The Rural Voice - Dec. 2021

The

Rural V ice December 2021

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CULTIVATING RECONCILIATION Farm organizations are tilling new and reconciliatory ground with Indigenous peoples

COMFORT FOR WAGYU CATTLE The Priors focus on cattle comfort and low stress in Grazing Meadows beef barn expansion

WORKING SEASONALLY Felena Pereira shares Christmas experience as a seasonal worker

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Contents The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

18

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 Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot rveditorlisa@northhuron.on.ca

42

22 Columns Lisa B. Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 News & Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 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

DECEMBER 2021 • Cover Photo Tim & Donna Prior of Grazing Meadows Wagyu.

Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

• Deadlines: Jan. Issue – Dec. 7 February Issue – January 11

14 Reconciliation Farm groups add voices to discussion on reconciliation

18 A Seasonal Christmas Seasonal workers say they were treated well during first Christmas in Canada

22 Sprouting Grains and Seeds Everspring sprouts a second business as Donaldson daughters launch Second Spring

28 Christmas Tour Touring Christmas displays and poinsettias in greenhouses becomes Christmas tradition

Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Arnold Mathers, Donna Lacey, Melisa Luymes, Anne Mann, Nancy Fisher, Carolyn Crawford, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe, Amanda Brodhagen and Hetty Stuart Mailed by: McLaren Press Graphics, Bracebridge, ON Advertising Sales: Shelley Kroes rvads@northhuron.on.ca Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell 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: $20 (12 issues) $35 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $2.75 each,U.S. rates, $65.00

39 The Changemakers Diversity and dream building part of new food systems

42 Wagyu Efficiency Grazing Meadows adds barn expansion for beef handling ease

All manuscripts submitted for consideration should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited 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

The Power of Nature

By Colton Graham, age 9 On a cool crisp autumn day, the sun was peeking through the trees.

Birds were chirping, everything was calm and still.

The leaves were changing colour.

Every time I take a step I can hear the leaves crunching under foot.

I touch the leaves dangling from the tree.

They are smooth to my fingers.

I am overwhelmed with the feeling of peace like nothing can go wrong.

I stood there listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing the leaves with my eyes closed.

When I opened my eyes I was calm.

When I went outside I had been frustrated.

•

Christmas “The farmer went all out and decorated the farm...it was so pretty. He had a huge tree and Christmas presents. Even though we missed Trinidad, it was a good experience.” ~Felena Pereira, a seasonal worker at Schuyler Farms, on her first Christmas in Ontario, after being unable to return home to Trinidad and Tobago due to the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

Now that had vanished.

FARMING IN DECEMBER “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and field, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ~Lewis Carroll,

•

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Neil’s One-Liners (Wisdom and humour from the McGavin files)

• You are in good shape if you are too busy to worry in

•

You blinked first

the daytime and too tired

Neighbours and farmers enjoyed viewing the Wagyu cattle at Grazing Meadows Wagyu new barn expansion open house on November 6.

Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot. Story on page 42

to worry at night.

December 2021 3

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

Fresh wonder of a new day Exploring on our own two feet

The gift of thankfulness Wrapped gifts under a tree are the commercial vision of Christmas we all get sucked into, don’t we? Yet somehow, it never compares to the majesty of a tree decorated in snowflakes. With a lens pointed to the natural world, we see the gifts of winter cannot be packaged and are free for the taking.

Seeing diamonds in the rough

Exploring on someone’s else’s feet

Gazing at a real tree Being able to farm Freedom to worship the Creator at Christmas

Breathing in cold, crisp air

Water: flowing or frozen

Eating what we raise and grow 4 The Rural Voice

Feeding the hungry

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Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

Research begets more research As you drive down my concession in the former East Wawanosh Township in northern Huron County, there’s something remarkable: there’s a family living on every one of the original 100-acre farms along the first two-block stretch.

This fact has more to do with the prosperity of the past farming generation than today’s. Only three of those homes are occupied by the families that farm the land. The other eight homes are small acreages severed from the farmland because the brick and stone homes built mostly by the extended McGowan family in the 1800s, were of such a high quality it would have been a travesty to see them demolished.

Still, there’s a lesson in those numbers. At one time the surplus production available for sale from those family farms, was so small that it took many farmers to provide food for a relatively small urban population. Today we have fewer farmers than ever before but more people living in cities who don’t grow any food – and yet we still have surplus food to send to feed people in other parts of the world.

Among many of those nonfarming Canadians are researchers – often farm-born themselves – who are further increasing the productivity of our land. My granddaughter has spent the last few years doing research into animal science while she earns her Masters Degree from the University of Guelph. One of her mentors is my neighbour’s son, who has also left the family farm for animal research at the University.

I’m guessing there are probably more people engaged in agricultural research at this moment than ever before in history. Researchers have increased the yield of our fields and

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barns, and in doing so have created wealth that allows us to afford more researchers.

On our concession, much of the land is rented to very large cash-crop operators farming thousands of acres.

A little math shows that these farmers, because of the results of plant breeders, are likely producing yields of wheat, soybeans and corn measured by the millions of bushels.

In other areas of the large parts of our county where these large-scale cash-cropping operations operate, there are probably roads where hardly a house remains because of research that produces crop yields that once would have been thought unimaginable. It means we don’t need as many farm families to produce more food than ever before.

I was reminded of this virtuous circle, where better farming practices free up more people to do research which in turn makes farms more productive, when I read a recent piece by University of Guelph Professor Simon Simogyi. He was talking about the complaints about rising food prices and concerns that climate change will have an even bigger effect by reducing yields and thereby driving up prices.

But meanwhile, Professor Simogyi said, researchers at his university and elsewhere are busy trying to help primary producers cope with the changes that climate change will cause, such as ways to protect fruit trees from extreme environmental changes.

New techniques in precision agriculture will lead to other advances in farm production, he said.

For instance, at the university’s research facilities in Elora, there are more than 300 monitors collecting data on the movement and behavior of dairy cattle. Meanwhile 1.8 million data points are collected per day to inform soil health research.

Researchers have changed farming so much since the days when there was a farm family on every 100-acre farm and in doing so has freed up the children and grandchildren of those farmers to do more research to feed the world’s growing population and, hopefully, find ways to counter climate change.◊

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

Harvest lessons Over the years, we have had the discussion around our place about which season is the most stressful planting or harvest. I don’t remember what side of that discussion anyone was on, but I have to admit, no matter what I argued at the time, I’m sure it has to be, whichever one of those seasons happens to be closest at the time of the discussion.

2020 will go down in a lot of memories as the year of COVID-19 – and all the lessons that came with living through a pandemic, lockdowns, and the powers, both good and bad, of the internet. For many farmers, myself included, it will also go down in memory as the harvest where the sun never stopped and we had everything safely tucked

8 The Rural Voice

in bins and cleaned up before Hallowe’en – something that has never happened before at our place. I don’t even remember any breakdowns. Nothing froze. We never ran out of fuel. It was as if the universe agreed that we had survived a tough year, with lots of unknowns, and we deserved a break.

And so we come to harvest of 2021. “OK - BREAK’S OVER!!” I can almost hear it whispered from the top of the elevator leg. While COVID-19 may still be with us as we wearily trudge through things that have become our new normal – masks, hand sanitizer, and people feuding about why showing proof of age to be served alcohol is cool, but showing proof of vaccination to enter the establishment is not – 2021 feels more like a good old-fashioned normal harvest. There has been rain, stress about soybeans, wheat left unplanted, breakdowns, mud and a definite lack of sunshine.

With that in mind, I thought I’d revisit my old lessons from harvests past as I wait to get back into the field. The only thing I hate more than

making mistakes is making the same mistakes twice. Harvest season reminds me that there are always new ones to make and one of the great things about farming is that no two years are ever the same. So there are always lots of learning opportunities.

Perhaps one of the first things I should mention is that the bad years tend to stick in our memories. 2014 and 2018 were both tough harvest years that gave some of the lessons I hold in my memory. Mostly about how much I hate combining soybeans in December and January. Those years were weighing heavily on my mind as the six-day forecasts ticked on this fall with nary a sunny day in sight. “Next week will be better,” became a common phrase around our place. It just never seemed to happen.

Finally, our deadline had come up and we decided to see how well 24 per cent moisture soybeans would go through the combine. Much to my amazement, they did go through the combine and ended up in the bin looking like beans. They were fat, squishy beans, but beans. Next miracle is that they flowed through the wet bin and into our top-dry dryer fairly well. Never having dried beans before, I was pretty nervous to try, especially as these beans were very wet and we needed to take about 10 points of moisture out of them.

Lots of people claim to know how to dry beans. Not many that I talked to had experience drying them that wet. Getting it wrong would be expensive and potentially cause lots of problems. But we took it slow and ended up with beans that looked pretty good, tested well, and were deliverable. It seemed like a few small miracles strung together to get them looking that good, especially when compared to how they had looked while in the field!

I revisited a couple of the lessons from those previous tough harvests.

One of my best lessons is that sometimes, it is the things you don’t know that you don’t know that get you. In 2014, this was a lesson about not leaving the flex head in the field when you have to switch back and forth between beans and corn. In 2018, it was a lesson about where ice actually builds up inside the combine

Kate Procter and how much it can seem like concrete when you’re trying to chisel it out of there. This year, I had to make an addendum to this lesson.

Sometimes you have to park your fear of the things you don’t know that you don’t know and just take a chance. It may turn out better than you ever expected.

Another lesson from the past is that there are always new things to learn about your combine.

Harvesting in 2018’s winter conditions helped me get to know our combine in a whole new way. I learned where to plug in the block heater, that you never know when you might get back to the field so park accordingly, it takes much longer than you expect to chill the combine after sitting inside the shop for two weeks, and it is possible to have an entire bin full of beans that will not unload. This year I learned that finding out what needs fixing and getting at it can be the hardest part of the whole repair. And the chance of rain increases the later you work to get things going again.

I always get out on the other side of harvest feeling humbled and happy to be finished. It’s a team effort, for sure. I’m so grateful for our team with everyone bringing different skills to the table. Some bring their never-ending good cheer, no matter what the forecast, and others bringing the lessons of years of hard harvests to help when things don’t go as planned. The deliveries of food and coffee to the field make the long days seem less difficult. All of the support that comes from experts who know how to get things running again, especially when they can walk us through repairs over the phone, are priceless.

I think of my farming neighbours – even if we only see each other from a distance through a cloud of dust – all working away feverishly before the next rain shower shuts us down again. We support each other with jokes and advice and sometimes actually showing up to help if we have our own work done. And no matter how many things go wrong in a day, any day where we all go home at night in one piece is a good day. ◊

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

A Carter Christmas My only memory of my grandfather was in the fall of 1962 at the age of four when he and my father were tossing split cordwood through a narrow window to a dirtfloored room in the cellar.

Tine, short for Valentine, let me ride in the wheelbarrow being used for the task though not as many times as I might have wished. I had the impression that hauling both wood and a boy in his 81st year was wearing on him.

Anita, my mother, had a soft spot for Tine, I think. She spoke of his habit of sipping tea from the saucer, an antiquated practice even then, his

determined nature, and penchant for knowing the correct answer to most any question poised to him.

The old man didn’t live to see Christmas that year, necessitating a fundamental change in the household. It marked the beginning of a reign that would last for the following half century. Anita would lead the Christmas preparations, her mother-in-law being in mourning and Anita’s skills in the kitchen having improved remarkably after 12 years on the farm.

We all lived in the same old, rambling farmhouse with its exterior of red stucco. Grandma Carter inhabited roughly half the living space and our growing family of five the remainder. We shared a single bathroom to which grandma’s access would invariably be locked from time to time, initiating a great deal of consternation on her behalf to which I would often respond by running upstairs to provide relief, having been as often as not responsible for the old lady’s discomfort.

Unlike my father, Anita had

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10 The Rural Voice

words of advice for her children though I’m unsure if the same was offered to all.

She would often say to me, “Hold your head up and your shoulders back” and “Do not have delusions of grandeur” and suggest a career as a welder or some similar trade that might lead to steady work. Perhaps she was thinking of her own parents when offering the advice.

Her father, reputedly Oxford County’s biggest liar in his time, was only five feet in height. He worked as an electrician and at the local quarries. He fell and suffering a serious but not lasting injury not long after the loss of the first of his progeny – a sweet blue-eyed girl with blonde curls, old enough to ride a tricycle – to a childhood disease.

Anita maintained her own arrival came as a disappointment. No curls of yellow but a shock of dark, unruly hair and deep brown eyes.

She was nine in 1937, the eldest of five living children, when the Children’s Aid Society arrived to the door of their village home. Her father was away working in Northern Ontario and her mother was in hospital for an extended stay following what was then a serious surgery.

No help was offered beyond sending the children hither and thither. Anita was sent to a barracks for young girls where she would remain until the building was taken over three years later for the war effort and its inhabitants dispersed among foster homes. At the time, the direction taken was considered the best and most proper recourse, as it was believed that children were resilient to such abrupt and dramatic change.

Anita would maintain her experience was a positive one in which she learned the benefits of discipline and how to “clean” one’s plate. Thick porridge is something she would often serve to her own family as the morning meal, oatmeal or Red River cereal with milk and brown sugar, and the words, “It will stick to your belly.”

For one disenfranchised, Christmas with family was evidently of the highest priority given the effort Anita expended.

Jeff Carter Stores would be laid in and pudding, fruit cake and cookies prepared far in advance and then father would be recruited to fetch the tree, a swamp cedar; a large specimen being selected, the top alone being taken. My two older sisters and I were allowed to help with its decoration under close supervision, mother and sisters insisting each strand of tinsel be individually placed, the result of which was a magical, shimmering effect when a door was closed or someone simply passed through the space. Beyond the tree, the only decoration was a plastic holly wreath with a single, hopeful red bulb that could be seen from the graveled sideroad a couple hundred feet away.

Mother insisted Christ had a part in the holiday but the greater emphasis was on family. Grandma Isbister who lived well into her 90s was a fixture and one or even two of mother’s siblings with their own families in tow would attend, making for a grand celebratory meal with party crackers and candles lit, silver and Limoges China laid on white linen covering two fully-leaved tables so that as many as 16, even more, could all be seated at once.

The tradition continued after the farm was sold in the late 1970s. It simply moved to Anita’s new home in town though some aspects gave way, like fragrant cedars being replaced by pines or spruce and then plastic.

I remember reviving the cedar component one year, father having passed at 60 years of age; mother burst to tears when she saw it as did my my sisters as well.

Even after Anita suffered her heart attack – the head nurse in attendance later told me it was a miracle she pulled through – her Christmas reign continued with my sisters stepping up. Though all talented in the culinary arts, it was never quite the same. The Limoges and silver gave way to a less elegant setting and the carrot-and-fruit pudding with rum sauce to coffee cake that was served, not when all were filled to bursting, but the following morning.

Anita died three years ago, lingering thankfully, for only a relatively short time.

This year, Christmas for the Carters will change even more and if a finger can be pointed for that change, it might best be pointed my way. Knowing how my sisters insist on taking charge of such events, it was to my wife that I suggested that ‘Christmas’, rather than being held on the 25th might better celebrated on Boxing Day and that the venue be a small, rural club more suited for family members with mobility issues than a home with too many stairs.

My wife mentioned this to one

particular sister who immediately took credit for the idea and after some wrangling among the others the course was settled upon. It’s only after a lifetime of dealing with powerful women does a man learn to exert influence among their number.

So, when the turkey – and alternative protein sources – are served on paper plates, not a regretful word will pass my lips. The family will be together, a tradition that truly matters. And mom will be there, too.◊

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December 2021 11

Viewpoint Ralph C. Martin is an author and a retired professor from the University of Guelph

Confessions of an Optimistic Green Pssst, look behind the piles of news articles declaring the demise of the Green Party of Canada. You’ll find me there, an optimistic Green and what’s more, I now want to admit it.

You may ask, “are you naïve?” In defense, I know what happened and viscerally feel Green angst. I left many doorsteps, while canvassing in the 2021 election, chastised and chastened about internal Green Party conflicts. My option of choice was to shift from a grimace to a tentative

12 The Rural Voice

smile and talk again about environmental prerogatives, at the next door. The Green Party of Canada lost about 2/3 of votes from 2019 to 2021. Hardworking Green candidates and their dedicated teams ended 2021 campaigns with dismal results.

Unfortunately, our leader did not win her seat and is discouraged and resigning after “the worst year of her life.” Many are dismayed. Party members are challenged by charges of systemic racism and sexism.

Greens grieve the loss of who we understood ourselves to be. Our capacity to function as a party has been compromised and a rebalancing of power and influence, within our party structure, is required.

In other losses, Paul Manly, a classy guy who is exactly the type of MP Canada needs, was defeated. If we had 338 MPs like Paul Manly, Parliament would serve Canadians fairly and equitably with due deference to our abundant environmental heritage. Jenica Atwin, an effective MP of

considerable promise, is now carrying a red rather than green banner. Many of us miss her as a colleague.

In spite of previous acknowledgements, hope tugs me forward. The climate agenda is pregnant with political possibilities.

As Andrew Cohen suggested recently in the Globe and Mail, “If Mr. Trudeau learns from his mistakes, rallies progressives and puts policy before politics, he can … find his place in history.” In addition to Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice, there are other committed MPs such as Blake Desjarlais in EdmontonGriesbach and Steven Guilbeault in Laurier-Sainte-Marie. They could forge a cross-party climate alliance to steer meaningful legislation to enable necessary action.

The carbon pricing court challenge by three provinces was defeated and the federal government can proceed with national minimum carbon pricing. Even the federal Conservative Party now realizes their electoral standing was improved with a nod to carbon pricing (The Post, Sept 29-21). And let’s not forget the clarion call from Preston Manning, firmly rooted in Alberta politics, for full cost accounting with respect to energy production. .

John Kerry, U.S climate envoy, has the backing of his President to shift the bloated beast of U.S. government to facing, rather than running from, climatic realities.

Furthermore, as COP26 approaches, “China will support other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. (Guardian, Sept 22-21)” At the recent Youth4Climate event, “youth spoke the truth, i.e. more is necessary, and faster (National Observer, Oct 6-21).” Let’s listen and support MPs who will act accordingly.

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Solidarity

Cultivating reconciliation Ontario’s farm organizations are tilling new, reconciliatory ground with Indigenous Peoples in Canada • By Gary Kenny •

A

s their recent public testimonials reveal, Ontario’s various non-governmental farm organizations are tilling some new, and reconciliatory, ground.

On September 30th, the Ontario Federation of Farmers (OFA), National Farmers-Union-Ontario (NFU-O), the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) and other Ontario-based farm groups publicly stated their commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by

Denise Miller (above), a Cayuga of Six Nations at the Grand River First Nations says statements made by farm organizations towards reconciliation are good conversation starters but in order to make effective change, action is required.

14 The Rural Voice

issuing statements of solidarity on Canada’s first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

In a statement made jointly with 14 other farm associations, including the Beef Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Sheep Farmers and the Egg Farmers of Ontario, the OFA stated, “Collectively, we recognize the importance of truth and reconciliation and acknowledge that there is much more for us to know and understand.”

The Government of Canada made the statutory holiday official in June calling it a “public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and impacts of residential schools.”

The newly-minted national day delivers on one of the 94 calls to action contained in the 2015 final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) into the history and impacts of the former Indian residential school system.

Call to action #80 requested the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish “a statutory holiday to honour survivors of the schools, their families, and communities” as “a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

In an interview Tyler Brooks, the OFA’s Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations, said, “Our group of 15 organizations wanted to have a role in honouring and commemorating the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and the lasting impact on their communities.”

In its September 30th statement, the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) emphasized the need for all Canadians to be educated about Canada’s colonial past and especially residential schools. The primary purpose of the schools was to assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream Canadian culture by stripping them of their Native language, customs and culture. Some describe that process as “killing the Indian in the child.” The TRC named it “cultural genocide.”

The EFAO called farmers, and all Canadians, to “look to the wisdom and leadership of Indigenous peoples for the truth of not only residential schools but also all the inequities and grave injustices faced today” by First Nations peoples.

“The enormity of the intentional, systematic, and violent removal of Indigenous peoples from the land for the historical and ongoing benefit of settlers is overwhelming,” The EFAO added.

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) endorsed the OFA statement. “Our joint statement was

intended to show support and to encourage the wider agricultural community to reflect on our relationship to the land and to our Indigenous neighbours,” the CFFO’s president Ed Scharringa said in an interview.

A Christian organization by name, the CFFO also addressed the legacy of church-run residential schools. In the approximately 125 years of residential school operation, they were administered variously by Roman Catholic, United, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Mennonite churches in Canada.

As the TRC report documents in shocking detail, many children were forcibly “Christianized” and stripped of their Native language and culture.

Many were also psychologically, physically and sexually abused under the watch of church staff, clergy and lay. The discovery last summer of hundreds of unmarked graves on the sites of former residential schools, with thousands more expected to be found, speaks to the egregiousness of that legacy.

“As Christians, we recognize that the Church played a harmful role in supporting the residential school system,” Scharringa said. he NFU-O (jointly with its parent NFU) appeared to take umbrage at the term “holiday.”

“The new official day should be a solemn day of reflection, anticolonial action, and meaningful reconciliation,” it said. “Indigenous peoples receive no holiday from colonialism.”

“We (Canadians) must all do our part,” the NFU said. That includes “educating ourselves and taking action in solidarity with Indigenous communities.”

True to its long-time activist orientation, the NFU also called out the federal government for failing to live up to its own reconciliation obligations. “After six years, only 13 of the 94 TRC Calls to Action have been fully implemented by the federal government,” the NFU said.

But to be fair, not all the 94 Calls to Action were directed at the federal government.

While she recognizes the good intentions behind the farm organizations’ testimonials, Denise

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Miller, a Cayuga of Six Nations at the Grand River First Nations, says they’re “just statements.” They are “a good conversation starter but in order to make changes – action is required,” Miller said in an interview.

Miller coordinates an Indigenous food and seed sovereignty program for youth called “Revitalising Our Sustenance.” The project provides Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth with opportunities to learn about the importance of sustainable agriculture practices while also growing food for their families and communities.

“The residential school system has affected everything – not just our languages. It changed our relationship to our own agricultural systems and cycles,” Miller said.

Miller views agriculture-related reconciliation through the lens of “Onkwehonwe.” It's a Mohawk word meaning that all life – earth, water, plants, vegetables, trees, animals, rocks, winds, sun, moon, stars, and the spirit world – are interconnected and part of the circle of life. That circle is reflected in the Indigenous phrase, “All My Relations.”

Intensive, chemically dependent agriculture systems “are destroying our environment and our relationships with each other,” Miller continued. “I think a huge change is needed in how we all interact with our environment.”

“Agriculture is way more than just planting rows...more discussions need to be had surrounding restorative agriculture practices,” she added.

According to Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. (ICT), which helps people and organizations “build informed, effective, and respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities,” reconciliation is a complex and multifaceted process that shouldn’t be taken lightly or reduced to mere platitudes.

Some of the markers of reconciliation, ICT says, are honouring treaties, acknowledging and respecting Indigenous rights and title, acknowledging and letting go of negative perceptions and stereotypes, learning about Indigenous history 16 The Rural Voice

and culture, and healing for all Canadians.

What reconciliation is not, ICT adds, is a trend, a single statement, a box to be ticked, about blame or guilt, about the loss of rights of nonIndigenous Canadians, or someone else’s responsibility.

“We all recognize the role the agriculture industry played in the colonization of what is now known

Ed Scharringa, CFFO president, says Christians recognize they played a harmful role in supporting the residential school system. as Canada,” the OFA said, adding, “farms across Ontario are situated on treaty lands and traditional territories of many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across the province.”

While representing 4.9 percent of Canada’s total population, Indigenous peoples hold only 6.3 per cent of the country’s total landmass.

Almost all Canadian farmland remains in the possession of those with white settler ancestry.

It’s perhaps ironic that settler agriculture became a tool of colonization given Indigenous peoples’ own traditional agricultural practices – practices that served the early colonizing Europeans well.

“Were it not for Indigenous food knowledge,” says York University’s Food Policy for Canada, “Europeans would not likely have survived in Canada.”

In its statement the EFAO said, “Those (of us) who make our livelihood reaping nourishment from the soil owe a profound debt to the original Indigenous stewards of this land.”

Indigenous peoples have a long if not well recognized history of agriculture that dates back many centuries, long before the arrival of Europeans. In the southern reaches of the Americas Native peoples excelled in the art of plant domestication and cultivated some 300 food crops.

Colonizing Europeans introduced many of those crops to Europe where some, including corn, potatoes, beans and tomatoes, became staples.

According to research by the University of Saskatchewan, Indigenous foods of the Americas constitute 60 percent of the world’s crops now in cultivation.

Native inhabitants of southern Ontario also farmed.

The Haudenosaunee, for example, maintained a strong agricultural tradition and culture associated with especially maize (corn) horticulture.

Generally speaking, Food Policy for Canada states, the Canadian food system is built on land and knowledge appropriated from First Nations people. The settler colonial project depended on agriculture and land possession for its development and success.

“As non-Indigenous farmers, we recognize that we live and work on land stewarded and farmed by Indigenous peoples long before our families set down roots here,” the CFFO’s Scharringa said.

But the Haudenosaunee’s and other First Nations’ customary cultivation practices, foodways and diets were disrupted after Indigenous farmers were dispossessed of the lands they stewarded for thousands of years, Miller said. “So when we think of reconciling with Indigenous communities we must also remember treaties and land responsibilities,” she added.

Mi’kmaq lawyer Pam Palmater sharpens Miller’s point. “What we should be imagining is what Canada could look like if we started returning so-called Crown Lands back to First Nations,” the Ryerson University professor wrote in The Breach

(“Canada: It’s time for Land Back,” November 5, 2021).

If Canada and Canadians are interested in true reconciliation and a real Nation to Nation relationship, Palmater adds, then that means

Pam Palmater is a Mi’kmaq lawyer who wrote a book called Canada: It’s time for Land Back which has become a rallying cry for indigenous youth.

“Land Back.”

“Land Back” has become a rallying cry for thousands of Indigenous youth across Canada who seek to restore Indigenous governance and sustainable approaches to land stewardship. For them a just path forward is impossible without the return of land that was lost through dishonoured treaties or outright theft.

“Indigenous calls for “land back” must be understood as not just about Crown land but also about the need for reconciliation with settler farmers who grow food on unceded…

Indigenous territory,” said the NFU’s Thompson.

All the farm organizations interviewed for this article said they are in the early stages of understanding their role within the truth and reconciliation process. The NFU, however, appears to have journeyed farthest along that path which may serve as incentive for others.

For years discussions of settler colonialism have been central “to how NFU members understand their relationship to the land and to Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island (North America),” says Thompson.

Much of the NFU’s research and leadership on Indigenous issues has come from its Indigenous Solidarity Working Group (ISWG) which meets regularly. Formed in 2015, the ISWG’s members include Indigenous and non-Indigenous farmers from across Canada.

Issues researched and discussed include how farm labour was frequently imposed on Indigenous children at residential schools and that, prior to the creation of Temporary Foreign Worker

Programs, Indigenous people were forced to work on “settler owned and operated” farms in Ontario and other provinces.

NFU members have built informal partnerships with Indigenous communities for decades, Thompson said. Local Indigenous communities have been given access to their private farmland for hunting and foraging, for indigenous seed saving initiatives, and to practice traditional ceremonies.

“Building real, lasting relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities is also the basis of real truth and reconciliation,” Thompson added. “We all benefit from the soil where we have planted our roots – it is literally our common ground.” ◊

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Labour

First Christmas in snow-covered Canada Felena Pereira says her employer made Christmas extra-special when COVID-19 lockdowns kept seasonal workers in Canada • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

W

hile media reports have revealed poor conditions some seasonal workers experience in Canada, Felena Pereira of Trinidad and Tobago says her employer made Christmas 2020 in lock-down a great experience and she now wants to become a permanent resident.

Pereira is a mother of two who works at Schuyler Farms in Norfolk County. The family operation produces apples, sour cherries, grains, oil seeds and grass fed lamb and is heavily invested in sustainable agriculture, while employing over 200 seasonal workers. Pereira started working at the farm in 2013 for a three-month stay and now works eight months of the year. She is currently in the process of applying for permanent residency because she sees Canada as a country of opportunity for her and her two children, aged 17 and 14.

“Being a foreign, temporary worker, I know that we help the Canadian economy and this is important we come here and work,” said Pereira, speaking in a farmer panel on seasonal workers during the Royal Food and Nutrition Forum hosted by Farm and Food Care in November. Her experience has been great, thanks to an employer that has always followed protocol and treats workers well.

“Last year we travelled to Canada during the height of the pandemic on July 6. Usually we arrive in April,” recounts Pereira. “We had to quarantine but mine was not a bad experience because I was housed with two other co-workers and the farmer did all he had to do. He provided foodstuffs and it was not a bad experience.”

When workers had to stay over Christmas, the whole community got involved to make it special for the workers, says Pereira. “They brought groceries to the farm and people donated Christmas decorations. It turned out to be a very festive experience for our first winter. The farmer went all out and decorated the farm … it was so pretty. He had a huge tree and Christmas presents. Even though we missed Trinidad, it was a good experience.” Some co-workers even tried traditional winter sports and activities such as ice-fishing and cross-country skiing though it was commented that ice-skating looked crazy.

18 The Rural Voice

In a photo from her Twitter feed, Felena Pereira of Trinidad & Tobago shared her first Christmas in Canada after COVID‐19 lockdown kept her and other seasonal workers grounded in December 2020. Felena shared her experiences as a seasonal worker in a farmer panel during the Royal Food and Nutrition Forum held in November.

Seasonal workers are a vital part of Canada and Ontario’s farm scene and Amanda Dooney of Suncrest Orchards in Norfolk County said they couldn’t do without their Jamaican “family”.

“We can’t hire local people. We advertise and no Canadians seem willing to work. They seem to turn down their nose at farm work,” says Dooney, who operates two orchards with her husband and hires eight long-term seasonal workers and an additional 10 workers at harvest.

“Farm work is very seasonal and we cannot offer full time work year around but our Jamaicans love it.

They work the season and then have time at home with their families.

They told us the working wage parttime here is equivalent to what a full time police officer makes back home.”

The very nature of seasonal work is a huge detriment to hiring locals, says Stefan Larass, a Senior Policy Advisor with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. He explained that farmers are required to advertise locally and nationally, using at least two publications, to hire Canadians. If they cannot, then they can apply for seasonal workers via the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. It’s quite a process but worth it because foreign workers are eager for work, work hard and don’t mind the seasonal aspect.

Referencing a federal study on the issue of foreign workers, Larass said the number one reason farmers find it hard to hire local workers is the parttime aspect. “They don’t want a sixmonth career. Also, the physical nature of the work is a detriment,” said Larass. Structural issues also come into play because farms aren’t near Toronto or other major centres where there is a higher population of workers. For farmers, turnover is a real concern. Domestic workers are prone to quitting, which can be devastating for a farmer with crops ready to harvest.

Wages are another issue and are the third reason seasonal work doesn’t attract local workers, says Dooney. However, it's a difficult issue because Ontario farmers are competing against American and Mexican products. Higher wages

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means higher-priced products. “Morally, you can always pay more but can you then sell your product?”

Dooney agrees. “I would love to pay workers more. When we hire them, we pay according to the contract and there is not a lot of wiggle room to pay more. When our guys come here, they earn slightly above minimum wage and a small utility fee of $2.36 per day. But remember, they do not have all the bills we have. They pay for groceries. They do not pay for hydro, gas or vehicles. Those are costs the farmers have to pay including free internet and things like that. It’s a tricky one, for sure. I guess I’d ask if consumers are willing to pay more for apples at the grocery store?”

All three panelists recognized Ontario farmers could not survive without temporary foreign workers.

“Workers like Felena are a huge part of our industry. Over one in three (farm) workers are international guest workers,” explains Larass. “Without them, it would be impossible to run local farms.” Most foreign temporary workers hail from Mexico and Jamaica but many also arrive from countries like Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago and even from European countries like the Ukraine.

COVID-19 made it all the more complicated.

Dooney says the pandemic created a lot of extra work. Though there were no outbreaks at Suncrest Orchards, quarantine was a long process that required Dooney to buy groceries for the workers and source their favourite goods, such as tinned milk and salted fish. “Our guys were able to stay on the farm and cook for themselves but it helps for the farmers to be in the know, to provide the food and ingredients they like.” Dooney was also responsible for daily temperature checks and routine COVID-19 checks. “Some of these guys had to take six or seven tests just to come here to work. They go through a lot to work on our farm to help grow food for Canadians.”

Readers who followed the temporary foreign workers issues during COVID-19 know farmers who grow asparagus struggled with production dropping 40 per cent because they could not get their seasonal workers into the country. Airlines were down, government approvals were behind and asparagus is one of the first crops to be harvested in Ontario. By the time strawberries were ready, most workers were on farm and by the end of the year, most farmers had a full 20 The Rural Voice

Amanda Dooney of Suncrest Orchards in Norfolk County says the Jamaicans who work seasonally on their farm are like family and the farm could not run without their invaluable help. Pictured (top) is Amanda going grocery shopping with (left to right) Marlon, Davince and George .Above, left to right, Amanda poses with Raymond, George, Amanda and Livian. Livian has been working in the orchard for over 20 years to support his family home in Jamaica.

contingent of workers, recounts Larass.

Dooney is new to the farming scene but she quickly learned how vital it is to treat workers like family.

“These guys live with us for eight months so it is important that they are comfortable and happy when they are here. We did a big bunkhouse renovation this year and it is beautiful, clean and comfortable. We feel if the workers are happy and comfortable, they will feel good and be willing to work hard.”

Stephen Larass, Senior Policy Advisor, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association One of Dooney’s workers has been coming to work at the orchard for 22 years, long before the Dooneys purchased it. “We are so fortunate to have Livian. He is a gentle old soul, so knowledgeable and sweet. We could not run our operation without him.” Working in Canada for so long has allowed Livian to educate his sons, with one becoming a teacher and another son in the army.

Larass says he wished every employer would be like Dooney but recognizes there are farmers who do not treat workers like they ought to.

He said there is accountability as the federal government tracks infractions and posts them online. Also, workers are provided with phone numbers to call if they feel they are being mistreated. “It’s not perfect, but there is accountability.” ◊ December 2021 21

Business

Second Spring launches from Everspring Success in the sprouting business has launched a new generation of entrepreneurs making flours and mixes with sprouted grains, seeds and beans • By Bonnie Sitter •

I

Michelle Reilly and Dianne Wolters have expanded their parents’ sprouting business with their own line of sprouted products under the Second Spring label. The business has gone from strength to strength with products shipped internationally and plans to launch a micro bakery and retail store in Seaforth next year.

22 The Rural Voice

n Seaforth, Ontario, a family business named Everspring is making products that are meeting the demand for healthier, whole, minimallyprocessed food. The factory is a true family affair with parents Dale and Marianne Donaldson at the helm and their daughters and sons-in-laws — Michelle and Patrick Reilly and Dianne and Jonathon Wolters -- all heavily involved with the process of sprouting grains, seeds and beans.

Dale and Marianne began the journey approximately 25 years ago, never imagining at the time it would lead to a sprouting business. It all began as a poultry business on the Donaldson farm near Arva. The family specialized in gourmet duck and goose products. One day, a veterinary friend who had witnessed positive results in the health of the horses after feeding them sprouted grasses, suggested they grow sprouted barley grass and provide a year-round source of fresh grass for their geese. They took his advice and set up a hydroponic unit on their farm and began experimenting with sprouted barley grass. They were impressed with the results.

They learned a lot about the nutritional benefits of sprouting along the way. During the sprouting of grains, enzymes are released allowing the grain to become more digestible. They investigated the history of sprouting and learned that for centuries, civilizations all over the world knew and understood that soaking and sprouting grains, seeds and beans was beneficial for their diets. It improved digestibility, texture and taste. Although this collective wisdom is less common in the modern household, it is reemerging as a way to enhance the digestibility and function of whole foods.

When the Donaldsons were approached by the owners of a bakery which was looking for a source for sprouted flax, the family saw the potential. That call got the wheels turning because by this time the family was getting more and more interested in the sprouting process so in the early 2000s they purchased a 7,000 square foot building on Seaforth’s Main Street.

Dale and Marianne named their company Everspring and at the time of purchase, never

dreamed they would need or use all that space but they have been proven wrong. In 2014 they purchased a nearby building which previously housed the E.D. Smith salad dressing plant.

After the purchase of the plant on Main Street, the next challenge was finding the specialized equipment they needed to expand the sprouting business. It wasn't readily available so they hired a talented millwright named Keith Verhoeven who designed and custom-made the specialized equipment where the sprouting and drying processes take place.

The first step in the process of sprouting is the soaking to allow the bean, grain or seed to germinate.

Germination typically takes between 24 and 48 hours. The second step is moving the germinated product to the huge dryers to carefully preserve the sprouted goodness. Fresh water, time, temperature and air are all critical in the sprouting process and when done properly the resulting products are shelf stable for one to two years. When the process is complete, the sprouted product can be left whole or stone ground into whole grain flour.

It has taken a great deal of research along with trial and error for the Donaldsons to achieve a BRCGS (Global standard for food safety) certification with a AA rating.

Equally important is the fact they have also earned Organic and Kosher certifications. Everspring imports seeds, grains and beans when they are not grown in Canada and exports sprouted products worldwide.

Everspring's production facility on Main Street is allergen-free and gluten-free. Their secondary production facility on Railway Street offers sprouted products with gluten.

Everspring sprouts over 30 grains, seeds and beans. There are six cereal grains with hulless oats and hulless barley, two varieties of wheat, rye and spelt. The five ancient grains include buckwheat, teff, quinoa (red and white), amaranth and kaniwa. They also sprout three types of rice, plus millet, sorghum and corn. The pulses (beans) are mostly grown locally and include adzuki, black, pinto, mung, navy, red kidney,

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plus greenpeas. Lentils, black, green and brown, and chickpeas are also sprouted. In the seed category, Everspring sprouts sunflower and pumpkin seed, white and black chia seed and golden and brown flax seed.

They tell customers they can sprout anything with a germ.

Most products are available as whole seeds, coarse or fine flours and some are offered as powders.

In 2016 the Donaldson sisters, Dianne and Michelle, launched Second Spring products, taking part of the name their parents had chosen for the business and added the second generation tag to it. Their goal is to share sprouted foods directly with individuals.

My visit included a tour of the plant and then a visit to the kitchen lab where I met Mary-Kate Boss.

The aroma of warm sprouted buckwheat chocolate chip cookies and sprouted whole grain wheat and sprouted oats cookies made from sprouted buckwheat, sprouted whole grain and sprouted oats filled the air.

Mary-Kate was preparing gingerbread cookies too. They were all made with sprouted cookie mixes that are available from their online store and at select health and natural food stores across Canada. Orders for mixes and flours are also shipped across North America.

Growth continues! Early in 2022 the family anticipates opening a micro bakery and retail store in downtown Seaforth. All their products will be offered, including both sprouted and freshly milled flours.

For the Christmas season, Second Spring markets three seasonally favourite cookies: a gingerbread cookie mix made with sprouted spelt flour, peppermint chocolate cookies mix made with sprouted rye flour and a shortbread cookie mix made with sprouted red fife flour. The gingerbread mix only requires that you add butter and molasses with easy to follow directions, while other mixes may require an egg and butter.

If you started baking bread during the pandemic, consider trying freshly milled flours which are proudly advertised as nothing added, nothing removed, just freshly sprouted and stone ground, 100 per cent whole 24 The Rural Voice

Dianne Wolters and Michelle Reilly (above) are the daughters of Dale and Marianne Donaldson and have launched Second Spring, their own line of sprouted products to expand the original Everspring business in Seaforth. The girls, their husbands and parents sprout grains, seeds and beans which are sold as whole seeds, flours or powders. The diagram at right provides a visual of the seed change from raw, to sprouted, to dried. Second Spring also offers cookie mixes made from sprouted grains and baking tests are done in the kitchen (below) along with Mary‐Kate Boss, Director of Product Development.

grain flour. The flour can be used in sourdough, yeasted bread, quick breads, cookies, muffins, pancakes and more, just swap a cup of sprouted flour for a cup of regular white or whole wheat flour. Their product line has expanded to include sprouted pizza crust mix and sprouted black bean brownie mix.

The products are packaged in a compostable bag inside a recyclable box made using responsible forestry practices. ◊

December 2021 25

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Christmas

On the hunt for poinsettias Sisters make a tradition out of a Christmasthemed night visiting greenhouses for poinsettias and searching for Christmas gifts • By Deb Sholdice •

I

The annual Poinsettia Festival at Huron Ridge Acres offers a greenhouse full of thousands of poinsettias under twinkling lights and is one of the stops on a Christmas‐themed tour that has now become tradition for Deb Sholdice and her sister.

28 The Rural Voice

’m not sure when something crosses the line from a fun thing that you’ve done a couple of times to being an annual tradition that can’t be missed, but we’ve been doing our “Sisters’ Poinsettia Hunt” for nearly a decade now.

In fact, we’ve been doing it so long that you can set your calendar and your watches by our schedule.

We typically go on the third Thursday of each November (weather permitting), which is the usual opening week for Huron Ridge Acres’ annual Poinsettia Festival.

We head out right after work and start our evening at Greyhaven Gardens, a stop we added about five years ago. Michelle Greydanus, owner of Greyhaven Gardens, is about to enter her sixth year of offering the Christmas Store, now an annual tradition.

What started as offering a few decorations for urns, has grown into a sizable operation on its own that requires months of set-up, beginning in August to get a few of the greenhouses transformed into a winter wonderland. Greyhaven puts up the ceiling, walls and lights and begins the preparation work that makes the serious decorating only take a couple of weeks.

The result is magical. During the season, a shopping trip cannot be rushed here. You will have to spend a lot of time to make sure that you see everything. Michelle outdoes herself on her purchasing trips, and you will find unique treasures to make your home the envy of the neighbourhood, including everything featuring the popular Christmas gnomes. “They just fly out of the place, everyone wants them.”

They also carry a good selection of lanterns, including solar-powered. The best selection of unique items for decorating urns includes cardinals, the sentimental favourite, and last year’s surprise hit - snowshoes! There are dozens of trees, decked out with all manner of decorations from classic to whimsical. We’ve been watching the selection grow from year to year, and are always excited to see what new bits and bobs we will bring home for our collections.

Customers frequently comment how amazing it is to see the greenhouses transformed from carrying bedding plants in spring and summer to a beautifully decorated Christmas store.

Their Christmas workshops are extremely popular. They offer classes on making wreaths, outdoor urns and centrepieces, most centering around a keepsake item such as a ball, cardinal or lantern. In fact, the classes are so popular that they often sell out as soon as she posts them. Follow them on Facebook for announcements and then act fast to avoid disappointment.

One tip she has for getting into classes, is to join up with one of the many charities and community groups that they support. They offer workshops with a percentage of the proceeds going to the group. Signing up for a class through your favourite cause is a great way to make a decoration that you want and to support that group.

My sister and I have taken several of Greyhaven’s classes and then return each year to purchase supplies to recreate the urns and centrepieces that have become heirloom items.

Michelle is also getting very excited about a planned expansion.

When you arrive during the Christmas sale, you may (hopefully) notice a construction project happening near the road. They are working towards having a dedicated retail space built over the fall and winter and are anticipating a spring opening. This may be the last Christmas that the store takes over the greenhouses, and while everyone enjoys the charm, the retail space will allow Michelle even more room to grow the event!

The Christmas Store is open seven days a week, from Oct. 22 to Dec. 24. 39843 Londesboro Rd, Londesborough. ith a Christmas station tuned in on Sirius radio, we make the trek south through the county to Bronson Line, between Zurich and Bayfield to Huron Ridge Acres.

Huron Ridge Acres near Zurich will be holding its annual Poinsettia Festival in November. Last fall, Huron Ridge completed an exciting

W

We just wanted to say “Merry Christmas”, and “thanks” for calling on us this past year.

We appreciate your kind patronage. from Ron, Betty, Chad & Crystal

Walton 519- 887-6428 (Shop) 519-955-1588 (Chad) • 519-524-3543 (Ron)

Dundalk Location 79 Proton Street N., PO Box 340, Dundalk, Ontario N0C 1B0

Feversham Location 494283 Grey Road 2 Feversham, Ontario N0C 1C0

Tel: 519-923-2400 Tel: 519-922-2725 Fax: 519-923-2950 Fax: 519-922-3468

Holiday Greetings to all our customers from Directors and Staff Nancy Ferguson Agricultural & Commercial Credit Officer nferguson@dundalkcu.ca

December 2021 29

Holiday Shopping

Harriston, ON 519-994-4400 info@cedarwoodhoney.com www.cedarwoodhoney.com

Cedarwood Honey • Pollinating Services • Nucs • Bee Hive Wooden Wares Liquid, creamed, combed, pure raw and flavoured honey; bee’s wax and food wraps, candles, bee pollen.

Visit us at St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market New Market Building or by appointment on-farm

A collaborative marketplace showcasing Huron County's creative artisans and local food Dec. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-6; Sat. 9-5; Sun. 12-4 26 Isaac St., Clinton • 519-482-1445 madeinhuron.ca or visit us on

Maxwell Meats Ltd. • Meats • Fish • Poultry • Homemade sausages & patties Sides and Quarters Open 7 Days (Look for chip wagon)

Cty. Rd. 13 & Hwy. #4 East of Flesherton

519-924-2709 30 The Rural Voice

2 Mailbox Sizes Available • Stainless Steel • Steel (with powder coated paint) • • • • • •

CUSTOM FABRICATING LASER CAPABILITIES PUNCHING SHEARING, BENDING STEEL, STAINLESS GALVANIZED, ALUMINUM

6650 Perth Line 88, R.R. #1 (Kurtzville) Gowanstown, ON N0G 1Y0 Ph: 519-291-4136 • Fax: 519-291-5532 info@behrns.ca

expansion project and created a new checkout area, a new exit and entrance, and reconfigured gates and parking lot.

The new space is bright and cheerful, and most importantly, can accommodate more people which helps with physical distancing requirements during the popular open houses, as COVID-19 restrictions continue.

The open houses have become a family tradition for many to enjoy the thousands of poinsettias set under hundreds of twinkling lights and dozens of candles with a background of Christmas music, which is sometimes performed live. Hours and weeks of planning and preparation go into creating the festive shopping experience.

My sister and I (and occasionally a niece that has tagged along) always grab a selfie to commemorate the evening at one of the photo stations set up around the greenhouse.

With one of the largest selections of poinsettia varieties in the region, Huron Ridge has become a Christmas destination. You can find poinsettias here to fit into almost any decorative scheme. They range from creamy white to pink to the traditional bright red. Some varieties have bracts with patterns in red and white, pink and white, or green and white and even unique ones in white and soft purple.

Don’t forget to choose a Christmas wrap for the pot, and decide whether you want glitter spray added. I can never decide, but fortunately I have room for several at home and I always buy a few for the office and retail space at The Rural Voice and The Citizen offices in Blyth and Brussels.

Between its retail sales and fundraising sales of groups and schools, Huron Ridge Acres will sell around 12,000 poinsettias of more than 20 different varieties, and the poinsettias will travel as far as Tobermory in the north to Kingsville in the south.

Huron Ridge Acres will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays, from Nov. 17-20, Nov. 24-27 and Dec. 1-4.

After an evening of shopping, we stop at Bayfield on our way home for supper. Renegade’s Diner has

become our favourite place to eat on our girls’ night out. The creamy mac and cheese is just the right amount of comfort food to top off the night, and the relaxed atmosphere is perfect for us to sit and reminisce about holidays past and plan for the family

Christmas to come.

Sure you can find what you're looking for online or in a big box store, but these family owned and operated businesses know how to provide an experience, and that’s what keeps us coming back! ◊

Cutline

Deb Sholdice, McKenna White and and Kim Hulley (top) enjoy a Christmas tradition exploring the Christmas‐themed decor (middle pictures) at Greyhaven’s Christmas store near Londesboro before travelling to Zurich for the Poinsettia Festival (right) at Huron Ridge Acres.

December 2021 31

Holiday Shopping

519-482-9333 22 Isaac St., Clinton

www.verbeekslandscaping.com Beef • Pork • Sausages • Custom • Wholesale • Retail • Deli Meat & Cheese Trays Available 142 Arthur St., Harriston Tel.: 519-338-3330 Fax: 519-338-3525 mark@harristonpacking.ca

¶ Christmas Trees ¶ Cedar Roping ¶ Kid’s and Adult Muckboots & Dryshod Boots

¶ Gift certificates available ¶ Tough Duck winter wear

A Winter

Wonderland Check out www.greyhavengardens.com for upcoming winter workshops Pre-made outdoor arrangements, wreaths, garland, greenery, giftware and indoor décor Our reloadable gift cards make a great gift for any occasion RR#1 39843 LONDESBORO RD., LONDESBOROUGH PHONE/FAX 519-523-9781

32 The Rural Voice

Extended Hours Monday - Friday 9 am - 5 pm Saturday 9 am - 5 pm Sunday 10 am - 3 pm

LOCATED 500 YARDS WEST OF LONDESBOROUGH ON CTY. RD. 15

Holiday Shopping On-Farm Store is Open

Where Black is Beautiful Quality Animals Yarns, socks, hand knit & felted products

Fabric, Quilting Supplies, Ready & Custom Made Quilts

Frolic With The Alpacas!

For a small donation you can visit with the Alpacas

519-625-8435 heather@thequiltplace.ca www.thequiltplace.ca 3991 Perth Rd. 107, Shakespeare, ON

DEE & ADRIA GRAHAM Farm open by appointment or by chance 519­528­2406 Cell: 519­450­8144

542 BRUCE RD. 86, (Amberley Rd.) RR 1 LUCKNOW DLFARMSALPACA.COM dlfarms@hurontel.on.ca

Edgar’s Christmas Décor • Christmas Trees • Wreaths • Garland • Urn Arrangements • and More!

Call by December 16th to order your gift baskets made with local products

222 Bruce Road 86, Wingham (just west of Whitechurch) Elliott & Rebecca Miller

519-357-2122 Accepting donations to the North Huron Food Bank For more information follow Edgar’s Feed & Seed on Facebook

December 2021 33

Holiday Shopping

Fabrics, Quilts & Much More Makers of Fine Maple Products

Gift Certificates & Gift Baskets available Open 9-6, Mon.-Sat.

7 Toronto St., Markdale

519-986-4144

Maple Syrup Maple Butter Maple Jelly Maple Sugar Leaves Granulated Maple Sugar BBQ Sauce, etc.

Dick & Gale O’Brien ~ 519-369-3056 493168 Glenelg Sideroad 49 R.R. 1 Priceville, ON N0C 1K0 unclerichards@gmail.com www.unclerichards.ca

519-392-6046 3855 Bruce Rd. 4, 5 kms. N. of Teeswater

December 17th ~ Fabulous Friday 20% off “P” Day Over 220 bolts of Christmas fabric & gifts Check Facebook for store updates or visit our website sanityhill.ca

It’s Local, It’s Gouda, It’s Good!

3165 Huron Rd., New Hamburg

Handcrafted Christmas décor, trees, seasonal, bereavement & sympathy items.

www.mountainoakcheese.ca

5 Albert Street, Clinton 519-525-0279 I huronchristmas.ca

Ask about our Gift Baskets and Cheese Platters

Phone: 519-662-4967

Nutritious, healthy and tasty Sun Parlor Honey has it all!

Bentinck Packers Ltd. CUSTOM SLAUGHTERING and RETAIL Conveniently Located 5 Minutes from Hanover Curbside pickup please call ahead to place your orders Specializing in Fresh Beef, Pork and Lamb Products

Customized gift baskets, freezer packs & meat trays

Reg. Hours 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Tues. - Sat.

381488 Conc. 4 NDR, Hanover ~ 519-364-3538 ~ www.bentinckpackers.ca

34 The Rural Voice

Monday - Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 238 Cty. Rd. 14, RR 1 Cottam, ON

519-839-4000

sunparlorhoney.ca

Holiday Shopping CHRISTMAS URNS • GREENS • CENTRE PIECES & DECOR 519­227­1716 lucancountrygardens.ca lucancountrygardens@live.ca 5 minutes North of Lucan on Hwy. 4 ONLINE STORE: shop.lucancountrygardens.ca

Country Quilting Piece a quilt you love, we can quilt it! ** Custom Machine Quilting ** For the quilting enthusiasts, we have everything you need.

Cottons, flannels, fleece, wools, books, patterns 84849 Ethel Line, Brussels, ON

519-887-9456

www.countryquilting.ca

“The Home of Tasty Pastry”

519-524-7941 Christmas baking available 49 West Street, Goderich

Offering a complete line of Maple Products

Syrup

Butter

Condiments

Sugars

Gift Baskets ~ made to order

Jim/Dianne Magwood 519-364-1932 Located 1 1/2 miles northeast of Canadian Tire (Hanover) 341326 Con 2 NDR

OPEN ALL YEAR Local...Quality...Delicious Local Beef • Pork • Lamb • Poultry Specialty European Meat Products

Open Tues. - Fri. 9 am - 5 pm Sat. 9 am - 3 pm 180 Brock Avenue, Hensall

519-262-3130 www.metzgermeats.com

J.R. Fear Apiaries Inc.

Local food products for holiday gift-giving

FRESH HONEY PURE UNSCENTED BEESWAX CANDLES CREAMED HONEY HONEY BASKETS

Located on the corner of Hwy 8 and Porter’s Hill Line, east of Goderich

Open Daily 8:30-5:00 Closed Monday & Sunday

MONDAY TO SATURDAY 9 AM-5:30 PM

200 Potter St., Wingham

Call 519-357-3656

December 2021 35

Holiday Shopping

84548 St. Augustine Line, Auburn 519-529-7857

• Certified Organic • Pure Maple Syrup • Maple Syrup Candy • Custom Gift Baskets

robinmap@hurontel.on.ca www.robinsonmaple.com

www.poppingpodspopcorn.com • poppingpodspopcorn@gmail.com

Christmas shopping made easy with our gift boxes and gift baskets!

Mon to Fri 9 am - 5 pm, Sat. 9 am - 3 pm 5021 Perth Line 8, St. Marys, ON • Liquid • Creamed • Comb

Greetings of the Season and Best Wishes for the New Year

OPEN Thurs., Fri., Sat. 9-5 39006 Zurich-Hensall Rd., East of Zurich 519-236-4979

www.fergusonapiaries.on.ca

36 The Rural Voice

519-229-6856

info@stonetowncheese.com www.stonetowncheese.com

The taste of the Swiss Alps close to home.

From our farm to your table award winning handcrafted alpine style cheese.

Something for everyone on your list.

Online sh hopping also available.

HuronTractor.com

Merry Christmas

300 SENSATIONAL SOUPS A great soup nourishes the soul as well as the stomach. This book offers an incredible variety from traditional comfort food to exotic taste sensations.

Recipes for everything from stock to meat, fish and vegetable soups. $27.95

The Rural Reading Room Specializing in Rural Living & Local Authors

THE CHRISTMAS FEAST When Wolf, Weasel and Fox steal a turkey for their Christmas feast, no one expects the meal to have her own ideas about the celebration. Don’t they want to fatten her up first? And where is the mistletoe, gingerbread and holly? The more time the friends spend with Turkey, the less anyone wants the fun to end. $23.95

TOP 10 FOR KIDS NATURE A weird and wonderful book about the weird and wonderful natural world.

Top 10 for Kids Nature is packed to the max with checklists, fun facts and pictures.

Humorous, relatable and informative, Top 10 for Kids Nature is a must-have book containing exactly what kids want.

Colourful, weird and masses of fun, this fantastic read will keep kids entertained to the max. $9.95

EVEN COWS GO TO HEAVEN Linda Knox tells the often funny story of her father Melville Knox who was born near Stratford, trained at Ontario Veterinary College, and practiced veterinary medicine in Grey County for many years. $14.95

300 BEST POTATO RECIPES Our most common vegetable can also be the most versatile. Information on potato history and varieties and recipes for everything from appetizers, snacks, salads, soups, main courses, breads and desserts. $27.95

CANADIAN JINGLE BELLS Take a flying tour of Canada with Santa Claus and his sled pulled by beaver in this charming illustrated children’s book. Travel from the Yukon and Yellowknife to the west coast and all the way east to Newfoundland. $19.95

HAVE MERCEY My First Sixty Years Making Music An autobiography of the music career of Larry Mercey and the award-winning Canadian Country Music group, The Mercey Brothers. $25.00

The Old Farmer’s 2022 Almanac This 230th edition aims once again to fulfill your expectations with its fun facts and forecasts.

Also includes news, novelties and a little nonsense to carry you through another year. $7.99

Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books Total

Qty.

300 SENSATIONAL SOUPS THE CHRISTMAS FEAST EVEN COWS GO TO HEAVEN HAVE MERCEY TOP 10 FOR KIDS NATURE 300 BEST POTATO RECIPES CANADIAN JINGLE BELLS THE OLD FARMER’S 2022 ALMANAC

$27.95 $23.95 $14.95 $25.00 $9.95 $27.95 $19.95 $7.99 Total for Books Shipping & Handling $9.00 Add 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.

December 2021 37

38 The Rural Voice

Leadership

The Changemakers in agriculture • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

Leaders are changing the food system by thinking creatively, encouraging diversity and educating others Julie Romagnoli works with John Deere as a production specialist and launched #PrideinAg on Instagram to encourage acceptance of diversity in the work place.

C

hange is often the result of childhood experiences and three panelists recently shared how having a sick dad, being gay or wishing the world was a better place spurred them to change the food system in their own unique ways.

Pride in Agriculture Julia Romagnoli is known on Instagram for the #PrideinAg hashtag after feeling lonely in the agriculture sector when unable to be her full, authentic self in the workplace. Romagnoli grew up in rural Ontario and knew from an early age that her place was in agriculture. “I was the nine year old jumping out of bed early to help with morning milkings,” she told listeners of The Changemakers’ Forum, a presentation of the Arrell Food Summit hosted by the University of Guelph in November.

Her next step was to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. While at school, she got involved in extracurricular activities and her social life really blossomed, allowing her to come to terms with the fact that she was gay. “A lot of that came from being in a more urban setting and seeing folks who were open to that identity,” said Romagnoli. “It was a real opportunity for me but that’s not to say it wasn’t a difficult journey.”

When she graduated, Romagnoli was excited to start a

full-time career with John Deere as a Production Systems Specialist but felt she needed to “prove herself” before she could bring her whole self to work.

“A lot of that sparked #PrideinAg for me. Being LGBTQ in agriculture can be really lonely and you can feel like you are the only one,” she said. “It was a bit of an impossible journey.”

Creating the #PrideinAg network made it visible that there are other folks that identify as LGBTQ in agriculture and brought its presence forward. “Each story I heard was unique but with everyone I talk with, there is a conversation that they really felt alone in that journey and in coming to terms with their identity and being visible in the sector.”

Now, she wants to take these journeys from being a conversation on diversity to the next step. “What are the barriers of minority groups in food and agriculture and how can we actually move those barriers?” she asked.

Romagnoli is also keen to connect with individuals who have influence and are in positions of management to encourage them to better understand those from different backgrounds and different sexual orientations and different genders.

“There are some who did feel there wasn’t space for them in this industry and they went elsewhere. It is my job December 2021 39

to make awareness there is space,” said Romagnoli.

The HAPPY organization When Haile Thomas of Dallas, Texas was eight years old, her father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

“Coming from a Jamaican family, food has always been a huge part of my life and also the way I learned about my culture. But the health aspect was not something we really paid attention to,” said Thomas. “I think with a lot of families you eat what you are given and eat what you like but through my dad’s diagnosis, we were catapulted into a journey to both learn and unlearn what it means to nourish our body and create holistic wellness.”

Her family began watching food documentaries and reading books and via this self-education process, were able to reverse her dad’s diagnosis without the aid of medication.

This was transformative for young Haile who said she felt disheartened about broader issues such as child obesity and wondered why

information on good eating was not taught in school. “This felt like a basic foundational element of being a person … to know how to take care of your body because that is what fuels you and allows you to pursue the things that you are passionate about. Or simply to exist in this world with more resilience and strength.”

With living proof that healthy eating can transform lives from her father’s situation and knowledge she learned with her family, she wanted to start teaching her peers that, for example, the pizza they were eating was clogging their arteries. At first, she used fear-mongering facts and “vomited” the information on people around her. But she soon realized that the power of compassion and engaging in connected education was more important.

“I would not have connected to the topic of health and well-being if it had not been rooted in love and caring for my dad so I was inspired by the root of my own journey,” said Thomas.

She began doing community cooking events which led to opportunities to speak and share her knowledge. She is now an international speaker, having been on TED talks and at Michelle Obama’s 2013 Kids State Dinner. She is the youngest Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach in the United States. She formed the nonprofit HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth) while still a child herself.

Her passion has morphed to encompass a holistic approach to health including mental health and is Haile Thomas of Dallas, Texas formed HAPPY (Healthy “exploring ways we Active Positive Purposeful Youth) when she was a teen can engage in the herself to teach youth how to eat in healthy ways. ~Photo health sector. We can from https://www.hailevthomas.com have tunnel vision on 40 The Rural Voice

the goals we have but there are many interconnected visions and interconnected opportunities.” One such opportunity was to write a cookbook called Living Lively which features plant-based recipes and includes seven “Points of Power” to live our ultimate potential which Thomas says encapsulates the trajectory of her work.

When asked for advice on how to move into a space of advocacy, Thomas said it's wise to “come into a place of inner reflection of how you can authentically show up.” She said when interconnected points of passion and interest fuse into a place to make a change, that naturally creates space to make that change.

Also, she advised entrepreneurs to use energy management. “You can feel the weight of the burdens of the world but without refueling yourself, you cannot offer fuel to the issue you see. That can mean taking consistent breaks to connect to energy or to mindfully eat my meal or to think of all those hands who helped make it to my plate. This grounds my work and recharges my creative energy,” she said.

She also encouraged foodies to diversify the space by embracing unique heritages and cultural foods.

“We can bring something new to the table or bring forth ancient wisdom that is deeply rooted in our heritage.

We can eat in ways that nurture our bodies and communities and our land.”

Personally, she found ways to remix her own favourite Jamaican recipes to make them more nourishing and sustainable. “That connected me to other recipe makers who created recipes that were more sustainable for animals and the planet as well.”

She said our power to create is accessible at every moment.

Knowing that can help everyone view issues and change with “a lot more confidence and a lot more energy.”

Living the Dream Born in Costa Rica and raised in Argentina, Raul Fernandez has always been around people where agriculture is a huge part of life.

The former Chiquita vicepresident of technology of innovation

Lakeside Shelving & Racking • Pallet Racking • Store Shelving • Warehouse Equip. & more Industrial, Farm & Retail

519-524-1740 www.lakesideshelving.com

Raul Fernandez of Argentina created Thx Dreams to match consumers with growers via QR codes as part of a larger plan to support the dreams of farmers. ~Photo from Thx Dreams Facebook page is now Chief Imagination Officer of Thx Dreams, a software platform that links consumers with growers via a QR code to support growers to achieve their dreams. Fernandez said he always had a dream to help make a better world. “I know that may sound cheesy but I think, deep down we all want that.”

As a child he felt young and powerless so he knew he had to develop a super power and that super power was his imagination.

“Everything that you see anywhere is the fruit of somebody’s imagination.

Nothing happens before somebody imagined that.” Developing that superpower gave Fernandez a great headstart on being able to create and help others create.

Later, he combined his imagination with the skills of problem solving and that propelled him to think of how he could support farmers in Latin America. He started Breakthrough Solutions, a company to help Latin America growers become more profitable with the intention they would invest some of their profits back into the community.

“The important thing is to have a dream that is bigger than you. Like Haile. Out of love for her dad she wanted to do something about it and help people. That was bigger than her but it made her bigger,” said Fernandez.

In his own work, Thx really excites him. Farm workers are featured on the labels of their products alongside the QR code.

When a consumer clicks on that code, they watch a video to learn where that worker is from, about their family and what their dream is.

“We help them achieve a dream because about 20 per cent of our profit goes to help them achieve their dream. It is all about raising the dignity of the farm worker,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez said consumers want to be part of the system and growers want to be part of the system but they could not connect. Thx is the bridge between them. The videos show consumers where their money is going and reveal there are responsible workers taking care of the environment.

His advice for entrepreneurs is to believe in your dream. “Don’t let it go away.” He also said it is important to be uncompromising in your values, be ready to adjust and pivot, and do not venture forth alone.

“Connect with people and surround yourself with people who can help you move forward.”

Stories are powerful, concluded Thomas. “They are catalysts for change. When we engage with other people’s journeys and honour their path, and our path, we honour the unique ways we can make change.” ◊

COMMITTED TO CRAFTSMANSHIP The first of its kind in Canada and welcoming over 150 new farmers since its inception in 2016, the CFO Artisanal Chicken Program continues to evolve and grow.

This program enables farmers to raise between 600 and 3,000 chickens on an annual basis.

Accepting applications now Visit artisanalchicken.ca to learn more

December 2021 41

Beef

New barn expansion for Wagyu cattle Tim and Donna Prior held an open house on November 6 to show their cattle comfort and lowstress facility near Brussels Photos by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

T

TIm and Donna Prior (above) market heavily‐marbled Wagyu cattle which they raise at their Grazing Meadows farm near Brussels. To reduce stress and add room for the growing herd, they added a new barn to the existing structure (above) with multi‐functional cattle pens, heated waterers, cameras and a heated office/supply room.

42 The Rural Voice

im and Donna Prior have been raising Wagyu cattle outside and in an old bank barn for over 25 years but wanting to make handling cattle easier for themselves and the herd, they added a new addition to to the barn.

The new barn expansion was built with cow comfort and low-stress in mind. The day after the open house, they processed the herd for dehorning, worming and banding and were amazed at the time savings.

“I bet we cut the time in half from how long it used to take,” said Prior. “It was so much more efficient. That means less stress for the cattle and certainly Donna and I were not so tired.” An Arrow low-stress handling system and Gallagher animal management scale with a data collection system were incorporated into the expansion so all cattle handling can now be done inside.

The heated office and supply room is another highlight of the build for Prior. The office used to be in the basement of the house. “I’d forget something and have to run back to the house. Now it’s all in the barn which is so much more efficient.”

Cattle comfort, efficiency and keeping all the cattle at home were the main goals of the expansion. Wagyu cattle can live quite happily outside year-round and the main breeding herd of 60 cows will continue to so. The new barn allows the younger stock Prior formerly shipped off to other farms for the winter to stay on-site. With the grooved floors, large feed alleys and multifunctional pens, he is looking forward to ease of handling and feeding inside the barn.

The Priors are promoters of the Wagyu breed, of which the meat is noted for its exceptional marbling. The Priors sell Wagyu meat from the farm gate. The breed is very docile, easy to work with and have easy calvings.

Over 125 people attended the open house at Grazing Meadows on November 6. Prior said he thoroughly enjoyed meeting his fellow farmers sharing his knowledge about the breed and the new barn. ◊

The expansion at Grazing Meadows provides more space for the Wagyu herd seen at top in the old bank barn and outside in their pasture. Wagyu cattle thrive outside year round with a fence as shelter from the winds but the new barn has more pens to house young cattle. The expansion features grooved concrete floors inside and in the courtyard (middle pics) plus a brand new Arrow low‐stress cattle handling system with a Gallagher animal management scale and data callection system (above).

December 2021 43

Recipes by Anne Mann

Gingerbread houses bring back happy memories

I

and you do not see the “glue” on the only have to see a gingerbread walls. house to feel my face light up, Ingredients: recalling happy memories of 2 cups molasses gingerbread parties. Kids of all ages 1 cup brown sugar, packed cannot resist the delight of covering 1 cup butter or margarine gingerbread with candy. There are 8 cups all purpose flour only a few things to remember about 2 tsp baking soda your projects: have patience, never 2 tsp ginger skimp on the candy and beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

If you do not have anyone young at heart that you can share the joy of creating an edible dream with, then make a quick batch of Gingersnaps (below) to fill your house with the aroma of Christmas and enjoy these crisp, sweet bites with a cup of tea or a dish of homemade applesauce.

Gingerbread House I first found this recipe in Select Homes 1988 and recognized the contributor, Kay Spicer, whom I met during my university days when her daughter lived next door to me in residence. This gingerbread not only stands up structurally, but it tastes pretty good too!

When I was a teenager, I wanted to make a perfect gingerbread house but I did not yet have this recipe for nice solid walls and more importantly, the advice that came with it to leave the house to set after each addition to the frame, so…. all my hard work collapsed and I was so disappointed I did not try to make another for many years.

Now, I allow time between each stage and leave the Gingerbread houses are a finished structure overnight for the icing to set completely holiday treat that can be before adding the weight of frustrating to make if you decorations. Make your don’t have the right recipe or gingerbread pieces one day, enough patience. Anne Mann glue houses together a second advises making the day and decorate on the third gingerbread house over three to save yourself frustration. If days to let the icing set I am making a project with a completely to avoid the walls group of young people I have collapsing. If a gingerbread the houses glued together up to house is too much work, a week in advance and I will gingerbread snaps (above) make a recipe of royal icing are a sweet treat that goes with some cocoa so it matches well with cold milk.

44 The Rural Voice

2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp allspice 2 Royal Icing (instructions further down), 1 cocoa to assemble, 1 white to decorate Cake board or foil covered cardboard to set houses on.

Candy to decorate

Recipes Directions: In a heavy saucepan bring molasses and brown sugar to a boil.

Pour into a mixing bowl and cool for five minutes then beat in butter.

Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and allspice until blended.

Transfer to a lightly floured board and knead 6 - 8 times. This dough comes together well and rolls beautifully.

Roll out to 3/16 inch on a lightly floured surface. Use only as much flour as is absolutely necessary so the dough does not become tough.

Cut the patterns out of cardboard for:2 roofs – 6 ¼ x 4 ¼ inch rectangles; 2 sides – 5 x 3 ¼ inch rectangles; 1 back and 1 front – 3 ¼ side x 4 ¼ inch with peak on 4 ¼ inch top. Cut the door out of the front only and bake it also.

Place patterns on dough with as little space as possible between them.

Use a sharp knife (or bench scraper if you have one) to cut then lift pieces carefully with a spatula so shape is intact. Sometimes I realign them with the pattern on the baking sheet. Any flour on the pieces will be absorbed as they bake.

You should have enough dough to make three houses. I usually have enough extra for a small house and some stars or small people so the kids can decorate and sample when they are finished the house.

Bake 10 - 15 minutes at 375°F until the centre of each piece is firm, then cool completely.

To Assemble Houses: Make a batch of Royal Icing I or II (below) Apply icing to the bottom of the back end and bottom and inside edge of sides and put two sides against the back and place on a cardboard base.

Note: the pattern is designed so the sides frame the front and back.

Hold until somewhat set. Apply icing to outside edges and bottom of front section and place between two sides. Let sit until set, preferably an hour before adding the next pieces.

Attach the door in an open position to the front of the house.

Squeeze icing along top edges of house ends and sides and long edge

Lisa Thompson, MPP Huron-Bruce Merry Christmas and wishing you the very best in the coming New Year!

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Recipes butter to press them into the pan. I if that is all you need. of one roof piece.

Ingredients: like this crust for the apple Place on house and hold while cheesecake I shared in November 1 Tbsp meringue powder placing the second roof piece so they 2017.

2 Tbsp warm water meet at the top.

Ingredients: 1 cup icing sugar, sifted Hold or support in place until 1/2 cup butter Directions: partially set. I have propped it with a Beat meringue powder with warm 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar box or books. water for 2 minutes.

3 Tbsp molasses Let icing harden overnight for best 1 egg Gradually add icing sugar and results.

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (for GF continue beating until very stiff, To Decorate: flour add 2 Tbsp more) about 2 minutes.

Use white Royal Icing I or II to Place icing in a piping bag with a 2 tsp ground ginger decorate and glue candy to the house.

1/2 tsp cinnamon writing tip, covering extra icing with If you have little hands helping buy 1/2 tsp baking soda a damp cloth until enough candy so they are able to eat ready to use.

1/2 tsp salt as much as they use for decorating.

Directions: Hint: if you do not have a piping That is the best part of building bag just use a heavy plastic bag Beat butter, sugar and molasses gingerbread houses! until smooth then beat in egg. (freezer quality or milk bag) and cut Some suggestions: jelly beans, Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, soda a small corner off the bottom. Small Swedish Berries, candy canes, and salt and stir until combined. children may even find this easier jujubes, Smarties, Kit kat bars for Form dough into a log 1 1/2 - 2 than a piping bag. roof and a foil-covered Santa for the Gingersnaps inches in diameter and wrap in chimney waxed paper or plastic and freeze or These are delightfully sweet and Makes 3 small houses and several refrigerate until firm enough to cut. I crisp and easy to eat! I think they cookies keep mine in the freezer until I am might be one of Santa’s favourite Royal Icing I ready to bake them off. cookies, even if they are made I make this icing with cocoa for When ready to bake, cut about gluten-free! Any leftover cookies gluing the houses together if I am 3/16 inch thick slices and place on a (yes that actually happens when all making a few at the same time cookie sheet with room to spread. your kids have moved away!) can be because the brown does not show if Bake at 400°F for 6-8 minutes ground up and used to make an you are not so neat. You may also until set. awesome ginger crust for a make this with the meringue powder.

Cool completely and enjoy. cheesecake. You do not need to add If you only have one house to Makes about 65 small cookies. ◊ any sugar and maybe not even any assemble it makes sense to have white so you can use the leftover icing (carefully sealed and refrigerated) for decorating as well.

Ingredients: 1 egg white 2 cups icing sugar 1/4 cup cocoa powder for brown icing or an extra 1/4 cup icing sugar for white Directions: Beat egg white until frothy then slowly beat in icing sugar and cocoa until desired consistency.

Try piping it and adjust if necessary.

Royal Icing II This version of royal icing uses meringue powder so you are able to make a smaller batch with just The Staehli family from Lucknow (Dominic and Cedric Staehli above) has a tradition of making one cup of icing sugar gingerbread houses and examples of their creativity are displayed above.

December 2021 47

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

Conservation for Christmas December is a month of hectic activity in the home and among extended family and friends. But when all is said and done it is also a reflective time for lovers of the earth, gardeners, one and all.

Whether the garden is put to bed or not, or if the leaves continue to pile up around the yard, nothing matters any more this year.

Anticipation of what Spring will bring, seed catalogues, and preparing lists of “to-dos” will keep us occupied until the snow starts to melt.

I was listening with interest of the news that there will be a shortage of some popular toys this gift-giving season and thought what a great time to scale back.

But with several grandchildren under six years it may take something pretty interesting to take the focus off excess and more on quality.

So what is on my list of gift items for wee ones? There are always wonderful books (pop ups), Finding Waldo-type books, and maps showing local hiking trails with a calendar marked for outings.

Including a new water bottle and a few tools like soft brushes for poking around will be welcomed. Night hikes with headlamps makes a youngster’s evening super exciting.

Bug catcher cages with books to help identify said bugs always make a face light up. Seeds for favourite plants, both vegetable and floral, or bulbs for forcing are all appropriate.

Never underestimate the excitement in seeing amaryllis coming out of those mammoth bulbs. There was a lot of excitement this summer over the rooting of an avocado pit. It is 48 The Rural Voice

in Dad planting so many acres of now planted and growing on a young pine on my grandfather’s property on lad’s windowsill. Still working on the south edge of the Saratoga watering.

Swamp. Many years later John I find I have been thinking about purchased that property to further the future and placing emphasis on protect the Saratoga, which is classed conservation projects as a way to as a number one wetland. celebrate this time of giving. There John would run the large pair of are any number of organizations that Clydesdale horses down the road past work hard with the donations we give our place. Sometimes they would be them to make our environment pulling a wagon and in the winter it secure. There is the Canadian was a large sleigh. We would hop on Wildlife Federation, Ontario Nature for the ride making sure we thanked and of course the Nature ‘Ann’ and ‘Fran’ when we got off.

Conservancy.

All excellent We loved the cabins he built, organizations that work hard to especially one with a long curved protect wild species and wild spaces, cedar tree forming a natural railing engage and educate the public, and up to the loft, and deep windowsills plan for a future with our perfect for curling up in. It was all so environment healthy and thriving. A perfect; using materials nature gave hard task during these times of us and keeping the land healthy and aggressive development and growth. secure.

If you want to keep your gifts John Hindmarsh left many more local think about the many children, and adults too, with a trails that are featured throughout our greater understanding of conservation county. Many of them are maintained by local conservation authorities and trail associations. Their names and contacts are readily available from both the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) and the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA).

One that is near and dear to my heart is the John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund established by the Maitland Conservation Foundation, the charitable arm of MVCA. My family grew up across the highway from John and Marian Hindmarsh and their family. While their children were a bit older than us it was Mr. Hindmarsh and our family’s friendship with him that opened up a new way of looking at the natural world around us. He and Dad spent time planting trees on marginal land and to reduce soil erosion. They often talked about Learning to store dahlia bulbs can be a hit or miss conservation long before it mission but the general rule of thumb is don’t let them became more mainstream. I freeze, don’t let them dry and don’t store them wet or know he was instrumental they will rot.

Gardening and how important our natural environment is to us all.

I cannot believe the John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund is celebrating its 25th Anniversary! It supports projects and programs that continue to not only teach us about conservation, but also put words into action. From the educational programs at the Wawanosh Nature Centre, working with tree planting projects and planting native plant buffers to protect our coastal area, to upgrading conservation areas like Naftel’s Creek, there is a long list of wonderful projects supported by the Trust Fund.

Our grandchildren have walked Naftel’s Creek many times in their young lives and we continue to show them the world around us that makes us who we are.

Maybe giving financial support to local endeavours and planning ‘events’ as gifts for Christmas this year would be appropriate. As publications like to say, the gift that keeps on giving all year round. ◊

Season’s Greetings Thank you for your business in 2021 Best wishes for a safe, healthy holiday season.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!

Sincerely, the team at

www.livelandscape.ca

Lisa Van Bakel 519-949-3444 Email: lisa@livelandscape.ca

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December 2021 49

Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Zero food waste and home made pesto Chef Bob Blumer says food waste is shameful and shares tips on how to cook and freeze leftovers

T

aking leftover radish leaves, scraping the last spoon of almond butter out of a jar and tossing in leftover cheese, chef Bob Blumer showed how everyday leftovers can turn into fresh pesto as part of his goal to reduce food waste in North America.

Filmed live from his kitchen in California, Blumer was a featured speaker at The Royal’s Food and Nutrition Forum. By both speaking and demonstrating how to reduce food waste, he effortlessly transformed ingredients and mindsets into seeing leftovers as opportunities, not future methane-producers.

“Can’t we pay for our food, eat some and throw out what we don’t use? Isn’t that our prerogative,” he asked. “No”, he said in the same breath. “It is shameful. It squanders resources and most importantly, that food waste contributes to methane gases and that's what is getting us into trouble.”

He says the choices Canadians make on their plates directly affects what is happening on the planet.

More than a third of food produced is never eaten with some being plowed under in fields, some lost in transportation and much thrown away to compost or rot in landfills.

Blumer, who has hosted three award-winning television series, written several cookbooks and is an ambassador for Love Food Hate Waste Canada, says his job is to reframe the issue, make people aware of the problem and change behaviors.

Can it be done? “Absolutely!” he says, referencing how Canadians used to rely on plastic bags to bring their groceries home and now largely use recyclable bags.

For the pesto, Blumer explained that the basic ingredients of store bought pesto are basil, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Most 50 The Rural Voice

Chef and author Bob Blumer made pesto live using leftover ingredients in his California kitchen as part of his talk, “Zero Food Waste — Keep Calm and Cook On” as part of the Royal Food and Nutrition Forum held in November. people would not have all these ingredients at home so he suggested using what you have. Blumer had greens from a fennel bulb and radishes. He tossed both in the blender. Then he added cilantro stems and green onions.

“I don’t have pine nuts. They are expensive and go rancid quickly. But I do have leftover almond butter so let's add that,” he said. Sprouted garlic was tossed in next and then added a tiny piece of cheddar that was getting hard in the fridge with additional cheese coming from a parmesan rind that he grated. Lastly, he added oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes. “So many things are packed in oil. You can use that oil

afterwards for things like this pesto, or on bruschetta or for salad dressings. I’ve saved this one for pesto.” A dash of salt was thrown in, then he blended it all up into a green paste.

“Look at this,” he said, holding up a spoon of the homemade pesto. “It has beautiful, vibrant colours, smells lovely and yummm … this is as good as pesto gets.” If it doesn’t all get used, it can be frozen for a future meal.

In fact, Blumer had many suggestions on how Canadians can reduce food waste including: • Plan: Plan for what you will make in a week. Then once you get the ingredients home, rewrap

Advice everything so it will last longer.

• Be mindful and proactive: “Don’t wait until your food gets mold on it. Play the long game and if you know you won’t use the food, freeze it. Or give it to a neighbour.

Do something now...it’s mindfulness that plays a big part in reducing food waste.”

• Ignore pesky use-by dates: You need to use baby formula by its expiry date and a few other things but for most other products you can use your senses to determine if it's still good. Look at it. Smell it. Taste it. If it's still good, use it.

• Invest: Vacuum sealers are a good investment for the kitchen because they can extend the life of food in your kitchen by three to four times.

• Use citrus: Purchase a juice press to squeeze all the juice out of melons and oranges because citrus adds an extra punch to balance flavours.

• Add freezer space: With extra space, you can freeze egg yolks and egg whites, parmesan rinds, tomato sauces, chicken carcasses for stock and fruits purchased during the summer, just to name a few things.

• Buy a spatula: “A $4 spatula is a zero waste tool,” said Blumer. He took a “finished” yogurt container out of the fridge and using a spatula, got an extra ¼ cup of yoghurt out of the container. Then he did some quick math multiplying that amount

by the number of Canadians eating yogurt once a week, and calculated that if each household used a spatula to properly empty yogurt containers, they could save six million quarts of yogurt per year. “It’s the little things in the world of food that add up to be big things,” he said.

Ultimately, said Blumer, nothing tastes better than free.

After his presentation, host Kelly Daynard invited viewers to share their food-saving tips which resulted in many more great ideas, such as: • Save vegetable peelings to make stock

• Use leftover potato peels to make potato peel fries in oil, something Blumer does and credits as being exceptionally tasty • Use leftover lemons to add citrus to soups, make lemon zest for fish dishes and make household cleaners • Support local farmers and shop locally • Cut off the bruises of fruit and eat. For apples you can make applesauce or an apple compote for pork chops • Freeze fruits and sauces in plastic bags, and smooth the bags flat to maximize freezer space. ◊

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December 2021 51

News

John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund celebrates 25 years

T

By Alison Lobb

he John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund (JHETF) celebrates 25 years this fall, and the volunteer Board recognized the variety of projects they have supported over the years and reflected on the work accomplished in the watershed.

John Hindmarsh (1918-1995) came to Goderich for flight training during the war and stayed to farm – working tirelessly toward environmental protection. He was instrumental in the restoration and preservation of Naftel’s Creek and the Saratoga Swamp. He believed strongly in teaching others about the importance of our natural environment. The Trust was established to commemorate his life and to ensure that his commitment to conservation education would continue.

Working with the Maitland Conservation Foundation, the JHETF has supported a variety of environmental projects, including tree planting and restoration, upgrades and trail repairs at local conservation areas, shoreline cleanup days and dune grass planting at the Goderich Beach to stabilize the sand.

The new kiosk at the Naftel’s Creek Conservation Area south of Goderich was funded by the Trust, as were the privies at the Wawanosh Nature Centre and the Lake Wawanosh Conservation area and the picnic shelter at the Gorrie Conservation area. The Watershed Monitoring reports published by the Maitland Conservation Authority are supported by the Trust, along with the Forest Health Study 2021.

The JHETF is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors who meet quarterly and raise funds through a special Christmas fundraising appeal and by annually hosting a spring plant and compost sale on the first weekend in May. We partner with a variety of local conservation groups, such as the Maitland Conservation Foundation, 52 The Rural Voice

Maitland Trail Association, Coastal Centre, Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Huron Stewardship Council. Join us in honouring the legacy of John Hindmarsh.

To support the Hindmarsh

Environmental Trust Fund, donations can be made online through the Maitland Conservation Foundation (foundation@mvca.on.ca) or through Canada Helps (www.canada helps.org). ◊

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the John Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund, board members planted a tree at the Gorrie Conservation area (top).

From left to right: Susan Chan, Klaus Seeger, Alison Lobb, Nigel Bellchamber (MCFoundation member), Wendy Hoernig, Geoff King, Phil Beard. (Absent: Brian Jeffray). They also host a spring plant sale (above). Manning the tables were (left to right): Sandra Goddard, Klaus Seeger, Chuck Chan, Pam Somers, Roger Goddard, Susan Chan, Wendy Hoerning and Rhea Hamilton‐Seeger.

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

Russians up their wheat price October has been a tough month on grain growers and all of those involved in the grain business. Given the constant rains throughout the month, harvest has been a real grind.

Growers hardly found a window throughout the month for harvest.

Whenever a harvest window did open up, it was only for a brief time before the rains came back quickly again. Not only did it rain often throughout October, but when it did rain, many rains were heavy. The result has been very few combine days and when harvest did happen for brief spurts, the conditions were less than ideal. Saturated fields made for tough, muddy field conditions which created ruts. There were lots of wet beans received at elevators.

As a result of the delays in soy harvest with the wet weather, soybean basis levels strengthened significantly through harvest as terminals reached for product to fulfill export commitments. Soy crushers also pushed bids higher as they too worked to secure adequate supplies to keep up with crush capacity. Soy crush margins have been extremely strong recently and therefore processors have been very keen to run at full capacity to realize

these very strong crush margins. Soy crush margins are highly profitable due to the high value of soy oil with the current bio diesel mandates in the U.S. With limited bean volumes coming to market basis pushed to levels higher than average expectations. This has provided a good opportunity for grower sales, especially with such a large crop this year. Throughout our region soy yields have been very solid and will end up being the best average yields achieved in recent times, if not record. As we rolled into November, the rain, fortunately, began to taper and field activity came on like a wild fire around the second week of November, although, the field conditions were not ideal and the soys were still coming wet off the field. But considering how wet conditions have been and looking at the upcoming forecast for rain/snow and cold temperatures, growers ran hard when opportunity arose. At this stage of the game you can’t wait for ideal conditions that may never come.

While the beans are finally getting off – albeit later than everyone would have liked to see – they are coming off. Unfortunately with soy harvest being so delayed and soil conditions so wet, wheat acres will be down significantly year over year. Many expectations are for wheat-planted acres to fall to approximately 500,000 acres. If this is the planted winter wheat area then acres will be down 50 per cent year over year.

While this is likely to be the case, there have been quite a few late planted fields, with wheat even being planted into the second week of November. This is, of course, getting late for wheat planting, however it can be successful provided the crop germinates in time for the plant to vernalize over winter, and the young plant survives the winter. Generally

Deadline for the January 2022 issue of The Rural Voice is December 9, 2021

early planted wheat yields better than late season planted wheat, but this year this might not be as certain as it is in most years. Some of the early planted wheat looks awful in some areas. Even some fields that were planted in the ideal planting window are in tough shape, with thin stands, tile runs, yellow colour and lots of drowned-out patches. Newly-planted wheat just can’t grow and thrive if it receives many inches of rain over multiple precipitation events while it is trying to become established. So from this, with so many early planted fields having such tough establishment, it is possible that midNovember wheat could perform better than early planted wheat next harvest.

Ontario is not alone with this problem. Surrounding U.S. states are experiencing similar conditions and their soft wheat has had planting delays and establishment issues also.

Major world exporters all had production issues this year and this has left the world’s export stocks-tousage-ratio in a record low. Australia, which looked to be the only major exporter with a good crop to sell, is now seeing quality downgrades due to rains now delaying harvest in that region. Russia, the world’s largest exporter, has recently introduced an export tax in an effort to hold wheat stocks domestically by making wheat exports from the region more expensive compared to other regions of the world. What has occurred because of this, with the Russian price so high, is that world values have been appreciating toward the new Russian value. Prices are expected to rally enough in the world market to make Russian wheat competitive again in the export marketplace. So from this, if Russian wheat did become competitive in export channels the government’s goal of hoarding the crop would not be successful. Therefore the Russian government proposed a further tax hike, that would be revised as prices went higher, and export quotas would be introduced. Immediately upon this announcement wheat futures rallied significantly. If a country needs wheat supply they will bid prices up in order to maintain adequate volume purchases. ◊

December 2021 53

Woodlots Donna Lacey is a forester with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

It’s time to check trees for cavities and cankers This is the perfect time of year for preparing your woodlot for the upcoming season. As the leaves are off the trees, it is much easier to see what is happening throughout your forest. Often, the leaves of the understory make it quite difficult to see very far across a forest. Also, those leaves may have hidden some damage or disease issues with a tree.

It is also a superb time to meander about as all of those cold-blooded creatures should be nicely tucked away until spring.

People interested in specific trees may find the loss of leaves makes it difficult to identify tree species. It may be too late for some activities if your tree identification relies on leaves. Something to remember for the warm seasons next year: mark or flag your trees of interest so that you can identify them during the leafless seasons. This may be marking for undesirable species or desirable species or could be a combination of both.

Often, amateur maple syrup producers tap trees of different species by accident due to misidentification. Typically, this mistake has little consequence and may only result in syrup with a hint of a different flavour and of course a little embarrassment when someone notices your error. Some experienced producers also benefit from marking or flagging their trees prior to tapping.

Working on frozen ground with little snow will offer some opportunities for trail improvements especially after a wet fall like this year. While it may be next to impossible to lift existing structures out of the frozen soil, it is a great 54 The Rural Voice

time to add new decking or corduroy logs to wet areas. Heavier and larger loads can often be dragged into place with greater ease and less damage during the cold seasons. When working in the forest on projects during the cold seasons, it is important to remember that even though the bark is tighter to the tree than in spring, it still rubs off fairly easily. If there is a tree that may be rubbed by the load you are hauling, whether it is a log or a manmade structure, it is a great idea to place a bumper log against the base of the tree to deflect the material and save the most valuable portion of the tree from damage.

When looking across your forest, it’s a good idea to notice the stand structure. I am referring to assessing the diversity of the sizes of trees present. There should be some seedlings on the forest floor, saplings that are obstructing a portion of your view, and then all sizes of trees above that. Also, are the trees all standing straight or are there some leaners in there? Are there any split tops just hanging there? This may help in planning tree removal for safety, fuelwood, or commercial harvest. If people frequent your forest, it is always important to consider safety when making tree

removal selection. Given the height of mature trees, it doesn’t take a large limb to cause a tragedy.

During the leafless season, it is easiest to spot cavities and cankers. It would be great if all cavities can be retained while maintaining a healthy forest, although this is rarely possible as cavities are often formed in, or cause the creation of, unhealthy or damaged trees. If a forest doesn’t have very many cavities, it would be beneficial if potential cavity trees could be retained. These trees could

Once the leaves fall in the bush, visibility improves to check your woodlot for diseases. Common diseases includes Eutypella canker (top) and Nectria canker (above).

Woodlots have broken branch stubs or other damaged areas that may be chosen for excavation for nesting. Cankers can seem like an impossible problem in some forests where there are too many to remove in one human lifetime, but every little bit helps stop the spread. Please remember if you are removing cankered trees, and do not want the odd shaped piece in your firewood pile, to place the canker face down on the forest floor to stop the spread of the spores.

Common cankers in our area are the Nectria Canker (also known as the target canker) and the Eutypella Canker (also known as the cobra canker). The Nectria Canker is often found on soft maple, basswood, ash, birch, poplar, and walnut. The Eutypella Canker is mostly found on maple. It is unlikely that either canker will directly cause the death of any large tree. However, the cankers can create a structural weakness within the tree and cause mortality as a result.

If you are standing with firm footing, look straight up. How much space without branches, or open sky can be seen? If there is no open sky and there are fine branches everywhere, there is not much light reaching the forest floor. Without sunlight reaching the forest floor, few plants will be present during the warm seasons, when leaves are on.

This lack of vegetation limits the overall diversity of the forest and regeneration potential. Be sure to look up throughout the stand to help guide decision making. Some people find it easier to take this look while leaning against a tree to stop from falling over due to vertigo.

If you are in your forest and are aiming to make some improvements through tree removal, please remember to mark your trees prior to cutting. I, too, am one of those that has been guilty of selecting trees with chainsaw in hand and regretting my decision once the tree was on the ground. When we mark trees with paint or flagging, we tend to take the time to look a little closer at each of the trees in the area better than when the saw is running. ◊

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BERNIE McGLYNN LUMBER LTD. BUYER OF HARDWOOD BUSHLOTS Wholesaler • Hardwood Lumber 1563 Hwy#9, Mildmay, ON N0G 2J0

Ph: 519-367-5789 • Cell: 519-357-6621 sawmill@wightman.ca

We Provide: •Tree •Tree Marking Marking using using Good Good Forestry Forestry Practices Practices

Create long-term, sustainable returns from your woodlands and enhance the ecological value of your forests.

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•Woodlot •Woodlot Improvement Improvement •Forest •Forest Management Management Plans Plans •Managed •Managed Forest Forest Tax Tax Incentives Incentives •Harvest •Harvest Advice Advice and and Marketing Marketing Timber Timber •Tree •Tree Planting Planting •• Prescribed Prescribed Burn Burn Specialists Specialists •• Emerald Emerald Ash Ash Borer Borer Protection Protection •• Aggregate Aggregate Pit Pit Reports Reports •• Trail Trail Creation Creation & & Maintenance Maintenance •• Peace Peace of of Mind Mind

December 2021 55

Agrilaw

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage 1990 Ltd. Harriston

Specializing in Farm Drainage, Backhoeing & Excavating, GPS includes: mapping grade control & surveying Where Schmidt’s go, the Water Flows!

GPS Grade Control 519-338-3484 • Cell 519-323-6335

WE WANT YOUR GRAIN! Download the London Ag App for FREE (Real-time scale tickets, contracts, cash bids and more.)

• Corn • Soybeans • Feed Grains • Feed Ingredients • Food Quality Soybeans CASH & FORWARD CONTRACTS Call us today for Quotes Scott Speers Richard Smibert Scott Krakar Matt McKillop Alex Kissler

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

56 The Rural Voice

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

Surplus farm residence severances Although it is hard to believe when one considers the rapid and constant destruction of farmland within the urban sprawl surrounding cities, Ontario has policies in place that jealously protect farmland from subdivision and non-agricultural development. The Provincial Policy Statement (“PPS”), which is an overarching set of rules that governs municipal land-use planning, contains a number of policies directed at protecting prime agricultural areas.

Subject to few exceptions, these strict policies constrain municipalities from allowing owners of farmland to break up and develop prime agricultural lands for non-agricultural uses.

“Prime agricultural areas” are ones where “prime agricultural lands” predominate. “Prime agricultural lands” are defined as specialty crop areas (including for production of tender fruits, vegetable crops, etc.) and/or Canada Land Inventory Class 1, 2 and 3 lands. A “prime agricultural area” may also include CLC Class 4 through 7 lands and “additional areas where there is a local concentration of farms which exhibit characteristics of ongoing agriculture.” The PPS declares: “Prime agricultural areas shall be protected for long-term use for agriculture.”

One of the ways in which prime agricultural areas are protected for long-term agriculture use is through restrictions on the types of use that can be made of farmland. The PPS permits “agricultural uses, agricultural-related uses and on-farm

diversified uses” within prime agricultural areas. As a result, subject to any permitted exceptions, municipal zoning by-laws can only permit those types of uses.

“Agriculture-related uses” and “onfarm diversified uses” must be “compatible with, and shall not hinder, surrounding agricultural operations.”

The PPS also protects prime agricultural areas for long-term agricultural use through strict limitations on the creation of lots and lot adjustments. One of the most important and well-known limitations is on the creation of new residential lots. The PPS gives very clear direction to municipalities: “The creation of new residential lots in prime agricultural areas shall not be permitted”. There is one exception.

Under Policy 2.3.4.1(c), a municipality may permit the severance of a “residence surplus to a farm operation” where the residence becomes surplus as a result of farm consolidation. The new residential lot must be limited to “a minimum size needed to accommodate the use and appropriate sewage and water services” and no new residential dwellings will be permitted on the retained parcel of farmland.

In municipalities where a by-law has been passed to permit surplus farm residence severances, severances usually involve the purchase of a farm property with a residence by an established farm operation (with other existing properties). The residence is not required for the farm operation and is severed off, creating a new residential lot. The new lot is sold to a third-party purchaser and the farm operation retains the balance of the property. It is not uncommon for a dispute to arise between the farm operation and the municipality as to the size of the new lot to be severed. The PPS is strict about limiting the size of the new lot to a “minimum size”. In some cases, the existing residential yard site will be larger than the permitted lot size.

While it may make sense to sever the entire existing yard site (as it is not likely being used for agriculture), the PPS won’t allow it if the yard site is larger than necessary for the residence.

Agrilaw The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (“LPAT”, formerly the Ontario Municipal Board (“OMB”) and now known as the Ontario Land Tribunal (“OLT”)) recently approved a surplus farm residence severance involving unusual circumstances.

Municipal approval of the severance was appealed to the LPAT not on the basis of lot size or the nature of the farming operation or farm consolidation, but because the farmhouse dwelling on the lot to be severed had been demolished by the property owner back in 2018. The party appealing the severance argued that there can be no surplus farm residence severance without a surplus farm residence. The PPS defines “Residence surplus to a farming operation” as “an existing habitable farm residence that is rendered surplus as a result of farm consolidation (the acquisition of additional farm parcels to be operated as one farm operation).” [emphasis added] The farmer seeking approval for the severance explained to the LPAT that the dwelling on the property had been demolished to address a problem tenancy. The LPAT heard evidence that “[t]he tenant had serious hoarding issues and their home was left in disarray with both sanitary and safety issues present” and “[e]ven after multiple evictions, the tenant and others resorted to illegal squatting, which influenced the [farmer’s] decision.”

The LPAT agreed with the farmer’s position that the demolition of the farm dwelling on the lot to be severed did not preclude the application of Policy 2.3.4.1(c) of the PPS. The farmer’s planning consultant contended that the word “habitable” in the definition of surplus farm residence should not replace the intent of the policy and that local context had to be considered. The farmhouse, she said, was habitable at the time of the purchase of the property by the farmer and would still be habitable if not for the unusual circumstances.

The LPAT was satisfied that “exclusion of a habitable dwelling existing does not prohibit its severance, particularly when it existed

months prior, differing from if it never existed at all.” ◊ ______________________________ 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 circumstances.

702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH (519) 422-ATVS (2887) sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca

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(519) 227-0057

www.haydenwaterwells.com

1-888-535-4455

info@haydenwaterwells.com

December 2021 57

People & Business

• By Gary West •

Shakespeare Mills grows under new leadership

Standing in front of the Shakespeare Mills bulk rail transfer structure are Shakespeare Mills Inc. owners, Cathy and Jeff Sparling.

W

hat began in the Shakespeare area of Perth County as a small, local, feedmill has quickly expanded to become a mill and warehouse that effectively serves farmers, not only in the local area, but also in many other parts of the country.

It all began in 1981 when Shakespeare Mills Inc (SMI) employed six employees and supplied its farmers with custom bags of feed and premixes with limited bulk deliveries.

Jeff Sparling — who grew up near St.Marys and still resides there — gained experience in the feedmil industry while working at Shur-Gain Feeds head office as a 15 year old.

He then graduated from Guelph University and worked in sales for Yantzi Feed & Seed in Tavistock for 14 years. Following that, he worked

58 The Rural Voice

as a feed and nutrition specialist at Shakespeare Mills for nine years before purchasing the business.

Now, as owner with partner, he has become the company’s president and general manager, employing close to 30 local full time workers.

Martin’s Nursery

As many farms in the area grew larger, so did his business. Today, Shakespeare Mills has five large concrete structures 30’x84’ next to the CN railway, with a capacity of over 3,000 metric tonnes.

The young entrepreneur says they are currently turning over inventory three times each month. The company started with one delivery truck and has expanded to five trucks with future expansion a certainty.

In 2016 Sparling knew that in order to increase sales he had to take on new partners. He partnered with “Groupe Ceres”, a Quebec company, which brought in nutritionists Janin Boucher and Dan Bussiers. At the same time, Tim Schoelier became a shareholder and operations general manager.

SMI’s business is broken down as 50 per cent dairy, 31 per cent swine, 10 per cent beef, eight per cent ingredients such as salt and lime and the remaining one per cent in poultry and horses.

Sparling states that with their partnership in Quebec, they manage the “nutrition“ for over 200,000 sows and 5.5 million finishing hogs in Canada, which amounts to 20-25 per cent of the total swine production in the country. He says, emphatically, that without the company’s amazing staff who care about their business, SMI would not have been able to achieve what they already have and will continue into the future. ◊

Hydrangea Shrubs & Trees

Honey

Shade & flowering trees, For Sale Large selection of Fruit trees (fruit bearing age) Spruce, pine, cedars, hedging & windbreaks, We sell a complete line of Bee Supplies; shrubs, grasses including Extracting Equipment, & much more!

ORHBS Select jars, pails, Varroa mite treatments

BEE Supplies Etc.

Queens (weekly)

and Bees, Nucs, Queens.

c/o EMANUEL E.M. MARTIN 42661 Orangehill Road RR #1 Wroxeter, ON N0G 2X0 1 Concession North of Wroxeter on Belmore Line Mon. - Sat. 7 am - 6 pm

People

Scott brothers recognized for their contributions to agriculture

Merry Christmas from

The Rural Voice

Elma Steel & Equipment Ltd. Ian, Ralph and Lorne Scott of ScottsLea Farms located outside of Blyth were named winners of the Huron County Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture Award at the Huron County Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting held virtually in October.

T

he Scott brothers of ScottsLea Farms near Blyth are this year’s winners of the Huron County Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture Award.

Ian, Ralph and Lorne Scott were presented with their award in October after the annoucement was made at Huron County Federation of Agriculture annual meeting, held virtually in October.

At the meeting, the following information was read to describe the Scott brothers.

“The Scott brothers are noted for being quiet, hard-working men with hidden knowledge who work well together as a team. They help each other out at home so they can volunteer as they choose.

“They have tremendous knowledge of the Charolais breed of cattle and the pedigrees of their animals.

“They were strong supporters and volunteers with the East Wawanosh

Federation of Agriculture. Ian served as president in 1994 and Lorne as Secretary/Treasurer. They also had a lengthy involvement with the East Wawanosh Federation.

“From 1983 to 2021, first Ralph and then Ian have been directors on the HCFA Board. Ian continues to be a Director on the Board. Both men also served as executive directors on the board and been delegates to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

“All three brothers have been involved with the Belgrave, Blyth, Brussels School Fair (now the Elementary School Fair) first as participants then supporters and volunteers. Ralph served as the poultry and egg judge for four decades.

“They have been tremendous mentors encouraging youth in our community.

“Ralph has also been involved with the Huron County Beef Producers.” ◊

“Your Great Steel Place” * HR Sheet * Plate * Angles * Flat Bar *Beams * Pipe * Channel * Round, Square & Rectangular Tube * Expanded Metal * Bar Grating * Round and Square Bar * Check Plate * Mechanical Tube * Roof Decking * Reinforcing Bar & Mesh * Horse, Hog & Goat Mesh * Cold Rolled Round & Flat * Aluminum & Stainless Bars * Tool Steel Blower Pipe, Bucket Edge Adjustable Posts & Solar Panel Posts Welding, Cutting, Rebar Bending Serving Grey, Bruce, Huron, Perth, Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin & Simcoe Counties.

We Deliver

Cambridge 95 Raglin Rd., Cambridge 1-855-650-3562 OR 519-621-4888

Listowel 515 Tremaine Ave. S. 1-800-669-2931 OR 519-291-1388

Owen Sound 2275 18th Ave. E. 1-800-567-7412 OR 519-371-8111

December 2021 59

People

Searson earns Award of Merit

Jack Searson (above) has been awarded the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Award of Merit for his dedication to aviation and his contributions promoting aviation. Searson flies a vintage Cessna 140, a traildragger which was built in 1946. Searson is a pilot and successfully constructed a homebuilt aircraft called Christavia MK1. He is seen here before take off from the grass runway at the Sexsmith Airport near Exeter. ~Photo by Bonnie Sitter

Pat McCormack, mother of Laura Sharpe who owns Twin Oaks Farm, manned the fibre farm’s booth at Woolstock ON held October 16 at the Paris Fairgrounds. The event offered vendor displays, classes and demonstrations and was formerly known as the Woodstock Fleece Festival . ~Photo by Shelley Kroes 60 The Rural Voice

Justin Kraemer noted for youth work

Bruce County GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Coordinator Justin Kraemer has been highlighted as the October GIS Ambassador of the month by Esri Canada for his work leading the local Youth StoryMaps Competition.

As a member of Bruce County’s Planning and Development team, Justin chairs the Bruce County/Local GIS Steering Committee. In an effort to create virtual events to celebrate and promote the upcoming GIS Day, Justin and his team created the virtual StoryMaps GIS competition for Grade 7 and 8 students in the region, with consultation from teacher Mr. Cory Munro. The purpose of this competition is to engage students to learn about GIS in their community and give them an understanding of GIS concepts, in the hopes of inspiring them to pursue further study in GIS. Currently there are 170 students registered for the competition from three schools in Bruce County and one in Grey County.

Bruce County is an upper-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, made up of 8 lower-tier municipalities and 68,423 residents. ◊

The

Rural Voice

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

MANUFACTURING STEEL ROOFING SIDING & TRIMS 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

519-363-3757 2051 Bruce Rd. 19, R.R. 1 Chesley, ON N0G 1L0

Also Supplying Other Building Accessories

DL Distributing

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING

Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

519-531-0355 TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

• Agricultural & domestic water wells • Well Cleanouts • Pump Testing • Camera Inspection • Irrigation Wells • Dewatering Services

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

PACKERS: WE BUILD

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

RUBBER TIRE PACKER SPECIALISTS

www.beloretrailers.ca

Order Now Also large fold-up steel drum packers, lawn & estate rollers, custom manufactured

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

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

RR #2, Arthur, Ont. (519) 848-2799

December 2021 61

B U S I N E S S C E N T R E

B U S I N E S S C E N T R E

Merry Christmas

Choose from: Hazelnut, heartnut, Persian and black Walnut, chestnut, hickory, pecan, pawpaw, persimmon, mulberry, fig and more.

979 Lakeshore Rd, RR3 Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0 Tel: 905-YEH-NUTS (934-6887) Fax: 905-YEL-NUTS (935-6887) E-mail: nut.trees@grimonut.com Catalogue Site: www.grimonut.com

Service to all makes & models of snowmobiles, motorcycles & ATVs Ryan Grubb Licensed Motorcycle Technician #308, Conc. 10, Mildmay 519-367-2777 ryansperformance@gmail.com

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Thank you for your business this past year.

Steiner Tractor Parts Supplier "Specializing in Older Tractor Parts ... ...and looking for tractors in any condition"

STEPHEN 519-523-4922 LONDESBOROUGH e-mail: ontariousedtractorparts@gmail.com

SALES & SERVICE INSTALLATION & PARTS

STEVEN NIXON

Serving the area since 1999

Broker WILFRED MCINTEE & CO. LIMITED

Bus: 519-357-2222 Cell: 519-531-0252 Email: nixon@execulink.com Web: www.stevennixon.com

May Happiness Reside in Your Heart and Home This Christmas

Rissler KEITH SIEMON FARM SYSTEMS LTD. 81987 Perth Rd. 180, R.R. 4, Walton 519-345-2734 (anytime)

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

318 Josephine St., WINGHAM, ON N0G 2W0

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

AUCTION -------------------------------------------Elmira Produce Auction – Hay and Straw Sales every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Consignors and buyers welcome. Call Lloyd Martin 519664-3356, 7400 Reid Woods Drive, Elmira.

-------------------------------------------CONSTRUCTION -------------------------------------------WE POUR: 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 -------------------------------------------Real Industries cattle chute, parallel squeeze, w/palpitation cage and upgraded Arrowquip head handler. 519-357-2509.

-------------------------------------------Reist, 3 point hitch, pto driven gear box pulley. 519-357-2509.

-------------------------------------------Augers, 3 - 10 ft sections, 6 inch diameter. 519-357-2509.

-------------------------------------------FIREWOOD -------------------------------------------Screened hardwood slabs – 16" cut $30 face cord, 10 cord deliveries or pick up in Auburn. huronfirewood.com Call 519-5243493.

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

FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Red and white potatoes, 50 lbs. bags, $14 per bag; friendly farm puppies, border collie/blue heeler cross, first shots. Glenlec Gardens 519-3382691.

-------------------------------------------Rosco grain bins for sale – 19' and 14' diameter. Parts available. Used grain bins wanted for parts or reuse. Closed Sundays, 519-3383920.

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

Tell them you saw their ad in The Rural Voice!

Gerber Meats Ltd. 519-699-4441 2513 Greenwood Hill Rd., Millbank, ON N0K 1L0

• Custom Butchering • Freezer Beef & Pork for sale

*Freezer Beef

$/lb.

hind quarters front quarters side of beef whole beef

$4.79 $4.39 $4.59 $3.99

*Freezer Pork

$/lb.

half or whole

$2.59

* Cutting, wrapping, freezing included in pricing

62 The Rural Voice

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Martin’s Nursery & Bee Supplies Etc. Large selection of flowering trees, shade trees, fruit trees and hydrangeas and other shrubs. We have the plants you need to make a living “privacy hedge” or snow fence or windbreaks. Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, White Spruce, Pine and Cedars. Also… a Complete line of Bee Supplies for the commercial or hobby beekeepers. Order your (Nuc) Bees for spring 2022. We now sell select Queen Bees raised under ORHBS program on a weekly basis. Order by Monday evening for Wednesday pick-up – $40 each or buy 10+, $37.50 each. We stock all wooden-ware (bee-hives) foundation, assembled and unassembled frames, smokers, suits, jackets, gloves, mite treatments and some extracting equipment. Honey containers, jars, pails, custom built wooden-ware. Come visit our nursery and bee supplies store Monday to Saturday at 42661 Orangehill Rd., RR 1, Wroxeter, ON N0G 2X0, one concession north of Wroxeter.

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

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Suffolks - purebred Feb.-Mar.-born Ram lambs. British bloodlines M-V negative, closed flock. Several bloodlines available. 519-2337896.

-------------------------------------------Large selection of young bred cows and heifers available. Also Limousin bulls. Smart Limousin, Meaford 519372-7459. smartlimo@bmts.com www.smartlimousin.com -------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN – quality breeding bulls, open and bred heifers for sale.

Delivery included. Posthaven Limousin, John Post. 519-7667178. www.posthavenlimousin.com -------------------------------------------Merry Christmas! Thank you to our customers. We are excited about next year’s bulls and heifers. Order yours early. James, Joan and Robert McKinlay 519-599-6236.

-------------------------------------------Rabbit breeding stock. High quality genetics available in Ontario. Order your PS40 bucks and PS19 does today. CuniON@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------REAL ESTATE -------------------------------------------Selling or buying farmland, residential or commercial. All properties needed. Call Greg or Dwaine Nicholls, Brokers for GA Nicholls Realty Ltd. Greg 519-2910507, Dwaine 519-492-2002.

-------------------------------------------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 -------------------------------------------RETAIL & GIFTS -------------------------------------------Stitches with a Twist – 404 Queen St., Blyth, 519-523-9449. Yarns, needles, notions, patterns, books and lots more yarn.

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

SERVICES -------------------------------------------INCOME TAX FILING FOR CORPORATIONS and late filers – for farms, small business, truckers and individuals. Will make house calls in the North Huron, Perth and surrounding area. Call Shirley in Wingham – cell No. 1-705-4348187.

-------------------------------------------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, 519-3489062.

Cell 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------SERVICES -------------------------------------------Firearms and hunting training.

PAL & HUNTER ED. Ongoing courses available. Certified instructors. Call Greg 519-8879622 or 519-291-0507.

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

Discount Steel Great for barn posts, stabling or other build-your-own projects

Custom Welding & Machine Shop Custom Stabling Mfg. Open Tues. & Thurs. ~ other days by chance John A.M. Martin 1467 Grey Ox Ave., Lucknow

-------------------------------------------IRON & STEEL -------------------------------------------DISCOUNT STEEL: New second grade steel sales; 1" - 8" square tubing; 7/8" - 14" round tubing; Rectangle tubing, discount plate; New and Used I-Beams; Bar grating, rebar, angles; Custom cutting, welding, punching.

Listowel. Phone Aden 519-5957775.

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK BEDDING -------------------------------------------MIRACLE FIBER 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. 1-877-773-8004.

Sittler Grinding. Rick Sittler.

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

December 2021 63

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

SERVICES --------------------------------------------

WANTED -------------------------------------------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 -------------------------------------------Seeking farmland for rent in Huron and Bruce Counties. Maximize financial return while improving your land. Call Caleb Ringgenberg 226-920-3147 cringgen@ gmail.com --------------------------------------------

WANTED -------------------------------------------Farmland in Belmore area – rent or sharecrop. We work with manure and cover crops that will keep your land in excellent condition. Please contact Wim Feddes 519-525-5853 or wikafeddes@hotmail.com --------------------------------------------

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

Ph. 519-528-3019

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

519-692-4232

Deadline for the January 2022 issue of The Rural Voice is December 9, 2021

NEW LISTING ~ EXCLUSIVE $695,000

www.sgspestmanagement.ca

GLAVIN BARN & COMMERCIAL PAINTING FARMERS repaint your faded coloured steel FREE QUOTES ~ FULLY INSURED

RR 1 Crediton, Ont. N0M 1M0 (near Exeter)

Call: Jim Glavin 1-800-465-4725 519-228-6247 Eugene Glavin 519-228-6801 -------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------Christkindl Market and Reading of “A Christmas Carol”, December 10 and 11, 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Glencolton Farm near Durham. For information and tickets: christkindlfarm.com -------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------Magazines, cards and calendars for scrapbooking, 519-503-0022.

-------------------------------------------Round bales of horse or cattle quality hay picked up. Call Riley Gorman 519-321-1012.

-------------------------------------------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.

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

64 The Rural Voice

Near Owen Sound, 3 acres of country living, large 5 bedroom, 3 bath raised bungalow.

Call Dave or Elly for a buyers package to see more about this property.

Happy Holidays

Grain Elevators and Marketing, Seed, Crop Protection Products, Fertilizer, Custom Application Blyth Location Walton Location 40605 Walton Road, Blyth 10 Patrick Street, Walton 519-523-9624 • 1-800-663-3653

Deadline for the

January 2022 edition of

Courtney Grain and Seed (2015) Ltd. #225 Hwy. 21 RR #1, Ripley, ON N0G 2R0

Cereals * Soybeans * Forages

The Rural Voice is

December 7 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from all the staff at The Rural Voice

Certified Seed Barley Certified Seed Oats Certified Mixed Grain - Oats/Barley or Oats/Barley/Wheat Forage Peas & Forage Pea Mixtures Certified Soybeans (non GMO soybean programs) OAC Strive

********** Choice Selection of Certified Alfalfa Varieties We can custom blend a hay or pasture mixture to meet your needs Trefoil, white clovers and grass mixtures to top dress pasture fields Red Clover to frost seed wheat Organic Forage Seeds available Cover Crops or Oat/Forage Mixtures to plant after Wheat, Spring Grains or to Over Winter Cash discounts during Dec. and up to Jan. 15, 2022 For more information or a price list mailed out... phone 519-395-2972

From our Roundup Ready location #3163 Concession 2 RR #1, Ripley, ON N0G 2R0

Certified SeCan Soybeans Altitude R2 Beliveau R2X

1-800-265-3000

www.millerinsurance.ca

Contact Mitch at 519-440-6712 December 2021 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.

The Future is Farmers The average age of a farmer in Canada is 55, but in the 2016 census we saw the first small uptick in the number of young farmers since 1999.

New and young farmers are critical to building and maintaining Ontario’s agricultural prosperity and creating the ecological succession plan for the generation of growers that will succeed them.

As the 2021 growing season comes to an end, we checked in on three farmers, who had just wrapped up their first season as a farm owner, to hear about their year and their future plans for their farms.

Rav Singh (RS), is a vegetable farmer and the owner/operator of Shade of Miti Farm, in Caledon, ON. Aliyah Fraser (AF), is a market gardener and the owner/operator of Lucky Bug Farm, in the KitchenerWaterloo region.

Ryan Lawson (RL), is a market gardener and the owner/operator of Ryan’s Market Gardens, in Burlington, ON. Q: How was your season?

RS: This season was really great!

I had the opportunity to lay a lot of the foundational work down for my new farm and business. There were challenging moments where I had to adapt really quickly because of climatic events such as late frosts and extreme heat, but there were also moments of growth and success! This season, I experimented a lot with the types of crops I grew, my irrigation system and online education which has been really fun.

A F: This season was my first working as a market gardener and running my own business and, in one word, it was a whirlwind.

RL: Our season was an overall success! This was our first year on this land and with that came some learning curves but nothing we couldn’t overcome. It was such a joy

carving out the new land, meeting new customers, and supplying our area with a product that I’m happy to have my name on.

Q: What was your biggest win this season?

RS: I focused on growing a lot of bitter melon and okra this year, and the response I have received from the community has definitely been the highlight of my year! I had so many people visit me at the farmers market and tell me how happy they were to be able to buy these veggies.

AF: Growing more produce than I could've ever imagined, mostly on my own, and meeting some amazing farmers, market-goers and new friends!

RL: The biggest win of my season would have to be turning a profit in our first year. It took many people coming together to make this market garden happen and their efforts quite literally paid off!

Q: What did this season teach you?

RS: This season has reminded me of the importance of just taking a breath once in a while. This was my first year farming alone and there were many times (daily, if I’m being honest) when I was feeling stressed and anxious. On top of that, I experienced a lot of eco-anxiety because I understood the weight of the responsibility I carry as a farmer and environmental educator. When I was at the farm, I always had to remind myself to breathe and enjoy and celebrate what I was doing in the moment.

AF: This season reinforced how difficult it can be for new farmers to access and start a business on rented rural land.

RL: This season taught me to trust in the plants’ capabilities to produce.

At the beginning of the season I became seriously ill with a blood

infection which kept me out of the gardens for two months. In the past I would feel the need to be in the field 12 hours a day and, being forced to take a step back, only to return and find my plants thriving made me realize that, if I feel the need to, I can take a day off and things will be fine.

Q: What are your goals for next season?

R S: My goals for next year include improving my compost system and planting a lot more bitter melon and okra. I would also like to learn more about farm finances and start saving seeds as I truly believe that seed sovereignty and food justice are interlinked. My long term goal is to turn my farm into a co-op that supports newcomers, youth, racialized and 2S L G B T Q+ community members.

AF: Moving the farm to a new location, substantially growing the size of my CSA program and making more frequent trips to market!

RL: My goals for next season are to start a fully-customizable, weekly C S A program that provides the customer with more freedom and to double farm stand sales. I intend to double farm stand sales through increasing sale hours, having a wider selection and higher quantities, and to spread word of our farm stand through marketing.

Local News/Events Local 320 Bruce — Save-the-date!

Local 320’s AGM will be held on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. From the comfort of your home, enjoy a guest speaker (TBA), regional updates, elections, and more! We hope to see you there!

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

Stewart Skinner, President stewart@stonaleenfarms.ca / 519-492-2990

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

* The Rural Voice is provided to Perth County Pork Producers by the PCPPA perthcountyporkproducers@gmail.com

Ripple or a wave Any opinion expressed is that of individual County Directors or Representatives and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Perth County Pork Producers.

The long relationship between Ontario Pork customers and Olymel that was severed recently is sending shockwaves across the province.

With almost 10 per cent of Ontario’s market hog production being impacted by this decision on the part of Olymel it is impossible that the impact will not reach far beyond just the Olymel producers and even in these early days there are already sow producers losing buyers, contract spaces being served notice, and an entire industry feeling like there are still a couple shoes to drop.

Ontario has long had a deficit of hook space unable to process all of the pigs that are raised here in Ontario but prior to COVID-19 there was seemingly a balance between the surplus and processor needs in Quebec and U.S. Supply chain disruptions and labour shortages

have wreaked havoc on the just in time inventory management that dominates the hog industry and no producer has been spared from the impacts of processor disruptions.

Even before the Olymel announcements (that don’t come into effect until March 2022) it was expected that the Eastern Canadian surplus of market ready hogs unable to be processed will hit 200,000, a mind numbingly large number that seems impossible to clear. In the words of one industry veteran, if you have a hook right now; hold on to it for dear life because not having one is a very bad option right now.

Looking forward there is no silver bullet in the chamber that will solve this. Ontario’s systematic processing shortage has been shunted aside and not dealt with for almost a decade since the closure of Quality Meats in Toronto. The provincial government seems happy to export jobs and economic activity to other jurisdictions, the federal government isn’t willing to do

anything that could even theoretically harm Quebec based processors, and Ontario Pork is in the challenging position of having a strong minority of their producers also being owners of a processing plant who do not want to see their existing margins eroded due to more competition in the space. The combination of difficult matching of interest coupled with an absence of leadership at both political levels means that a number of producers will be caught and the end result will be more good people forced from the industry.

It is going to be a long winter as we approach March of 2022. Labour shortages are not going away, inability to access timely parts and materials will exacerbate regular operations, and today there are families across our industry not sure if they will still be here come Christmas 2022. It is a disappointing convergence of issues that has left nary a silver lining to celebrate. ◊ – Submitted by Stewart Skinner

Season’s Greetings! from the

Perth County Pork Producers Association If you are looking for a Christmas ham – be sure to contact: Tanya and Darryl Terpstra 519-291-7603 Dave and Ruth Kloostra 519-347-2619 or visit Leis Feeds in Milverton Open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon ~~ Custom orders are available ~~

December 2021 67

St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 Grey County Federation 446 10th519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 grey@ofa.on.ca Website: greyfederation.ca of Agriculture * The Rural Voice is provided toEmail: OFA Members in Grey County by the GCFA

GCFA sponsors agricultural bursaries in high schools With less than two per cent of the population involved in primary agriculture, the farm industry is finding it harder and harder to attract tomorrow’s leaders and star employees in the agricultural field; as few young people are exposed to the vast opportunities agriculture has to offer.

Grey County Federation of Agriculture (GCFA) has always been a proud sponsor of students in Grey County and especially those who choose to enter a career related to agriculture. They sponsor agricultural bursaries at each high school in Grey County. These agriculture bursaries are awarded to a graduating high school student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, integrity and dedication to agriculture. The recipient has chosen to continue their studies in a field related to agriculture for their post-secondary education and the student must be a Grey County resident.

The GCFA decided to update this program and has expanded the opportunities to more students.

Starting in 2022 each high school in Grey County can present a GCFA agricultural bursary to up to three students. The value of the bursary has also increased. There are many opportunities for students to have futures in agriculture and we hope to help them achieve their goals.

The Grey Country Federation of Agriculture and the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture, recognizing that this support was not enough, have created a standalone bursary called Building Careers and Futures in Agriculture. This bursary program is available to students seeking a post-secondary school agricultural career or agriculturallyoriented educational opportunities.

To date this bursary has helped over 30 students with their education goals.

Most recently the winners were Madison Lewis from Meaford and Gabrielle Young from Cargill.

GCFA extends their congratulations to both of these students.

Another opportunity for students will be an Ag-Education initiative that will commence in the new year.

This exciting new program will be open to students in both elementary and secondary school. Please visit our website: greyfederation.ca for details. ◊

Grey County Federation of Agriculture

2021 MEETINGS

Season’s Greetings!

The Grey County Federation of Agriculture would like to extend best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all OFA members and farm families in Grey County and thank you to everyone

• December 9 DUE TO COVID­19 GCFA Board Meetings have become conference/ video call format.

Please contact the office if you are interested in taking part.

for their support this past year.

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

68 The Rural Voice

Grey Federation of Agriculture

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

NEWSLETTER

446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA

Bruce County Federation of Agriculture holds annual meeting Any opinion expressed is that of individual County Directors or Representatives and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture or Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

BCFA recently held its virtual annual general meeting. President Chris Cossitt gave a review of events over the past year that the federation has been involved in: 4-H support, MZOs, Brockton survey (agricultural component), working through COVID-19 times, environmental partnerships and DGR questions.

Paul Vickers shared activities of the OFA. He discussed how they are continuing to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. They are responding to industry needs such as response to extreme weather, agricultural employment issues and farmland preservation. He reported on the new initiative Home Grown.

This is an awareness campaign for protecting farmland and food production. The OFA has been working with local police regarding trespassing, food safety, rural safety

and activists. He discussed programs including, “Feeding your Future”, “Six by Sixteen” as well as the outreach provided to local federations with the “Revive Fund”.

BCFA was pleased to have Lisa Thompson MPP Huron Bruce, Ontario Ag Minister as the guest speaker for the evening. She spoke of her love of agriculture not only in Bruce County but across the province and the initiatives coming in the new year and took time to answer questions from the meeting attendees.

BCFA would like to extend

thanks to Minister Thompson on behalf of all its members for attending the meeting and sharing her expertise, providing input on agricultural concerns and working with and supporting the farm families in Bruce County.

The BCFA Board for the new year is as follows: Past President, John Rodgers; President, Chris Cossitt; First Vice-President, John Gillespie; Second Vice-President, Tammy Young. Directors: Joe Detzler, Allan Smith, Lorne Underwood, Thomas Lennox and Les Nichols.◊

Happy Holidays!

The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture Executive and Directors would like to wish a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and Happy New Year to all the farm families in Bruce County and thank you for your support this past year.

* The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA.

December 2021 69

Perth County Federation of Agriculture Email: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com Website: www.perthcountyfarmers.ca Office: 1-833-229-6834 Sara Wood, President: 519-272-5525

Perth County Harvest Gala held virtually As we sat down to start planning the 2021 Perth County Harvest Gala, we had great hopes of being able to celebrate in person, the triumphs we have overcome this past year.

As the year progressed, it became clear that we would not be able to meet in person, but we still wanted to celebrate and connect with our agricultural community of family and friends. So, thinking outside of the box, as we did last year, we decided to once again create our “Gala from Home” box, a cooking kit with video of our talented chefs leading us through the cooking demo.

While the gala may not have been in person for 2021 it was still topnotch and the connection to our agricultural community was very much present.

The 2021 gala was hosted virtually through a “gala in a box”.

This year’s meal was inspired by Chef Andrew Mavor and Chef Paul Finkelstein.

The chefs worked alongside our home chefs Ethan Wallace, the new Zone 7 Director for OFA and his wife Joanna as well as Brent Royce, the retiring Zone 7 Director for OFA and his wife Christa. Thank you to all our chefs for helping us create our Gala from Home.

This fun cook-along was not only educational but entertaining for all who attended. During this entertaining “Gala from Home” evening, the Perth County Federation of Agriculture presented two Perth County Federation of Agriculture

DIRECTORS’ MEETING

Call 1-833-229-6834 to participate or to obtain more information regarding our December meeting

scholarship awards. The scholarships are awarded to second, third or fourth-year college or university students who with their continued education will help the agricultural community in the future.

This year’s winners are Johannes Renecker, and Michaela McKay. Johannes is in his third year of study at the University of Alberta. He is achieving his Bachelor of Science specializing in This year’s “Gala from Home” meal, inspired animal science, crop by Chefs Andrew Mavor and Paul Finkelstein science and range was topnotch! conservation. Growing up on a dairy farm he has a their passion, our next generation of passion for the animals but has longagriculture leaders is bright and well term goals to use his knowledge to focused for the betterment of our help assist farmers in sub–Saharan agricultural community.

Africa.

Perth Federation of Agriculture is Michaela is in her fourth year of looking ahead to next year, in study at the University of Guelph, excitement to reconnecting and studying agriculture science. celebration in person. Until then, Growing up on a dairy farm helped celebrate the small victories and lead her to attend Guelph to further cherish the memories of galas past. her knowledge. In the future she If you have not had the chance to hopes to pursue a career in attend one of our Galas, just maybe agriculture financing and use her that might be in your future to join us knowledge and background to better as we take the time to step out of our assist farmers. fields and into our celebrations Congratulations to both of the together. ◊ scholarship winners. We know with – Sara Wood, PCFA Director

Season’s Greetings The Perth County Federation of Agriculture would like to extend best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all OFA members and farm families.

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

70 The Rural Voice

Index A.G. Hayter Contracting ..................7 Agri-Solve Inc ........................Cover 4 Allied Associates LLP ......................9 Argyle Marine & Small Engines......61 Artisanal Chicken Program ............41 BDO ..................................................6 Belore Trailers ................................61 Ben Lobb MP ..................................12 Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring ........55 Bervie Supply ................................46 Bill Walker MPP ................................8 Bio-Ag ............................................25 Boonstoppel, Dave & Elly ..............64 Buddsteel Architectural ..................7 Chalmers Fuels ................................5 Cliff’s Plumbing & Heating ..............9 Courtney Grain & Seed ............19,65 CropQuest Inc ................................15 DeDell Seeds ..................................15 Design & Build ................................19 DL Distributing ................................61 Dundalk District Credit Union ........29 Easy Lift Doors ..............................23 Elder Enterprises ..............................7 Elma Steel & Equipment................59 Gaffney Electrical ..........................23 Gerber Meats Ltd. ..........................62 Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week 25,26,27 Grimo Nut Nursery ........................62 Hanover Honda ..............................51 Harold Jones Enterprises ..............61 Hayden Water Wells ......................57 Hayter & Associates Inc ................10 Headwaters Academy ....................13 Hill & Hill Farms....Inside Front Cover Holiday Shopping ..............30, 32-36 Howick Mutual Insurance ................5 Hunter Steel Sales Ltd ..........Cover 5 Huron Commodities ........................21 Keith Siemon Farm Systems ........62 Kingwood Bins..................................2 KMM Farm Drainage ......................29 LAC ................................................56 Lakeside Shelving & Racking ........41 Lands & Forests Consulting ..........55 Lisa Thompson MPP ......................45 Live Landscape ..............................49 Mapleview Agri ..............................38 Marquardt Farm Drainage Ltd ........2 Martin Farm Wagons ......................21 Martin’s Nursery ............................58 McIntee Real Estate ......................62 Miller Insurance Brokers ................65 Millstone Crop Services ................64 Nature’s Wave ................................49 Nuclear Waste Management ..........11 Ontario Used Tractor Parts............62 Parker & Parker ................................5 RBC Ag West..................................46 Ridgeway Metals ............................61

RPM Motorsports ..........................62 RT Bolton & Son....................Cover 4 Rural Voice Books ..........Cover 6, 37 Rural Voice Greeting ......................71 RV Gift Subscription..............Cover 3 Sauble Beach Motorsports ................13,17,51,57,71 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage ..............56 Schweiss Doors ..............................55 Sew & Save Centre ........................45 Sharp’s Creek Forge ........................2

South Easthope Mutual Insurance 71 Steffen Well Drilling ........................61 Stops Along The Way............Cover 7 Superior Barn Painting ..........Cover 5 SWO Diesel Inc ......................Cover 3 Townsley Barn Painting ................63 Triple P Consulting ........................17 Trouw Nutrition................Back Cover Usborne & Hibbert Insurance ........49 Waddell Engineering ........................5 WD Hopper & Sons Ltd ..................13

Season’s Greetings! from the staff at

Due to staff holidays the Rural Voice office will be closed from December 22 until January 3

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December 2021 71

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

Scottslea Farms wins award

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

Upcoming Events Huron County Federation of Agriculture

BOARD MEETING January 24, 2022 8:00 p.m.

To join this meeting please contact the office. We are curently doing hybrid meetings with our executive committee in person and the remainder of the board and guests joining virtually.

Joan Vincent, executive member of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture presented Scottslea Farms with the HCFA Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture Award for 2021. Pictured with the award are from left, Ian, Ralph and Lorne Scott.

HCFA holds annual meeting virtually The annual meeting of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture was held virtually on October 22. Guest speaker was Cathy Lennon, General Manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

At the HCFA Annual meeting the membership voted in favour of the updated constitution. The election of President and Vice-Presidents was held at the board meeting following the annual meeting.

Results of the elections for directors were: Ashfield/Colborne/

Wawanosh, Marinus Bakker; Bluewater, Paul Klopp; Central Huron, Larry Plaetzer; Huron East, Murray Workman; North Huron, Ian Scott; Goderich, South Huron, Morris Turnberry and Howick are vacant.

Directors at Large: Rob VandenHengel, Erica Murray, Jeff Klomps and Joan Vincent.

Current commodity representatives are: Beef, Harvey Hoggart; Grain Farmers, Mike Colclough; Chicken, Ralph DeWeerd and Egg, Matt Denys.◊

Season’s Greetings!

The HCFA Board of Directors wish all its members and friends in the agricultural communities a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We look forward to seeing all that 2022 brings!

Did you receive your paper?

The HCFA published its Annual Paper, The Huron County Ag Review in October and it was delivered by Canada Post to all the farm mailboxes in Huron County.

If you did not receive a copy we recommend that you contact Canada Post to confirm your address is classified as a farm in their system.

HCFA members who did not receive a copy and would like one please contact the HCFA office.◊

During the winter months please call before visiting the HCFA office to determine if the office is open.

Please be assured that we are still available to address your concerns by telephone: 519­482­9642 or email: ofahuron@tcc.on.ca

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

72 The Rural Voice

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Merry Christmas

FARM TO CHEF - Cooking Through The Seasons Chef Lynn Crawford celebrates the bounty of the seasons with over 140 recipes featuring farm-fresh produce for every occasion. $40.00

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ALFALFABET A TO Z Help a youngster learn the alphabet and learn about food and agriculture at the same time with this colourfully illustrated picture book. As well as learning the ABCs youngsters will learn of everything from farm animals to fruits and the bees that pollinate them. (softcover) $12.95

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THE NIGHT BEFORE A CANADIAN CHRISTMAS This illustrated storybook has fun putting a Canadian spin on the Night Before Christmas story, such as the fact Santa can’t come down the chimney because there’s smoke coming out of it. $19.95

I THINK MY GRANDPA MIGHT BE SANTA. Story time is family time. This book is special for every grandchild. A board book which creates strengthens relationships and emotional growth, entertains with imagination and humour, inspires holiday and family traditions. $13.99

A DOG TO GIVE AWAY Dr. Dave has become acquainted with many animals throughout the years, but not one has had as much impact on his practice, and his life, as Lug, the stray he invited to stay. This book will warm the hearts of anyone who has ever loved a dog. $12.95

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Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books Total

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FARM TO CHEF ALFALFABET A-Z THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE A DOG TO GIVE AWAY A MOOSE IN A MAPLE TREE THE NIGHT BEFORE A CANADIAN CHRISTMAS I THINK MY GRANDPA MIGHT BE SANTA TOP 160 UNUSUAL THINGS TO SEE IN ONTARIO

$40.00 $12.95 $28.50 $12.95 $19.95 $19.95 $13.99 $29.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling $9.00 Add 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.

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