The Rural Voice - January 2022

Rural Voice

The

January 2022

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

TRICK’S TAKE ON FARMING The balance between profitability and farming respectfully is what Tom Trick strives for

THE VERSATILE SMALL GRAIN Three Living Labs farmers test new methods of cropping small grains for profitability and versatility

RURAL REPOSITORY A living archive of rural stories is launched online to showcase rural history and diversity

Providing a Complete Package

Farm Location

Varna Location

IP Soybeans 2022 programs are available for: • SQWH • S03-W4 • S07-M8 • S12-J7 • P11A10 • OAC Bruton • B088Y1 (RR) • & other varieties hillhill@tcc.on.ca

519-233-3218

Marketing • Buy & Sell Grain Commodities throughout Ontario • On-farm marketing & merchandising

Grain Services • Transportation • Handling & Storage • Receiving • Packaging

RR #1 Varna, Ontario N0M 2R0 www.varnagrain.com

519-233-7908 1-877-433-7908

Yo our farm.

More than just a business.

MAKE CFFO YO OUR FBR CHOIC CE CHRISTIAN FARMERS Federation Of Ontario a

CFFO

Visit Agricorp.com/FBR to register and choose CFFO as your Accredited Farm Organization.

Access to expert advice from our dedicated Board & Staff Agricultural policy from a Christian perspective Exclusive CFFO Member benefits! b Yo our CFFO Member card

         

House & Barn Painting Pressure Washing Asphalt Coatings Sand & Air Blasting Roofs & Walls Elevator Legs Lightning Rod Systems Heavy Duty Seamless Eavestroughing Fully Insured Free Estimates

Liquid Rubber Sealant Uses:  Roof Maintenance & Restorations  Foundations  Bins We’re also certified applicators of Liquid Rubber

Towson Bailie 519-878-1273 Office 519-268-8500

Liquid Rubber Features:    

Waterproof Adheres to almost any surface Resists Cracking & Chipping Flexible in all weather

www.barnpainting.ca DORCHESTER

Contents The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

20

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

6 Columns Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 News & Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Newsletters National Farmers Union . . . . . . . . . .50 Perth County Pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Grey County Federation . . . . . . . . . .52 Bruce County Federation . . . . . . . .53 Perth County Federation . . . . . . . . . .54 Huron County Federation . . . . . . . . .56

28 JANUARY 2022 • Cover Photo Tom Trick of Trick’s Creek Farm Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

• Deadlines: Feb. Issue – Jan.11 March Issue – February 8

16 Perspectives on Agriculture Panelists offer predictions into farming methods of the future

20 Trick’s Take on Farming Mixed farming provides variety and can protect water and soil, says Tom Trick

24 Rural Repository A new website captures, saves and protects stories of rural life for future generations

26 Small Grains in Living Labs Crop farmers share what they learned about small grains in their Living Labs fields

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

28 Birding in Winter Deb Johnston and her long lens capture amazing images

30 Bran and Molasses With molasses as an ingredient, bran muffins never tasted so good

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

NH

ORTH URON

PUBLISHING COMPANY INC.

A division of North Huron Publishing Company Inc.

Feedback Letters to the Editor may be sent to The Rural Voice, P.O. Box 429, Blyth, On N0M 1H0

Farm to Table

Woodlot owners need to address the buckthorn issue

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

Meadowview Farm & Apiary Clare and Gwen Gerber

PURE ONTARIO HONEY •Beeswax • Beeswax candles • Nucleus colonies

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

2 The Rural Voice

Grass-fed Beef

Chicken

Available to order by the side or mixed quarter.

At the farm store: Assorted cuts & patties

Available to order fresh At the farm store: Frozen, Whole or in pieces (Drumsticks, wings, breasts)

RR 2, 91104 Holmes Line, Wingham

519-357-4347 or Cell 519-357-8339

The Editor, I always enjoy your Donna Lacey's woodlot articles in The Rural Voice and I would like to thank her for providing us amateur woodlot owners with so much valuable information. I would like to ask her if she could address the issue of buckthorn management in a future article at some point. I understand it was brought over many decades ago from Europe to create dense fencerows between fields but now, of course, it has become an invasive nuisance in many forest areas.

At our farm, we see it crowding out other species along mature fencerows and laneways but also deeper in our woodlot there are 3040-year-old buckthorns that are now 12 to 14 inches in diameter and 30 to 40 feet tall that are crowding out all other species and creating a dense, dark lifeless understory. Cutting them down causes massive shooting of suckers that don’t ever seem to die back no matter how often they are cut. I understand the Bruce Trail Conservancy is managing it with the herbicide Garlon but any other management techniques would be much appreciated. ◊ – Frank Cantoni, Meaford, ON

Our priorities for 2022 As we embark on another year, we are proud to continue advocating for our 38,000 farm families across the province for the betterment of Ontario’s agriculture sector. As Ontario’s largest general farm organization, OFA intends to bring forward the issues and policies currently impacting our industry.

When looking ahead at 2022, we intend to focus our advocacy work on: • Farmland preservation • Environmental sustainability • Skilled labour force • Business risk management • Infrastructure investments OFA looks forward to collaborating with partners and stakeholders to address our industry’s needs. Through projects, programs and initiatives, we will continue to raise awareness on environmental stewardship and farmland preservation while addressing labour gaps and connecting with Ontarians.

As a grassroots organization, we value your input and look forward to another year of growth and opportunities.

Stay up-to-date on OFA’s advocacy efforts and policies at ofa.on.ca, or through our social media channels.

As an OFA member in Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth you receive a complimentary subscription to The Rural Voice, which includes local federation newsletters. Thank you for choosing OFA as your general farm organization.

ofa.on.ca

@OntarioFarms

OntarioFarms

OntarioFarms

@OntarioFarms

January 2022 3

Leadership in energy and environmental design

Devon Henry 519-505-2473 84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels

devonjhenry@hotmail.com

MORRIS SACHS SILO CONSTRUCTION New stave silos now available SILO ACCESSORIES SILOS DISMANTLED, REBUILT AND REPAIRS

519-363-3900 Cell # (519) 372-5375 R.R. #2 Elmwood, Ont. N0G 1S0 Call us today for all your building and renovating needs.

Design. Build.

Improve.

Renovate.

FREE ESTIMATES

Dave Franken CONCRETE FORMING For All Your Concrete Needs!

COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL • Foundations • Floor Finishing • Circular Tanks • Sandwich Walls RR#3 Blyth ~ Fax 519-523-9604

519-523-9971

AGRICULTURAL

RESIDENTIAL

NORTH HURON CARPENTRY INC. Specializing in eavestroughs, windows and doors, exterior residential and utility doors, siding, agricultural storage buildings, and so much more.

NEW CONSTRUCTION RENOVATIONS

519-524-0253 We also manufacture custom kitchens, cabinetry, stairs and railings

No job too big or too small!

C - 119 Pinebush Rd., Cambridge, ON Fax: 1-866-388-9659 Email: info@waddelleng.com Website: www.waddelleng.com Instagram: @waddell_engineering TikTok: waddell_engineering

38728 Moncrieff Rd., RR #3 Blyth, ON David Werkema Ph.: 519-526-7634 Dave - Mobile - 519-531-0224 Email: dave@northcarpentry.ca Herman - Mobile - 519-525-0232

4 The Rural Voice

Design your next project with our trusted team

Ruralite

Sustainability

•

PARO

“I try to fit the operation to the land, rather than fit the land to the operation.” ~ Tom Trick of Trick’s Creek Farms, on his approach to mixed farming on a sandy, gravelly farm near Clinton.

Dad Jokes in Agriculture • Did you hear about the magic tractor?

— It turned into a field.

• A friend of mine just got a job as a director at Macdonald’s farm.

— He’s been made the CIEIO.

Hmmmm • Why are a “wise man” and a “wise guy” opposites?

• Why do “overlook” and “oversee” mean different things?

• Why is phonetic not spelled the way it sounds?

• Why it is called after dark when it really is “after light”?

“Time and time again I hear about the need for urban people to learn about rural culture. It’s high time the history of rural Ontario is awarded the recognition it deserves.” ~Senator Rob Black, speaking

at the launch of the People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO), a new website that curates and publishes stories about farmers and rural life as a rural repository for the ages.

FARMING IN JANUARY “Farming was the first occupation of man, and as it embraces the whole earth, it is the foundation of all other industries.”

•

~E.W. Stewart

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

• Toller Cranston said, “Wings

Fire and Water A barn fire at David and Elly Boonstoppel’s pig farm destroyed a bank barn which housed goats, alpacas and ponies.

Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot. Story on page 6

are not for birds; they are also

•

for minds.”

January 2022 5

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

The barn fire

honour a building that stood as a testimony of past craftsmanship and bulwark against the elements … except one. The fiery determination of an inferno destroys everything in its path.

This is actually David and Elly’s story to tell but it’s still too soon for them to fully express what they are going through. I’m sharing what I have witnessed of the heartache, the relief (that all their sons were safe) and the overwhelming support from neighbors, friends and the church community in the days following the fire. It’s something that needs to be told as a testimony of rural resilience because as much as fire destroys, community rebuilds. Both David and Elly are overwhelmed and so thankful for the support they have received.

Everyone wants to know what caused the fire but it’s unlikely a cause will be found because the barn was completely destroyed. There is an assumption that it was electrical. The bank barn was old and uninsured, another blow.

When I got there, flames

were still sky high but the firefighters were on it. There was no saving the bank barn but it was attached to a coverall-type structure, which is attached to the pig barn … all three barns connected. Thanks to the hardworking firefighters, the pig barn was saved and the coverall structure can potentially be repaired. This has yet to be determined. No pigs died in the blaze.

After the flames were doused the firefighters stayed for hours, soaking

My nephew was in his room when it suddenly got dark. He took a look outside the window expecting to see a snow storm. Instead, he saw the bank barn engulfed in flames.

Frantic calls were made to his parents, David and Elly Boonstoppel, who were in church. By the time David and Elly made it back to the farm, police and firefighters were already there and my brother and his wife could only watch in despair as the barn burned to the ground. Even worse, 110 goats, one alpaca, and three ponies perished in the blaze.

Elly saw the other alpaca run out of the barn on fire. It actually survived, along with a handful of goats. These were Elly’s animals, part of her “funny farm.” They were her joy and her passion, for Elly is an animal lover and farmer at heart.

One handsome Boer goat and a handful of does survived the blaze, due to the quick thinking of one of their sons who cut the wire surrounding the little pasture attached to the barn. The animals who made it out of the barn could then run clear of the blazing structure. However, the buck died a week later, likely from smoke inhalation. It was another blow for Elly.

The Blyth-area family also lost a lawn mower, skid steer and other assorted pieces of equipment, plus all the hay and straw in the mow.

While the focus has been on Elly who was outwardly grieving, my brother feels By the time firefighters got to David and Elly Boonstoppel’s pig farm near Blyth, the the loss no less. So much bank barn was engulfed in flames and most of the animals inside perished. work was put into the bank barn to make it work with Thankfully, the pig barn survived and no family members were hurt. Owner David the entire operation and to (above) surveys the destruction.

6 The Rural Voice

Lisa B. Pot the hay and straw with a pivoting head on an aerial ladder (not sure of the terms) to prevent more flames from erupting. I’m not sure who was there with an excavator but he pulled out the dead animals and buried them in the field. Man, that was hard to see but thank goodness for his work...so necessary.

Brother David was being pulled in all sorts of directions and Elly was grieving. I watched her friends surround her, hug her, support her as she had to move through shock and grief at losing her animals. It was both hard and wonderful to watch.

Victim’s Services were called by a

worried police officer and they were gentle and caring as well.

Neighbours came with food and equipment. A forward thinking neighbour brought his trailer to load the surviving animals. My son brought his excavator so that a week later, it could start the process of digging out beams and concrete that were too heavy for the volunteer work crew that showed up. So many people! It was incredible the amount of people who came — whole families — to help with the cleanup process. Other people brought subs, chili and sausage on a bun along with tons of coffee, cookies and treats to feed all the volunteers.

I know David and Elly want this acknowledged because they feel so blessed by the support and cannot say thank you enough.

During these early days, there are no concrete plans on what will happen other than there is still a huge mess to clean up. It will require machines at this

point. David and Elly have to figure out where to pile the spoiled hay and straw to compost and where to pile stone and concrete until it can be reused.

The day after the community clean up, 350 pigs needed to be shipped so there was sorting and tattooing that needed to happen. Both David and Elly were exhausted from all the emotions, work, meetings with insurance and decision-making postfire. But farm work waits for no man… it has to get done.

Amanda Brodhagen is a Rural Voice freelancer and she once shared her family experience when their barn burnt down. She described it as one of the worst and best experiences of their lives. Worst, because of what you lose. Best, because of how the community embraces and helps when you’ve had a tragedy. You know you belong. That you matter. That people are good and want to help.

Chatting with one fellow on cleanup day, he said despite the circumstances, helping was fun.

Doing good is fun.

I don’t think David and Elly are feeling that any of this is fun. It’s been a huge loss and there’s no pretending it isn’t.

My heart hurts every time I think of the ponies that died in the fire; it will be so much worse for her. Like any loss, there needs to be a time of grieving. I know their friends and family will be supporting them through that journey.

Interestingly, I was chatting with a farmer a few days after the blaze and I commented that he and his family were making good use of their bank barn to raise beef and work horses.

He agreed but admitted some days they wish it would just burn down. Certainly, these old bank barns aren’t ideal for intensive livestock management but I’m not sure he considered what he would lose if it did burn Firefighters (top) worked long hours to douse the smouldering hay and straw to down.

Sadly, David and Elly now prevent flare‐ups. A week later, the community (above) came together in a mass know.◊ clean up to separate steel and wood from the ruined hay and straw.

January 2022 7

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

B.C. tragedy brings food close My heart aches for farmers whose lives were disrupted by the flooding in B.C.’s prosperous farming valleys after historic rainfalls left the region under water in November. They faced concerns farmers should never have to deal with.

First in my thoughts are those farmers who had to abandon livestock in their barns when the water rose suddenly to several feet deep after 100 or more millimetres of rain fell in a few hours in B.C., filling the valleys that provide food for the population of the province and beyond, B.C.’s Agriculture Minister Lana Popham told the sad stories, such as

the fact at least 500 dairy cows died from the flooding yet thousands of animals were moved to farms not under evacuation order. There were fantastic stories such as that of Carl and Rudy Meyer, who spent days feeding dozens of dairy cows that were partially submerged in water.

There were many sad stories such as Casey Guliker who burst into tears when he saw what remained at his hog farm in Abbotsford, B.C. “I don’t know how many animals died,” Guliker said as he worked to dry out some heavy machinery. “Not all our efforts paid off, but we can rest with a clear conscience that we did the best for the animals.”

Elsewhere there were photos of men putting chickens that survived the water into cages to get them out of the flood zone. As this is written it’s unknown how many animals and birds were lost in the deluge.

But long before I read about the cost to farm animals and to the farmers who keep them, I read an article in The Globe and Mail by a woman who was talking about the need to stop farming animals and using the B.C. situation as proof that Dundalk Location 79 Proton Street N Dundalk, Ontario N0C 1B0 Tel: 519-923-2400 Fax: 519-923-2950

Feversham Location 494283 Grey Road 2 Feversham, Ontario N0C 1C0 Tel: 519-922-2725 Fax: 519-922-3468

Chequing, Savings and Investments Personal Loans, Residential and Farm Mortgages Agricultural and Commercial Loans

Community Driven since 1943 Nancy Ferguson Agricultural & Commercial Credit Officer nferguson@dundalkcu.ca

8 The Rural Voice

she was on the right side of the issue.

At the point she sat down at her computer, certain of her position, I’m sure there were many farmers who were still worrying about their animals, and in some cases working to save them.

Yet it wasn’t just animal agriculture that was endangered by the flooding. Elsewhere, I read about Avtar Sandhu whose family business supplies provinces across Canada and some U. S. states with blueberries, strawberries, broccoli and other fresh goods. Those plants were also underwater and so were their tractors.

Sandhu’s father bought a property in 1974 and since then, Sandhu, his sons and nephews have tended the fertile land in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley with care. When it was drowned by seven or more feet of water on November 14, they were heartbroken.

“It’s hard to put it into words — depression, sadness — it’s hard to say,” said Sandhu, surveying the damage from the storm’s natural disaster.

“Everything our parents, aunts and uncles have built up — it’s heartbreaking to watch it wash away,” added his nephew, Gary Sandhu.

Reading further, one could argue at least some of this land should never have been farmed in the first place. At least some of it was originally underwater, much like Ontario’s Holland Marsh market gardening region. I’m sure, knowing the way farming evolved, that nearly all of these farms had farm animals at one time, if only to provide milk and meat for the families and hay for horses that provided much of the power for farmers growing on the land.

But these farmers were so productive, that the vast majority of the population can live comfortably in the cities these days. Some, though not all, can confidently take food for granted and have ideas about how land should be better used.

I’m old fashioned, I know, but though I’ve seldom produced food to fill anyone but my family’s plate, I’m with the people who actually do the work, not those who are sure they know better than food producers.◊

January 2022 9

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

The Coldest Night of the Year The Coldest Night of the Year is coming to Wingham for the first time on February 26, 2022. “The Coldest Night of the Year is a winterrific family-friendly walk to raise money for local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness. Team up, walk, and fundraise! It’s cold out there but there is no place like home,” (www.cnoy.org/locations/wingham).

The Northern Huron Area Community Committee (NHACC) of the United Way Perth-Huron (UWPH) is encouraging residents of

North Huron, Howick, MorrisTurnberry and areas to bundle up and raise money for our first-annual Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) walk, a family-friendly winter fundraising event for local individuals experiencing homelessness, hunger and hurt. As NHACC Chair, I am excited to see this event coming to our local area.

Funds raised will address challenges northern Huron and area face around the issues of chronic homelessness and social isolation. We invite everyone to walk and help us reach our $30,000 goal.

By walking, participants will better understand the experience of being on the streets during a cold Canadian winter, while raising funds to aid UWPH’s local work in support of a planned Northern Huron Connection Centre. The centre will allow people to access multiple services in a supportive and welcoming environment, eat nutritious food, and connect socially and emotionally. The planned centre will provide basic needs such as light

150 7th Avenue, Hanover, ON

PH: (519) 364-1010 TF: (800) 461-1020 www.hanoverhonda.ca 10 The Rural Voice

meals, a shower, washroom facilities, and laundry along with support through partnerships with numerous agencies.

As participants in the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) across Canada are getting ready to walk for the 12th year, raising money to support people experiencing homelessness, you may find yourself picturing images from big cities of people sleeping in doorways and on warm air vents. It may feel far removed from our rural life here in Huron County. The first time I was asked about it, I instantly thought “that isn’t a thing here. We don’t have homelessness.” But then I opened my eyes and realized I was wrong. A closer look reveals that we actually have a higher per capita rate of homeless here than is found in London (huroncounty.ca).

Homelessness is one of those issues that is easy to ignore. It is largely hidden, and not even that easy to define. In 2018, the Province of Ontario, as part of the Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategy, sought to define what it means to be homeless. It seems like a fairly basic step – just coming up with a definition. “Homelessness describes a situation of an individual or family without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. Most people do not choose to be homeless, and the experience is generally negative, unpleasant, stressful and distressing” (huroncounty.ca).

“Homelessness isn’t just about sleeping on the streets. A person may be in a temporary shelter, incarcerated without a place to go afterwards or “couch surfing”. It affects almost every aspect of life including family well-being, employment, and physical and mental health. Over 200 people are homeless in Perth and Huron right now.

Homelessness also disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, for example, those with physical disabilities, chronic health issues and mental health challenges,” h t t p s : / / p e r t h h u r o n . unitedway.ca/unignorable-issues/ #unignorable-homelessness.

Kate Procter The issue is also easy to ignore because it is difficult to know exactly how many people are dealing with this. People feel afraid and ashamed to admit this is affecting them, making it harder to raise awareness and get help. The study conducted in Huron County found that “nearly 80 per cent of homelessness is hidden, with only the 20 per cent visible in shelters or on the street representing the tip of the iceberg” (huroncounty.ca).

CBC news recently highlighted Huron County in a story about homelessness, which revealed the high cost of housing in our area as a main contributor to the problem.

“The average home price more than doubled in the last five years, from $264,000 to $594,000, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. It jumped by $150,000 in a one-year period from 2020 to 2021,” https://www.cbc.ca/news /canada/london/homeless-ruralontario-huron-county1.6204515?__vfz=medium %3 Dsharebar. Many of the people highlighted in the story are working, but wages do not reflect the cost of housing in our area.

This year’s inaugural Wingham walk includes a COVID-safe, outdoor event on Saturday, February 26, 2022 and a virtual option to walk any time, any distance during the month of February. The in-person walk begins Saturday afternoon and features a two or five kilometre circuit in Wingham. The first 200 people across Canada who raise $500 receive a CNOY hooded sweatshirt.

All participants raising over $150 — $75 for youth under 18— receive CNOY toques. The NHACC has a goal of raising $30,000 in our area.

The CNOY began in 2011 and has raised over $43,500,000 in 149 communities since the beginning. In 2021, the event grew by 54 per cent and raised almost $10,000,000 in spite of pandemic restrictions and uncertainty. Local businesses jumped on board and gave nearly $1 million dollars in sponsorship support.

To register as an individual or team, visit cnoy.org/ location/ wingham.◊

Academic excellence through hands-on experience.

See how we do it.

COME FOR A FREE WEEK!

Contact us to learn more. 705-351-1905 info@headwatersacademy.ca www.headwatersacademy.ca

WE PUT THE

WORK

IN OUR FI F ELDS SO YOU GET THE

MOS ST

OUT OF YOU O RS

Our breeding is done e the traditional way, y, in the field, in an effort to bring you the best possible results on your farm.

That is why we are e The Leade ders rs in N No on-GM GMO See S dC Co orn rn.

De Dell Seeds

The Leaderrs in Non-GMO Corn De Dell Seeeds • 7095 Century Drive • Melbourne, ON • N0L 1T0 P: 519-2664-CORN (2676) • F: 519-264-2672 info@dedellseeds.com • www.dedellseeds.com

January 2022 11

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

Return to the soil Agriculture in Canada and throughout most of the developed world is like an addicted patient in a hospital on life support with an intravenous line permanently attached delivering fossil fuels, not blood.

There are notable exceptions, of course, and some organizations like ALUS (Alternative Land Use Strategies) Canada may be further down the road to sustainability than others. Farmers for Climate Change Solutions is a dedicated group as well.

Even the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has come on board, although the organization’s members might be advised to reconsider its Climate Change Policy Statement which could be construed as simply defending the status quo through a rather ill-conceived manipulation of the facts. Real change demands that farmers and, more importantly, society as whole, take another direction entirely.

Of all the people I’ve written about over the past two years, the

words of two researchers most often come to mind when I think about that direction. One is Ohio State University soil scientist and World Food Prize Recipient Rattan Lal. Here’s what I wrote in 2020 after hearing Lal during an on-line panel discussion: “… Lal proposes a new soil centric direction, one to be embraced on a global scale if the issues of soil degradation, climate change and feeding the world’s population are to be addressed. … The agronomics are based on four key principles: disturbing the soil as little as possible; maintaining crop residue on the soil surface; growing cover crops during the off season; and replacing chemical fertilizers with biologicallysourced materials like manure and compost.

“Lal proposes going even further by providing soil with legallybinding rights: ‘Right-of-Soil implies that soil degradation, pollution and depletion is a moral and ethical wrong that must be stopped. … (It) is not based on economic benefits but on protecting and restoring the soil for the greater good of the planet rather than just for humanity. In this context, humanity is a part of nature, and it is in its own best interest that soil and its functionality is protected forever.’”

The second person is Harvardeducated Roger L. Martin who grew up in Wallenstein, Ontario and has

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

12 The Rural Voice

published several books including, When More is Not Better; Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency.

Martin said pushing efficiency has helped raise productivity, building the reputation of Canada and the United States as wealthy, prosperous societies, “… but in the last 40-plus years … we’ve been pushing efficiency so hard it’s been having counterproductive impacts on our lives, the economy, on businesses and the environment.

“For one reason or another, the world falls prey at various points of time, falls prey to models that feel logical in some narrow sense but in a broader or more holistic sense are just bad models. I see the great leap forward in making our models more sustainable.”

I suspect Canadian farmers understand the words of Lal and Martin and many would even embrace the precepts – if only they could see a way forward. What’s needed is societal support, not just in the form of government direction, but through citizen choice.

Farmers well understand the implications of climate change, having had to deal with the fallout over the course of the past year.

Consider the recent floods in British Columbia and earlier wildfires, the extensive drought across much of the Prairies and, here in Ontario, excessive rainfall.

Yet the average Canadian citizen and most members of the urbancentric media have little understanding of even the basics of food production, let alone how climate change threatens the food system.

Climate change will remain in the headlines in 2022 and as impacts to the food system become more evident, the role of farmers and agriculture will gradually become better understood. The challenge for farm leaders is to step down from their silos, agree to disagree, present a united front, and understand – as Roger Martin has so ably pointed out, “There are rarely correct answers, just better ones and worse ones and even our best answers change over time.” ◊

Celebrating Over 75 Years

We speak fluent farmer…

BECAUSE WE FARM TOO!

PROPANE - LUBRICANTS FUEL - CARDLOCK Now offering…

DRILLED WELLS BORED WELLS IRRIGATION WELLS WATER GUARANTEED Call us FIRST for great deals on new wells & pump systems

LUCAN

(519) 227-0057

www.haydenwaterwells.com

1-888-535-4455

info@haydenwaterwells.com

Save fuel by up to 3%

6630 Wellington Rd 123 Box 148, Palmerston, ON 1(800) 265-3594 | chalmersfuels.ca

CANADIAN CO-OPERATIVE WOOL GROWERS LIMITED Serving Ont. Sheep Producers Since 1918

Celebrating 32 years of experience helping our community Advising Executors Training in QuickBooks Accounting and tax preparation

Payroll Financial Planning Estate Planning

Due to the Coronavirus we are only accepting wool deliveries on a consignment basis.

FINAL PAYMENTS ARE BEING ISSUED

Glenn Hayter, CFP, CEA Gayle Poore Devon Congram-Newell Maureen Kloeze, BBA

Beverley Blair Amber Tugwell Lorraine De Rijk Marly Vendrig, BMOS

Phone: 519-482-5840 Fax: 519-482-5627 320 Victoria Street, Clinton, Ontario N0M 1L0 Email: general@hayter.on.ca Website: www.hayter.on.ca

We apologize for any inconvenience.

For more information contact:

WINGHAM WOOL DEPOT

John Farrell R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario Phone/Fax

519-357-1058

farfieldfarm@gmail.com

January 2022 13

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

“So, how are you enjoying your new TV,” Dave Winston asked Cliff Murray when they sat down at Mabel’s Grill .

“Did you get a TV for Christmas?” George Mackenzie asked as they settled comfortably around the table.

Cliff laughed uncomfortably.

“Well, I suppose it was for Christmas,” he said. “Although I didn’t get it until New Year’s Eve. See my sister got her husband a new 72-inch television for Christmas. So they brought me his old 42-inch set – which must be a whole two years old, at least.”

“I can’t get used to people these days,” said Dave, shaking his head.

“One minute they’re watching TV on their telephone screen, and the next

they absolutely must have 72 inches.”

“I guess it averages out,” shrugged George. “Add up that 72 and four inches and you get about 38 which is close to what I watched for a long time.”

“I can’t imagine a monster in some monster movie seeming like it’s a monster when reduced to a four-inch screen,” said Dave.

“So, I haven’t seen you guys for a while,” said Molly Whiteside as she arrived to take their orders. “More than just the Christmas holiday break I’m figurin’.”

“Did you not hear about George’s adventure?” Dave asked her. “I figured Mabel would have told you.”

“If we hadn’t been so busy with the Christmas rush I should have asked her, I suppose,” Molly agreed.

“Well we had this wedding in the family back before Christmas,” explained George, “and the bride and groom sent each of us a COVID-19 test kit before the ceremony, which was nice of them. Only when Marylou sent in our tests, mine came back saying I’d tested positive. These are the only guys I’ve been around so

er 40 Years

rvice For Ov g Reliable Se

Providin

or You 'Easy Lift' F n A r o o D y n Of Making A 4

97

1 CE

515 James Street S., St. Marys, Ontario N4X 1C7 Ph: 519 349-2355

FA

SIN

CT

OR

YO

UT

800 667-3845

LE

T

EASY LIFT DOORS LTD.

Fax: 519 349-2144 website: easyliftdoors.com email: easylift@quadro.net

s Prompt Service s Large Volume of stocked Inventory s Dock Seals / Dock Levellers s On Site Consultations s High Quality Standards s Attention to Detail s Well equipped Service Trucks s All Materials 3 ft. to 30 ft. Wide

AGRICULTURAL • RESIDENTIAL • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL 14 The Rural Voice

we all went into quarantine until our tests came back and mine turned to be false positive.”

“But by then George and Marylou missed the wedding and when I called Mabel, she told us to stay home until we were safe,” said Dave.

Cliff laughed. “Too bad you hadn’t been like that guy from Italy.”

“What guy was that?” Molly wondered.

“Did you not hear about him? The one who apparently didn’t want to get a COVID shot so he tried to use a fake arm to get his.”

“Yeah, but he got caught, didn’t he?” laughed George.

“Well of course the nurses realized it wasn’t a real arm so instead of getting away with it, he’s now famous around the world,” Cliff laughed. “You can’t keep that kind of thing quiet.”

“I don’t know, Mabel could have used the publicity – come have lunch where the guy tried to pass off a fake for his real arm. It might be the making of a good January despite the pandemic,” laughed Molly.

“The problem is we’re too small a town to have a vaccine clinic of our own,” said George. “I mean, you look at a Tim Hortons near a vaccine clinic in one of the towns and they’re full – especially the drive-through.”

“Yeah, well, Mabel’s isn’t lucky enough to get much vaccine traffic,” Molly sighed.

“Have you been over there lately?” Dave asked George.

George sighed wearily. “Marylou figured we were old enough so we should get our booster – particularly after the false alarm.”

“I wish my profit was better on my pigs right now and I’d buy some Tim Hortons shares” sighed Dave.

“Instead, we farmers get blamed for pork prices being high and everybody else makes the profit.”

“Tell me about it,” sighed Molly.

“You can bet people like me will take the blame for the province raising the minimum wage on January 1.”

“Hey, I forgot about that,” said George, brightening.

“No!” warned Molly. “Just because I get a 20-cent an hour wage hike does not mean you can cut my tip! You make my tip any smaller and I’ll owe you money!” ◊

HURON FEEDING SYSTEMS Your local authorized dealer for...

Brussels JOE SEILI 519-887-6289 www.huronfeedingsystems.com

DEADLINE for the

FEBRUARY

Rural Voice is

January 11

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 www.bio-ag.com ~ 1.800.363.5278

519-338-3484 • Cell 519-323-6335 January 2022 15

Perspectives

A purposeful perspective on farming Labour issues were a common theme for panelists speaking on the future of agricuture during a Huron County Water Protection Steering Committee meeting but each business person had a unique approach to how they will farm in the future suggesting there is room for anyone who can find a market.

L

From exporting to the world to selling at the

ooking for inspiration on what approach to take on farmgate, future farmers will find room for their your farm? Judging from a panel speaking on the future of ideals to match their practices in the new food agriculture, you can export to the and farming space, say panelists world, sell at the farmgate and/or be a mixed farm on a large scale to be manage crop inputs to how we manage cover crops and profitable, happy in your business and promote Ontario how we do everything we can to make sure water is foods. pristine before it hits Lake Huron. It is stunning what According to the panelists, farming is not a “Go big or farmers can do when leading by example and generally go home” approach. It's a “Go Big” or “Go home” or “Go being good stewards.” Moreover, sustainable practices big AND go home” approach. All three visions were open up new markets, added Thompson. explored during the Perspective on the Future of Farming Martin VanderLoo, Huron Commodities virtual presentation in November, which was organized by nternational business faces huge logistical issues in the the Huron County Water Protection Steering Committee to future, believes Martin VanderLoo of Huron inspire future farmers by what is happening right in their Commodities whose presentation was largely on the backyard. struggles involved in exporting. At the same time, he Lisa Thompson, the Ministry of Agriculture, was believes investing in the Canadian economy, supporting listening in and said the future of agriculture and primary and encouraging entrepreneurs and cutting regulatory red production is based on sustainability. “Ontario already leads the way whether we are embracing the 4Rs (right • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot • source, right rate, right time, and right place) in how we

I

16 The Rural Voice

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES & NASM PLANS When experience and reputation count!

We are the largest group of agricultural strategists in Ontario who prepare Nutrient Management Plans & Strategies for even the most complex operations.

Do you currently have a plan or strategy in place that needs renewal?

We can help you with all aspects of meeting the requirements of the Nutrient Management Act

Crop Quest is an unbiased Nutrient Management Plan provider offering province-wide service

519-301-2036 • email: andy.devries@cropquest.ca • web: www.cropquest.ca

W.D. Hopper & Sons Ltd. Seaforth, Ont. 1-888-522-1737 Water Well Drilling: Farms, Irrigation, Residential Grundfos Stainless Pumps Well Abandonments Down Hole Videos Geothermal Drilling Serving You For 100 Years+ wdhopperwaterwells.com E-mail: wdhopper@tcc.on.ca

Our Newest Addition

tape is the way to seize opportunities and foster growth.

“Our financial industry does not want to take a chance on your entrepreneurs with great ideas. What often happens is the Americans step in to finance it and bring it back to the United States,” said VanderLoo. “We need to insist that our financial industry offers credit and investment to these new opportunities.”

He sees new opportunities in the export market which Huron Commodities depends on to sell premium seed and crop varieties by partnering growers with buyers and managing the transportation and logistics process.

Huron Commodities is a successful, established business but shipping issues have been a real struggle.

For instance, the majority of beans and grains are shipped overseas in sea containers. The crop’s journey involves trucks and railways to make it to Vancouver for loading on ships.

The problem is a lack of sea containers because of freight costs.

Freight for those containers used to cost about $3,500 US. Now it costs $25,000 to ship those same containers from China to North America and Europe. Normally, North American exporters fill those containers with exports and ship them back to China. However, there is an extreme shortage of these containers and because moving them from China to North America is an “extreme revenue generator”, many containers now get moved back to China empty so they can be quickly reloaded to take advantage of the profitable shipping rates.

“We are short of containers and that has created a bottleneck,” explained VanderLoo. Add climate change issues such as the mudslides and flooding ruining roads in British Columbia, and shipping has turned into a logistical nightmare.

Climate change is a huge concern for the future of farming. “Our government seems to think that implementing a carbon tax is the solution to this problem,” said VanderLoo. “Yet farmers cannot claim carbon credits. This legitimately needs to be done as

Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment

Starting at $7795 702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH (519) 422-ATVS (2887) sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca

January 2022 17

farmers are sequestering carbon in their woodlots and pastures and this needs to be addressed by Ottawa.”

Inflation is rising and predictions suggest interest rates will be soon, which will result in wage increases across all sectors. Labour shortages will also continue, predicts VanderLoo. Part of the solution is growing goods at home and bringing manufacturing plants back to Ontario. He wants to see less reliance on China and more manufacturing and processing based in Canada to protect our food security and create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for Canadians.

Teresa Van Raay The Whole Pig Company rowth was the key point of Teresa Van Raay’s presentation about the successes of The Whole Pig Company which also markets corn, wheat, soybeans and garlic.

This third generation farm works hard to maintain healthy family relationships with two sons and one daughter involved in the operation. A new pig barn will be in operation in 2022 and they also built a “Shause” - a house in a shed -- to provide housing for one of the sons.

“We have been in the process of succession planning for more than five years. It’s not easy. Land prices were $1,500 an acre when we started farming and now they are over $25,000. Do the math.” She admits they do ponder the idea of selling and living comfortably but farming is about family and the business continues to embrace the next generation.

The new generation will need to find new markets for former waste products, such as the scapes that are cut off garlic plants. “We have to snip them off before harvest to ensure bulb growth but these scapes are full of nutritional value and we need to find new markets for them,” explained Van Raay.

Like VanderLoo, Van Raay says labour is a huge issue. Things have to change in rural areas to attract workers. “We need more affordable housing, high-speed internet,

G

18 The Rural Voice

community activities, sports, schools, health care, gyms and good roads,” she said. The Whole Pig relies on temporary foreign workers to help harvest garlic.

Farmers need to embrace change by looking back and seeing how much it has already changed. “Our manure used to be spread with a gun, then a splash barn, and now we have manure injection which has the benefit of cutting down on odour for our neighbours and also makes sure nutrients are available to the crop instead of being lost to the air.”

She believes no-till cropping and the use of cover crops are great practices to prevent soil from blowing into the neighbour's field.

The addition of precision agriculture ensures efficient and cost-effective cropping, Van Raay added.

Change is also about embracing technology and their new hog barn is largely computerized with a warning system to indicate if anything is wrong with the feeding system.

“We’ve had times in the past where a pipe broke and the feed room was filled with feed. Technology can help prevent that,” says VanRaay.

Her last prediction on the future of agriculture was that farmers need to, and will, take care of their mental health. “It’s okay to take a break,” she concluded.

Tom Trick Trick’s Creek Farms f the three panelists, Trick saw the future of farming as less of a growth and profitdriven business and more of a means to find balance between profitability and protecting the environment.

The Tricks sell eggs, beef, firewood and lumber from a 120-acre farm in Huron County. The farmland is sandy and gravelly so crops struggle during hot, dry summers, which is why beef farming is an ideal choice for a farmer who “tries to fit the operation to the land rather than trying to fit the land to the operation.”

He makes it clear that he has an off-farm business and his wife is a teacher, which brings additional income to the family and allows a mixed-farm operation to succeed. A

O

grist mill and sawmill on the property indicate that historically agriculture was always a part of, but not the focus, of the operation.

This is not a detriment to Trick’s way of thinking as when asked what he enjoys most about farming, “variety” is his answer. He sees the way he farms as being a way of the future for small-scale farmers willing to develop a loyal customer base for products raised on the farm. As such, Trick’s Creek Farms provides many services such as custom lumber orders, broilers raised on pasture, small acreages of edible beans or corn, eggs and honey. One of two properties on the farm is powered by a generator that runs by water running under the mill. He loves the farm and the way he farms and had these points to share about how he makes it work: • “Broilers are fed organic feed and the pens are moved daily. This way the chickens have new stimulation every day and do not sit in yesterday’s manure. The feed input from the pasture is minimal but I definitely see them pick at insects and chew grass.

• I have a few dozen laying hens with a nice set up where people can go to the building where the fridge is, and leave a payment or e-transfer a payment. A lot of people really like the eggs from free-range hens.

• I do a bit of logging. If I can convince the older set (Trick’s parents who also live on the farm) then we can sell just shy of a tractor load every year and that is a sustainable level.

• I do 100- 200 face cords for firewood which is delivered to customers. I also custom saw wood with no intention of being a highvolume output operation. It's a unique service that is only economical in certain situations and it is a wonderful exercise.

• I grew a seven acre patch of open pollinated corn seed which was planted June 1 after a spring graze. It yielded a little more than 100 bushels per acre and I'm sure everyone else who grows corn is shaking their head and pitying me but that was grown with zero chemicals, no fertilizer

(was formerly pastured) and free seed. It’s also certified organic so it has more value.

• There has not been a spring when we did not plant trees. We have probably planted 15 acres of what was considered a field back into trees. The main reason to reforest is for windbreaks and to expand the riparian areas around the creeks and pond. Also, some of the land that was stripped for cropping should have never been...it just blew sand and it was quite a struggle to get trees established in some of those areas again.

• We have not used any agricultural chemicals, petroleumbased nitrogen or pesticides in the last 12 years. We have little or no monocropping and very little tillage.

Much of the land is in perennial pasture and hay.

• Some of my beans go to Cullins Foods which is a business that contracts Ontario growers and distributes beans to grocery stores.

They have production, cleaning, packaging and consumption all within the province.

• The market for grass fed cattle is quite strong. I store the meat in freezers and it goes directly to the customer cooking it. Today’s technology helps me connect with customers and I like it when people stop by the farm. I leave it in the freezer and they can pick it up when it suits.”

As to the future, Trick said once high-speed internet came to rural Ontario, it created a stampede of urban dwellers to the area. He is not surprised. “We are in an incredible area,” he says. The increased population will offer more opportunities for farm profitability as entrepreneurs learn to market highvalue and value-added products to health-conscious clientele.

Improved cattle and pasture grass genetics will allow farmers to offer more pounds of grass fed beef and chicken to the customer without using more resources.

Farm legitimacy will become essential to customers who are intentional about what they eat.

Trust-building needs to be a part of the farm business model, concludes Trick. ◊

EXCLUSIVE $695,000 Near Owen Sound, 3 acres of country living, large 5 bedroom, 3 bath raised bungalow.

$499,000 Near Mitchell’s Bay Two bedroom, 1 bath, on 0.5 acres. Detached car garage, boat house, lake views and more!

Call Dave or Elly for a buyers package to see more about these properties.

and it isn’t just corn.

You may not realize it, but your home is sitting on a free and renewable supply of energy. A WaterFurnace geothermal comfort system taps into the stored solar energy in your own backyard to provide savings of up to 70% on heating, cooling and hot water. That’s money in the bank and a smart investment in your family’s comfort. Contact your local WaterFurnace dealer today to learn how to tap into your buried treasure.

1136 Bruce Road 86, LUCKNOW

www.cliffsplumbing.com Phone: 519-528-3913 • Toll Free: 800-449-2543 • Fax: 519-528-3125 cliff@cliffsplumbing.com

January 2022 19

Mixed Farming

Trick’s take on sustainable farming Trick’s Creek Farm is a mixed farm where owner Tom Trick fits the operation to the land, rather than fit the land to the operation • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

T

Tom Trick gives the friendliest cow in his herd of Dexter‐cross beef cattle a friendly rub while showing all the different components on his mixed farm which partners ecological values with respecting the neighbours while still trying to keep it profitable by also harvesting lumber and growing a small acreage of organic crops.

20 The Rural Voice

om Trick’s approach to farming is to try and run an environmentally beneficial mixed farm in a landscape of intensive agriculture and urban influx.

Mixed farms are rare these days and Trick’s passion for his endeavour was evident in a talk on The Perspectives on the Future of Agriculture hosted by the Water Protection Steering Committee in November. Curious about the farm and Trick’s goal to “inspire a bit of thought” I visited the farm shortly afterwards to see how the Trick farm operates. I discovered a farm that was once a gravel pit, and is now being regenerated with beef cow manure, forestry and farming practices that honour the soil and provide Trick with a variety of tasks that suit his approach to life.

“I try to fit the operation to the land, rather than fit the land to the operation,” says Trick as we wind down a long lane that takes us from his house near Bayfield Road between Clinton and Bayfield, past the chicken tractors (moveable pens), to a pond and creek that powers the generator, which powers his parents’ house back behind the woods. In between there was beef pasture, acreage for edible beans, beehives, newly planted trees and a beef barn.

There’s a sawmill on this property too which was once a profitable business for a pioneer of old, as was the grist mill that once ground grains by harnessing the water’s energy. It’s a gorgeous farm and Trick said he loved growing up here.

As a child, he lived in both houses. His parents, Bill and Thea, liked the off-grid home down the winding lane but it's far from the road so when Tom and his siblings went to school, the family moved into the house by the road. Tom, his wife Cherilyn and three children live there still while Bill and Thea, now well into their senior years, moved back to the off-grid home. They still like to help and Thea is always busy planting trees.

As a child, Trick loved to have friends over. “If I went to visit a friend in town, we’d often play crappy video games but there was such a variety of things to do on the farm.”

That “variety” is something Trick still loves and craves. He’s not one for “bowling alley” fields and

he finds field work tedious, though he loves to work. “I don’t mind having a lot on my to-do list. The thing that frustrates me is that the end of the day comes too soon,” he says. here is a lot to do between all the farm’s income streams.

Because he’s committed to clean water and ecological ideals, he wants the land to dictate how this 100-acre property should be farmed.

Since the soil is gravelly and sandy, it's not a place for cash crops.

Acreage that was cleared and worked in the past has since been reforested to keep the soil that was there from blowing away. There are quite a few pastures for beef cattle to graze on, allowing Trick to sell grass-fed beef at both farmer’s markets and the farm gate.The beef herd started primarily as Dexter cattle. Then Trick bred in some Lowline Angus, added a bit of Wagyu (which was not successful for his operation) and is now breeding Galloway genetics.

The 40 cows and calves are stout and meaty and provide nicely marbled meat.

“Ruminants are a critical choice.

They are best for the property in terms of soil, water and labour,” he says. Plus, cattle are such a wonderful species. “They are very hardy and their diet means there is no need to grow high-input annual crops with impacts that are not positive.

They allow the farm to be in perennial pasture for years on end and enable long rotations for cropping that make organic farming realistic. These pastures have lower capital costs, low diesel consumption and are beneficial to wildlife, soil, water and air. The pasture double duties as an environmental habitat.”

Trick also sells eggs, pastured broilers and honey and cash crops a small amount of edible beans, which is quite profitable but since he only grows 7-10 acres at a time, it’s not enough to sustain the farm. It is the bush that makes the most money on the farm as Trick fulfills custom sawmill orders.

It’s all the parts working together, plus a business in town and Cherilyn’s teaching income that give the family a good living and allow Trick to live his vision for Trick’s Creek Acres. His parents also had

T

Steve Cronsberry (Owner) 5483 Fifth Line Minto, Palmerston 1­888­534­0393 marquardtfarmdrainage.com

519­343­3233

of providing professionally designed and installed drainage systems.

SLABS

ORDER NOW FOR SPRING DELIVERY

29 Gordon Street E, Teeswater, ON N0G 2S0 shop.buddsteel.com info@buddsteel.com Phone: (519) 392 6060

January 2020 21

professional careers and did not depend on the farm for their income.

Trick recognizes the farm, due to its size, and broken up by a creek, pond, bush and winding laneway is not conducive to aggressive farming.

Instead, it has a romantic appeal and his next venture will be building and renting cabins for urban dwellers to experience life in the country, if only for a weekend at a time.

His thoughts meander like the laneway, dwelling on many ideals such as respect for land and neighbours. “When I think of buzzwords to describe what we do, I use the word respectful. I like to be respectful to myself, my family, my neighbours, the community and the land. As soon as you put business ideas through the filter of being done respectfully, it knocks a lot of potential ventures out of the contention.”

He likes to ponder the question, “Is more better?” Trick wonders about farms that keep putting up barns and adding acreage. How will families be able to transition these operations, worth millions of dollars, to their kids? Will the next generation ever be able to afford it?

Does it really improve the farmer’s way of life?

“My personal view is that farm aggregation has led to undesirable outcomes. I think enabling severances of smaller acreages would be a big benefit for rural residents and small producers,” says Trick. He despairs when a farmer buys the neighbour’s farm and immediately rips out the fence lines and windbreaks to make one big field.

“It’s not for me to say what they can and cannot do but I think it is not proactive.”

Overuse of drainage and its effect on rivers and streams is a concern, as is the effect of agriculture intensification on water quality.

“We’ve got two creeks and the farm is on the Bayfield River so water quality is a high priority for us. We like the idea of having a lot of the farm in grass. When I spread manure, it's a great way to make sure the manure stays put.”

Trick says he uses sustainability as a guideline when making 22 The Rural Voice

Trick’s Creek Farms near Clinton is a mixed farm where owner Tom Trick raises grassfed beef (top) and chicken. A former grist mill on the property generates electricity for his parent’s house (above) and contains historical pieces inside.

Below, broilers are raised in chicken tractors for animal welfare which also fertilizes the pasture.

decisions. “When you are using a finite resource, you kid yourself to think you are sustainable. My goal is to reduce the use of finite resources as much a possible.” As such, they generate electricity for one of the houses with water power, heat their houses with wood (while replanting trees) and use the manure from cattle to fertilize their soils.

Trick welcomes visitors to the farm, which is why he enjoys farm gate sales. “There is significant value to actually meeting a customer in terms of legitimacy, real time for questions and trust building.”

Having a been a visitor myself during a month of awful weather, where mud is a fixture on all farms, I’m keen to return in the spring, where, as Trick says, it's a place “That puts a smile on someone’s face with the trees all green, the birds chirping, the cattle happily grazing in the field.”

You can read more about the Trick operation in the Perspectives on the Future of Agriculture story in this issue of The Rural Voice. ◊

Grower Pesticide Safety Course & Pesticide Safety for Farmer Assistants



Farmers must be certified to buy and use Class B and C pesticides on farms.



Farm workers who assist with pesticide application under the supervision of a Certified Farmer must be trained.

For a list of opportunities, visit

www.opep.ca Sign up online or call us at 1-800-652-8573 to register for the

Ontario Pesticide Education Program

Licensed Plumber Are Hard Winters or on Staff High Fuel Prices Draining The ECO Store your Bottom Line?

559 Bervie Sideroad RR #4 Here is the Answer!

Kincardine N2Z 2X5 Way More Affordable then you Think

Commercial 4 Million BTU Gassifier • 1800 Gallons of Water • Green Houses • Dryers • Farms • Resorts • Gassifier • Wood or Wood Chips • Like Buying Propane at 8¢ a Litre!

UP TO 50% OFF

Government Grants

rvie Supply Be Energy Unlimited

Installation • Energy Audits Feasibility Studies • Training

CG Blast • 450,000 BTU approx.

• Green House • Economical • Sale - $6,500 • No Plumbing!

• Indoor/ Outdoor • CSA • High Efficiency

Boilers

Pellet Stoves • Ecoflex® & Boilers Thermal Pipe Are you dreaming of...

Solar Panels

?

? • reducing your hydro bill? ? ? • reducing your fuel bill?

• Many Sizes • Home RV DC Well and Pool Pumps

Various Units

• Largest showroom in Ontario • In stock • Ready to ship • CSA Appproved!

Sun-Mar Composting Toilets

• energy independence?

? • building an off grid home? ? ...then you Better talk to us!

• Batteries • AGM • Flooded • Surrete • Solar January 2020 23

Rural Life

Keeping rural stories alive and accessible

Lisa Thompson (left), the Minister of Agriculture and Food, is the subject of one of the first 24 stories curated for the People’s Archive of Rural Ontario which was was launched in November by the University of Guelph. Canadian harpist Valerie Milot is featured as a cover photo for the website, in a photo taken by photographer Stephen Dagg.

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

L The University of Guelph launches the People’s Archive of Rural Ontario as a repository of rural stories 24 The Rural Voice

isa Thompson is not only the Ministry of Agriculture of Food and Rural Affairs, she’s also a selfconfessed foodie who shared her favourite recipes in one of 24 inaugural stories for the newly launched People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO).

Described as a living archive of rural Ontario that is widely accessible, ever-growing, online and a repository of multimedia stories, the PARO officially launched in November with a slate of speakers applauding the endeavour.

“We are really excited because it’s been a lot of time and thinking and collaboration to make a website that is easy to use, engaging, accessible and does justice to stories of people living in rural Ontario,” said Dr. David Borish, knowledge

mobilization associate with PARO during the virtual launch.

Senator Rob Black agreed.

“Time and time again I hear about the rural urban divide and the need for urban people to learn about rural culture. It’s high time the history of rural Canada is awarded the recognition it deserves,” said Black.

Thompson agreed to be interviewed by Owen Roberts for the repository. The story focuses on farming, food and her role as the agriculture minister. She shared three family recipes and the interview ranged from issues of rural migration to the role of rural Ontario in food production.

“Small town Ontario goes hand in hand with the agri-food system,” said the minister in her PARO story. “They depend on each other and need each other to succeed.”

PARO is the brainchild of the University of Guelph which has a history of teaching and promoting agriculture since 1874 when the government bought 550 acres from the Stone family to start a college of agriculture.

“We work in partnerships with committees and we are proud that we mobilize knowledge into action,” said Dr. Charlotte Rates, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Guelph. Deeply rooted to the prosperity and growth of rural Ontario, the launch of PARO by the university aligns with the overall mission of the university to improve life.

PARO describes itself as presenting stories that showcase the diversity of rural Ontario people, repair the gaps in knowledge about rural experiences, challenge unexamined assumptions, build bridges that bring people closer together and shed light on the ways choices impact ourselves and the people we depend on.

It has four key principles: • Open access: PARO commits to extending the circulation of knowledge in accessible and understandable ways, and therefore ensures all of the audio-visual and written content within the archive is open to everyone online , free of cost or other barriers to engaging with this work.

• Aligned with rural needs: PARO is focused on supporting the recovery, preservation, and resilience of rural Ontario, and aims to be a flexible initiative, with evolving practices and efforts in response to the changing priorities and needs of people and communities in this region.

• Diversity and equity: PARO is all about highlighting and celebrating the diversity of rural Ontario, and is dedicated to amplifying stories across different ages, races, sexual orientations, socio-economic statuses, abilities, and religious beliefs.

• Privileging rural voices: PARO is meant to be a platform that supports rural representation, and so the focus is to highlight rural stories,

experiences, perspectives, and voices in ways that are meaningful to the people of this region.

PARO was modelled after a similar venture in India called the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) whose founder, Dr. P. Sainath, spoke virtually at PARO’s launch. He said people have great romantic notions of famous libraries such as the library of Alexandria.

However, these libraries were not free and open. They largely excluded most of society. In his own country of India, Sainath said the Brahma caste had lists of punishments for people of lower castes who listened to their sacred texts. “Punishments included having hot iron nails placed on their tongues or having their eyes gouged out. That is how leaders kept a monopoly over knowledge.” Most archives have been a repository of protected privilege.

PARI is meant to be the exact opposite.

“We need archives that are controlled neither by the government nor by corporations. There is a need for a people archive based on a concern with everyday lives or everyday people that cannot be taken down by someone else and cannot be declared classified information,” said Sainath.

It will be very important for PARO to remember to credit every writer, every subject and every person involved in the stories. Also, to record stories from many angles, even if the writer does not agree with the angle. Moreover, to publish in multiple languages.

Students at the University of Guelph curated the first 24 stories and in sharing their experience, one writer expressed that he learned rural Ontaro is more diverse and resilient than he imagined. Another writer said she learned the importance of creating an interesting narrative and how to work together with someone to create a story they were both proud of.

The PARO website can be found at https://www.ruralontario.org/.

Click on the stories tab to find the story on Lisa Thompson along with the other rural repository stories. ◊

Libro knows farming, it’s in our roots.

Invite us to the table and gain agriculture banking experts who have been a trusted partner for over 75 years.

Book an appointment today.

libro.ca/ag

January 2022 25

Crops

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

Growing small grains in Living Labs

S

mall grains have been described as “poverty grass” by farmers who stick to higher-paying corn and soybeans but small grains can be profitable, land-improving and versatile for farmers looking for different options.

So say three crop farmers on a small grains panel during a Living Labs session during the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) conference who have been collaborating with researchers to discover new ways of growing grains to improve soil health and water quality while still maintaining profitability.

“We are trying to add diversification to the main crops, keep our ground covered and use grains for weed control,” said A slide from the Living Labs presentation at the Ecological Farmers Association of Greg Vermeersch, of VanMeer Ontario conference shows the farmers in Ontario using their fields as living Farms near Tillsonburg. “We’re laboratories to test new cropping methods with an eye to maintaining continuous also seeing a bump of five to cover and reducing tillage. seven bushels on our corn harvest the year after.” believes Israel. “We are good producers first and foremost Brett Israel of Carl Israel Farm Ltd. near Drayton said and small grains feed our community.” growing small grains is an important part of a whole farm With small grains, fields are never bare. Israel showed a system. “As organic producers, small grains give us slide called “ A tale of two fields” revealing bare, dirt cropping flexibility because they can follow virtually any fields with water infiltration issues compared to a field of crop. They also provide straw for our pig operation.” winter barley which was green and no visible water Both farmers are part of the Living Labs on-farm pooling. “If we can keep the ground covered while research program where they test new hybrids and generating a profitable crop, that really is a win-win.” With cropping strategies in their own fields. Partnering with climate change and the worry of weather instability, small Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and led by the grains can protect the soils and improve soil health, making Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) it more resilient to wild weather. the project connects farmers with researchers. EFAO’s goal Greg Vermeersch, VanMeer Farm is to help make farms more resilient in the face of climate The sandy soil in Tillsonburg is vastly different from the change and specifically, reducing greenhouse gas soil near Drayton so Living Lab research on the VanMeer emissions by focusing on reduced tillage and continuous farms has to consider that small grains are not as profitable soil cover. as soybeans, ginseng, tobacco and other vegetable crops Brett Israel, 3Gen Organics grown in the area. Part of Vermeersch’s goal is to discover A multi-generation family farm organically cropping how to make it profitable because the addition of small 1,200 acres near Drayton, the Israels also raise 170 sows grains makes his workload much easier due to the timing of farrow to finish as part of their farm systems at 3Gen planting and harvesting, Organics. They grow approximately 600 acres of small “We want to make it financially feasible without getting grains and have recently launched a direct-to-market flour into specialty markets,” explains Vermeersch. from their own grains.

His test plot with Living Labs was growing soybeans in Flexibility is the real win with small grains, says Israel. relay rows between barley and comparing it to a double“They are a profitable crop in the organic crop system and cropped field of soybeans. Vermeersch expected the soys with pigs, the higher inclusion of wheat and barley allows in the relay rows would outperform the soys that were us to feed more barley to the pigs which increases meat double cropped. However, an early frost clipped the relay protein.” soybeans while a wet growing season on sandy soil Growing grains is part of being a community grower, allowed the later-seeded double-cropped soybeans to thrive 26 The Rural Voice

and they were the best performers.

Still, he sees real potential for relay crops once he figures out the best way to harvest. This year, he harvested the barley in July with a traditional combine using plastic tile to protect the soybeans. The soys ended up getting a good “haircut” and some rows were driven over by the machinery. Still, they bounced back quite readily and Vermeersch estimates he gave up two bushels an acre from the stress. The soybeans were harvested in late October.

“The great thing about Living Labs is that we get funding to help with these experiments. Crop farmers on the leading edge are also on the bleeding edge because we don't know how the crops will turn out,” says Vermeersch.

Relay cropping is not something Israel felt would work on his Drayton-area fields from a weedcontrol perspective. He prefers to grow winter barley which is seeded in the fall, gets a coat of liquid manure in the spring and then is basically ignored until harvest.

Genetics Both crop farmers say the key to any double cropping or relay cropping strategy is genetics.

For Israel, finding a new breed of winter barley which improves winter survival and increases yield potential goes a long way to crop success. “We made 114 bushels per acre with the winter wheat,” he said. When followed with newer, short-season varieties of soybeans, and seeing that climate change is reducing the number of frost days, double cropping has even more chance of success.

Eric Page, a researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said genetics are key. “Improved varieties make it easier to pull off these rotations and maximize your period of crop growth.” He recommends researching short season genetics when calculating a systems approach to cropping.

Sow early One grower asked for practical tips for first time cereal growers, Israel said the best thing to do (if the ground is flat) is to frost seed in March. ◊

“We have seen substantial improvement where we frost seed -massive yield benefits,” said Israel.

Seeding early gives small grains time to establish and increases the grain fill period before the hot days of

summer stress the plants. Planting spring wheat into frosty ground (after the snows have melted) really does well but oats and barley can also see a yield increase when “punched through the frost”, said Israel. ◊

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

Transitioning the family farm Success from one generation to the next

www.bdo.ca/family-farm-transition

People who know, know BDO. SM Assurance | Accounting | Tax | Advisory @BDOCanada_Ag ag@bdo.ca 519-539-2081

www.bdo.ca/agriculture

January 2022 27

Birds by Deb Johnston

Winter birding requires patience

B

ird watching and photography isn’t just a hobby for Deb Johnston of Goderich, it’s a way of living in the “now”.

“I take bird photos because when I am immersed in nature, it takes me out of my head and I forget all my worries, aches and pains,” says Johnston, whose Facebook page has amassed a following for her beautiful bird photography. “It’s a healthy escape from our crazy world.”

Johnston tries to get out to photograph birds every day. Her commitment has allowed her to capture photos of birds most people never see (or don’t recognize), such as the Horned Lark, the Northern Shrike and Rough-Legged Hawks.

She uses a Canon 7 D Mark II with a Sigma 150-600c lens. All her photos are taken in Huron County.

Johnston says if you go to the same spots where you have seen birds, you start to see patterns and learn their behaviours. It helps to learn bird songs because it allows photographers and bird watchers to know what birds are in the area before seeing them.

Her advice for birding enthusiasts wanting to capture photos is to “sit, watch for movement, and listen.”

Patience is key. “If you can stay still, the birds and nature in general will go about their business even with you there watching.”

So far this winter, she has photographed the regulars such as the Dark-Eyed Juncos and Cardinals. She has also photographed a Rough Legged Hawk, which flap their wings and hover in one spot over fields in search of voles and mice. She’s also had luck photographing Snowy Owls and had a recent capture of a male Bufflehead duck.◊ Winter birding allows Deb Johnston to capture photographs of such birds as (right, clockwise): a Northern Shrike, a Horned Lark and bottom, also a Northern Shrike.

28 The Rural Voice

With snow falling, a Dark‐Eyed Junco (above) rests on a cedar branch.

Birds

Wild birds captured by Deb Johnston include (clockwise): • Rough Legged Hawk • Cardinal • Juvenile Bald Eagle • Snow Buntings • Snowy Owl

January 2022 29

Recipes by Carolyn Crawford

Slower than molasses in January

D

Their website lists Guatemala as their o you ever wonder the origin source supplier. They also have many of the expression “slower cookbooks and recipes (sweet and than molasses in January?” savoury) available for printing should Weather forecasters are telling us that you wish a hardcopy. this winter will be a mild one here in A favourite recipe we used in our Ontario. As Canadians we know how cold winters can be! Having been family was Six Week Refrigerator raised in a drafty, 1860s red brick Bran Muffins or as we called it Bran farmhouse, I know that a frosty Muffins in a Pail. I love this recipe winter can certainly make molasses a little thicker and slower to pour. But it may surprise you that the expression “slower than molasses in January” comes from an incident that happened January 15, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts.

In the northern end of Beantown, the Purity Distilling company used molasses in its alcohol and explosives manufacturing. They erected a fifty-foot-tall, ninetyfootin-diameter holding tank in which to receive and store molasses shipments from the Caribbean.

Tragedy struck when Purity Distilling received a fresh shipment of warm, easy-to-pour molasses which they added to the chilled molasses that remained from a previous delivery. Sadly, due to the weight of the 2.3 million gallons contained therein and the gasses that were produced by the opposing temperatures, the poorly-built holding tank collapsed pouring molasses into the streets of town like a massive tsunami. As the sticky liquid hit the frigid air and travelled farther on the cold ground, it began to Gingerbread houses are a thicken, and it made it difficult for rescuers to help those who holiday treat than can be were struck by its powerful frustrating to make if you force. Twenty-one people died don’t have the right recipe or and over 150 were injured. It enough patience. Anne Mann was an incredible clean up advises making the effort which took months to gingerbread house over three clear from many damaged days to let the icing set structures in the town. The completely to avoid the walls odour of molasses lingered for collapsing. If a gingerbread house is too much work, years!

Today, Canada’s largest gingerbred snaps (above) are molasses importer is Crosby’s a sweet treat that goes well located in Saint John, NB. with cold milk.

30 The Rural Voice

because you can make fresh muffins every week and add dates, softened raisins, or nuts to vary each batch you bake. Here is Crosby’s version of the recipe: Bran Muffins in a Pail Ingredients: 6 cups natural wheat bran 2 cups boiling water

Recipes 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/3 cups brown sugar 4 eggs 4 cups buttermilk (a full 1 litre carton) 1 cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses 5 cups flour, spooned in 2 tbsp baking soda 1 tbsp baking powder ½ teaspoon salt Directions: Preheat oven to 425°F and prepare muffin pans (grease with butter or line with papers). Measure the wheat bran into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir and let sit.

In another bowl, whisk together wheat bran, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs, beaten, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Whisk in the molasses and buttermilk. Add flour mixture and stir gently just until incorporated.

Scoop into prepared muffin cups and a bake at 425°F for five minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 18-20 minutes, until muffin tops spring back lightly when touched.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack. Yield 4 dozen muffins. You can find this recipe online at https://www.crosbys. com/six-week-refrigerator-branmuffins-natural-bran/ . f you are looking for something savoury, Crosby’s has a baked bean recipe that intrigues me. I have never made it, but it sounds delicious.

Apple Sage Baked Beans Ingredients: 2 cups dried white beans (navy) 1 slice bacon (omit for vegetarian/vegan version) 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 apples, peeled and cut in chunks ½ cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses ½ cup pure maple syrup 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh sage (or ½-1 tbsp dried) * 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional) ½ tsp salt Generous pinch of pepper 1 ½ cups water *Can substitute thyme

I

Directions: Soak two cups of dried navy or white beans in water overnight. The next day, drain the beans, put them in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Fry the bacon (if using), discard pan drippings (this author would store in fridge to fry eggs in, just saying) and roughly chop.

Drain the beans and put them in a large ovenproof pot with a tightfitting lid, or a bean crock. Add the bacon, chopped carrot, onion, and apple.

Mix together the molasses, maple syrup, Dijon, sage, garlic, salt, pepper, and water and pour over the beans. (Add additional water, if required, so beans are just covered.)

Cover the pot and cook at 300°F for 4-6 hours, until tender. Stir occasionally and add water if necessary so the beans do not dry out.

Take the lid off for the last hour of cooking to help the beans brown and to thicken the sauce. Find it online: https://www.crosbys.com/apple-sagebaked-beans/. ecause it is January, a little something to go with hot chocolate sounds about right.

These molasses cookies are taken from the Parks Canada website: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/gour mand-gourmet/recette-recipe34 and

B

would also go with hot maple milk (add one tbsp of maple sugar granules to a mug of hot milk).

This recipe was designed for a large batch of hungry soldiers. You can easily halve or quarter it. It is from the official 1946 Canadian Army Cook’s Manual which would have been used in the many cookhouses and messes of the Victoria-Esquimalt Fortress, including Fort Rodd Hill.

Canadian Army Molasses Cookies Origin: Fort Rodd National Historic Site, BC Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups molasses 2 ¼ cups shortening 1 ¼ cups sugar 2 ¼ cups sour milk (buttermilk) 3 ½ tsp baking soda 2 ½ tsp salt 4 tsp finely grated ginger 2 tsp cinnamon 9 cups flour Directions: Heat molasses and shortening together and cool. Add remaining ingredients and mix together thoroughly.

Form into rolls about two inches in diameter, wrap in waxed paper and chill 2-3 hours.

Slice and bake on a greased baking sheet in medium oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. ◊

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

January 2022 31

Gardening Rhea Hamilton‐ Seeger is a skilled cook and gardener who lives near Auburn.

A year of hope During the shorter days of January, while the winter winds howl around our homes, we take time to contemplate our previous adventures in the garden and plot out new ones for the coming spring.

I will readily admit that I traded one stressful sight for a new one when we moved to town last year.

Every time we drove anywhere I would see fields exposed to the elements. Precious soil was left uncovered to blow away with scouring winter winds and in some cases, gentle slopes steadily eroded with heavy winter thaws and hard early spring rains. The soil that supports so much, and the complexity of its structure and all that it supports, is clearly not understood and in some areas is badly neglected and abused.

In town I see a different kind of neglect. There are dead zones all around us. There are no places left for pollinators to seek shelter from the winter, no areas that harbour the precious insects that feed our songbirds in the spring. There is a certain detrimental tidiness going on.

Even the leaves accumulated under shrubs are blown out with the aid of noisy gas-powered leaf blowers to be collected and hauled away. Every twig and branch gathered and nothing left for the sparrows to shelter in.

Even spiders get short shrift during the summer months when poisonous sprays and brooms come out.

But during this month of quiet I am reflecting on the positive actions taken and I am hopeful the tide is turning and our grasp of the basics of natural science is expanding and changing how we live on this wonderful planet.

This first big sign was the promotion of cover crops. The Bayfield and Lake Huron tributary 32 The Rural Voice

watersheds are offering signage that declares ‘We’ve got it covered!’. The value of cover crops is becoming more and more evident and the signs help emphasize that while starting conversations and further educating all of us about the value of soil and how to protect and enhance it.

Along that same line of thought, I was heartened with the coverage of Bayfield-area farmer Rick Kaptein Jr. and his farming practices of no-till, cover crops and permanent pasture on his rolling farm, Tulip Lane. It all helps keep his soil on his farm and reduce what he has to spend on nutrient inputs. Healthy soil has the ability to absorb so much more moisture and reduce the need in some areas for extra drainage efforts. Rick is aware of offering new pollinator cover crop-mix into his farming practices and is starting to see both the environmental and financial rewards.

So how is all of this relevant to the home gardener? We are finding

out the hard way that this planet is only so big and can only take so much abuse before we are all heavily impacted. In our gardens we can adapt and make changes to help with the big environmental picture. We can use simple ground covers like oats in the fall over our vegetable gardens, looks lovely in the fall and then dies down. In the spring you simply part it and plant right in. We can apply chopped trees leaves to the perennial borders to serve as both mulch and fertilizer; and look to growing lawns that include clovers and long rooted perennial grasses to reduce and eventually eliminate those extra hours of watering.

If looking to ground covers, be savvy with your choices. Pick something native and of value to the life forms in this part of the world.

Decades ago I was enthralled with the look of pachysandra or Japanese spurge. Fortunately it never really took and every once in a while I would find a sprig and clear around it

A tended plot of native trees and plants beside the Maitland Trail inspires walkers and gardeners to rethink how they approach gardening to make it more alive and beneficial to our native insects.

Gardening in hopes it would prosper.

Fortunately it did not. This particular plant is an evergreen, stays lovely all year round with clusters of white flowers in the spring. Both the upper plant and the roots are dense when established and not much comes up in amongst all that. What more could a gardener want? I’ve since learned it creates a dead zone. I was closely watching to see if bees were drawn to the flowers but did not see one. But then there might not have been any bees in the neighbourhood. In the new yard we have a mammoth patch of spurge and a couple of shrubs are hanging on but not prospering. So it is being removed slowly and carefully so it does not spread anywhere else in our yard and certainly not to anyone else.

For the birds and other creatures we delight in finding, give them shelter for the winter. A pile of leaves behind a shrub or along a fence or hedge is perfect and if the sight of that annoys you then wait a bit and once covered with snow it is out of your sight line. Try leaving a small pile of brush and you will be fascinated with the activity during the summer months.

Awareness is happening on a community level too. This past fall Green Goderich initiated the planting of native trees in the local park. Not wee whips, but tall strapping specimens. I am hoping they have a watering plan for next spring. The first year is always the toughest in getting trees established.

And the inspiration for this column came from a walk along the section of the Maitland trail that works its way along the train trestle out of Goderich and along the north side of the Maitland River. Just before you come to Dunlop’s Tomb is a carefully tended plot of native plants and trees. They are all carefully mulched and fenced to aid their survival. The handsome markers leave no doubt to what you are admiring. All the plants look quite healthy and strong enough to meet winter head on.

These signs of hope reveal we are coming to more intimately understand how this environment works. ◊

Martin’s Nursery

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, ORHBS Select & much more! jars, pails, Varroa mite treatments Queens (weekly) and Bees, Nucs, Queens. during season

BEE Supplies Etc.

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

Best Wishes for a safe & prosperous year ahead. www.livelandscape.ca Lisa Van Bakel 519-949-3444 Email: lisa@livelandscape.ca OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

January 2022 33

Forage • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Forage Focus offers tips on silage success Drones are a handy tool to measure heat in the silage pack but cannot replace good management when harvesting and storing feed

D

rones armed with heat sensors are a handy tool when assessing the quality of silage in bunker silos, says Renato Schmidt, a forage products specialist with Lallemand Specialties Inc. Teaching farmers how to minimize losses to get the most out of silage during Forage Focus 2021, Schmidt says farmers always ask about the “latest tools” to ensure good silage. Drones would be them because they can measure hot spots in bunker silos which may indicate air exposure. However, the best tools are management ones -- pack silage quickly and use plastic covers, says Schmidt.

“The thicker the plastic the better and white plastic is better than black,” said Schmidt during his virtual talk on November 30. “It seems like a no-brainer but I still see bunker silos with black plastic facing the sun and absorbing all that heat.”

He admitted he is also a fan of oxygen barrier films because they are “clingy” and sit well on the surface of the pile, reducing air pockets on the surface where mold can grow.

Ensuring good silage really starts at the harvest stage. Choosing when to harvest and hoping for great weather really helps when constructing a pile. Once the forage is cut and dumped by the bunker silo, the next concern is air. Air, or lack of it, is the “worst enemy of silage” said Schmidt. Too much air in the beginning delays fermentation and uses nutrients. Too much air during storage leads to molding and rotting, decreasing the value and quantity of usable feed.

Air affects temperature in the pile with each 18 fahrenheit degrees increase in temperature leading to 1.7 per cent in dry matter losses, said Schmidt.

That’s why it's critical to get 34 The Rural Voice

A slide from Renato Schmidt’s presentation on minimizing ensiling losses during Forage Focus 2021 shows how drones can measure heat levels in a pack and present a visual of trouble‐spots in the pile. forages loaded and packed as quickly as possible. Schmidt was at a farm where the packing tractor could not keep up with forage being dumped by the silo. He took a handful from a pile and noticed the inside of the pile was greyish and burnt. When Schmidt measured the temperature of the middle of the pile, it was 118 degrees fahrenheit.. “There was literally a 40 degree increase in temperature from the outside of the pile to the inside. Someone needed to be pushing and packing. We cannot control the weather and the elements but this is something that can be controlled.”

Delaying packing compromises early ensiling because it increases the presence of yeasts and molds. “Once they get started, there is a snowballing effect that is hard to mediate,” said Schmidt.

Schmidt's packing density basics include: • spread forage as progressive wedges, in thin layers of six inches each • pack tight and pack continuously • use heavy tractors and add more weight if necessary Schmidt recommends farmers check out the University of Wisconsin webpage for great resources on packing density. The site includes a simulation module where you can plug in data such as tractor weight and feed tonnage to fine tune your bunker silo packing process.

In terms of covers, the key is to cover as fast as possible. Sharing research data on bunker silage spoilage, Schmidt revealed the top seven inches of silage in uncovered silos can turn into “nasty material”

Forage with spoilage continuing deeper yet.

It takes just five per cent of spoiled silage in the ration to affect the rumens of cattle and decrease feed consumption.

Ensiling silage is a science with the “good guys” being lactic acid bacteria while the “bad guys” are yeasts , molds, enterobacteria and clostridia. Homolactic acids are the most efficient fermenters.

Once the bunker silo is full and farmers start feeding out of it, more management strategies come into play. Using drones, farmers can get visuals of temperatures in the pile.

Schmidt shared a slide revealing one bunker side (where it was being sliced daily for feed) measured 72 degrees fahrenheit. Another side, not being sliced daily, measured 90 degrees fahrenheit. The farmers said he would slice the hot, rotting part off and use it for fertilizer but each time that happens, it’s a loss of what could have been quality feed.

Schmidt had many slides of studies with numerical data to back his advice, garnered from his research and education in Brazil where he obtained his first degrees before earning a PH.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of Delaware. Schmidt has a dairy and beef cattle background and has authored and co-authored many scientific abstract and technical articles on the subject of forages.

Forage Focus is an annual event which runs over three days in November and December and is offered free by the Ontario Forage Network (OFN). The OFN is an online hub for forage, pasture and biomass crop production in Ontario.◊

We’re scientists, engineers, safety experts.

And PROUD CANADIANS.

At the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, we’re responsible for Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

Canada’s plan involves safely containing and isolating used nuclear fuel in an area with suitable geology and informed, willing hosts.

Every day, we are conscious of our duty to be accountable to Canadians—to work and learn together, and to protect our safety, our environment and this beautiful land.

Dig deeper, learn more by visiting nwmo.ca

@NWMOCanada

• FARM • HOME • AUTO • BUSINESS • COMMERCIAL • RECREATION • COTTAGE • MARINE Well informed and qualified local personnel Your Neighbours...Working For You

www.mcconvilleomni.ca 1-877-839-3742 CLINTON 8 Isaac St., Box 158 Clinton, ON N0M 1L0 519-482-3434 Fax: 519-482-1491

GODERICH 46 East St., Goderich, ON N7A 1N3 519-524-9899 Fax: 519-524-9699

LUCKNOW

SOUTH BRUCE PENINSULA

634 Campbell St., Box 389 Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0 519-528-3824 Fax: 519-528-2531

759 Hwy. 6, South Bruce Peninsula, ON N0H 2T0 519-534-4962 Fax: 519-534-1502

January 2022 35

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

Markets reflect uncertain times Just when it appears that the economy is getting back on track, a new variant of COVID-19 creates doubt about the near-term prospects of the recovery, this time with the Omicron variant. New restrictions are arising again in Europe and the UK has moved to further lockdown measures, which includes further work at home pronouncements. Even here at home in Ontario there

are rumblings about more restrictions potentially upcoming as we work toward the holiday season. As the bank of Canada has stated, the emergence of this new variant has injected renewed uncertainty in the Canadian economic outlook. In other words, they remain focused on supportive measures, rather than shifting gears to take efforts to contain and temper economic growth.

Therefore expectations are for interest rates to hold steady, continuing to be low at levels that are considered emergency rates for some time. This interest rate hold announcement is despite the bank recognizing that we continue to see elevated inflation risk, all the while they now no longer state that inflation is expected to be just temporary. Canadian inflation is the highest it’s been in almost two decades.

In times of uncertainty such as we are seeing currently, markets typically liquidate. Uncertainty is not only regarding the new variant development, but also because of the unknown government reactions

NATURAL ALTERNATIVE FOR SCOUR TREATMENT & PREVENTION

New & Improved

WGS

A NATURAL ALTERNATIVE FOR SCOUR TREATMENT & PREVENTION WGS is a multi-vitamin, electrolyte, and polyphenol extract supplement for gut regulation in calves.

• Use it as a preventative tool for scours, or double dose for treatment • Use WGS on resistant scours that won’t go away • Can be mixed in milk, drenched or top-dressed • OVER 25,000 calves fed daily in Europe and Canada

EASY-SIMPLE-EFFECTIVE Please call for more information or to try this innovative product

E “P’ CONSULTIN IPL G TR

Mount Elgin, Ontario 1-800-376-8861 triplepconsulting@execulink.com PARTNERS IN PROFIT www.triplepconsulting.net

Automobile, Residential, Farm & Commercial Properties 507 Main St. S., Exeter

519-235-0350

www.usborneandhibbert.ca

36 The Rural Voice

and restrictions that could be upcoming in wider regions.

As the calendar rolled into December, locally harvest was still on going. Soybean harvest has been progressing for a duration of three months with short harvest windows, especially through November, with harvest days coming and going. Not only rain delays prevented harvest but snowfalls came and went also.

Generally beans yields have been exceptional this year, however moisture has been high in the majority of the inbound loads, at times averaging even 20 per cent or greater especially later in the year.

With all the rain and delayed harvest many of the later harvested beans are seeing damage also, causing downgrades. Likewise corn harvest has been slow, with a large balance of harvest occurring late November and into December. Growers are satisfied with corn yields this year, with yields coming in well above trend for much of the crop.

Vomitoxin is surprisingly low, especially with how wet and humid the summer was, as vomitoxin in corn is generally elevated with damp weather especially at flowering time.

Prices have been strong with grains seeing demand, similar to the broad commodity basket. Most commodities have firmed substantially from the original COVID-19 price drop, with one major index rallying over 175 per cent from the lows in 2020. If inflationary pressures continue, then commodities should see inherent support from this price momentum.

However, some market commentators reference that inflation pressures have peaked and while inflation may remain, ever expanding prices are not expected to be maintaining the rapid pace experienced recently.

Container shipments are still plaguing the world scene, and port wait times for vessels continue to grow. To highlight this challenge, the average days that vessels stay at anchor at the Port of Los Angeles is now 21 days, compared to about five days anchor time this past summer.

This example at the Port of LA is demonstrative of most ports around the world, and therefore shipping

Markets containers are hard to get in volume or in a timely basis. This has affected a lot of agricultural commodity shipments – most notably soybeans and feed ingredients.

The ethanol industry continues to chew through lots of corn as ethanol demand remains high with gasoline consumption. Recent data shows that U.S. ethanol production is using about 105 million bushels of corn per week. This may weaken somewhat into the future as the expectation of the market is for the Biden administration to lower ethanol blending requirements. For the last three months ethanol margins have been positive, with the last month being generally exceptional. While ethanol is making good margins now, it hasn’t been the case for quite some time as plant production levels were reduced during the previous restrictions. During these reduced production periods ethanol producers were largely negative margin for the duration of a year.

The outlook for grains continues to focus on South American weather.

This crop has mostly been planted quickly and has been off to a good start. However since this early start, rains have not been materializing in the southern portions of Brazil and Argentina and this is bringing support into the market place. The corn and soy balance sheets are snug enough that the market cannot afford to ignore potential production issues in any major growing area.

Major wheat exporters are tight inventory after tough harvests in most regions. Western Canada and Russia both experienced production well below average. The exception to this has been Australia which has produced a record crop this year, at 34 million tons. While the Australian production is good this year, it is also generally of poor quality, as late season harvest rains limited quality, similar to what we saw here in Ontario with falling number issues.

U.S. wheat inventories are growing and carryout levels are expected to be higher than originally expected. U.S. prices are just too high to see a big export program compared to foreign origins. ◊

41 Ontario Street, P.O. Box 758, Clinton

519-482-7979 www.seebachandcompany.ca

January 2022 37

Woodlots buckthorn may bear a fruit that is a cluster of berries which start out green and then mature to be a dark red or black. The berries are the problem.

When young and green the berries contain a chemical that makes them indigestible by wildlife. This allows them to mature and seeds to ripen.

Once the berries are mature, birds and other wildlife consume them and then move about. As the berries are processed through the creatures, the seeds remain viable and are then excreted out in locations that are often quite far from the parent shrubs or trees. Berries are also dispersed by water, often floating in watercourses and flood waters. People can also spread these seeds if footwear and equipment are not properly cleaned when leaving an area of buckthorn.

As the name implies, buckthorn has thorns. The thorns are typically found at the tip of each twig or fine branch, not on the trunk or main stem. These thorns make passing through thickets or shrub removal unpleasant at best. Hand-pulling is one method of controlling this invasive pest. Hand-pulling can only be successful if the entire root system is removed, to prevent a re-sprout. If the tree or shrub is too large for

hand-pulling, mechanical removal can be used. It is important to remember to clean the equipment prior to moving to another site. As with hand-pulling, the entire root system must be removed to eliminate the opportunity for a re-sprout. With either of these methods, it is a good idea to plan on methods to encourage native vegetation into the disturbed site.

If your patch of buckthorn is very large, hand-pulling or mechanical removal of the female plants should We all have things that we don’t take priority to limit berry like very much. Some of those things production. This may be simply may be disliked for no justifiable or cutting the tree or shrub off the identifiable reason, such as my stump, not including root system distaste for snakes. Although, removal. If the stump is left, it is “creepy and gross” characteristics highly likely that it will re-sprout if could qualify as a justifiable reason. not treated with a herbicide. If the Other items can be disliked for their use of herbicides is undesirable, horrible properties and the effects continued cutting of the re-sprouts that they have on other living things. will be required for many years.

One such item would be Buckthorn.

Herbicides that are effective on It doesn’t matter if it is Glossy, the cut stump, or on the stem, are Common, or European Buckthorn, Garlon and Lalcide Chondro. Garlon they all have very negative effects on has long been used as a herbicide to the environment in which they live. control woody plant material by I remember my first time seeing making it grow too quickly and buckthorn and learning about it. As a therefore starve to death. Lalcide young forest technician this plant Chondro has more recently been was frustrating, but also quite developed using a wood decay fascinating. This was really my first fungus. Given their toxicity, both exposure to an invasive plant species. products must be applied by a Back then they were more often licensed exterminator. referred to as Alien or Non-native Large buckthorn trees can species. Trying to get rid of this resemble pin cherry or dense growing shrub was futile. chokecherry trees as they all have All we knew to do was cut it off a darker, fairly smooth bark with but it was not an effective small white horizontal lines called strategy. lenticels. It is important to Buckthorn can grow into very properly identify your species dense thickets often dominating before beginning any control forest edges and disturbed sites. operations as maintaining native As buckthorn is shade-tolerant, it species and limiting site can invade interior forest areas as disturbance are important to the well. This is a fast-growing shrub project’s success. that can reach 20 feet (6m), which As is similar with all would then result in it being invasive species, trying to called a tree. eliminate any population is The leaves of buckthorn are difficult and requires diligence. wide ovals with fine teeth along The smaller the population the the edge and veins that run from easier it is to eradicate them. the centre out wide and curve Buckthorn is an invasive tree that grows Unfortunately, many of the areas around to the tip. The leaves often in which I find buckthorn contain indigestible berries.

Hand pulling is an effective flush earlier than native species in high numbers of buckthorn stems removal method if the entire root system is the spring, which aids in and are therefore too large of an buckthorn outcompeting native removed but large buckthorns need mechanical amount of work for a small crew trees and shrubs. The female removal or herbicide spray.

Donna Lacey is a forester with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

It’s time to check trees for cavities and cankers

38 The Rural Voice

Woodlots of hand-pullers and herbicide applicators. Instead, exterminators will simply apply herbicide to the trunk of un-cut stems. This treatment may be effective; however, it leaves dead standing material which will be slow to decay without contact with the soil. Leaving these dead standing stems also makes it more challenging to go back in subsequent years to pull the young seedlings that sprout from the previous year’s seed. Buckthorn seed can remain viable in the soil or on leaf litter for two years or more.

When working with a species like this, it is important to remember that each stem killed, especially a female, has helped fight the spread of this invasive plant. Sometimes this is the only solace available to a person fighting an invasive species.

Note: I would like to thank the reader for sending in a request for the coverage of this topic. I really appreciate the help in finding items to write about that may be of interest to people. I hope that the preceding article is helpful and provides some useful information. ◊

$

INCOME TAX SERVICE

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

519-524-1740 www.lakesideshelving.com

Watch for spring tree order forms at abca.ca or call us at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610

Also, nominate a person GBSN CVTJOFTT PS group you know for the annual conservationist award!

1563 Hwy#9 Mildmay, ON N0G 2J0 Ph: 519-367-3215 Fax: 519-367-3214 www.southbruceflooring.com

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

$

Farm, Business, Personal • complete year-round service including tax audit representation • E-file available

Stephen Thompson R.R. #2, Clinton

519-482-3244 stevethompson@tcc.on.ca January 2022 39

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

Normal Farm Practices Protection Board issues warning on costs The recovery of legal costs in litigation has been a part of English law (and, in turn, Ontario law) for many centuries. In 1278, King Edward I enacted the Statute of Gloucester, which provided that a jury could award costs to a successful claimant as part of an award of damages. At first, no costs were recoverable by a successful defendant.

Defendants gradually gained more rights to recover costs until the year 1607 when, under James I, successful defendants became entitled to recover costs in any case where a successful claimant could have recovered them.

The entitlement to costs was granted by legislation and was not initially a matter within the Court’s discretion. Costs would simply “follow the event” – the successful party would be entitled to costs.

However, late in the 19th Century a new principle developed that has remained in place up to the present: costs are in the sole discretion of the Court. While it remains the general rule that a successful party is entitled to an award of costs, the Court may exercise its discretion not only for the purpose of indemnification, but for the promotion of settlement, deterrence of unnecessary procedural steps, and prevention of abusive, frivolous or vexatious litigation.

Success in litigation will not always translate into recovery of legal costs.

Tribunals in Ontario such as the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal and the Normal Farm Practices Protection Board

TILE DRAINAGE PAYS! Let a good drainage system work for you to help improve: • Soil erosion • Aeration • Crop yields • Soil warm up 43479 Blyth Road • Crop rotation • Harvest length (R.R. #1) Walton, ON N0K 1Z0 • Land values • Soil conditions • Fertilizer efficiency E-Mail: kmmfarmdrainage@outlook.com • Plant growth

CALL THE EXPERTS! Business: 519-887-6428 Ron McCallum 519-524-3543

Chad McCallum 519-955-1588

GPS Grade Control & Mapping

40 The Rural Voice

(“NFPPB”) also have discretion to award costs in the proceedings before them, but the circumstances in which costs may be awarded are often severely limited by legislation.

Section 17.1 of the Statutory Powers Procedure Act, which governs costs in most Tribunal hearings, provides that a Tribunal “shall not make an order to pay costs” unless “the conduct or course of conduct of a party has been unreasonable, frivolous or vexatious or a party has acted in bad faith”. Entitlement to costs doesn’t depend on being the successful party in the proceeding; it depends on the (mis)conduct of the opposing party.

In a 2010 decision called Dubois v.

Burkhardt, the NFPPB said the following about its discretion to award costs: The decision in this matter is intended to establish a Board practice that costs are not awarded lightly nor are they awarded routinely. Awards of costs will be rare. Potential parties and the public should not be fearful of participating in Board proceedings.

Costs should never be used as a threat or a reason to dissuade public participation. The Board has the statutory jurisdiction to award costs for the purpose of controlling its process. Costs before the Board are not intended to follow “the cause” nor are they intended in any way to indemnify a successful party. Each application for costs will [be] decided on its own merit, based on an assessment of conduct.

The costs rules passed by the NFPPB provide examples of conduct which may qualify as “clearly unreasonable, frivolous, vexatious, or bad faith conduct”, including: conduct necessitating unnecessary adjournments or delays; failing to prepare adequately for hearing events; changing a position without notice; continuing to deal with issues, asking questions or taking steps that the Board has determined to be improper; acting disrespectfully or maligning the character of another party; knowingly presenting false or misleading evidence; etc.

In a previous article, I reported on the May, 2021 decision of the NFPPB concerning centralized storage of

Agrilaw biosolid fertilizer imported from Michigan for use by a 5,000-acre multi-property cash crop operation.

The NFPPB ruled that that the centralized storage was a “normal farm practice” (conditional on several modifications being made to the storage facility) and, as a result, that a municipal by-law that purported to restrict the practice did not apply. The NFPPB has recently issued a written decision on an application for costs made by the successful farm operator in the proceeding that should serve as a warning to future parties who may seek costs awards in Tribunal matters.

The NFPPB found that the request for costs “was clearly unreasonable in that it was substantially without merit.” The successful applicant failed to persuade the NFPPB that the respondent Municipality changed its position, failed to present evidence or maligned the character of the principal of the farm operator so as to create an entitlement to a costs award.

The NFPPB noted in its decision: “There has a been a disturbing trend where parties, often represented, unsuccessfully apply for costs disregarding the warning of the Board in Dubois v. Burkhardt… that costs will rarely be given.”

In the circumstances, the NFPPB penalized the successful party with a costs order. The Municipality involved had requested its own costs award of over $11,000 for expenses incurred in responding to the successful applicant’s request for costs. The NFPPB awarded a nominal amount of $1,000 to the Municipality, but warned that “parties should be aware that the quantum of costs in these circumstances will be more realistic in the future.”

The message is: Don’t waste the Tribunal’s time with a request for costs unless the other party really has misbehaved. ◊ ______________________________ 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.

Barry Elliott Mutual Fund Representative

HUB Capital Inc. 340 Bruce Road 86 R.R. #1 Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0 o: 519-357-1532 c: 519-357-5375

t: 1-877-357-1532 f: 519-357-1532

barry.elliott@hubcapital.ca www.hubcapital.ca

January 2022 41

INFO@TRUVITAL.CA

226-747-8356

Truvitalyte AN INNOVATIVE ELECTROLYTE FOR CALVES, LAMBS, & GOAT KIDS

Truvitalyte is a scientifically formulated electrolyte powder with a validated blend of buffers, amino acids, and energy sources, that effectively support sodium and water ated calves. absorption in dehydrated AVAILABLE FROM

Now with new flavouring for improved palatability!

WWW.TRUVITAL.CA TruVital ANIMAL HEALTH

Winter Promotion: Watch for your

Free

Mapleview Calf Coat included in full skids of Mapleview calf milk replacers.

info@mapleviewagri.ca 42 The Rural Voice

519-638-3769

www.mapleviewagri.ca

People & Business

Birdseed business buddies

• By Gary West •

Drying a huge pile of corn

I

Andrew Hoskin (left) and Andy Van Schaik (right) are owners of A and A Birdseed and are seen here at the Stratford Farmer’s Market with Ron Neeb, who helps weigh and bag bird seed for market customers.

A

s this time of year rolls around, many area residents in both town and country are looking for new ideas to feed and care for the area’s wild birds.

Two young men have started a company called “A and A Birdseed” Andrew Hoskin and Andy Van Schaik had the idea to start their own business over a year ago and they have taken up residence at the Stratford farmers market in order to sell various kinds of feed and feeders for different kinds of birds all around Stratford and area.

Hoskin and Van Schaik are autistic and have been friends for many years. Both attended Lambton College’s CICE program which helped them develop independence and a desire for new opportunities.

Both young entrepreneurs had parttime jobs but the pandemic cut their hours and Andrew‘s parents, who own a business near London that sells animal feed, garden supplies, pet food and birdseed,

encouraged their idea.

Hoskin and Van Schaik realized once the pandemic hit, many people preferred to have deliveries to their door rather than go into stores.

Hoskin felt he could package the seed at his parent’s store and Van Schaik could deliver them using his three-wheeled bike in Stratford.

This service has worked out very well and in the fall of 2021, a new opportunity arose to go to the Stratford farmers market where they continue to sell their product every Saturday.

With the enthusiasm of both their parents, Hoskin and Van Schaik are excited about the future of their thriving business. They also appreciate the help of family friend, Ron Neeb, who supports the industrious pair and helps weigh and bag bird seed at the market.

The young business owners feel they will be able to serve their feathered friends for many years to come, no matter what the season. ◊

t’s a big job but somebody has to do it, and in this case it’s Zenon Bender.

Bender is the technical sales advisor for Trouw Nutrition Canada and Yantzi feed and seed in Tavistock. In November, he was busy drying hundreds of tonnes of combined corn — before the rain came — and said the corn dryer on Line 29 was working day and night to catch up to what was turning out to be an exceptional yielding crop for local corn farmers.

He stated most corn was coming off the fields at approximately 23 to 27 per cent moisture. At that moisture level, he is able to dry 40 tonnes per hour in an 11-year-old propane dryer to approximately 14.5 per cent moisture.

Bender said in his 17 years of working drying corn, this will probably be the most corn they will have ever seen due to the large acreage in the area along with those excellent yields.

Zenon Bender stands in front of hundreds of tonnes of corn waiting to be put through the dryer.

January 2022 43

Rural Living A Country Guide for the Rural Homestead Country Quilting Piece a quilt you love, we can quilt it! ** Custom Machine Quilting **

Rural Living

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

PURRSONALLY YOURS Long Arm Machine Quilting Services

Fabric and Wool Shop

519-392-6591 Teeswater By appointment only

519-538-4283 519-538-3955 35 Sykes Street N., Meaford, ON

yscott@wightman.ca ~ Yoka Scott

Fabrics, Quilts & Much More

Warm up with a good book!

Check out the Rural Reading Room in this issue for some great reading to get you through the winter months or stop by our Blyth office and see our great selection.

405 Queen St., Blyth

519-523-4311 44 The Rural Voice

Fabric, Quilting Supplies, Ready & Custom Made Quilts

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

519-625-8435 heather@thequiltplace.ca www.thequiltplace.ca

January 28th ~ Fabulous Friday ~ “Q” Day

3991 Perth Rd. 107, Shakespeare, ON

20% off quilting supplies Check Facebook for store updates or visit our website sanityhill.ca

Armstrong’s Home Bakery Made Fresh Daily • Honey baked bread • Assorted rolls • Assorted baked good trays • Cookies and squares • Soups and sandwiches • Pies • Cakes made-to-order • Gluten-free goods

Lucknow

Bulk Food Store • Baking supplies • Gluten-free products • Candy • Popcorn

Take-out Available

519-528-2211

#1 Handi Quilter Dealer in Canada

Janome Top 10 Dealer

Be sure to check out the Rural Reading Room in this issue of The Rural Voice for some great winter reading

SEWING, QUILTING, EMBROIDERY & LONGARM QUILTING MACHINES SALES and SERVICE NEW policies - Please call to book Service appointments and/or Sales demonstrations. You may also shop online www.sewandsavecentre.com

149 Downie Street Stratford, ON

519-271-9660

IT’S WORTH THE DRIVE!

Authorized Dealer for Handi Quilter & Janome We service MOST makes and models We have been in business since 1969

Call ahead to place your order at 519-523-4311 or visit huroncitizen.ca

www.sewandsavecentre.com

Exeter

Hanover

Stratford

Cameron Charlton 519-235-0467

Dalia Hopcraft 519-364-2523

Jim Mezei 519-271-8015

Joel Bishop 519-235-0269

HarrisonTodd 519-364-2358

Josh Coffey 519-274-0902

January 2022 45

The

Rural Voice

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

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

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

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

www.beloretrailers.ca 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

MANUFACTURING STEEL ROOFING SIDING & TRIMS

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

Also Supplying Other Building Accessories

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING 519-531-0355

DL Distributing Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

46 The Rural Voice

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

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

PACKERS: WE BUILD RUBBER TIRE PACKER SPECIALISTS

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

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

• Corn • Wheat • Soybeans • Feed Grains • Feed Ingredients • Food Quality Soybeans

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

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

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 -------------------------------------------FIREWOOD FOR SALE - Seasoned hardwood. Cut and split in 12" pieces. Delivery available. Call 519338-5439.

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

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

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

-------------------------------------------For prices on forage peas, forage pea mixtures, barley, oats, spring wheat and mixed grain seed.

Contact Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-395-2972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

-------------------------------------------Soybean seed for sale – Altitude R2 and Beliveau R2X Roundup Ready varieties.

Treatments and inoculants available. Call Mitch at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd. 519-440-6712.

-------------------------------------------Alfalfa hay mixtures, pasture mixtures, top dressing for pastures, and a selection of organic grass seeds. All mixed to your personal needs. Also red clover for plowdown. Available at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-3952972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

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

FOR SALE -------------------------------------------First-cut alfalfa timothy hay, second-cut alfalfa timothy hay, 3x4 and 3x3 large square bales. No rain. Third-cut alfalfa timothy individually wrapped baleage, 4x6.

Call 519-369-4703.

-------------------------------------------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 – during season. 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.

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

Deadline for the February issue of The Rural Voice is January 11, 2022

January 2022 47

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

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

HELP WANTED -------------------------------------------The Huron Research Station is seeking college or university students to work as research assistants from late April to the end of August. Please send résumé by February 18 to the Huron Research Station, 911# 70257 Airport Line, RR 1, Exeter, ON N0M 1S4 or huronresearchstation@gmail.com -------------------------------------------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.

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN breeding bulls, quiet, thick, semen tested, guaranteed breeders, delivery included. Select now for spring delivery.

OPEN HOUSE Saturday, April 9, 2022. Posthaven Limousin, John Post, 519-766-7178. www.posthavenlimousin.com -------------------------------------------Suffolks - purebred yearling rams.

British bloodlines M-V negative, closed flock. Several bloodlines available. Taking orders now for 2022 ewe lamb crop. 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 --------------------------------------------

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Rabbit breeding stock. High quality genetics available in Ontario. Order your PS40 bucks and PS19 does today. CuniON@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------Red Angus, Red Angus-Simmental and Simmental bulls on test. Watch them grow by googling “Ontario Bull Evaluation” Silver Springs Farms. James, Joan and Robert McKinlay, 519-599-6236.

-------------------------------------------NOTICE -------------------------------------------CARALOT COUNTRY CLOTHIER & PET SUPPLIES – OPEN THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY 9:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. OKIOK KENNELS & CATTERY – TAKING BOOKINGS FOR YOUR PETS. OPEN DAILY YEAR ROUND. WE WELCOME ALL BREEDS. 519-2940494. 35619 SALEM RD., PARKHILL (NEAR MT.CARMEL).

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

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

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

Heights of 8'-14' (1-pour). All jobs engineer specifications/inspections - guaranteed. Best firm quote in Ontario. Mark Cronin, 519-3489062.

Cell 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca --------------------------------------------

48 The Rural Voice

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 www.sgspestmanagement.ca

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

WANTED -------------------------------------------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 -------------------------------------------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 --------------------------------------------

WANTED -------------------------------------------Magazines, cards and calendars for scrapbooking, 519-503-0022.

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

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 -------------------------------------------Grey Roots Museum and Archives hosts “Hockey” beginning January 11. This exhibit focuses on Canada’s national pastime and features memorabilia, artefacts and audio archives. More information at www.greyroots.com -------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------DEALERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ARE available in many areas with the leader in Non-GMO corn. De Dell Seeds 519-264-CORN. --------------------------------------------

The Rural Voice welcomes letters and will publish as many as space permits.

Write: The Rural Voice Box 429 BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0

January 2022 49

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.

NFU farmers sound alarm on Climate Crisis for Farmers at United Nations Summit In November 2021, the National Farmers Union (NFU) sent seven farmers and food producers representing a wide range of agricultural sectors to the United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26) located in Glasgow, Scotland. The farmers came from all across the county, and their expenses were paid for in an incredibly successful fundraising drive. The farmer delegation included the Youth President and Youth VicePresident of the N F U, a fitting symbol that the worsening climate crisis is calling into question the future of farming itself as increasingly severe and unpredictable weather will continue to introduce even more risk into our already precarious agricultural system.

The NFU delegation participated in events, marched in protests, spoke with the media and met with policy makers to ensure that the message got out there that farmers need support to help deal with the effects of the climate crisis but also that they can be part of the solution through the onfarm practices they use.

“Farmers are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. We came all this way in order to sound the alarm that farmers' voices are needed in these conversations. We need to find solutions and support that will allow farmers to reduce emissions without further reducing net farm incomes,” says NFU Youth President Stuart Oke, an Ontario farmer and COP26 attendee.

The conference brought together national delegations and world leaders in addition to a wide range of interested groups, organizations, associations, and private corporations. In spite of its emissions contributions and its potential to be a lead sector in addressing the climate crisis, agriculture was lamentably low on the COP26 agenda. Agriculture-

related initiatives, and pledges that did result were corporate-centered and excluded farmers’ voices.

Climate Shot and Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) both promoted corporateled, high-tech “silver bullet” solutions, co-opting the language of agroecology while perpetuating the climate crisis. Technology certainly plays a role in agricultural solutions to the climate crisis, but it must be farmer-led, open-source, emissionreduction technology. Reducing agricultural emissions while ensuring higher net incomes for farmers must be at the core of agricultural climate solutions.

“This is an emergency. If the money intended to help support farmers deal with the climate crisis and adopt practises and technology that reduce on-farm emissions ends up in the hands of the same big companies as always then it will not only not help us deal with the climate crisis but it will further erode the net income of farmers,” says Oke. In response to N F U questions Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, admitted that agriculture

was not as prominent in COP26 as it might have been, and has promised to “ do some homework on that front.”

COP26 resulted in numerous nonbinding pledges to address the climate crisis. The NFU delegation stressed the importance of reducing actual emissions and not just relying on net-zero schemes based on unproven technology, market-based solutions, misunderstood carbon sequestration science, and the further commodification of land.

The time for rhetoric without action is over. Canada must be a proponent of solutions rooted in science over profit, reconciliation over commodification, decolonization over exploitation, and farmer led solutions over corporate profits.

Having returned from C O P26, Canada’s track record will be shaped by the actions of its government tomorrow and in the months to come.

“We don’t just need to do something because it’s the right thing to do but because, if we don’t, I’m not sure how we’re going to predictably grow food and produce crops in the future,“ warns Stuart Oke.

Local News/Events Local 316 - Our Annual General Party will be held on Sat., Jan. 15 at 6:45 pm on Zoom. Join us for dynamic speakers, 3 - $100 door prizes from local businesses, musical performance by The Gertrudes and election of directors! Email: local316@nfuontario.ca if you’re interested in getting involved and for more info on the AGP. Local 320 - We’re hosting our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wed., Jan. 19 at 7:30 pm on Zoom. From the comfort of your home, enjoy a presentation by Ruth Knight (PAg, CCA-ON) of Organic Consultant Inc., regional updates, elections, door prizes, and more! For more information, contact Linda at: sonnenrainfarms@outlook.com!

Local 340 - We’re holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thurs., Jan. 27 at 7:00 pm at the Elora Brewing Company, in Elora. Refreshments will be provided. For more details, please contact the Local 340 at: nfu.local340@gmail.com!

Local 362 - We’re hosting our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thurs., Jan. 27 at 7:00 pm.

Location TBD. Members should keep an eye out for an email with more informaton. Contact Kate at: kate@heartbeetfarm.ca to get involved and to RSVP!

A subscription to The Rural Voice is one of the benefits of being an NFU-O member 50 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

Our grandparents thought of the greater good and changed society Any opinion expressed is that of individual County Directors or Representatives and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Perth County Pork Producers.

A few weeks ago I attended the funeral for one of my Grandpa Skinner’s closest friends. He was a master carpenter who built his first house by 17 and then spent a lifetime building for others, whether it be houses or his community through volunteerism. The last of my Grandpa’s friends is one of the last living connections I have with the Greatest Generation.

There was a photo of them working together in 1947 to build what became the Skinner family cottage east of Parry Sound on a failed farm that Grandpa bought as an enterprising 19 year old. Two men working together – not for highpriced wages — but because a friend asked for help and there was a willingness to give it freely. Another picture from 1963 depicts Grandpa and Glen together in a boat with some of each of their children, my Dad included, out on the lake at the very cottage they built together. Two pictures that fit so perfectly together because it was those two young men that worked together so that in the future their children would have one more thing they themselves had only dreamed of as kids.

They were raised in a time when people didn’t look to the government for answers or help in a time of need.

It was the community that held the responsibility of supporting each other. There were no tall foreheads in a cushy corner office in Toronto or Ottawa sending down decrees in the name of the greater good; just hard working people forged by the toil of the Great Depression and tempered by the horror of World War II. There are many flaws from the generation of my grandparents. While there is still work to be done there has been great progress for many marginalized peoples. My daughter

will not be encumbered with the same gender roles that even my partner was expected to carry, let alone my grandmothers. People blessed to live in Canada have the freedom to love who they love. If I were born in that time I never would have been given the ability to publicly talk about mental health in agriculture, something that continues to be important for me personally and I hope for others. All of these things are good things and my grandparents generation was not exactly chomping on the bit to address some of these social issues.

Their faults cannot be ignored, yet the selflessness that was displayed en masse throughout the challenging periods of the mid 20th century showed a society that understood the real meaning of considering the greater good. It is likely why during the 1960s, when that generation inherited the mantle of political leadership, we saw so much social progress. Instead of a family crippled by a medical bill that required community fundraisers to clear it, why not a strong national healthcare system for all? Instead of a patchwork education system that saw rural students being left behind their urban peers, why not a strong public education system that ensured children of every background were given access to quality education?

Thinking about the greater good means embracing selflessness, examining the needs of others, and, if

the situation requires, putting their needs above your own. That creed has been twisted and is now too often used as a shield to protect the good of the powerful, not the collective good for all of us. A person that questions the powerful risks being ostracized under the guise of not caring for the greater good. If we really cared about the greater good, we would be questioning why we are clamouring to get boosters to retired baby boomers instead of a full court press on vaccinating the billions of unvaccinated people across the developing world that act as an excellent reservoir for the very mutations that government continues to use as reasoning for limiting the freedoms of Canadians. We would question why the education of an entire generation of children is being compromised from turmoil and upheaval of pandemic education yet any parent that questions the impact it may have on their child is dismissed as nothing more than an “antivaxxer.”

The men and women who were forged through tumult and turmoil throughout their formative years led a period of sustained progressive policy that resulted in achieving freedoms that even their own parents had only dreamed of. Today we are working to erode the final vestiges of their progress as the last of them leave this earth, a profoundly sad outcome given the work, the very lives, that were put in to build a better world. ◊ – Submitted by Stewart Skinner

Fill your freezer with local pork products. Order today from Tanya & Darryl Terpstra (519-291-7603) and Dave & Ruth Kloostra (519-347-2619) or visit Leis Feeds in Milverton, open Monday to Friday from 8 to 5:30 and Saturday from 8 to 12.

BBQ services for large groups are also available, contact perthcountyporkproducers@gmail.com for more details

– Pork supplied by Perth County Pork Producers – January 2022 51

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 and BCFA create Ag Awareness for Grey Bruce students Any opinion expressed is that of individual County Directors or Representatives and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Grey County Federation of Agriculture or Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

A new initiative that the Grey and Bruce Federations of Agriculture are undertaking for 2022 is entitled “Ag-ucation Grey Bruce”.

This will be an opportunity for area students from Kindergarten Continued on page 53

GCFA increasing value of bursary as well as number of recipients Grey County Federation of Agriculture is pleased to support high school students who choose to continue their education in Agriculture.

Starting in 2022, GCFA will be increasing the value of their bursary, as well as offer it to “up to three” students at each Grey County high school. In previous years, the GCFA Ag Bursary was only awarded to one student per school.

Criteria to determine a winner is as follows: • The Agriculture Bursary is to be awarded to a graduating high school student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, integrity and dedication to agriculture.

• The recipient has chosen to continue study in agriculture in postsecondary education (college or university).

• The student must be a

Grey County Federation of Agriculture

• August 11 • September 8 • October 13 • November 10

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

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

Grey Federation of Agriculture

Grey County Federation of Agriculture

2021-2022

2022 MEETINGS • January 13 • February 10 • March 10 • April 14 • June 9

Grey County resident.

GCFA looks forward to handing out these new awards in the coming years and meeting our future agriculture leaders.

For more information please contact our office at 519-364-3050 Ext 1 or by emailing grey@ofa.on.ca.◊

@ GreyFedAg

Past President: Hugh Simpson President: Dianne Booker First Vice-President: Keith Reid Second Vice-President: Michael Ryan Directors: Allen Hughes, Kevin Raszmann, Paul McQueen, Lindsey Coles, Karen Gorman

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

52 The Rural Voice

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

GCFA and BCFA create Ag Awareness Continued from page 52

to Grade 12 to answer trivia questions about agriculture to win awesome prizes.

There will be weekly updates and chances to win. The entries throughout the year will be kept for a year-end grand prize draw. Students can test their knowledge every week as a new quiz will be added.

Contest details can be found

by visiting the websites at: greyfederation.ca or brucefederation.ca. Updates will also

be posted on our social media sites.

Stay tuned for more details as we roll into the new year. ◊

Long-time BCFA Director Robert Emerson retires from BCFA Board

Robert Emerson joined the BCFA board in 1998 as a Huron township representative. He was a very active director over the years taking part on

many committees and the executive.

He was BCFA President from 2004 to 2007.

Over the years Robert was very involved in industry promotion, work with the conservation authorities and farm safety. He was the liaison to the Mennonite community to bring farm safety to them. Robert was the recipient of the prestigious Tommy Cooper Award in 2008 further proving his dedication to agriculture.

He was instrumental in the organizing of the 75th Anniversary celebrations for the federation and was part of the committee which organized the agricultural education portion of the Chesley Agrifair that was hosted by the federation during the Agrifair’s final three years.

Bruce County Federation of Agriculture

2021-2022 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

Robert was on the committee that created the “Building Careers and Futures in Agriculture” Bursary in 2017 with Grey County Federation representatives.

BCFA would like to thank Robert for his 20-plus years of unprecedented dedication to the board and the agricultural industry in Bruce County as a whole. He will be missed around the board table.

Best wishes Robert! ◊ Bruce County Federation of Agriculture

2022 MEETINGS • January 24 • February 28 • March 28 • April 25 • May 24 • June 27 • August 22 • September 26 • October 24 • November 28 DUE TO COVID-19 BCFA Board Meetings have become conference/video call format.

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

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

January 2022 53

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

Ethan Wallace new Zone 7 Director for OFA

My name is Ethan Wallace and I farm outside of Seaforth right on the Huron-Perth border with my wife Joanna and our three children.

I returned to the farm partnership with my parents Bill and Rowena in 2007 after attending the University of Guelph and working as an agronomist in Peel County. Our family has just recently completed our succession plan.

Involvement in community and organization runs strong in the Wallace family and I have held many different positions in the last 14 years. I was president of the Seaforth Agricultural Society from 2010-2012; a member of Inland Cooperative Board of Directors, 2007 until closing; a member of the Huron County Dairy Producers Committee 2012-2021 (Chair 2014-2016), and director with the Huron Federation of Agriculture 2012-to present (President 2019-2020, PAC member 2017-2018).

In serving in these different commitments, I have developed a deep sense of wanting to move agriculture forward in Huron Perth, Ontario and Canada. I have jumped at chances to talk with MPs and MPPs, Agriculture and Environment Ministers about issues affecting rural Ontario. Agriculture awareness for those in urban settings is also a passion, with commitments like volunteering at the CNE yearly at “The Farm” and representing the Huron Dairy Committee at numerous different events.

While I operate within a supplymanaged sector, I always consider

Harvest Gala from home

Ontario Agriculture as a whole and not individual sectors. I strive to look at issues through a diverse lens to bring solutions for the betterment of agriculture and rural communities.

Never shying away from asking the tough questions or being the devil’s advocate to explore hard topics, I have been a vocal member of the organizations I have been involved with.

For questions about or to comment on current issues please reach out to me at: ethan.wallace@ofa.on.ca or on my cell at 519-615-0804. ◊ Perth County Federation of Agriculture

DIRECTORS’ MEETING

• January 20 - 7:00 p.m.

• AGM - February 17 7:00 p.m.

Both meetings held on Zoom but welcome to all!

Call 1-833-229-6834 to participate or to obtain more information

2021

PRESENTED BY THE PERTH COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE

Thank you to all sponsors of the Harvest Gala 2021 for making it such a success!

Please keep watch for information for Gala 2022! * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Perth County by the PCFA.

54 The Rural Voice

Index Alex Ruff MP ..................................40 Allied Associates............................33 Argyle Marine & Small Engines ....46 Artisanal Chicken Program ..............9 Ausable Bayfield Conservation ....39 BDO ................................................27 Belore Trailers ................................46 Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring ........39 Bervie Supply Energy Ltd ..............23 Bio-Ag ............................................15 Boonstoppel Dave & Elly................19 Buddsteel Architectural Products..21 Canadian Co-op Wool Growers ....13 CFFO ......................................Cover 3 Chalmers Fuels ..............................13 Cliff’s Plumbing & Heating ............19 CropQuest Inc ................................17 De Dell Seeds ..................................11 Design & Build ..................................4 DL Distributing................................46 Dundalk District Credit Union ..........8 Easy Lift Doors................................14 Elder Enterprises............................25 Farm to Table....................................2 Gerber’s Workwear ........................46 Grey Ag Services ..........................49 Hanover Honda ..............................10 Harold Jones Enterprises ..............47 Hayden Water Wells Co. Inc ..........13 Hayter & Associates ......................13 Headwaters Academy ....................11 Hill & Hill Farms ....5, Inside Front Cover Hub Capital ....................................41 Hunter Steel Sales Ltd ..........Cover 5 Huron Commodities ........................41 Huron Feeding Systems ................15 Kingwood Bins..................................9 KMM Farm Drainage ......................40 LAC ................................................47 Lakeside Shelving & Racking........39 Libro................................................25

The deadline for the February issue of The Rural Voice is January 11, 2022

Live Landscape ..............................33 Mapleview Agri ..............................42 Marquardt Farm Drainage Ltd........21 Martin Farm Wagons......................37 Martin’s Nursery ............................33 McConville Omni Insurance ..........35 Nature’s Wave Inc ..........................41 Nuclear Waste Management ........35 OFA ..................................................3 Ontario Pesticide Training ............23 RBC Ag West..................................45 Ridgeway Metals ............................46 Rural Living ....................................44 Rural Voice Books ................Cover 6 Rural Voice Puzzle..........................15 Sauble Beach Motorsports................12,17,27,31,55

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage ..............15 Schweiss Doors ................................9 Seebach & Company ....................37 Sew & Save Centre ........................45 Silver Creek Nursery ........................2 St. Lawrence Cruise Lines ............33 Steffen Well Drilling ......................46 Steve Thompson ............................39 Stops Along The Way............Cover 7 Superior Barn Painting ..........Cover 4 SWO Diesel Inc ......................Cover 4 TD Canada Trust ............................39 Townsley Barn Painting ................48 Triple P Consulting ........................36 Trouw Nutrition................Back Cover Usborne & Hibbert Fire Insurance 36 WD Hopper & Sons Ltd ..................17

Happy New Year! from the staff at

519-523-4311 ruralvoice.ca

3.99%

FINANCING FOR 84 MONTHS

From $11,999 Save $2,100

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

January 2022 55

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

Mills inducted into Agricultural Hall of Fame

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

Upcoming Events January 1 - Happy New Year!

January 12 - Huron Beef Producers meeting. Preregistration required. Please contact Kittie MacGregor, 519523-4368.

January 13 - Grain Farmers District Meeting – virtual meeting at 1:00 p.m. Register at gfo.ca Huron County Federation of Agriculture

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

William Murray Mills was inducted into the Huron County Agricultural Hall of Fame posthumously this fall. The Huron County Agricultural Hall of Fame is located at the Huron County Museum in Goderich.

Congratulations to HCFA 2021 Scholarship Winners F.E. Madill Secondary School Nathan Versteeg St. Anne’s Catholic School Liam Cronin Goderich District Collegiate Institute Niah Lacroix Central Huron Secondary School Lelayna Hayter South Huron District High School Cooper Parsons

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Sara Wood (Perth County Federation President) on her election as OFA Director-at-Large. If you have any questions or concerns, her email is sara.wood@ofa.on.ca. ******************** OFA Zone 7 Director Ethan Wallace from Huron County has begun his term with the OFA. If you have questions or concerns regarding the OFA, his email is ethan.wallace@ofa.on.ca.

Thank You! Thank you to the following elevators which distributed signs during our “Slow Moving Vehicle” sign project: • Hensall and District Co-op • Ondrejicka Elevators • Rolling Acres Grain Inc.

• Varna Grain Ltd. • Underwood Grain Ltd. • Snobelen Farms Ltd.

We still have a supply of Slow Moving Vehicle signs.

Please contact an HCFA director or the office if you would like a complimentary Slow Moving Vehicle Sign – available while supplies last.

If you are interested in joining this meeting – please let us know.

HCFA BOARD 2021-2022 President: Rob VandenHengel Vice-President: Murray Workman Vice-President: Mike Colclough Executive: Erica Murray and Ralph DeWeerd

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

56 The Rural Voice

Supplying the agricultural industry needs since 1977!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Angle Channel Hot and cold rolled bars Tool steel Beams Rebar Concrete reinforcing mesh Mechanical tubes Black pipe Galvanized pipe Sheet and Plate Bar grating Welded wire mesh Grip strut Precision ground shafting

* NEW * Now Stocking • Hog & Cattle Panels • Various livestock penning sizes available Services offered: • Saw cutting • Punching • Rebar cutting and bending • Custom welded columns and beams • Priming • Galvanizing OPEN: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

www.huntersteel.ca 519-273-3151 500 Lorne Ave. E., Stratford

Contracting for 2022 Food Grade Soybeans OAC Strive S07-M8 OAC Kamran S12-J7 P11A10 OAC Bruton

Fall Delivery $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $3.50 $4.00

2650 CHU 2725 CHU 2725 CHU 2825 CHU 2850 CHU 2975 CHU

More varieties available for contracting. Please contact Pete Rowntree pete.hillhill@tcc.on.ca

38631 Mill Rd., hillhill@tcc.on.ca RR #1 Varna, Ontario N0M 2R0 www.varnagrain.com 519-233-3218

519-233-7908 1-877-433-7908

CELEBRATE 2022

SAM Sam Johnstone is a pretty, talented girl who has been troubled by her name since the day she started kindergarten. Sam falls in love, but her name and the things she learns in a secret letter prevent her from accepting the proposal. $24.00

Specializing in Rural Living & Local Authors

EVERYONE CAN COOK FOR CELEBRATIONS Eric Akis provides simple festive dishes that can be made in advance with little to no fuss, guaranteeing that you won’t be stuck in the kitchen while the sound of your guests’ laughter drifts in the from the other room. $24.95

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

WITH A GOOD BOOK!

The Rural Reading Room

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

FEED THE BIRDS This book is the perfect resource for beginners and experienced birdwatchers alike. Covering 196 bird species that are attracted to backyard feeders. A wide variety of feeders and seed types are discussed as well as bird behaviours. $29.95

WHITEWATER COOKS Together again The top of the food chain at a Nelson gathering is the bearer of a Whitewater Cooks dish. A community could be built on such great food and Shelley Adam’s recipes are foundational for elevating our communal experience. $36.95

WHY NOT? A Memoir in Black and White Feisty Carolyn Muir Helfenstein recalls her years as a dairy-farmer-turned-newspaper publisher. From the Line in the Dirt to getting obituaries right, Carol has lived the ups and downs of dealing with people and their stories. This is her memoir. $25.00

AT KNIT’S END: Meditations for Women who Knit Too Much Humorous and philosophical readings about knitting and crafters. Quotes from famous personalities often trigger the meditations by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, “The Yarn Harlot”. $16.95

Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books Total

Qty.

SAM EVERYONE CAN COOK FOR CELEBRATIONS THE OLD FARMER’S 2022 ALMANAC WHITEWATER COOKS EVEN COWS GO TO HEAVEN FEED THE BIRDS WHY NOT? AT KNIT’S END

$24.00 $24.95 $7.99 $36.95 $14.95 $29.95 $25.00 $16.95 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.

A Visitor’s Guide to Huron County Winter 2022 issue available now!

FREE

FREE

Hidden Gems of Huron County

Hidden Gems of Huron County

Winter 2021/2022

Spring 2021

FREE FREE

Hidden H idden G Gems ems ooff H Huron uron C County ounty S ummer 22021 021 Summer

FREE FREE

Hidden H idden Gems Gems of of Huron Huron County County Fall Fall 2021 2021

Distributed FREE at tourist information booths, town halls, retail outlets, accommodations, and restaurants throughout the county and beyond!

Also available online at

stopsalongtheway.ca