and flavouring, stirring frequently, until it is slightly thickened and just beginning to bubble. Cool slightly, uncovered.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre and pour in warm raisin mixture, stirring until just combined.

Spoon muffin mixture into 12 greased muffin cups. If using, sprinkle walnuts over top of each muffin.

Bake at 375°F for 17 minutes or until centre tests done. Remove from the oven and immediately pour 1 tsp syrup over each muffin. (I did not do this as I did not want them to be sticky!) Cool about 10 minutes before removing them to cool on the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

You can also look up recipes for butter tart squares and butter tart muffins. Search out Butter Tart Squares by Jennifer Beardmore in the Home United Church (Caledon) cookbook that was published in the summer of 1995. It is a family favourite! ◊

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Gardening mowing, to give the impression it is a wonderful lawn. Someone has too much time on their hands.

This need to impress is what gets us into trouble with Mother Nature!

Mother Nature is under attack and we have been leading the charge for generations. It sometimes starts with a simple “I will clean out that messy long grass along the old henhouse” and continues to “mowing all the long grass on the road allowance.”

Whoa there! Sounds like a work scheme for a youngster!

There are two major ideas to consider with the practice of treating road allowances like lawns. We don’t use these areas but they are valuable habitat. We have to first consider the relationship between height of grass and depth of root. The deeper the roots the better the plant can source water. By making the grass shorter you are inviting the sun to dry out the soil and raise the soil temperature and impede or kill the grass and invite invasives into the space. You want to protect all soil.

With the loss of long grass or

Rhea Hamilton‐ Seeger is a skilled cook and gardener who lives in Goderich.

Mowing road

allowances — change it to enriching the rural roadside I noticed over the last couple of years the increasing number of landowners cutting the road allowances from the roadside to their fence line. I don’t mean the general long cut done in the fall to allow snow to blow over and not build up on the road. I am talking about short — and I do mean short — grass

When outside,

be bite wise Ticks can cause Lyme disease Mosquitoes can cause West Nile virus The risk of getting sick from a bug bite is low.

But why take chances? Protect yourself and others:

Use bug repellants approved by Health Canada.

Wear long-sleeved tops and pants. Light colours are best.

Limit time outdoors during dawn and dusk.

Check your body for ticks.

Check your pets as well. www.hpph.ca 1-888-221-2133 46 The Rural Voice

possibly meadow-like habitat you are eliminating areas for native pollinators like bees, butterflies and assorted insects.

Then there are the birds, most notably the eastern meadowlarks and the bobolinks. The meadow larks breed primarily in moderately tall grasslands, such as pastures and hayfields, but are also found in alfalfa fields, weedy borders of croplands, roadsides, orchards, airports, shrubby overgrown fields, or other open areas. Small trees, shrubs or fence posts are used as elevated song perches.

Bobolinks are competing for those same spots. They nest close to the ground in the long grass. I remember both birds had distinctive calls that we could easily recognize when we were children. I just don’t hear them anymore.

Both species feed on insects during breeding season and on grains and seeds during the other periods of the year. While hayfields and pasture are important habitat for them, the timing of haying can destroy the nests or the young; the use of insecticides and pesticides kills their food source; and overgrazing has taken its toll too. In areas like Huron where cash crops are more the norm, the habitat is reduced considerably more.

Both residential and commercial development continues to eat away at agricultural lands and that includes habitat for a lot of other species. All of which means those long, messy roadside areas may be among the last spots where these birds can safely nest and raise their young.

I believe once someone understands the linkages between native plants, birds and assorted pollinators it becomes clear that positive change can happen and make our world healthier.

We know that native plants feed and support our pollinator populations and those pollinator insects in turn provide food for our birds. And native plants also provide shelter, food and nesting material for the birds. Sounds pretty complete.

Gardeners and farmers alike all

have a bit of land that can be easily utilized for the preservation and healing of our environment.

You can still enjoy your Old World plants (Old World plants, refers to plants that are native to Europe, Asia, or Africa). You simply alter the ratio of what you plant. A 70-30 per cent or 80-20 per cent ratio of Native species to Old World species in our gardens and landscapes would be of benefit to all of us.

Creating better habitat for more diverse species also leads to higher carbon storage capacity and often better climate resiliency. Think of healthy soils and “messy spots” that absorb more water and reduce flooding.

These “messy” spots also attract helpful insects and pollinators in turn making the surrounding area more productive.

Our local Huron County council is taking the lead with the Enriching the Rural Roadside Project. I cannot tell you how proud I am of this plan. By partnering with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the project will remove invasive species and create a pollinator habitat with the planting of native plants. It is part of the County’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

The work will begin this summer along the frontages of the two county forest tracts, Stephenson and Adams.

A total of one hectare will transition to pollinator habitat.

Road allowances are underutilized and this project will show how this land could provide pollinator habitat and reduce the amount of staff maintenance. This is a win-win in my book.

The Stephenson Tract is located on County Road #16 (Morris Road) halfway between London Road and the Village of Brussels just east of Clyde Line. Adams Tract is located on Gorrie Line (road 28) between Creamery Road and C-Line. The land will be prepared and then seeded in the fall. It is well worth the drive to check it out. This may inspire more land owners to save time and do the same. ◊

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48 The Rural Voice

People • By Gary West •

Calf training and clipping highlight EastGen Challenge

I

t was an exciting two days for 4H dairy club members in Western Ontario, as they travelled to the Woodstock Fairgrounds in Oxford County, for this year’s “EastGen Challenge”.

The first day is dedicated to educational activities while the second day involves calf training, clipping and preparing 4-H calves for the show ring.

There were 24 dairy club members from Perth County who travelled to the event this year. The attendees were given red and white maple leaf t-shirts to show their calves in memory of long-time EastGen veterinarian, show organizer and promoter, Dr. Tim Henshaw who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.

There were a total of 16 counties who competed at this years’ EastGen challenge.

The competition included the following winners from Perth County: first summer yearling — Mark Knill from Mitchell; third senior calf — Jordan Hawthorne from Listowel; second junior calf — Hannah Johnston from Listowel. In junior showmanship: Jackson Kaufman from Mitchell was second

Having a good time at the East Gen Challenge in Woodstock this year was (left to right) Addison Hyatt, Janessa Weber, Jade Dill and Natalie Robinson. and Listowel’s Seth Johnston had the top mark in the quiz competition.

Overall champion for the two days was Jackson Kaufman from the Mitchell 4-H dairy club.

This show is one of the first 4-H competitions of the season where 4H members receive specific training an are reminded of their 4-H motto of “learn to do by doing”.

Perth Twilight Meeting

P

Helping organize the Perth County Twilight meeting was T.J. DeWit, Perth County Holstein Vice‐President; Janelle Gras and Michael Reijnen, hosts, and Geoff McMullen, Perth County Holstein Director.

erth’s Holstein Twilight meeting welcomed over 500 dairy farmers and their families to a rural barbeque.

Production awards were handed out with Dennis and Nicole Noom from Moncton and their NewMorning herd taking the top three production awards for their dairy farm’s two-year-olds. Their top two-year-old was NewMorning K Royal Rachel 3578, who had a 305 day production record of 13,349 kg of milk and 656 kg of butterfat and 469 kg of protein. Her composite BCA was 1232.

For the award in the 80,000 lifetime class was the Squibb family dairy from Avonton with a cow named Squibbland Rita Windbrook who also was scored Excellent (4E) and had a lifetime total of 144,101 kg. of milk.

The meeting was held at the newly constructed robotic milking barn of the Michael Reijnen and Janelle Gras family on Line 36 near Sebringville.

Perth County Pork Producers were on hand to serve up their locally grown smoked pork chops.◊

August 2023 49

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50 The Rural Voice

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Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Being natural is key to successful networking Karolina Rachtan say creating an elevator pitch and practicing it with friends and family makes networking events less stressful

N

etworking is relationship building and like any other relationship, it needs time to develop before you see results.

However, there are “tips and tricks” that can make networking in agriculture and business easier, says Karolina Rachtan, a Career Advisor at the University of Guelph who works with students, such as members of the Women in Agriculture club at the university.

Delivering presentations to the classroom and in advance of events, Rachtan focuses on the relationship aspect, saying every relationship is a two-way street. “You cannot take and take, you have to find creative ways to give back to allow this relationship to flourish in a more natural way.”

To do this, the first thing is to prepare. She recommends preparing a 30-second summary otherwise known as the elevator pitch. It has a three-step formula that includes: ● Describe who you are. If you are a student, name what you study and why you are passionate about it. ● What do you do and why does it matter? “This is where you make the mark as far as how you will be remembered.” ● What is your ask? “Why are you talking to this person?

It’s critical that your summary of yourself isn’t longer than 30 seconds because “you will bore people quickly if you keep blabbing about yourself.” Practice is helpful but make sure you can still say it in a way that feels natural. “You do not want to sound like a robot when you say it, or like you have no personality.” Being genuine is key so practise your summary with a friend or family member so you can remember it and say it naturally.

To end the conversation, ask questions of the other person. “Learn about that person or the company they work for,” advises Rachtan.

If you are looking to be hired by this person, you could inquire about roles with that organization. Rachtan says if you have done proper research and learned about a project the company is working on, this is the time to mention the project and add “can you tell me more how someone with my expertise and background can benefit you with that?”

At other events where you aren’t job hunting, Rachtan likes the idea of asking questions. You can ask them more about what they do, what brings them to the event, or how they are involved with the event.

“Everyone has motivation and a reason for being there so that is a good conversation opener,” she says.

Elevator pitches and conversation change depending on the event. Your spiel doesn’t have to – and shouldn’t – stay the same, advises Rachtan.

“Your script will change depending on your audience and the reason you are at the event.”

Part of networking is just being real, honest and human. Part of that is understanding what your purpose is in being at each event.

Plus, people need to know what works for them. “I am more of an introvert so networking does not come easy to me. It makes me nervous!” admits Rachtan. Since she is less likely to walk up to someone

Karolina Rachtan and make conversation (because she feels she is interrupting), Rachtan prefers to go sit down beside someone at a table to initiate conversation. “Then I might ask for follow-up information so we can connect later.”

Lastly, Rachtan says you want to make sure you aren’t asking questions that can be easily answered with information found online. “Use other people’s time well and ask educated questions so that you (and they) will get something out of it.”

Taking notes and following up with people you meet are also excellent ideas. ◊

August 2023 51

Markets Scott Krakar is a Grain Merchandiser with LAC Inc., Hyde Park, 519‐473‐9333

Production worries bring volatility to the market Through the summer growing season, crop prices are often driven

by U.S. weather. If there are perceived threats to the crop during the summer, U.S. futures often ignore other factors that generally influence price, as market players focus on the potential yield losses within the U.S. On the other hand, if summer weather is supportive to U.S. crop development – the market focus is often concerned with the crop being

competitive with other world origins, to clear the surplus into the export markets.

This crop year, we have seen field conditions that were concerning early in the growing season, as a “flash drought” brought crop establishment and early plant development concerns. These crop worries, which developed quickly, also faded rapidly as rains and cooler temperatures provided relief. While this relief was welcome, in some areas it was not enough, and in other areas rains were too heavy, and once again production worries came to the forefront. This changing weather, along with regional forecast and rain accumulation differences, have brought volatility to the market. This wide-ranging, rapid price movement is often common in “weather markets”.

So now we are left with a crop production outlook that is open to wide debate. On the one hand we have those that are concerned about the impact of early season dryness. Afterall, in some regions, June precipitation was

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the lowest in a century.

Coupled with the dryness, the extreme heat definitely caused field conditions to be poor. This is evident from the weekly crop ratings in the U.S., that have been well below last year. From this, questions arise about a potential pollination impact within the corn crop, which, if significant, will drastically reduce yields from current expectations.

The difficulty at this stage of the crop is even if you are worried about pollination being impactful, it’s hard to quantify the impact until development progresses enough to manifest pollination problems. The opposing view to the preceding argument is that the stress early on in the crop cycle wasn’t as impactful as some fear.

While June was generally harsh in a widespread region, rains eventually fell in July as the heat moderated.

These rains stabilized the crop immediately upon falling, and as we moved into July, crop ratings actually improved as we progressed into the month. These improving conditions may have provided enough relief to prevent widespread pollination issues. It will take some time to see which opinion is correct in the end, with this uncertainty, until then market participants will remain in the position that they think is reflective of the crop potential.

Soybeans have also had crop establishment issues, however the critical time for beans is in the August time frame and therefore current fears are focused primarily on corn.

Not only is production potential up for debate, but also planted acres.

On June 30 the USDA released their most recent acreage report. The biggest surprise contained within the report was the reduction in U.S. soybean acres. In the March planting intensions report expectations were for 87.5 million acres to be planted.

Prior to the USDA release of the June 30th report – industry participants surveyed collectively estimated 87.7 million acres. The June 30 number shocked the market as it was released at 83.5 million acres – down four million acres from the planting intensions report. With such a large reduction in planted acres the market

Markets will be closely following forecasts throughout the growing season, as a poor yielding crop with reduced acres would lower carryout significantly, if it were to happen.

It is very possible that there may be further acreage changes in the coming months. Along with the June 30 report the USDA published a special note. This note was in regard to the number of acres that were intended to be planted in their report, but at the time of the survey were not yet planted. The acreage survey was completed between May 30 and June 15. At the end of the survey period, the USDA reported that 2.49 million corn acres were yet to be planted and 8.22 million acres of soys were not planted.

How many of these intended unseeded acres actually got planted is a subject for another debate. The USDA did not mention whether they would resurvey these acres or not, however in the past they have resurveyed when vast acres were yet to be planted. This does leave the possibility that acres may be updated again in the future.

While the rains have been well received in corn and soy fields, wheat fields could do without the rain. The wheat crop is maturing and as it approaches harvest dry down it becomes vulnerable to quality issues due to sprouting and the potential for a reduced falling number. Ohio and Michigan have had delays in their Soft Red harvest and we here in Ontario are experiencing the same.

Early harvest bushels have been of quality, however this may change as we move into mid-July if frequent rains prevent timely harvest and degrade the quality of the crop. ◊

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August 2023 53

Woodlots I missed this utter you aren’t familiar with devastation. these two locations, Throughout my they are not close schooling and early together. This disease career, I never likely had some human guessed I would see help moving to these species being sites. annihilated. Enter Like many of our emerald ash borer, tree pathogens, oak wilt butternut canker, is a fungal disease. The beech bark disease, fungal spores may be and now oak wilt. carried on the bodies of For many years beetles that have fed on now, we in Ontario trees that were killed by have been on the the disease. This is More than a decade before I knew lookout for oak wilt similar to the vector for I was interested in trees and forestry, as it has been in the the spread of Dutch elm most of the adult public and all forest United States since Oak trees are facing the and beech bark disease. practitioners at that time were acutely the 1940s. As the threat of a new disease called Spores may also be air aware of the devastation that could range of the disease oak wilt which has been borne. Air borne spores be caused by tree diseases. spread closer to our may take advantage of Dutch elm disease was first borders in the early spotted in the Niagara any hole in the bark. confirmed in Ontario in 1946 and 2000’s the Canadian region.

Holes in the bark could roared through our area in the late Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) be as small as a broken bud, or as 1960s and 1970s. By the time I knew started putting out alerts to encourage large as a pruned stem. These spores what an elm tree was, there were the early detection of the fungus. grow a new crop of fungus. only a few trees remaining in the In June of 2023, oak wilt was Trees can also become infected middle of fields and smaller trees confirmed to be in the Niagara through root grafting that may take along fence rows and other corridors.

Region and Springwater Township. If place beneath the soil. The root grafts may pass spores from infested trees to those that are not yet infested.

Manufacturer There is also the possibility that of Precast Concrete Products spores may be carried by birds and Complete Infrastructure Supply that infections can be spread through the relocation of diseased stock.

• septic and holding tanks • sewer • watermain • concrete structures The fungus harms trees by • hydrants and valves restricting the flow of sap through the • hydro vaults • plow blades tree, basically starving the tree of food and water. The first sign of Lucknow location also offers infection is usually noticed in the • septic pumping • ready mix www.porters.ca upper canopy for this reason. As sap • aggregate and decorative stone Lucknow (head office) 519-528-3537 stops following to the top, the leaves Owen Sound 519-372-1636 Division of J.A. Porter Holdings start to wilt, eventually discolour and Stratford 519-271-5554 (Lucknow) Ltd. then fall to the ground.

When trying to identify the presence of this disease, it is a great idea to start looking at the top of the 1563 Hwy#9 tree for signs or symptoms. Next look Mildmay, ON at the ground for fallen leaves if the N0G 2J0 tree is too tall to see the individual Ph: 519-367-3215 leaves for signs. Oak wilt infections Fax: 519-367-3214 may cause wilted leaves, the www.southbruceflooring.com namesake of the disease. Early leaf drop may occur, and leaves may BERNIE McGLYNN LUMBER LTD. change colour from the outer edge BUYER OF HARDWOOD BUSHLOTS toward the centre of the leaf. Please Wholesaler • Hardwood Lumber do not panic if your tree has 1563 Hwy#9, Mildmay, ON N0G 2J0 discoloured leaves — you may be Ph: 519-367-5789 • Cell: 519-357-6621 seeing Oak Anthracnose. Oak sawmill@wightman.ca Anthracnose is another fungal Donna Lacey is a forester with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

Elms, ash,

butternut, beech and now... oak

54 The Rural Voice

pathogen that affects oak, but typically doesn’t result in mortality.

Another identifier is the presence of cracks in the bark of large branches or on the tree trunk. These cracks may be the result of the fungal pad that is created as the fungus grows. It is said that the smell of the fungal pad is very sweet and similar to the smell of Juicy Fruit gum. As with other wilt diseases, dark streaking could be seen in the vascular portion of any cross section when cuts are made.

Depending on where you are in Southern Ontario, the amount and variety of oaks varies greatly. In Bruce and Grey Counties, we tend to have scattered populations of red oak, white oak, swamp white oak, and some bur oak. The largest number of oaks in one area that I am aware of, in these Counties, are the swamp white oaks of the Greenock Swamp. Many of our beloved large oaks are trees of historical significance or plantings.

Unfortunately a lot of them are red oaks. Red oaks are more likely to suffer mortality due to oak wilt.

White oaks (which bur oak and swamp white oak are), will more readily compartmentalize the infected area and stop the spread throughout the entire tree. A red oak that becomes infected may die within the same year as the infection started.

The white oaks may just lose a branch or portion of the tree to the disease instead of succumbing to the infection.

Once again, we are asking everyone not to move wood from one area to the next. This practice is hopefully now routine. The CFIA has placed the areas with infected trees under restrictions for the movement of wood (both saw logs and firewood). It is very strongly recommended that we avoid pruning oak trees when the spores are most prevalent, from April to November.

If you have oak trees or are in an area that you know has oak trees, it would be appreciated if you would periodically check the condition of the trees. If you notice something of concern, please notify your tree or forest practitioners or the CFIA immediately. ◊

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August 2023 55

Agrilaw John D. Goudy is a partner in Scott Petrie LLP Law Firm, and also farms north of London.

Forward contracting by text message: offer acceptance by emoji It’s fair to wonder whether a court decision about a contract to deliver grain has ever previously garnered international headlines. Not likely.

A recent decision of the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench in a case involving a contract for flax did attract international attention because the judge in the case ruled that formation of the contract was completed by text message with a thumbs-up emoji. The story is all over the internet, which is perhaps an indication of the novelty of the decision. It’s surprising that the Saskatchewan decision is novel, though, because emojis have been a regular part of text messaging

for several years and contracting by text message is nothing new.

Many grain producers forward contract to deliver grain to buyers/dealers, most commonly an agreement to deliver specified amount within a specified period of time at an agreed price. Grain producers are busy and, notwithstanding the increasing average age of farmers in Canada, most communicate on the go using cell phones. Text messaging has become a way for grain producers to lock in prices for grain in forward contracts at any point during the work day when markets are open, no matter where the producer happens to be.

In Ontario, the Grains Act requires that both grain “dealers” and “grain elevator operators” be licensed. A “dealer” is any person “who purchases or accepts for sale grain from the producer, other than a person who purchases grain for the person’s own consumption”. A “grain elevator operator” is a person who receives or offers “to receive grain for storage at a grain elevator” or operates a grain elevator. With the exception of some special requirements for “deferred payment arrangements” and “delayed price contracts”, the Grains Act and the Regulation made under it do not prescribe a particular form for a

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contract for the sale and purchase of grain. The general common law applicable to contracts applies.

At common law, a contract “is formed where there is an offer by one party accepted by the other with the intention of creating a legal relationship, and supported by consideration.” “Consideration” means that that each party exchanges something of value – the act or promise of one party is bargained for by the act or promise of the other party. A gratuitous promise does not make a contract that can be enforced.

In determining whether a valid and enforceable contract has been formed, the Court applies an objective test: “whether the parties have indicated to the outside world, in the form of the objective reasonable bystander, their intention to contract and the terms of such contract.”

That is the test that was applied by Justice Keene in Saskatchewan in considering the legal consequences of the text message communications between a grain buyer and a grain producer. The grain buyer had sent out a text message in March, 2021 to various producers announcing prices being offered for delivery of flax either in April, 2021 or OctoberDecember, 2021. The buyer and producer spoke on the phone and then the buyer drafted a contract for purchaser of 86 metric tonnes of flax at a price of $17.00 per bushel and with delivery in November, 2021.

The buyer signed the contract in ink, took a photo of the contract, and then texted the photo to the producer with the message “Please confirm flax contract.” The producer texted back a thumbs-up emoji.

The case ended up in court because the producer did not deliver the 87 metric tonnes of flax in November, 2021 (of note, by November 30, 2021, the spot price for flax had risen to $41 per bushel).

The producer did not deliver the flax and denied that a contract had been formed through the text messages exchanged in March, 2021. Although on a number of previous occasions the producer had delivered grain on the basis of contracts formed through text messages with the buyer’s offer

Agrilaw accepted by a “looks good”, “ok” or “yup” message from the producer, the producer denied that the thumbsup emoji was confirmation of his agreement to deliver flax on this particular occasion. The producer alleged that the emoji was only confirmation that he had “received the Flax contract.”

Justice Keene, sitting in the position of the objective reasonable bystander, found that the thumbs-up emoji sent by the producer in March, 2021 was more than just a confirmation of receipt of the buyer’s text message: I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that [the producer] okayed or approved the contract just like he had done before except this time he used a 👍 emoji. In my opinion, when considering all of the circumstances that meant approval of the flax contract and not simply that he had received the contract and was going to think about it. In my view a reasonable bystander knowing all of the background would come to the objective understanding that the parties had reached consensus ad item – a meeting of the minds – just like they had done on numerous other occasions.

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Justice Keene also noted that an emoji was a valid way to express acceptance of an offer in electronic form under the applicable Saskatchewan legislation. In Ontario, the Electronic Commerce Act states that the acceptance of an offer may be expressed “by means of electronic information or an electronic document”. There seems to be no reason to expect the outcome of the Saskatchewan case would change if heard by an Ontario court. ◊ ______________________________ John D. Goudy’s law practice includes real property and environmental litigation, expropriation law, energy regulation, and regulatory offences. Agrilaw provides information of interest to the farming community, not legal advice.

Readers should consult a legal professional about their particular circumstance.

August 2023 57

Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

What makes time stand still for you?

Life coach Jackie Ranahan encourages women in business to ask themselves what is the unique thing they bring to the world

M

anaging a business is more than making profits, it’s part of living with purpose, says Jackie Ranahan, a coach who spoke to the Women in Business virtual summit in the spring.

Focusing on mind, body and business, the virtual summit asked Ranahan to share how she walks business owners through themselves.

“Obviously, as a business owner you are a huge part of the business. So what do you want out of it? What are your goals and objectives? What will the next phase be?” asks Ranahan, a life coach from Elora.

Ranahan’s business really flourished during the pandemic when people had more time to ask quotations about what they wanted out of life and how they could reframe things. Those questions continue for women in business and Ranahan uses her 30 years of entrepreneurial experience to answer those in-depth questions.

Titling her presentation Living With Purpose, Ranahan says the process begins with figuring out what you are good at. “What is the unique thing you bring to the world,” asks Ranahan. “I then help them understand that everyone is unique and to quiet the voices in your head that say you are not good enough.”

To find out what that unique thing is, Ranahan asked participants to close their eyes and picture the “most perfect activity that you just lost yourself in.” When it happened does not matter. Just try to remember what it was and write it down. Then, on the flip side, she asked participants to name an activity where time was grinding and every second felt like a chore.

“The key to life is doing activities that bring you more of that flow state and less of the grind,” says Ranahan.

She appreciates that every job has a certain amount of “grind” but there 58 The Rural Voice

Jackie Ranahan is a life coach who shared her ideas on living with purpose with the online group, Women in Business, as part of their Women in Business Virtual Summit held back in March. should be more feelings of elevation and less of descent.

When she applied this “picturing” tool on herself, Ranahan admits it took some self-reflection to discern her purpose. Her picture was of herself painting. “Outside of my family and nature, I realized being creative via painting was something I had done years ago that gives me real joy. Somehow, I had squashed that part of me. Yet when I do it, time stands still so when I paint, I have to set a timer.”

She also realized that helping others and seeing them experience breakthroughs was incredibly fulfilling. That led her to start coaching and she uses her paintings to design her printed material.

“People have all seasons of their life and I will never say that if I coach you, you are set for the rest of your life,” says Ranahan. “But I can give you tools to help you for the rest of your life.” Coaching sessions tend

to last six weeks because that is typically the time it takes to help people get over the current “speedbump” in their lives. Clients do the work themselves as she guides them along. Each session costs $175 and takes around 90 minutes.

Amongst business women, Ranahan finds women neglect their own needs. “Many women very much take on the role of caregiver and tend to put other people’s needs before their own. I can help them see they are important as well, and that they need to carve out time for themselves so they can be better for those they care for.” This is not to say men don’t need the same thing but it is women who are often the caregivers.

She also helps women understand that their purpose may not be the things that make them money. If your purpose is to help people, you can try and bring that into your job. Or you can volunteer.

For women entrepreneurs, knowing what you love and what you hate is equally important. For instance, a woman who starts a creative business may also need to do her own accounting – something that gives her no joy. Once the business has funds, she could choose to hire a bookkeeper to free her time for the work of creation.

Corey Hoffarth

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Jackie Ranahan Other advice Ranahan had for women in business and women in general includes: ● “Reframing is huge.” Use reframing as a tool to develop appreciation for the difficult parts of life. ● When going through hard times, don’t forget to look back at moments in your life when you had tremendous joy or truly made a difference to add positive energy to the present ● Make use of assessment tools such as Clifton Strengths Assessment and the Kolbe Assessment to understand your strengths and natural way of doing things. “These give you a starting point,” she says. “They also formulate a basis of what needs to be talked about.”

Women in Business is an online group that can be found on Facebook which partners with Huron Community Futures, WaterlooWellington Community Futures, Huron County Economic Development and the Huron Manufacturing Association. ◊

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Robert Pomajba Chatham, ON 519.809.3781

Ronald Gerber Newton, ON 519.274.4350

Sylvite Agri-Services Ltd. Putnam, ON 519.485.5770

Top Notch Rations Staffa, ON 519.348.8549

Paul Hamilton Acton, ON 519.833.7023

Albert Shetler Powassan, ON

Reg Wilson Fisherville, ON 905.979.1458

Paul Stuart Princeton, ON 519.770.5118

Dave Weir S. Bruce Peninsula, ON 519.378.3526

Mathieu Patenaude Embrun, ON 613.443.7316

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Paul McMahon Peterborough, ON 705.740.2697

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Greg Knops Spencerville, ON 613.340.1045

Brian Bradley Oshawa, ON 905.576.5286

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August 2023 59

People

• By Shawn Loughlin •

Gordie the Bear and creator Jean reunite As Jolande Oudshoorn takes over as president of the Junior Farmers’ Association, she receives her pin from mascot Gordie Gordie, the unofficial teddy bear mascot of the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario, was reunited with his creator in June as Jean Bennett, from just south of Bayfield, met with the 80th President of the provincial organization in Seaforth to check in on her nearly-20-yearold stuffed creation.

In late March, Auburn’s Jolande Oudshoorn was elected president of the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario, becoming just the third Huron County resident to lead the provincial organization. As part of the process, she accepted Gordie the bear from Past-President Jamie Schultz of Renfrew County. In recent years, the bear has become a vehicle for the safekeeping of the historical president’s pin, which dates back generations.

Then, the office of North Huron Publishing received a call.

Jean Bennett, from the Bayfield area, had seen the story in The Rural Voice and told the staff at the office that she was the person who had made the bear many years ago. She was hoping to meet Oudshoorn and have the first face-to-face she’d had with the bear in nearly 20 years.

So it happened that Oudshoorn, Bennett, Citizen Editor Shawn Loughlin and Gordie all met at Cafe Darling in Seaforth to reminisce and do a bit of a historical deep dive.

Bennett, who says she’ll soon be turning 91 years old, has made close to 50 bears over the years, for everything from church fundraisers to family reunions. However, the bear she created for the Junior Farmers in the early 2000s is one that has remained close to her heart.

First off, it’s bigger than most of the other bears she has created over the years. Second, she and her late husband Art had a long and storied history with agriculture in Ontario 60 The Rural Voice

Jean Bennett (left) meets up with the new president of the Junior Farmers’ Association, Jolande Oudshoorn (right) and the junior farmers mascot, Gordie the bear whose job it is to keep the president’s pin safe. and the Junior Farmers’. Art passed away last year and was a leader in Ontario agriculture. He was elected to the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2013, nominated by the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario for his work in leadership training and development, as well as farm management training. In addition, he served as the secretary and treasurer of the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario and, for nearly a decade, he ran the group’s leadership camp.

So, when the provincial organization held its 60th annual general meeting, with an auction to go with it, Jean made a bear to be auctioned off that night. The winning bid was $350 in 2004 and the winning bidder was Allan Orr, the brother of the late Gordon Orr, who was the first-ever president of

the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario. Bennett said Allan bought the bear, adorned with a smart red tie and a 2004-dated vest, out of appreciation for his brother and wrote a cheque that night for $400 for the organization.

Two years later, however, the bear made its way back to the organization. Soon enough, Gordie the bear (so named by PastPresident Kurtis Smith), was made the official keeper of the president’s pin.

Bennett said she thought Gordie’s tie looked a bit weathered, but that, otherwise, he looked like he was in pretty good shape.

Oudshoorn said it was pretty amazing to be connected with the person who had created the bear and to hear Bennett’s story so many years later. ◊

The

Rural Voice

Business Centre To place your ad call: 519-523-4311 or email: rvads@northhuron.on.ca

Horse & Livestock Car, Utility & Recreational any design, hitches trade-ins welcome super after sales service

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Full service to all boats and marine engines

ARGYLE Marine & Small Engines Inc.

33973 Church Camp Rd., Goderich 519-524-5361 Email: argylemarine@cabletv.on.ca

324025 Mount Elgin Rd. Mount Elgin, Ontario N0J 1N0 Jamie Belore

KIPPEN, ONTARIO 519-263-5308

Craig Robinson Mobile: 519-441-1119 Email: blossomvalleyelectricinc@gmail.com ECRA/ESA #7015754 AGRICULTURAL - RESIDENTIAL - COMMERCIAL

phone: 519-485-5358 toll free: 1-877-247-7227 fax: 1-519-485-6129 jbelore@gmail.com

LEON BRUBACHER

C E N T GENERAL REPAIRS & MODIFICATIONS OF EQUIPMENT T T T CUSTOM WELDING MIG & TIG T R T SHEET METAL FORMING T E KEY STOCK T KEY WAYS 9539 AYTON ROAD, RR#4 HARRISTON, ON N0G 1Z0 519-338-5497

SALES & SERVICE INSTALLATION & PARTS

Non-GMO & Organic Seed sales, seed cleaning, drying & licensed truck scale A complete line of nutritionally balanced Non-GMO feeds

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www.keithsiemonfarmsystems.com email: keithsiemon@tcc.on.ca For Free Planning and Estimates

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August 2023 61

KRAEMER CONCRETE LTD. Two Locations to Serve You!

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B Profitable, Actionable, Advice Planning U SWATCrop Maps/VR Scripts Soil Sampling S Cropwalker Newsletter I N Jonathan Zettler E CCA-ON, 4R NMS 519-323-7505 S jz@fieldwalker.ca fieldwalker.ca S

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• Farm Lanes • Campgrounds • Driveways • Horse Riding Arenas

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62 The Rural Voice

NOW BOOKING VENDORS

Email: nick.cadotte@5amigos.net ~ Phone: 519-365-8027

Organic Growers Wanted Long term production contracts available for HR Winter Wheat, Winter Barley, Winter Spelt and Winter Canola

Lucknow Auto Parts Supply 37521 Amberley Rd., Lucknow 519-528-2220

Also available in 2023 : production contracts for Soybeans, Edible Beans, Sunflowers, Peas

Spike’s Auto Parts

contact: Wehrmann Grain & Seed Ltd

252 Queen St., Kincardine 519-396-1515

RR 1 Ripley, Ontario N0G 2R0 Cell: 519.955.0386 • Office: 519.395.3126 • Fax: 519.395.2935

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STEFFEN WELL DRILLING 37452 Glen’s Hill Road, RR 2, Auburn, Ont. N0M 1E0

519-531-0355

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B U S Septic Installations • Tile Repairs I Small Footings • Silo Footings N Maynard Martin 2512 Kressler Road RR 1 E St. Clements, ON N0B 2M0 S Tel. 519-699-0507 S

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Deadline for the

September issue of The Rural Voice is

DL Distributing Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

August 8, 2023 To place your ad call 519-523-4311 or email: RVads@northhuron.on.ca

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

Email: dlmustard2@gmail.com 556735 Strathaven Road, Chatsworth, ON

August 2023 63

C E N T R E

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

COMING EVENTS --------------------------------------------

CONSTRUCTION -------------------------------------------Liquid manure tanks, bunker silos, foundations and pads. All are 100% engineered. Serving Ontario since 1968. De Jong & Sons Ltd. 519-348-0523.

-------------------------------------------DAIRY -------------------------------------------Screened bedding sand, delivered.

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

-------------------------------------------FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE -------------------------------------------New Holland 1030 bale wagon pull-type stacker, loads 70 bales with chute, been stored inside, in working condition. Asking $2,500.

Call Don Morden, 519-638-2525, Rothsay, ON. -------------------------------------------FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Rosco grain bins for sale – 19' and 14' diameter. Parts available. Used grain bins wanted for parts or reuse. Closed Sundays, 519-3383920.

-------------------------------------------Fence posts, various sizes and fence stakes 6 feet long. Firewood for sale. 519-364-3303.

-------------------------------------------Farm buildings, homes, cottages repaired, remodelled, restored and jacked up. Also roofing, siding, doors, windows, cement work, foundations, piers, framework, decks, doors, fencing, beams, eavestroughing - repaired, replaced or installed. Brian McCurdy, 519375-0958/519-986-1781.

-------------------------------------------Available for cover crops after winter wheat we have forage peas, oat/pea mixes, pure oats and special mixes with radish and brassicas. For pricing contact Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-395-2972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

-------------------------------------------Webwood Truss – We manufacture roof trusses and floor joists, and supply steel roofing, siding and trims. Come visit our shop at 382 Whitechurch St., RR 5, Lucknow, N0G 2H0.

--------------------------------------------

LIVESTOCK BEDDING -------------------------------------------MIRACLE FIBRE Livestock Bedding.

Also, coarse wood mulch for horse and cattle walkways, wet areas around water troughs and bush lanes. Also available is dairy pack starter bedding. 519-669-2456.

Sittler Grinding Inc. Rick Sittler.

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Suffolk Sheep – Taking orders now for purebred breeding ram and ewe lambs. Born in February/March.

GenOvis tested, M-V negative, closed flock. Florence Pullen, Clinton, 519-233-7896.

-------------------------------------------Cuni-ON – Supplying Europe’s best breeding stock for the commercial rabbit producer. Bucks and does available year-round. 519-4508308. CuniON@tcc.on.ca 06-1W -------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN breeding bulls, quiet, thick, semen tested, guaranteed breeders, delivery included.

Posthaven Limousin, John Post, 519-766-7178. www.posthaven limousin.com 06-W -------------------------------------------McKague Charolais bulls, registered purebred yearlings, polled and semen tested. Heifers available.

Wingham, 519-357-3808.

-------------------------------------------Red Angus, Red Angus-Simmental and Simmental Bulls on test. Watch them grow by googling "Ontario Bull Evaluation" Silver Springs Farms.James, Joan and Robert McKinlay. 519-599-6236.

--------------------------------------------

Ontario Antique Trucks presents 2023 Seaforth Show at Seaforth Ag Hall, 130 Duke St., Seaforth.

Feature Truck “Kenworth”. Hosted on Saturday, September 9 starting at 10:00 a.m.; alongside Seaforth Lions Club hosting “Touch A Truck” event. Show vehicles free to enter; old pick-ups welcome. Free admission, food booth, camping available, displays. Everyone welcome! For information contact Verdun Zurbrigg, 519-444-8551; Dave Dettmer, 519-808-0965 or Dan Davison, 519-999-4706.

--------------------------------------------

64 The Rural Voice

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

MARKETS -------------------------------------------Glenlee Gardens berries, vegetables, preserves. Palmerston Farmers’ Market every Saturday.

On-farm market every Monday 3-6 p.m. at 6466 6th Line Harriston.

Pre-order to pick up Monday to Friday 9-6. 519-338-2691.

-------------------------------------------Flesherton & District Farmers’ Market – A “true farmers’ market”.

Locally grown, produced and handmade, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Saturdays until Thanksgiving. 101 Highland Drive, Flesherton, 519924-0777.

-------------------------------------------RESTORATION -------------------------------------------The Olde Tyme Radio Centre – antique radios, clocks, gramophones, telephones; sold/ restored. (vintage autoclock radio, speedometer, tachometer repaired). Belgrave 519-357-4304, www.oldtymeradio.ca -------------------------------------------SERVICES --------------------------------------------

SERVICES -------------------------------------------Cronin Poured Concrete Ltd. Since 1976. Liquid manure tanks to 200'.

Heights of 8'-14' (1-pour). All jobs engineer specifications/inspections - guaranteed. Best firm quote in Ontario. Mark Cronin, 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca --------------------------------------------

SERVICES -------------------------------------------Custom Air Flow Application, $10/acre, will travel for larger acres 70' Booms, Can supply Fall Rye seed *Call Jake 519-379-1966* -------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------Young farmer looking for land rent, sharecrop, or custom work opportunities. Good environmental stewardship and professionalism.

Short and long term. 519-200-7845 or hundt.chris@outlook.com -------------------------------------------Farmland – Long or short term. Cash rent, share crop. Contact Paul at Hill & Hill Farms, 519-2333218 or 519-525-3137 or email: paul.hillhill@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------Scrap Cars Wanted – 20, 30, 40 yd. scrap metal bins available. We sell quality used auto parts. Wanted to buy – scrap cars, trucks, farm machinery, heavy equipment.

Kenilworth Auto Recyclers. 519323-1113.

--------------------------------------------

DANNY’S Custom Painting & Sandblasting 86362 Harper Line RR 1 Lucknow N0G 2H0 (just north of Zion Road)

Ph/Fax (519) 474-1365 Cell (519) 671-6599

Painting Ontario Barns Since 1975

BARN PAINTING PLUS LTD. 1741 JUBILEE DRIVE, LONDON, ONT. N6G 5K5 www.barnpaintingplus.com MIKE OBERMAYER, President

DONALD A ANDREW ACCOUNTING Accounting & Income Tax Services for FARMS, BUSINESSES & INDIVIDUALS 296 Ross St., Lucknow

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Specializing in on Farm Pest Management Serving Southwestern ON, Golden Horseshoe, GTA Email: info@sgsltd.ca

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1615 NORTH ROUTLEDGE PARK UNIT 43 LONDON, ONTARIO, N6H 5L6 519-473-9333 Toll-Free 1-800-265-1885

August 2023 65

National Farmers Union – Ontario NEWSLETTER Phone: 1-888-832-9638 E-mail: office@nfuontario.ca Website: www.nfuontario.ca

Strong Communities.

Sound Policies.

Sustainable Farms.

Camille Yu-San Koon is Cultivating Crops and Community In 2021, Camille Yu-San Koon found herself searching for work that would allow her to be outside, see the tangible results of her labour, and contribute to environmental and social change. Farming seemed to align with her criteria, so she jumped in, equipped with a lifelong passion for food and years of experience in environmental education and field biology. Her first farming season was spent at Larkspur Farm in L’Ange-Gardien, Quebec, where she learned quickly and flourished alongside the organic crops she tended. Growing food, she says, “is magic,” whether at a backyard- or farm-scale. The magic stuck with her, and Camille continued farming, moving to Beetbox Co-op Farm in Ottawa. She’s now in her third season as a full-time seasonal farm worker.

Beyond the magic of growing food and connecting with eaters, agriculture has provided Camille with an avenue to build community, drive social change, and to advance equity.

She is actively engaged with the NFU on various levels, leveraging her strong sense of justice and expertise in community organizing.

As the B I P O C Engagement Organizer for the BIPOC Caucus, she recently supported a series of farmer-led workshops for BIPOC farmers nationwide. At the Ontario event, B I P O C farmers and farm workers had the opportunity to participate in a tractor training workshop led by Treavor, a Jamaican migrant worker at Pfenning’s Organic Farm.

Within the NFU-O, Camille has worked to expand membership, engaging with community members and forging connections across the province. She is also actively involved with the NFU Farmworker Working Group, which convenes monthly to foster a supportive and

collaborative environment for organizing transformative change.

Farm worker rights are particularly important to Camille, who believes that this aspect of the food system is often overlooked. She encourages people to spend time considering what it means for food to have fair labour behind it. Camille emphasizes that the label “organic” does not inherently reflect worker conditions, even though people often interpret “organic” as synonymous with “fair labour”. Her advocacy for farm workers extends to migrant workers as well, fully supporting their plea for status for all.

Camille’s hobbies further reveal her as a creative, observant, and passionate person. She spends her free time drawing, often inspired by the vegetables she grows; birding, made easier by the location of Beetbox Farm on a migratory bird path; and hiking, which lends itself to her involvement in operating a free outdoor gear-lending library.

Looking ahead, Camille hopes to expand the variety of East Asian crops she grows, as a means of reconnecting with her heritage. As the daughter of immigrants—her mother from Switzerland and her father from Hong Kong—she can, at times, feel detached from her cultures.

Immigration often emphasizes assimilation, causing

cultural traditions to fade. Since English served as the common language between her parents, she feels she lacks the anchor that language can provide in preserving culture. Through growing East Asian vegetables, she embarks on a journey of rediscovery, learning Cantonese one vegetable at a time. She’s also learning to cook recipes using the vegetables she grows, like her favourite dim sum dish.

Guided by a firm commitment to justice and equity, a thirst for knowledge, and a profound love for food and nature, Camille is a bright light within the NFU, energizing every space she occupies.

Local News/Events Local 340 (Waterloo/Wellington) & Hawthorn Farm are hosting a “Introduction to Seed Saving” workshop and BBQ on Sunday, August 27 from 12:30-2:30 p.m.! Come hang out with fellow Local members for a free summer BBQ at Hawthorn Farm (6923 Sideroad 2 W, Mount Forest). We’ll tour Hawthorn Farm’s new facility and learn the fundamental principles of saving seed from openpollinated vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The tour will showcase a variety of tools and techniques to help you grow, harvest, process, and test your seeds. Want to join? RSVP to stephen@hawthornfarm.com or call and leave a message at (519) 343-3375. See you there!

A subscription to The Rural Voice is one of the benefits of being an NFU-O member 66 The Rural Voice

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

Polly Hoekstra, President phoekstra@hotmail.ca / 226-580-0174 * The Rural Voice is provided to Perth County Pork Producers by the PCPPA perthcountyporkproducers@gmail.com

Ontario Pork produces recipe book: “The Whole Hog” close lid and grill for about 20 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining marinade until meat thermometer reaches 155ºF (68ºC). Brush tenderloin with honey all over. Place lemon slices onto grill for about two minutes until grill-marked and warmed through.

5. Remove pork to cutting board and let stand for three minutes. Slice and serve with grilled lemon.

MARLON BAUMAN Operations Manager | Vernla Livestock, Fergus, ON Ontario Pork recently produced a recipe book: “The Whole Hog”.

It is a well done recipe book filled with a variety of delicious pork recipes and stories about the people behind the pork. This article is a sample of content from “The Whole Hog”. It can be purchased at https://shop.ontariopork.on.ca/ Profits from the project are donated to the Ontario Association of Feed Banks.

Easy Grilled Pork Tenderloin Ingredients: • 1 Ontario pork tenderloin (about 1 lb/500 g) • 1 lemon • 2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil • 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh rosemary • 1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper Cooking Instructions: 1. Remove silverskin from pork tenderloin and place into shallow dish. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Finely grate 1/2 tsp (2 mL) of lemon zest from lemon and set aside in a small bowl. Cut lemon in half and squeeze out 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the juice into same bowl. Add oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Pour over tenderloin and turn to coat all over.

3. Cut remaining lemon half into thick circle slices.

4. Place pork tenderloin on grill;

Founded in 1980, Vernla Livestock Inc. has been transporting animals safely and humanely for over 40 years, making thousands of shipments each year within, out of, and into Ontario. With 35 trucks and over 40 employees, Vernla ships livestock as far west as Alberta, and as far south as the Carolinas. That much transportation, Marlon Bauman says, takes a commitment to safety and well-being for both the animals and the drivers.

Marlon is clear on his view of the role Vernla plays in the Ontario agriculture industry. “The producer raises an excellent product and they rely on us as transporters to get that product to market – to put pork on your fork. It’s important that we work together to get these animals humanely transported and take care of them to meet the high quality standards expected within the industry.”

Vernla’s fleet management system monitors their vehicles’ location throughout their trips. Diagnostic sensors in the trucks also monitor for speed, distraction, and even fuel efficiency, ensuring that they operate as efficiently as possible. But ultimately, Vernla’s business depends on the welfare of the animals they carry. Recent improvements in trailer design have improved well-being and reduced stress for the animals they

transport. Features introduced in recent years include hydraulic lifts, which cause fewer injuries and less stress when loading animals than ramps, and better ventilation in the trailers.

Drivers remain an important part of the animals’ well-being, even as technology advances. “Drivers have to love and care for the animals they’re moving,” says Marlon. “They need to be in tune with what the animals need. Technology makes it easier to do their jobs, but the driver’s skill and care is still a major factor.”

That commitment and professionalism is clear throughout Vernla’s operations, but Martin believes these standards are evident across the Ontario livestock transportation industry. “In Ontario, most drivers have taken the TQA Livestock Transportation Training.

That’s a course they go through to learn how to handle animals carefully and humanely. Another thing the industry has done as well in the last few years is invest in new equipment to minimize the stress when loading and unloading these animals.”

One thing Marlon would like to promote to consumers and community members is the importance of giving livestock transport vehicles plenty of space on the road. “We need more room to stop. For livestock, we have a live load on. It’s of utmost concern that we get the animals delivered without bruising. Hard stops for hogs and cattle risk potential damage… We need extra space and do not want to jam up the breaks, so please give us the space that we need to stop.” *** I recently attended the Pork Congress at the end of June. Every time I attend, I am impressed by all the people who support our industry, this is why I choose someone who is not a pork producer for the article.

Bon Appetit! ◊ – Submitted by Craig Hulshof

August 2023 67

519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 Grey County Federation Email: grey@ofa.on.ca Website: greyfederation.ca of Agriculture * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Grey County by the GCFA

Grey and Bruce Federations support Canadian Dirt Tour

Gord Bamford Canadian Dirt Tour Pt 2 - Meaford, ON (Sept 22) and Neustadt, ON (Sept 23) With Dallas Alexander Time (MDT) Starts: 7:30 PM Ends: 1:00 AM Come out and join us for a date on the tour route with 26X CCMA Award-Winning Country Star Gord Bamford and The 2023 Canadian Dirt Tour.

KUBOTA Canada, Robert’s Farm Equipment along with the Grey and Bruce County Federations of Agriculture are pleased to support this event.

Proceeds from the event will be going to support local 4-H. Be sure to check out Gord’s NEW ALBUM “FIRE IT UP" Joining Gord to open the show will be Dallas Alexander, an Alberta born, country inspired singer, songwriter and a Canadian military veteran. Dallas was raised on a fishing lake Metis settlement. With a Canadian backwoods upbringing this shines through in his music with the stories he likes to sing about. After becoming familiar with performing in barrooms, Dallas made his Festival debut in 2022. He is musically inspired by some of Country music’s greats, such as Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Jamey Johnson.

About Part 2 Tour, Gord shares, “Part 1 of the tour has been a blast so far! We’ve been playing some of the

new music for fans. In the set we’ve included a real cool medley with some of my favourite hits, which fans are really enjoying. The show is high energy and entertaining! See ya out on the road Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

- All Ages Event!!

5 Ticket options available: • VIP table purchase for 8 people • General admission – no assigned seating – Floor-row seating general admission –Floor-row seating plus meet and greet OPP and GB swag bag • Floor party pit zone - general admission • Bleach seating VIP Table includes: • Eight guests at premium reserved seating, placed under your company name or group.

• Early entry access which allows you the first opportunity to enter the venue.

• NO lineups waiting in line to check in and be the first to come check out the GB merchandise table. (Early entry is 7:00 p.m.)

• One bottle of each, red and white wine and snacks on your table

• Eight special gift bags with Gord Bamford merchandise • As an added bonus, this package will also include Meet and Greet and photo opportunity with your group. guests with Gord Bamford. *Limited Availability* The VIP table purchase option is perfect for companies or those looking to bring a group of people!

GCFA 2023 Events AUGUST 9 - Directors’ Meeting 20 - Member Day - Story Book Park SEPTEMBER 13 - Directors’ Meeting 22,23 - Gord Bamford Concert Series (tickets are on sale now at gordbamford.com) OCTOBER 13 - GCFA presents Jeff McEnery (Yuk Yuk’s) NOVEMBER 1 – GCFA AGM 8 - Directors’ Meeting

GCFA (OFA) Membership Appreciation Day

August 20, 2023 Bring your family for a fun-filled day at Story Book Park - Owen Sound

Receive $5 off your admittance fee with your membership card

* The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Grey County by the GCFA.

68 The Rural Voice

Email: bruce@ofa.on.ca website: brucefederation.ca

519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551

* The Rural Voice is provided to NEWSLETTER OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA Lots of action at Hanover Racetrack despite the rain

Saturday, July 8 was action packed for those in attendance at the Hanover Racetrack. The rain reduced the expected crowd but there was lots of action on the 11 races held that day.

Bruce and Grey Federation of Agriculture directors discussed agriculture issues and answered questions for those who visited their booth while handing out Real Dirt on Farming magazines, activity books for the children as well as other items.

A big thank you to all the race sponsors for our day: Grey County Junior Farmers, Grey-Bruce Pork Producers, Grey Bruce Dairy Farmers, Bruce County Beef Farmers as well as both Bruce and Grey Federations of Agriculture.

Congratulations to all the winners.

See you next year! ◊

BCFA 2023 MEETINGS • August 28 • September 25 • October 27 • November 13

SMV SIGN If you require a new SMV sign for your equipment before heading out on the road, contact the BCFA office, there are some available to members. * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA.

August 2023 69

Perth County Federation of Agriculture Email: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com Website: www.perthcountyfarmers.ca Office: 1-833-229-6834 Julie Danen, President: 519-801-9200

Prevention key to preventing fires There are certain phrases that are said on a farm that will quickly get your attention. One of those is “THE BARN IS ON FIRE”! That brings a whole new meaning. You will go through a lot of emotions while you stand there waiting on the fire department to arrive.

They say when one door closes another will open; for us, it was no longer being pig farmers. We would focus more on the crop side of our farming operation.

A barn fire is a farmer’s worst nightmare and often, it brings significant emotional and economic damage to a farming community. According to a recent article in Farmer’s Forum, in 2021 alone, Ontario had 152 barn fires and record damages of just over $54 million in 2021. There were 114 barn fires in 2020.

Did you know that a fire will double in size every second? Fires require three elements: oxygen, fuel and heat. Farm buildings are particularly susceptible to fastmoving fires because they are well ventilated. Barns and other farm buildings provide a plentiful fuel supply for fires to start and grow: the buildings themselves are often constructed of wood and house solid fuels such as hay, straw and grain.

The final element, the heat source, can take the form of sunlight, friction, electricity, open flame, gas compression and/or chemical reactions.

Fire prevention starts with you on your farm. The first thing to do is start with a plan. This can include information in a map form like where fuel tanks are located, chemical storage area and where your electrical panels are located in your barn/outbuildings. You can contact your local fire department for information on how to make a plan that works for you.

The following are some prevention tips to help avoid barn fires:

• There should be absolutely no smoking in any barn or outbuildings at any time.

• Make sure you practise good housekeeping in your barns and sheds. All loose hay/straw should be kept swept up.

• Keep your hay/straw holes covered with a flame-retardant gypsum board.

• Try to make sure you do your haying at the right time and monitor the inside bale temperatures.

• Provide adequate ventilation in your hay and straw storage areas.

• Make sure all electrical wires are covered where they need to be and check for signs of rodent damage.

• Any motors should be kept as

dust free as possible.

• Install and use lighting rods and ground cables.

• Make sure everyone follows all your fire prevention rules.

• And last but not least make sure you have regularly checked and working fire extinguishers. Some insurance companies will provide that service for their customers.

They say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is definitely the case when it comes to helping prevent barn fires. For more tips on preventing barn fires, visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/barnfires-ontario ◊ – Submitted by Joanne Foster PCFA Director

Save the date!  Perth County Federation of Agriculture

REGIONAL MEETING August 29, 2023

Check our social media, website or call 1-833-229-6834 for further details!

* The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Perth County by the PCFA.

70 The Rural Voice

Index Argyle Marine ..............................61 Bau-Tec Industries......................53 Belore Trailers..............................61 Bernie McGlynn Lumber ............54 Bervie Supply ..............................34 Bester Wood Products................55 Bio-Ag Consultants ....................55 Blossom Valley Electric ..............61 Blyth Festival ......................Cover 5 BP Dust Control ..........................62 Bruce Cty Heritage Assoc..Cover 4 Bruce Cty Plowing Match............14 Canadian Co-operative Wool ....50 Chalmers Fuels ..............................7 Clinton Skating Club ..................25 Cottrill Heavy Equipment ..............7 Cover Crops ............................17,18 Crafters Corner ..........................34 Crop Quest Inc ............................55 Cross Country Eavestrough ........13 Day Trips & Destinations ......44,45 DJ Henry Homes & Renos ..........63 DL Distributing ............................63 Easy Lift Doors Ltd ......................12 Egger Farms ................................65 Fairs ........................................40,41 Farm To Table ............................20 Fieldwalker Agronomy ................62 Five Star Seeds Limited ..............61 Food Day Canada ..........................9 Gerber’s Workwear ....................48 Gladys Munro ..............................62 Green Valley Heating Inc ............51 Grey-Bruce Construction ..........59 GRK Products ............................48 Hanover Honda..............................7 Hardi North America Inc ............52 Harold Jones Enterprises ..........62 Hayden Water Wells....................47 Hill & Hill ............................Cover 2 Hoffmeyer’s ..................................4 Honey ..............................28,30,33 Huron Cty Plowing Match ....26,27 Huron Hauling & Excavating ......13 Huron Perth Public Health ....46,48 Huron Pioneer Threshers ............11 JA Porter Holdings Ltd................54 Kenpal Farm Products Inc ..........59 Keith siemon Farm Systems........61 Kraemer Concrete ......................62 LAC ..............................................65 Lakeside Radio Broadcasting ....62 Lakeside Shelving & Racking ....57 Leon Brubacher ..........................61 Live Landscape ..........................47 Lucknow Auto Parts Supply ......63 Lucknow Music in the Fields..Cover 3 Mapleview Agri ..............................2 MarCrest Backhoe ......................63 Marquardt Farm Drainage ..........57 Martin’s Nursery ..........................43 McLeod Water Wells Ltd ............56 Michael’s Stabling........................10 Morris Sachs Silo Construction ..37

Nature’s Wave Inc ......................50 Nuclear Waste Management ......71 Nuhn Forage Inc ............................8 OFA..............................................50 Perth Cty Plowing Match ......15,38 Preserve & Store ........................43 RBC Ag West ..............................13 RCS Forestry Mulching ..............39 R&M Gorman Hay & Straw ........63 Railfence Books ..........................47 Ridgeway Metals ........................62 Rural Voice Books ..............Cover 6 SeCan ............................................5 Schweiss Doors ..........................57 Seifried Farm Equipment ............25

Smyth Welding ............................63 Steffen Well Drilling ....................63 Stratford Agri Analysis................23 Stratford Crane Rental ..............38 Superior Barn Painting ......Cover 7 SWO Diesel Inc ..................Cover 7 Townsley Barn Painting ..............65 Triple P Consulting......................53 Trouw Nutrition ............Back Cover Varna Grain ........................Cover 2 WD Hopper & Sons ......................6 Waddell Engineering Ltd ............37 Wehrmann Grain & Seeds ..........63 Western Ontario Steam Threshers 64 Wideman’s Bee Supply ..............62

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August 2023 71

HURON

42 First Avenue, Clinton, Ontario N0M 1L0 519-482-9642 or 1-800-511-1135

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

HCFA has booth at 2023 Breakfast on the farm

Website: www.hcfa.on.ca Email: ofahuron@tcc.on.ca

Upcoming Events August 5 - Food Day Canada – it’s a chance to celebrate and show appreciation for Canadian food all the way from field to fork.

August 17 - Junior Day at Huron County Plowing Match, hosted by Warden Glen McNeil and landowners Pete and Leisa Albers (42894 Browntown Rd. Huron East).

August 18 - Huron County Plowing Match and Queen of the Furrow competition hosted by Warden Glen McNeil and landowners Pete and Leisa Albers (42894 Browntown Rd. Huron East). For banquet tickets contact Neil and Joan Vincent 519357-2336 or Joan Ryan 519-2373806.

August 18-20 - Bayfield Fair. For details visit http://bayfieldfair.ca/ August 25-26 - Zurich Bean Festival.

Paul Klopp, Rob VandenHengel and Murray Workman at the HCFA booth at the Huron 2023 Breakfast on the Farm in June. A great day was had by all!

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

BOARD MEETING Monday, August 28 - 8:00 p.m.

SAVE THE DATES! 

Vanastra office

HURON OFA REGIONAL MEETING

Send in your nominations!

August 30, 2023 Exeter Golf Club (Election of OFA Convention Delegates and OFA Policy Advisory Council Representatives will be held at this meeting) Social time: 6:30 p.m. Meal: 7:00 p.m. with sandwiches and wraps Guest Speaker: Maranda Klaver, Ontario Queen of the Furrow Contact the office for tickets – $10 per person

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

ANNUAL MEETING October 27, 2023 Social time: 6:30 p.m.

Meal: 7:00 p.m.

Clinton Royal Canadian Legion Guest Speaker: Wayne Caldwell Contact the office for tickets – $10 per person

The Huron County Federation of Agriculture is collecting nominations for the yearly Huron County Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture Award.

When sending in your nomination please include the name, address and phone number of the nominee. Your nomination should include an explanation for the nomination such as the person or group’s contribution(s) to agriculture and rural life in Huron County.

The nomination must be signed by the nominator. Send nominations to the HCFA office.

DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

HCFA OFFICE The office is open on Mondays and alternate Fridays 9 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Rural Voice is provided to all OFA members in Huron County by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture

72 The Rural Voice

BIGGER, BETTER AND BOLDER THAN EVER!

Blyth Festival Season 2023 BLYTH FESTIVAL Chronicles of Sarnia August 3-18

1.877.862.5984 www.blythfestival.com The Real McCoy

A quirky community, and comical characters lead to side splitting giggles.

August 24-September 9

Find out why Elijah McCoy is the man behind the phrase “the real McCoy”.

Severn Thompson. Photo by Terry Manzo

Peter N. Bailey. Photo by Terry Manzo

Written by Matt Murray Directed by Miles Potter

Written and Directed by Andrew Moodie

Are you reading someone else’s copy of The Rural Voice?

Why not have your very own delivered right to your mailbox?

$

25 $45

one year 12 issues (includes tax)

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We accept: cheques (made payable to North Huron Publishing Inc); debit, cash, credit cards or e-transfers (accounts@northhuron.on.ca) Please include your full name and mailing address and include your phone number

The Rural Voice Magazine PO Box 429 405 Queen St., Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 519-523-4311

Summer Reading

The Rural Reading Room Specializing in

from The Rural Reading Room

Rural Living & Local Authors

BACKROADS OF SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY This book features the best daylong excursions in the Southern Georgian Bay area. Eleven of the best day trips off the beaten path. This book is full of fascinating historical facts, beautifully drawn maps and so much more. $19.95

TOP 170 UNUSUAL THINGS TO SEE IN ONTARIO Ron Brown’s new edition reveals even more odd and unusual, rare and offbeat sites and sounds - close to Ontarian’s very own backyards. $29.95

250 GLUTEN-FREE FAVORITES Discover tasty and innovative ideas for everything from baked goods, pasta dishes, appetizers and family meals to mouth-watering desserts.

As a bonus, many of the recipes are dairy-free, egg-free and white sugarfree. $27.95

A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II - Commemorative Edition (1926-2022) The life and reign of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. When Princess Elizabeth of York was born, she was never expected to rule. Regardless, she went on to become the longestreigning British monarch.$22.99

ALICE MUNRO WRITING HER LIVES Author Robert Thacker takes us on a fascinating journey of Munro’s life including growing up poor in Wingham and following through all her life stages including the slow but steady rise in her writing career. $24.95

BACKROADS OF ONTARIO 6TH EDITION From afternoon outings to weekend excursions, this latest edition features 33 backroad adventures, each illustrated with colour photos and accompanied by a map. $29.95

WHEN I’M GONE: Practical notes for those you leave behind All too often family members die without leaving important banking information, PIN numbers, location of keys, phone numbers, addresses, etc. This provides a practical fill-in book and resource. $19.95

BERNARDIN COMPLETE BOOK OF HOME PRESERVING Preserve the fruits and vegetables of your own garden (and save money, too). 400 delicious and creative recipes for jams, jellies and other spreads, salsa, relish, chutney, ketchup, pickles and more. $29.95

Total

Qty.

BACKROADS OF SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY TOP 170 UNUSUAL THINGS TO SEE IN ONTARIO 250 GLUTEN-FREE FAVORITES A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II ALICE MUNRO WRITING HER LIVES BACKROADS OF ONTARIO WHEN I’M GONE BERNARDIN COMPLETE BOOK OF HOME PRESERVING

$19.95 $29.95 $27.95 $22.99 $24.95 $29.95 $19.95 $29.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling $9.00 Canada Post Fuel Surcharge $4.00

Subtotal 5% GST on Subtotal Order Total

Send cheque or money order for full amount to: Books: North Huron Publishing P.O. Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 or call and pay by credit card 519-523-4311 MAIL BOOKS TO: Name:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________ Code _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Phone: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Prices subject to change with increases in wholesale prices, postage, taxes, etc.

Please refer to current issue for correct figures. Incorrect payment will delay delivery.

 House & Barn Painting

Liquid Rubber Sealant Uses:  Roof Maintenance & Restorations  Foundations  Bins

 Pressure Washing  Asphalt Coatings  Sand & Air Blasting  Roofs & Walls  Elevator Legs  Lightning Rod Systems  Heavy Duty Seamless Eavestroughing  Fully Insured

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Contact your local Shur-Gain dealer for more information HENSALL CO-OP Londesborough 519-523-9606 / 800-265-9000 Zurich

HOLSTEIN FEED MILL (2015) LTD.

MCBRAYNE FEEDS & NEEDS LTD.

Holstein 519-334-3424

Dresden 519-683-4439

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St Marys 519-284-2360

Tavistock 519-655-2033

519-236-7155 / 800-565-7155 Ripley 519-395-5955 / 855-895-5955 Ailsa Craig 519-232-4449