The Rural Voice - January, 2023

Rural Voice

The

January 2023

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

GROWING IN A FOREST Contemplative time spent in forests leads to spiritual growth, says labyrinth creator

STANDING DEADWOOD Forest study reveals 20 per cent of trees in Huron County forests are standing deadwood

HOUSING SUCCESSES Being creative and taking risk can helps solve the housing crisis

Providing a Complete Package

Varna Location

Farm Location

IP Soybeans 2023 programs are available for: • SQWH • S03-W4 • S07-M8 • S12-J7 • OAC Aberdeen • 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

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

CHRISTIAN FARMERS Federation Of Ontario

CFFO

WORKING FOR ONTARIO FARMERS

When registering for your Farm Business Registration Number...

CHOOSE CFFO AS YOUR ACCREDITED FARM ORGANIZATION! We advocate for policy that encourages Christian stewardship and supports thriving family farms.

Register by March 1, 2023 at: www.agricorp.com/FBR For assistance, contact: info@christianfarmers.org or 1-855-800-0306.

KEEPING FAITH IN FARMING www.christianfarmers.org

         

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

Liquid Rubber Features:    

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

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

www.barnpainting.ca DORCHESTER

Contracting for 2023 Food Grade Soybeans SQWH S07-M8 S12-J7 OAC Aberdeen OAC Bruton GMO-White Hilum

Fall Delivery $3.50 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $1.50

VARIOUS

2725 CHU 2825 CHU 2925 CHU 2975 CHU VARIOUS

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

The Rural Reading Room

Happy New Year!

The Old Farmer’s 2023 Almanac This 231st 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. $9.99

THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK This book traces the generations of Alice Munro’s family. Evocative, gripping, and unexpected, the stories in this collection are Munro’s most personal stories. $21.00

Specializing in Rural Living & Local Authors

UNFORGETTABLE CANADA Explore your country, if only in print with this beautifully illustrated tour to 100 destinations across the country from Signal Hill, Newfoundland to the killer whales off the west coast to the Yukon’s Top of the World highway. $29.95

WHAT’S ON MY FARM This picture book for ages 2-5 helps introduce kids from farm and city alike to the world of farming including the animals, food produced, machinery and people – from farmers to veterinarians. 160 pages, small 5 1/4 by 5 1/4-inch format. $9.95

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC UNFORGETTABLE CANADA EVEN COWS GO TO HEAVEN WOODPECKERS OF NORTH AMERICA THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK WHAT’S ON MY FARM GRANDMA YOU’RE THE BEST MIGHTY MACHINES - TRUCKS Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books

Enjoy a new book

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

GRANDMA YOU’RE THE BEST Humorous and inspirational quotes celebrating brilliant grandmothers by dozens of famous people, ranging from Mark Twain, the Dalai Lama and Audrey Hepburn to Homer Simpson. $13.95

Qty.

$9.99 $29.95 $14.95 $24.95 $21.00 $9.95 $13.95 $5.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling Canada Post Fuel Surcharge Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

Total

$9.00 $4.00

WOODPECKERS OF NORTH AMERICA Woodpeckers are fascinating birds, using their beaks to find food and communicate. See beautiful colour photos and learn about 28 North American species, their feeding habits and their benefit to the environment. $24.95

MIGHTY MACHINES – TRUCKS For the young child fascinated by trucks, this little book, richly illustrated with coloured photographs, shows the many uses for these powerful machines. $5.95

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.

Hidden Gems of Huron County

Winter issue print version now available FREE at tourist information booths, town halls, local businesses, accommodations, and restaurants throughout the county and beyond!

Online version available at

stopsalongtheway.ca

HENSALL CO-OP Londesborough 519-523-9606 / 800-265-9000 Zurich

HOLSTEIN FEED MILL (2015) LTD.

MCBRAYNE FEEDS & NEEDS LTD.

THE HITCHING POST (2019) LTD.

TROUW NUTRITION CANADA INC.

Holstein 519-334-3424

Dresden 519-683-4439

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

St Marys 519-284-2360

Tavistock 519-655-2033

Contents The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

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

16

30 Columns

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 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

24 JANUARY 2023 • Cover Photo Neil Baldwin, Grey County Photo by Kristen Schnelton

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

• Deadlines: Feb Issue – Jan. 10

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

14 Creativity Needed for Housing

Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell

March Issue – February 7

Panelists share how they thought ouside the box to create new housing in rural Ontario

18 Forests of Dead Wood Forest Study reveals 20 per cent of forests are standing deadwood

24 Trees for the Spirit

Forests aren’t just practical — they are places for meditation, spiritual seeking and peace

28 Think Like a Futurist Living in a volatile and complex world requires people to think differently to make a difference

Advertising & editorial production:

Dianne Josling

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

Make cheques payable to: NORTH HURON PUBLISHING CO.

30 Remembering Mom

Recipes columnist shares her mom’s favourite recipes

36 King of the Grasses

Nutritionist Dr. Debbie Cherney is still waiting for a grass to match the queen of forages — alfalfa

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.

Farm to Table ELORA ROAD MEATS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP!

For weekly specials and pricing

Custom Butchering & Retail ­ Local Beef, Pork, Lamb & Goat Serving Grey, Bruce and Surrounding Counties

Monday-Friday 8am-6pm Saturday 9am-3pm

RETAIL STORE - Open 6 days a week!

(519) 367-2261 www.eloraroadmeats.ca

598 Bruce Road 3, RR#1 Mildmay

Meadowview Farm & Apiary Clare and Gwen Gerber

PURE ONTARIO HONEY •Beeswax • Beeswax candles • Nucleus colonies 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)

Gerber Meats Ltd. 519-699-4441

Local...Quality...Delicious

• Custom Butchering • Freezer Beef & Pork for sale

Local Beef • Pork • Lamb • Poultry Specialty European Meat Products

2513 Greenwood Hill Rd., Millbank, ON N0K 1L0

*Freezer Beef

$/lb.

hind quarters front quarters side of beef whole beef

$4.99 $4.79 $4.89 $4.49

*Freezer Pork

$/lb.

half or whole

$2.79

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

519-262-3130

www.metzgermeats.com

* Cutting, wrapping, freezing included in pricing

Bentinck Packers Ltd. CUSTOM SLAUGHTERING and RETAIL

Conveniently Located 5 Minutes from Hanover

RR 2, 91104 Holmes Line, Wingham

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

2 The Rural Voice

Specializing in Fresh Beef, Pork and Lamb Products

Customized gift baskets, freezer packs & meat trays

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

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

Ruralite

“

Forests are a haven of peace

...where walking through transforms our emotions, transcends us to spiritual awakening, calms us down and makes

”

us feel connected to something greater than our physical beings.

{

}

~ Linda Willson of RavensWing farm and woodland on the value of forests beyond meeting our practical needs.

Story on page 24

January Inspiration

“To be a farmer is to be a student forever, for each day brings something new.” ~John Connell

•

Courtship “Sandhill cranes ... are known for their dancing skills when they are courting with moves that include stretching their wings, bowing and energetically leaping in the air.” ~ Deb Johnston, amateur bird photographer on Ontario birds and their personalities.

See page 42

Jokes • Why did the cow jump over the moon? The farmer had cold hands.

• What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on top of a barn? An eggroll.

• Why did the cops arrest the turkey? They suspected it of fowl play.

•

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

• Past failures are guide

posts for future success Frost binds the weed stalks Standing guard by the roadside Unable to bend ~Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

• Count your blessings,

•

not your troubles

January 2023 3

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

N

What to keep... what to give away Lisa B. Pot is editor of The Rural Voice, and farms in Huron County

O

owadays, it’s quite common to be asked to babysit the “grand” dogs. So it was for me when Spyro came to visit for a week. She’s a great dog —smart, loyal, obedient. Jack cannot believe his luck that such a beauty is sleeping in his bed! Spyro loves socks and shared her passion by greeting me EARLY bedside each morning with a damp sock. What I found interesting was how adaptable she was to being in a new place, with “new” people and in the companionship of Jack, a dog whose love (and attention) knows no bounds. If dogs could speak, I imagine her saying “al lright, I can make this work. I’ll just settle in and make the best of it.” Which she did (her only unhappiness waiting by the door to be let in). Then when my daughter came to pick her up, she happily jumped in the car without so much as a by-your-leave.

Adaptability is a keystone to personal and business success and in this new year, dogs remind us that being loyal, adaptable, giving and loving will help us make 2023 a doggone great year.

f all the items I could choose as my parents downsized for a move, the little windmill wasn’t one of them. It was cute and all — I just didn’t have an attachment to it. They had picked it up in Pennsylvania, a nod to our Dutch heritage, and it sat by their pond, the head swinging but the blades rarely turning.

However, when it came time for them to leave and there weren’t any takers for the windmill, I decided it could fill a space in a new garden and I hoped for the best. The first few days, it spun just like it had always done. Useless. But a little oil in the right spot and a good dose of wind to get it started soon had the blades spinning away. It came to life in that open, windy spot, eager to report on the day’s wind patterns.

I found myself watching it each morning as I made coffee to see if it was breezy, blowy or blustery and what direction the zooming air was coming from. Next thing I realized, I was using it to decide if and when I should shut the barn door leading into the horse pen.

That windmill (along with the rain gauge and temperature gauge) became a trio of information helping me plan what to do each day. So useful. If there is one thing that unites all farmers it is the weather and what it brings each day. We depend on it. Sometimes I also watch the windmill for fun ... the spinning blades are mesmerizing.

4 The Rural Voice

It proves to me that sometimes we don’t know what we want until we experience either a) the joy of something or b) the awfulness of something.

It also reminds me of how fascinating it was to watch my parents disperse a lifetime of belongings in the space of a few months via gifts to their children and grandchildren, yard sales, marketplace and Room to Grow, our favourite thrift store in Clinton. There was a LOT of stuff, which is what happens when you live in a big home. I was amazed how easy it was for them to give/sell and release it all. Once they had decided to downsize, it seemed all that stuff felt heavy and they were eager to disseminate it.

“Take it” became their mantra and as the house emptied, I could see they felt lighter too.

I did take a lot of stuff and was glad for it. Gardening tools, furniture ... and the windmill. Being 20 years younger, I’m still collecting items I need. What’s that saying? As the wind blows...

There is a time to settle and a time to travel; a time to collect and a time to disperse; a time to open the barn door and a time to close it up. I just hope when I meet the next season of my life, I greet it with the same grace and adaptability my parents did. The ability to “let go” and embrace a new way of life is freeing in itself.

Perhaps, one day, the windmill will report on the weather for one of my children. By then, it will have nostalgia as something “passed down”.◊

0VS QSJPSJUJFT GPS "T XF FNCBSL PO BOPUIFS ZFBS XF BSF QSPVE UP DPOUJOVF BEWPDBUJOH GPS PVS GBSN GBNJMJFT BDSPTT UIF QSPWJODF GPS UIF CFUUFSNFOU PG 0OUBSJP T BHSJDVMUVSF TFDUPS "T 0OUBSJP T MBSHFTU HFOFSBM GBSN PSHBOJ[BUJPO 0'" JOUFOET UP CSJOH GPSXBSE UIF JTTVFT BOE QPMJDJFT DVSSFOUMZ JNQBDUJOH PVS JOEVTUSZ 8IFO MPPLJOH BIFBE BU XF JOUFOE UP GPDVT PVS BEWPDBDZ XPSL PO • 'BSNMBOE QSFTFSWBUJPO • &OWJSPONFOUBM TVTUBJOBCJMJUZ • 4LJMMFE MBCPVS GPSDF • #VTJOFTT SJTL NBOBHFNFOU • *OGSBTUSVDUVSF JOWFTUNFOUT • -PDBM GPPE • 1SPNPUJOH UIF 'BSNFS 8FMMOFTT *OJUJBUJWF UP BMM 0OUBSJP GBSNFST 0'" MPPLT GPSXBSE UP DPMMBCPSBUJOH XJUI QBSUOFST BOE TUBLFIPMEFST UP BEESFTT PVS JOEVTUSZ T OFFET 5ISPVHI QSPKFDUT QSPHSBNT BOE JOJUJBUJWFT XF XJMM DPOUJOVF UP SBJTF BXBSFOFTT PO FOWJSPONFOUBM TUFXBSETIJQ BOE GBSNMBOE QSFTFSWBUJPO XIJMF BEESFTTJOH MBCPVS HBQT BOE DPOOFDUJOH XJUI 0OUBSJBOT 4UBZ VQ UP EBUF PO 0'" T BEWPDBDZ FGGPSUT BOE QPMJDJFT BU ofa.on.ca PS UISPVHI PVS TPDJBM NFEJB DIBOOFMT "T B HSBTTSPPUT PSHBOJ[BUJPO XF WBMVF ZPVS JOQVU BOE MPPL GPSXBSE UP BOPUIFS ZFBS PG HSPXUI BOE PQQPSUVOJUJFT "T BO 0'" NFNCFS JO #SVDF (SFZ )VSPO BOE 1FSUI ZPV SFDFJWF B DPNQMJNFOUBSZ TVCTDSJQUJPO UP 5IF 3VSBM 7PJDF XIJDI JODMVEFT MPDBM GFEFSBUJPO OFXTMFUUFST 5IBOL ZPV GPS DIPPTJOH 0'" BT ZPVS HFOFSBM GBSN PSHBOJ[BUJPO

ofa.on.ca

@OntarioFarms

OntarioFarms

OntarioFarms

@OntarioFarms

January 2023 5

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

Farmland lost is lost forever I was struck by how the Grey County Federation of Agriculture hit the nail on the head when, at their annual meeting, they feared for the future of the special farmland in their county.

Randy McLeod, a farmer from Clarksburg worried that if the federal government is trying to cut back the amount of fertilizer, to reduce climate change, it should be preserving the best farmland, not seeing it lost to development of houses.

John Ardeil of Ardiel Acres and Cider House worried that future of the Beaver Valley, the largest apple production area in Ontario because of

6 The Rural Voice

the moderate climate off Georgian Bay, is also endangered as developers buy up farms.

The problem, of course, is that urban-dwellers just don’t see the danger. The food stores are full and always have been for the lifetime of most consumers. Those who grew up in Canada can’t even picture a shortage. They complain, instead, about the price being “too high” and endangering their alternate plans like travel to southern destinations.

The federal government, meanwhile, plans to bring a halfmillion immigrants into Canada each year to meet business and industry’s job needs. So the provincial government plans 50,000 new homes in the Green Belt farmlands around Toronto and new new highways across our farmland to transport people to their jobs in the cities.

According to former Huron County farmer Don Lobb, speaking to the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry Status on Soil Health in Canada, our country has lost 15.7 million acres of its best farmland to development between

1971 and the 2021 Census, reaching nearly 1,200 ares per day. So we are needing more food at the same time we pave over food-producing land.

Lobb told the committee that according to Canadian Farm Credit Corporation statistics, 43 per cent of our best farmland was rented or leased in 2016. Meanwhile, just two per cent of the earth’s land area produces 40 per cent of its food, he told the committee.

The problem is, of course, that producing food is so old hat it draws little attention from the media in an increasingly urban-oriented world.

More “interesting” to reporters and commentators are things like producing food hydroponically in highrise buildings in the middle of the city. Not to mention manufactured products like Beyond Meat that provide meat-like products without urbanites feeling guilty about animals being killed.

But Lobb told the committee that fake meat requires high-protein crops, yet production of these crops results in loss of net organic matter.

Meanwhile, pasturing cattle, rather than being detrimental to the earth as is often portrayed, builds up the soil through years of root growth in pastures and hay fields.

Ironically, there’s no area of greater support for the current Progressive Conservative government in Queen’s Park than rural Ontario, even though it seems blind to the ultimate importance of foodproducing land. Many farmers, nearing retirement, are happy to sell their land to the highest bidder, often a developer, even if it backs those who want to keep farming in a corner.

As well, just before the provincial election, Dr. Jim Norris of the University of Guelph demonstrated the wildlife in the 2,200-acre Nashville Conservation Reserve near Toronto which is directly in the road of proposed Hignway 413.

Farmland built on is lost forever.

“No civilization has ever survived the consequences of soil misuse or exploitive agriculture,” Lobb told the Senate committee, pointing to the farmland of Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and a host of others. “We are the last frontier.” ◊

Celebrating Over 75 Years

We speak fluent farmer…

BECAUSE WE FARM TOO! • Georgian Bay Whitefish • Pizza • Wings • Wraps • Burgers & Fries • Beer Battered Haddock • Liver & Onions • All Day Breakfast • Homemade Pies • Famous Butter Tarts Now Licensed

DRILLED WELLS BORED WELLS IRRIGATION WELLS WATER GUARANTEED

8 AM - 8 PM 7 DAYS A WEEK 2837 Highway 6 Lion’s Head (519)793-3555

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 Bear Tracks Gift Shop (on location)

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!

Various Units

rvie Supply Be Energy Unlimited

CG Blast • 450,000 BTU approx.

• Green House • Economical • No Plumbing!

• Indoor/ Outdoor • CSA • High Efficiency

Boilers

Installation • Energy Audits Feasibility Studies • Training

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

Solar Panels

?

• Many Sizes • Home RV DC Well and Pool Pumps

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

• energy independence?

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

Sun-Mar Composting Toilets

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

• Batteries • AGM • Flooded • Surrete • Solar January 2023 7

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

No hay because dad sold the cows Another year has rolled around and we find ourselves cleaning up equipment, planning for next year, tidying up paperwork before the year-end deadline, and getting ready for Christmas. 2022 has brought some things we may not have been expecting. We experienced loss, both in people close to us, and people who seemed larger than life who would continue forever. But no matter what is going on out there, life on the farm rolls along, as it always does with hardships and successes, some things remaining constant, and others changing immeasurably.

With regard to the crops, 2022 seemed to be a fairly calm year. We had a major rain event early in the season that caused troubles by drowning out some low areas, which allowed weeds to move in. Then we had a prolonged dry period. With rain clouds circling all around, the difference of a mile could mean the difference between making a crop and not.

Perhaps one of the biggest things to happen around our place was that it was the first year since the farm’s beginning that we made no hay. That was not because we had a super bumper crop the year before. My Dad had finally decided it was time to disperse the herd. It was a tough decision – Shorthorn cattle have been a mainstay in my Dad’s entire life.

Nothing taught me patience and optimism like watching my Dad work with cows.

Long-term readers of this column may know that I do not share my Dad’s love of cows. Around our place, it has become one of those ongoing “jokes” that is born from true feelings. I admit – they look nice

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

8 The Rural Voice

grazing placidly on sunny summer days, or with the beautiful autumn leaves forming a colourful backdrop.

We have even noticed people, dressed in formal attire, sneaking in for photos on their way to a prom, or wedding, or some other fancy event.

This is the ultimate in romanticizing something that is very different in reality. No one who works with cows wears lace or silk. Not for long, anyway. In my experience, cow manure is kind of like machinery grease. I just have to look at the stuff, and I am covered with it. There is no such thing as just “nipping in” to have a quick check of the cows to make sure no one is calving while on your way to something else. You will no doubt, get some on yourself somewhere.

But in the grand scheme of things, that is small potatoes. In one of my first columns, way back in 2013, I wrote about cows. “For those of us who don't see the beauty in cows, they can be the source of great frustration. They are the things that stand between us and the wedding we were supposed to be attending half an hour ago. They are the reason we get called home during the family picnic.

They have ruined many a supper.

They make keeping a clean and orderly house difficult. They have no respect for newly planted gardens, fields, or baby trees. In fact, they love baby trees - especially the expensive ones. They are the reason we don’t worry about paying income tax.” Not to mention the pain of being on the wrong end of a mama cow with a new calf, or getting trapped between a bull’s head and a concrete partition.

2022 was notable not only for the decision about the cows. It was also the year of the Great Purge. As I was going through many years’ worth of paper, I came across three issues of The Farm. It was a quarterly publication, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and cost 50 cents an issue. The first issue I found was from winter, 1952, and one of the headlines on the cover read: “Are Beef Cattle a Gamble? Special 3 page fold-out showing 27 years of corn and cattle prices”.

The magazine itself served as a wonderful reminder that the more

NATURAL ALTERNATIVE FOR SCOUR TREATMENT & PREVENTION

things change, the more they stay the same. Filled with advertisements for things long gone, it was also amazing to read 70-year-old advertisements that sounded like they could’ve come out of last week’s issue. “New comfort stalls, raise milk production 10 per cent, cows rest longer”, “For Bigger & Better Crops in ’53 Test Your Soil”, and “Bigger in power, in performance, in economy,” tractors.

But the cover story – “Are Beef Cattle a Gamble”, by Charles E. Hughes, was what caught my eye.

The magazine had a very detailed analysis, including a graph that showed 24 years of beef prices, steercorn ratio, personal income levels and historic events that had affected the profitability along the way. It also detailed “encouraging factors”: lower feeder-cattle cost, less pork, higher take-home pay for workers, plentiful corn, and “our growing population has produced two million more beef eaters.” Of course, it also included “discouraging factors”: all-time high cattle population, higher production cost in labour, freight, and taxes, and slaughter cattle prices lower in proportion to the cost of feed.

The timeline included droughts, World War II, U.S. government price ceilings being added and removed, as well as the Korean War. The opening paragraph, though, maybe told me all I needed to know: “Cattle feeding can be the biggest gamble in the game of chance called farming. Play a good hunch with the right kind of cattle and you make a killing; make a bum guess and you may have to mortgage your farm to square accounts.”

Yep – the more things change the more they stay the same. Beef cattle are still a gamble, and farmers always are buffeted not only by the weather, but by many global events out of their control. But on the positive side, in our rural communities we also still have a sense of community.

Neighbours help each other, and we have a good team that helps us bring another year to a close. And no matter how many things go wrong, any day where we all go home in one piece is a good day. ◊

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’ IPL TR

CONSUL

TIN G

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

January 2023 9

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

The food and health connection The crisis in health care in Canada involves a myriad of factors, many of which have been explored within media circles, including at the CBC. A prime example was during the November 20 edition of Cross Country Checkup hosted by Ian Hanomansing.

Heavily emphasized during the two-hour program was the reactive aspects of our overburdened system of care: paramedics unable to respond to calls due to emergency

10 The Rural Voice

room backups; inadequate bed space in hospitals; and inadequate space in long-term care facilities. In short, the system of health care in Canada has been overwhelmed, each overburdened component impacting the others to create a backlog throughout.

There was some discussion of preventative measures, particularly those related to the COVID-19 pandemic – masking, vaccination and air filtration. However, only an indirect reference was made to the role of nutrition and its relationship to immune response; a caller who identified herself as a nurse urged families to do what they can to stay healthy.

Agriculture and the food system has an important role to play. It is widely recognized that an emphasis on proper nutrition for family members helps build immunity, their ability to either prevent ailments from becoming established in the first place or reduce the severity of the outcome.

According to the Harvard Public

School of Health, “. . . each stage of the body’s immune response relies on the presence of many micronutrients ... diets that are limited in variety and lower in nutrients, such as consisting primarily of ultra-processed foods and lacking in minimally-processed foods, can negatively affect a healthy immune system . . .”

There even appears to be a relationship between diet and COVID-19. In 2021, a team led by medical researcher and Harvard instructor Jordi Merino published a study that found people who reported eating the most fruits, vegetables and legumes had a nine per cent lower risk of getting COVID in the first place and a 41 per cent lower risk of developing severe COVID compared to people who report eating less fruit and vegetables. They also found a link between COVID and socioeconomic disadvantages.

“If you could remove just one of those factors – diet or disadvantage – we think nearly a third of the COVID-19 cases could have been prevented,” Merino said.

The Merino study also cited an earlier study of 6,000 healthcare workers in six different countries with similar findings.

The connection between diet and immunity to disease and, for that matter, moderate exercise and immunity, are widely recognized.

However, those factors are too seldom emphasized in Canada, including at Health Canada, which makes the following understatement on its website: “Although a healthy eating pattern is important for your overall health, there are no specific foods or supplements that can prevent you from catching COVID19.”

That is factually correct but not particularly enlightening.

Among the basic building blocks for good health are exercise and a proper diet. Fortunately, getting a bit of daily exercise, like 20-minute brisk walk, is well within reach for most of us; it is just a matter of doing it. Access to a proper diet, however, is a growing issue.

Food Bank usage in Canada has

grown to unprecedented levels with as many 1.5 million visits each month, according to Foodbanks Canada. According to an initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research – PROOF/Food Insecurity Policy Research – nearly 16 per cent of Canadian households are food insecure, including a significant portion of which are “severely” insecure.

The issue is closely tied to affordable housing. Families are forced to make an unenviable choice between a roof over their heads or food on the table.

In my darker moments, I see both our “public-for-profit” health care system and food system – I choose my words carefully – as having been designed for poor health.

That, at least, that has been the outcome.

Given the sedentary lifestyle of so many Canadians and the questionable quality of the food they consume, what else could be expected?

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

January 2023 11

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

“I need quick service because I can’t stay long,” George Mackenzie told Molly Whiteside when he sat down at the table at Mabel’s Grill one recent morning. “I’ve got a sick cow at home and the vet is coming to see her this morning.”

“You order fast and I’ll deliver fast,” said Molly as she poured coffee for George and Dave Winston and Cliff Murray and got out her pad.

“It’s that time of the year when vets make lots of money,” said Cliff.

“Yeah, when the weather can’t make up its mind if it’s Winter or Fall cattle can’t stand the quick changes,” George sighed.

“I feel a bit like that myself,” said Molly, “those days when you wear winter clothes and every now and again you get a day that makes you think you’ve dressed too warmly.”

Providing

“Sometimes I think I should just put that vet on the payroll,” sighed George. “Especially with this old cow. I should ship her when she’s well but she’s given me so many good calves over the years and I’ve gotten too sentimental.”

“Well good for you!” said Molly as she took their orders. “Sometimes I think you guys are too practical. It’s good to see you can be soft-hearted.”

“Yeah, but I could go broke being so impractical,” George called as she headed toward the kitchen.

“Maybe you should ask the public for help,” said Dave. “Tell the story on-line. I was reading where this cat needed an operation that was going to cost $4,000 and the owners sent out a plea for help and got $6,000 in donations!”

“Really? $6,000!” exploded Dave.

“Apparently some people have more money than brains!”

“The $4,000 for the operation got my attention,” said George. “Thank heavens country vets charge more reasonably or I’d have shipped this old cow long before now.”

“It’s easy to see why so many

ice For Over Reliable Serv

40 Years

Lift' For You oor An 'Easy D y n A g in k Of Ma

SIN

4

97

1 CE

FA

CT

OR

YO

UT

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

LE

T

EASY LIFT DOORS LTD.

800 667-3845

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 12 The Rural Voice

people who are taking the course to be veterinarians choose small animal practise in the city,” said Cliff.

“Great hours – daytime only – and, at rates like that, fabulous incomes.”

“If getting your cat operated on costs so much money and city rent is so bad like we’re always hearing about, it’s no wonder that people are always trying to find ways to make extra money,” said Dave.

“Yeah, like the people getting scammed on crypto-currency schemes lately,” said Cliff.

“Sometimes I figure I’m glad I’m too old to even pay attention to things like crypto-currency,” said George.

“Or that guy Elon Musk – I’m glad I don’t use Twitter and have to support that twit.”

“He may be a twit, but I heard the other day that he’s got a net worth of $191 billion,” grumbled Dave.

“You’re kidding!” gasped George.

“I didn’t even know there was that much money in the world, let alone that one man could have so much.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about paying your vet if you had that much money,” laughed Dave.

George sighed. “I guess every farmer needs to be able to make up computer programs so he can make money so he can keep farming.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Cliff, “just because you invent some computer program and make a lot of money doesn’t mean you’re smart when it comes to relating to people.

Look at Mark Zuckerberg — he created Facebook to get back at a girl for breaking up with him. He was a sort of a klutz when it came to human relationships but he went and made $41 billion!”

“Yeah, but the woman who married him eventually knew enough to stay married to him,” said Dave.

Right about then George’s cellphone buzzed and he looked at the message on the screen. “My wife says the vet’s on his way.”

He stood up as Molly arrived with the food. “Just pack that to go, will you?” He handed her a couple of bills. “That should handle it. Keep the rest for a tip.”

“Gee thanks,” said Molly, doing a quick calculation. “A whole 71 cents!

That’ll help with my Florida vacation!” ◊

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 absorption in dehydrated calves. new look!

INFO@TRUVITAL.CA | WWW.TRUVITAL.CA | 226-747-8356

Ltd.

Give your calves a Sure Start in life.

INFO@MAPLEVIEWAGRI.CA

519-638-3769

WWW.MAPLEVIEWAGRI.CA

January 2023 13

Housing

Collaboration is the key to new housing Planners and municipal leaders shared housing success stories to encourage creative housing solutions for rural areas • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Affordable housing can be created when partnerships are developed said speakers on the “Shift of Mindset” panel at the Rural Talks to Rural Conference held in Brussels recently. Speaking on the issue were (left to right) Glen McNeil, Connor Dorey, Savanna Myers, Ryan Deska and Caroline Baker.

H

ousing is a focal point for strong and healthy communities and a panel of experts shared how they are encouraging their municipalities and developers to provide homes for future generations.

“We should not be looking at affordable and sustainable housing as for ‘those’ people because those people are your neighbours, friends and colleagues,” said panelist Savanna Myers, the Director of Economic Development, Tourism and Culture for Grey County. “There are big, big rocks that people live under.” And she wasn’t referring to location.

The Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) attitude is the wrong approach, said Nancy Orr, a builder of business and community who is based in Stratford. She led the panel discussion at the Rural Talks to Rural conference held in Brussels in October. However, changing perceptions and getting approvals for housing is not a fast process. Myers has learned the development process can “take forever.”

“There are so many players to listen to and in the grand scheme of things, it can take five years to get going,” she said. However, she is excited about the Community Improvement Plan Grey County developed. It required tremendous amounts of legwork, research and policy 14 The Rural Voice

development but resulted in tax grants, surplus land grants and plans to increase housing stock via secondary units, multi-unit housing and purpose-built rental housing, among other options. It also promoted the development, redevelopment and/or conversion of brownfield, vacant, and grey field properties while supporting the adaptive reuse of commercial, industrial and institutional buildings The result has been the creation of 500 purposeful rentals with another 419 to be created in Hanover.

“We see a spectrum of housing builders come on board when local municipalities, county councils and developers come together,” said Myers. “This was a big win but it took a long time to get there even though housing is the number one question people have when thinking of coming to our region.”

Partnering with municipalities to find land to build on is a method that worked for the Lennox-Addington Housing Portfolio in Prince Edward County. “We were able to access three different plots to build and expect occupancy in March 2023,” shared panelist Connor Dorey, Manager at Prince Edward - Lennox & Addington Social Services. He added that it is one thing to build, it’s another to keep

relationships healthy. “We are building affordable and rent-gearedto-income units and this mixed market model is to get away from the ghettoization of affordable housing,” he said.

Where and How to Build Rural communities do not want to encroach on farmland and green spaces but where can affordable housing be built?

Myers said Grey County uses a settlement approach when thinking of housing.

“Families need transportation, access to child care and access to work. We want to build

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

519-235-0350 www.usborneandhibbert.ca

More possibilities, made in South Bruce.

Canada's plan to safely isolate used nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository will have long-lasting benefits for the host communities and region.

Improved infrastructure and community services; More local, high-value job opportunities now and for generations to come; and

Savanna Myers Grey County planner where people want to live because that is where the rest of life happens,” she said. “We encourage a settlement life approach and this is a conversation we have quite a bit.”

As building rules change, there are more opportunities to build triplexes and quad-plexes. Caroline Baker of the Baker Planning Group based in Stratford said Huron County is now allowing quad-plexes to be built on smaller properties and “that is a solution that helps.”

Collaboration “The housing challenge is not new and not unique to any one area and we believe collaboration is the key,” said panelist Glen McNeil, Mayor of Ashfield/Colborne/Wawanosh. As Warden of Huron County, he said Huron created a homelessness task force which led to the approval of a housing proposal for 39 units of which 10 are supportive-unit housing. “The build will cost $20 million and I am proud that Huron

World-class innovation and research at the Centre of Expertise.

Explore the possibilities for South Bruce.

Discover more about the project today. www.nwmo.ca/SBProjectBenefits

@nwmocanada

20

YEARS ANS

/company/nwmocanada

January 2023 15

County had the fortitude to do the public meetings could be more involved. “What we emphasize with right thing,” said McNeil. The county inclusive to allow other segments of Habitat for Humanity housing is that did not own the land for the build so the population to attend and voice this is being built FOR community discussions are ongoing with local their opinions.

BY the community. Then people feel municipalities to bring the project to That’s where transparency can a sense of ownership.” fruition. “When we work together play a role, says Dorey. “It’s part of Preparation for Council and do not care who gets the credit, it human nature that there will be The more information the better, is amazing what we can accomplish. naysayers but we should not let them said Mayor McNeil. “If the council is Baker agreed. “I did a project in drag the conversations and decisions supplied with sufficient and accurate Goderich with a developer information, they will make and with the municipality at the correct decisions.” Staff the table, we got approvals plays a big role in educating for apartment plans where and assisting the council in the builder can include 15 this process. affordable units in the Also, considering building,” she said. Staff and community advocacy, McNeil council worked together and said that is a long game. “It’s the process was done in one about building relationships year. There are requirements and bridges.” Mutual respect about the apartment being is something that is not maintained and reports will granted, it is earned. be required in order to Baker said it’s important continue receiving grants developers have technical from the municipality. expertise on traffic and “The private sector came parking when proposing a Glen McNeil Carolyn Baker forward and the municipality development. “All that Huron County Warden Baker Planning Group brought forth the idea that technical information can go affordable and attainable a long way.” In her housing should be considered experience, the proposals that and the applicant was willing have been successful have to provide it” said Baker. been ones that take a Reducing Stigma of community-minded approach Affordable Housing to the application.

“The Not In My Backyard If Wishes were Fishes….

(NIMBY) belief is hard,” Myers said rules need to admits Myers. “Everyone change to allow affordable expects to be able to go to a housing developments to restaurant and enjoy culture proceed. Many areas have and recreation but they don’t minimal square footage support housing for those requirements that are workers to live.” She wanted outdated and prevent smaller, to educate people that attainable homes from being DENSITY is not a dirty built.

Connor Dorey Ryan Deska word.

Baker agreed on this point Habitat for Humanity “It’s almost a one-on-one Lennox‐Addington County as well, saying some conversation that needs to developers get caught in happen. We have a lot of work to that need to be made. He said providing the same requirements for do.” councils and developers should be small builds as compared to large Baker agrees. “It feels like it has completely transparent about their builds. For instance, site approvals gotten worse over COVID-19. roles and plans for builds because might be the same for a triplex as for Generally, people are disgruntled,” that is the way to get buy-in. “And much larger builds, which adds she said. With so much going on in honestly, do not say it is one kind of months of approvals and drawings the world, and then getting a notice development and then let it be which causes delays and higher costs. about a new building asking for their something else.”

“It can discourage these small opinion, Baker is finding people Panelist Ryan Deska, Director of opportunities,” she said.

ARE giving their opinion. “NIMBY Community Engagement & Dorey said data is required to puts people in distinctive camps Development with Habitat for make evidence-based decisions to instead of working together,” she Humanity in Guelph/Wellington said identify projects that need to be said. She wondered if the timing of it's important to get the community worked on.

16 The Rural Voice

McNeil said people should be open-minded and not limit their vision. “People are social by nature.

They want to live in places with services they can utilize. A lot of discussion we are having about the size of homes and tiny homes … we never had these discussions 10 years ago. We need to be open to new ways of doing things that will set us up to address the challenges we do have.” ◊

Lakeside Shelving & Racking • Pallet Racking • Store Shelving • Warehouse Equip. & more

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

Industrial, Farm & Retail

519-524-1740 www.lakesideshelving.com

WE PUT THE

WORK

IN OUR FIELDS SO YOU GET THE

MOST

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

FINAL PAYMENTS ARE BEING ISSUED 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

OUT OF YOURS

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

PROPANE - LUBRICANTS

That is why we are The Leaders in Non-GMO Seed Corn.

FUEL - CARDLOCK

De Dell Seeds

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

Now offering…

Save fuel by up to 3%

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

January 2023 17

Forests

Maple trees and standing deadwood Ecologist Erin Gouthro says when you walk in the forest and touch a tree, there is a one in five chance it is dead • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

A

The dominant tree in Huron County forests is the Maple which stands strong and true while diseases and pests are killing and stressing ash, elm, beech, butternut and hemlock trees. Results from a Forest Study reveal Huron’s forest are struggling and require active management.

18 The Rural Voice

sh borer is just the start of future forest decimation with hemlock, butternut and beech trees also facing serious threat, concluded a forest study conducted by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) as it was revealed 20 per cent of forest in Huron County is made up of standing deadwood.

“When you are walking in the forest, you have a one in five chance of putting your hands on a dead tree,” said Erin Gouthro, a watershed ecologist with MVCA who spoke on forest health at a meeting focused on forest health trends hosted by the Huron County Water Protection Steering Committee and Sustainable Huron in Clinton on November 25.

“This isn’t going to end with the ash borer,” added Gouthro in a presentation that had a doomsday knell as she outlined the declining diversity in the forest canopy. However, she did reveal tree size is larger in many woodlots and forest management practices do increase the health of forests.

Her goal, she said, is to “raise the signals” about the health of forest ecosystems before deciding what the next approach will be.

She and professional forester-in-training Matthew Shakespeare explained how the intensive two-year forest study was conducted and what it revealed.

Forests are generators of basic human needs such as air, climate, soil and water. Forests are also reservoirs of biodiversity.

Both upland and lowland, along with private and public woodlots were surveyed to answer questions about diversity, regeneration, structure and

disturbance. What is the health of the forest? What are the current challenges and how can forests be improved? Gouthro and Shakespeare learned that 86 per cent of Huron County’s natural areas are forests which translates into a 16.04 per cent (526.6 square kilometres) forest cover over the county (2020 numbers). That is a decline from 16.5 per cent (538 square kilometres) in 2000.

Maple trees are, by far, the most abundant species making up 41 per cent of all forest trees. Standing deadwood is 19 per cent, ash is nine per cent, pine six per cent, other coniferous are nine percent and other deciduous (including black cherry, American elm, yellow birch, American basswood, trembling aspen, American beech) make up the rest.

Before settlement, hard maples were a dominant species but so were American beech, elm and hemlock.

Ash, on the other hand, wasn’t a dominant pre-settlement tree.

Tracking species populations over time was an interesting part of the study and revealed how ash and soft maple began to dominate the landscape after settlement before ash was decimated by the Emerald Ash Borer.

In the wake of the ash decline, the study examined which seedlings are most dominant in today’s forest and discovered 61 per cent of seedling are ash, 18 per cent are sugar maple, seven per cent are red maple, six per cent are black cherry, two per cent are American elm and two per cent are Norway spruce. Invasive species such as glossy buckthorn and common buckthorn also had a large presence in the seedling count.

In terms of sustainability, size matters. A sustainable forest requires 50 metres square per hectare of trees.

Tree size also matters. There needs to be more trees with a basal size (the horizontal area of trees 1.3 meters off the ground) over 15 metres square/hectare for a forest to be sustainable. There are more trees with a larger basal area in 2022 than in 2000.

“This is a good thing!” said Gouthro. “That tells us the

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

Design your next project with our trusted team

www.bio-ag.com 1.800.363.5278

REBUILD YOUR NATURAL CAPITAL  Nutrient Management Plans  NASM Plans

 Feasibility Studies & MDS  Soil Health

January 2023 19

Call us today for all your building and renovating needs.

NORTH HURON CARPENTRY INC.

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

Celebrating 33 years of experience helping our community Advising Executors Training in QuickBooks Accounting and tax preparation

Payroll Financial Planning Estate Planning

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

Amber Tugwell Lorraine De Rijk Marly Vendrig, BMOS

We also manufacture custom kitchens, cabinetry, stairs and railings

No job too big or too small!

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

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

SALUTING SERVICE, IT’S WHAT WE DO Enjoy exclusive offers on Honda products for members of the Canadian Armed Forces Community Thanks to a partnership with Honda, CAF Community members* can now enjoy exclusive offers on Honda Motorcycles, ATVs, Side-by-Sides and Generators.

In recognition of their dedicated service to our country, members can redeem stackable savings all year — a salute to those who have served us so well.

Honda ATVs & Power Equipment Canada

Honda Motorcycles Canada

@HondaATVPECA

@HondaMotoCA

*Exclusive offers (the “Exclusive Offers”) are only available to eligible CFOne members who have the designation CF, V, D, and P on their card including but not limited to Veterans and Currently Serving Canadian Forces members, Department of Defence staff and RCMP staff who purchase, or finance a new and unused (not previously registered) Honda Motorcycle, ATV and/or SXS and/or Generator product through Honda Financial Services (on approved credit), from a participating authorized Honda dealer in Canada between April 11, 2022 to March 31, 2023 (the “Offer Period”). Members must present a valid CFOne card with the designations of CF, V, D, and P, required at time of purchase in order to be eligible for the Exclusive Offers. Exclusive Offers limited to the purchase of any one (1) Motorcycle and or ATV and or SXS products per eligible CFOne, Department of Defence or RCMP member. While supplies last. Exclusive Offers can be combined with other select retail incentives in the market, some exclusions apply, see dealer for details. Ask your dealer or visit honda.ca for more details.

150 7th Avenue, Hanover, ON

www.hanoverhonda.ca

20 The Rural Voice

PH: (519) 364-1010 TF: (800) 461-1020

management practices we put in place to decrease diameter cutting has a positive effect on the forests.”

More good news came from healthy trees versus stressed tree numbers. Of live trees scouted, 54 per cent were labeled healthy while 23 per cent were labeled stressed. Of those trees that were stressed, the most common reasons were insects, invasive plants, tree cutting and windthrows.

Gouthro and Shakespeare conducted three specific case studies: Plot #1: This private maple and beech stand in East Wawanosh which had emerald ash borer and beech bark disease present. It had been logged at intervals. Concerns in this stand were the presence of glossy buckthorn, the infestation of beech bark disease and threat of beech leaf disease. The ash regeneration is threatened by the Emerald ash borer.

Plot #2: The stand of maple and ash had been logged at intervals and stem-wounds from logging were present, indicating poor forestry practices. Trees were smaller and the forest had been infiltrated with reed canary grass, multiflora rose, dame’s rocket, garlic mustard and common buckthorn. Trees had been uprooted by wind and killed by Emerald ash borer.

Plot #3: This maple and beech tree forest had not been logged had many windthrows and beech bark disease present. This forest had very low species diversity with three living tree species, two of which were dying from pest and disease. It has 59 per cent standing deadwood, from large, dead beech trees meaning this forest was releasing carbon rather than storing it.

“From these plots, we learned that not stewarding or managing forest puts the forest at risk,” explained Gouthro. “When forests are not stewarded, we risk losing them to invasive species and disease.”

Gouthro said monitoring is part of sustainability because threats to forest health can be identified via monitoring which leads to resolutions.

During question period, it was asked what the trajectory of the Emerald Ash Borer is and will it die out or sweep back through to kill

younger ash trees. Gouthro said they simply do not know. It might sweep back through, taking down saplings, relegating future ash trees to being a shrub tree that never gets a chance to grow into large trees. Right now, Emerald Ash Borer leaves behind ash trees smaller than nine centimeters.

However, it eats ANY size of black ash trees.

There are indications that three species of parasitic wasps released into Ontario forests might one day prove effective in controlling (but

not eliminating) the ash borer.

During the forest study, Gouthro and Shakespeare also kept their eyes out for trees that are disease resistant.

“We found some elms that survived and we are hoping they can throw seed and come back into the landscape, but that may take 200 years or so,” said Gouthro.

Now, the best path moving forward is active stewardship and management. “The disturbances that are here and coming are having a major impact,” concluded Gouthro. ◊

Funding and educational programs encourage tree planting • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

A

healthy landscape should have a minimum of 20 to 30 per cent trees cover and in the Maitland Valley watershed, there is only 16 per cent.

To encourage tree planting, Nick Courtney, a restoration program coordinator with Forests Ontario shared some of the programs that exist to help fund tree planting projects. He has been involved with the 50 Million Trees Program (MTP) which offers subsidies to landowners planting a minimum of 500 trees for windbreaks, shelterbelts, riparian buffers and woodlot restoration.

“We planted 2.5 million trees through the 50 MTP program in 2022, bringing the all-time total to 36.7 million trees planted since 2008,” said Courtney. Other tree planting programs include: – Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign which plants one tree for every soldier who served in uniform since the war of 1812. Over two million trees have been planted along Highway 401 – In partnership with the Greenbelt Foundation, Forests Ontario planted more trees in the greenbelt to increase biodiversity, improve clean air and water, create green jobs, cool down cities and increase the well-being of generations to come – Forest Recovery Canada, a sponsor-driven program which targets large scale tree planting – Grasslands Stewardship Initiative which creates grasslands in areas not suitable for trees, of which there have been 84 projects since 2019 – Education programs such as Focus on Forests, Heritage Tree and Community Tree Plant help spread awareness about trees and forests. Forest Ontario also provides teachers with lesson plants on forests and careers in forestry.

– It Takes a Forest campaign spreads awareness and provides information about the role of forests as one of the province’s most sustainable resources Courtney encouraged everyone present to become members of Forests Ontario.

For a $50 membership fee, they can support tree planting and forest education Nick Courtney, Forests Ontario initiatives. ◊ January 2023 21

Every business is unique.

Your advice should be too.

Our experienced and knowledgeable agriculture account managers can help you reach your specific business goals. Whether you’re looking to expand your business, pass it to the next generation or you’re focused on managing risks, we’re here to help you succeed.

Huron/Perth

Grey/Bruce

Middlesex/Lambton

Josh Coffey 519-274-0902

Dalia Hopcraft 519-901-3235

Janice Anderson 519-619-8172

Kathryn Stanton 519-329-1659

Harrison Todd 226-668-6476

Carson Burtwistle 226-962-3927

Faith Fullerton 226-668-2658

rbc.com/agriculture ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada.

VPS110498

124817 (04/2020)

Elmwood Community Centre, 38 Queen St. W, Elmwood ON

January 4 – 10, 2023

Conference & Tradeshow Celebrating 57 Years!

Attend d In-Person n orr via a the e Livestream m

Beef Day - Wed January 4th Dairy Day - Thurs January 5th Goat Day - Fri January 6th Sheep Day - Sat January 7th Horse Day - Sun January 8th Eco Day - Mon January 9th Crops Day - Tues January 10th

**Conference content & bonus content will be available to all ticket holders (in-person or livestream) for one month following the event.**

9:00am - registration & tradeshow (9:30 on Horse Day) Time of adjournment varies each day.

Visitt www.gbfw.ca a

Registration Fees for in-person or livestreaming: $50.00/day (incl. HST) $120/3 days

for more details & to pre-register Questions? Contact us at: info@greyagservices.ca, 519-986-3756

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook @GBFarmersWeek & Instagram @GB_FarmersWeek #GBFW23 Premier Event Sponsor

22 The Rural Voice

CEU Accredited

(Livestreamers can purchase the full week for $180)

Pre-registration is required to secure livestreaming tickets and is encouraged for in-person tickets.

For those attending in-person who cannot pre-register online, fee is payable by cash/cheque/debit at the door.

Includes a hot roast beef dinner, (goat and lamb also served on their respective days).

Forests

Creating genetically resilient forests Ensuring genetic diversity by creating seed forests of disease resistant trees will help save threatened species •

By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

D

•

iversity within a forest is important, but so is diversity within a species, says Heather Zurbrigg, the manager of species conservation for the Forest Gene Conservation Association (FCGA).

“Our mission is to ensure genetic diversity and protect it as the foundation of a reliable forest landscape,” said Zurbrigg as she explained how environment and genotype create a tree’s phenotype.

A phenotype is what scientists observe of a species. It includes its genus and species, but also its behavior and how the environment affects it. For instance, a tree’s growth and survival is influenced by climate, soils, tree density, biotic agents, silvicultural treatments, elevation and slope.

“Could you tell the difference between a burr oak seed from London versus Pennsylvania,” asked Zurbrigg? It requires seed management expertise and both seeds are valuable because diversity is key to survival of tree species.

“We have seed collectors on the landscape who collect seed annually,” explained Zurbrigg. There are over 900 collectors who received Certified Seed Collector Training.

“Last year we offered five courses in Southern Ontario and this year we hope to offer three or four more.

There is a lot of demand for it,” she said.

Butternut trees are a huge focus within FCGA. “We look for healthy, potentially disease-tolerant butternut on the landscape. We collect scions (young shoots or twigs) from them and plant them into our orchards,” explained Zurbrigg. In particular, they look for trees in an area where there is a high canker load. Butternut

Heather Zurbrigg (right) says trained seed collectors help the Forest Gene Conservation Association source seed from healthy trees to grow seed forests to protect endangered trees such as the Butternut (above). trees are under threat from butternut canker, a fungus that kills the trees.

The scions are grafted onto walnut rootstock and nurtured for two years before planting. There are two seedling orchards in Kemptville, one near Barrie, another in Innerkip and a new one being established near Exeter. “Fencing is going up in a week or two and we will be planting that one in the spring,” she said.

She feels there is a “tonne of opportunity” to search out and plant butternuts in Huron County.

FCGA also has programming to research and save black ash, hemlock and beech trees. “Black ash has just been listed as endangered so we are looking for Black ash sites,” said Zurbrigg.

To ensure survival, FCGA uses

“assisted migration” to move populations of trees within the species’ established range. It also moves tree populations outside their established range to mimic natural migration, but at a faster rate.

Zurbrigg encouraged anyone concerned about tree populations to become a member of FCGA and consider taking the seed collection training. A Butternut health assessor workshop is also in the works.

More information on FCGA can be found at: https://fgca.net/ ◊ January 2023 23

Forests

Meeting the divine in the forest • Gary Kenny •

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees” ~Henry David Thoreau

Neil Baldwin (right) of Grey County created a labyrinth in his woodlot which he says enhanced the practical and mystical elements of being in a forest

W

hen 19th century American philosopher and poet Henry David Thoreau wrote those words, he’d just emerged from two years of self-imposed solitary living in a Massachusetts forest. His 1854 essay Life in the Woods is a record of what he called his “experiment” as a lone forest dweller.

In the essay, Thoreau touted the values of simple living and communion with nature. “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep.”

Thoreau’s poetic words suggest something of the mystical. That’s not happenstance. He was an advocate of transcendentalism, a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual over the material. He found walks in the woods to be a source of spiritual enlightenment and a release from the self-indulgence and materialism of the Western capitalist society of his time.

It was in the forest (and also in the mountains, beside lakes and rivers and in the immensity of a starlit sky) where Thoreau mindfully met the divine. One should look “through” nature, he counselled, not merely “at” her.

Thoreau understood the value of spirituality as a means of transforming the way we regard the other-than-human world. He believed spirituality could also change conservation ethics resulting in practices defined more by principles of cooperation, stewardship and gratitude than those driven by a mindset geared toward the domination of nature as an exploitable resource.

His words and sentiments are echoed today among a 24 The Rural Voice

g r o w i n g number of woodland enthusiasts, both lay and professional; people who in some way h a v e “reawakened,” to use his term, from a detached, mechanistic and reductionist way of viewing the natural world. As Indigenous people have for millennia, they see the earth as a living being; alive not only biologically but also spiritually; as sacred and instilling awe and summoning reverence.

In recent years popularly written and acclaimed books

by Diana Beresford-Kroeger (The Global Forest), Suzanne Simard (Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest), Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees) and other experts in woodland science have helped to vault the ecological and spiritual attributes of forests into greater prominence. But so too have the efforts of many citizens working at local community levels.

“Forests provide so much more than wood for burning and building, decorations at festive times, food for sustenance of other living things, and protection from the cold winds,” says Linda Willson, co-owner of RavensWing, a 50-acre farm and woodland near Ice Lake on Manitoulin Island.

Willson is a board member of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy (EBC), a registered charity that creates nature reserves in Ontario for sustainable, low-impact recreation.

She played a significant role in having large swaths of forest in Manitoulin and Sudbury District placed under the EBC’s trust. They include the forests hosting Manitoulin’s popular Cup and Saucer Trail and Heaven’s Gate Trails in the district’s La Cloche Mountains.

Linda Willson Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy “Forests are a haven of peace and solitude where just walking through a woodland trail transforms our emotions, transcends us to a spiritual awakening, calms us down at the end of a harried day, helps us to become more centred and makes us feel connected to something greater than our physical beings,” she says.

Forests are also a place of spiritual nurture for Neil Baldwin. He stewards 50 acres of woodlands near the village of Keady in Grey County.

Several years ago the retired public college counsellor built a sevencircuit, Chartres-style labyrinth in a plantation pine forest on his property.

Building a labyrinth in a forest seemed like “a natural pairing,” Baldwin said. “The outcomes of so much up-close, intense work amongst trees enhanced the connection with both their practical and mystical elements.”

Baldwin experiences the forest as “something that is both tangible and real but also more than just the sum of its parts,” he says. “Trees –

():O O">05O<6 ),#7O):O"#:)'1#"OC)<(O# :#O3%O>:#O )1O0)1" O @#7:)M#"OD(##,:O 1"O O,3CO #1<#7O3%O'6 A)<KO 0# 1O<():O<6 ). #7O):O7# "KO<3O&3,/3COL3?O 1LE(#7# O # BO"><KO"#:)'1O&37O 3<(OE37+O 1"O5, L O (#O 1#O )H<##1O >:(O >'')#:O 7#O13DO A ), ,#O <(73>'(O O # ,#7O1#<F37+ O ), ,#O)1O 3<(O53E"#7N 3 <#"O 1"O ,A 1)M#"O )1):( O 3,37O 5<)31:O A ). ,# O #<O)1O<3> (OE)<(OL3>7O1# 7#:<O 1#O )H<##1O # ,#7O <3O ): >::OD( <O35<)31:O O #::37)#:O 7#O7)'(<O &37OL3> O

: ;6;

O

O

;+.; 6 ; +6;0&9"

: ; &"; +4*; &*$0

: ; ; ; *+ 7; &".0

: &*; +2-(".

: ;$ ; %""1; "1 (

: 3 &( (";&*; &*1"! ; (3 *&9"!

: ")+3 ("; &(; 1"

: ; .; ./ *18

: ('&*$; *!")0

: *!;5&* %;#,.;!2)-; 00&01

; -$; 42$;*J#$2=8 *-$9; ! O

G 42$;*I=#$2=8 *-$9; !

January 2023 25

especially in density of numbers found in a forest – can have a unique almost mystical feel to them.”

A member of the Bruce Grey Woodlands Association, Baldwin says it’s not uncommon for people to tell him they felt protected by the trees while walking his labyrinth’s meandering paths. “And they’re not talking about being sheltered,” he adds. “They’re saying they felt protected. It fascinates me to see how many people like to touch, or brush, or hold a tree as they walk through the labyrinth.”

Mindfulness, the intentional contemplation of the forest environment and one’s interaction with it, is considered an important aspect of the spiritual connection to trees and forests of which Willson and Baldwin speak. “One is invited to let go, to feel, to use our senses to the utmost and in that way, nature guides our connection with the Spirit,” Willson says.

Trees and forests have long held profound meaning for humans.

Historically trees were venerated as symbols of fertility, wisdom, power and renewal. At the core of the mythologies of many ancient civilizations was a Cosmic Tree, or Tree of Life, the stories of which explained and gave meaning to human existence. In some countries, Ethiopia and India among them, entire forests have long been considered sacred.

Beginning with the industrial revolution especially, that harmonious relationship with trees and forests was altered, especially in Western societies. Forests became valued more for utilitarian purposes to meet material needs and to accumulate personal and corporate wealth. Timber, food, medicines, spices, shade and shelter came to define the global forest marketplace.

In recent decades, the ecological and life-sustaining values of forests have gained in appreciation. The urgency of the climate crisis and the dire prospect of mass extinctions – including potentially of us humans – has magnified the intrinsic value of forests. Their capacity to capture carbon and provide planetary oxygen makes them irreplaceable in 26 The Rural Voice

moderating the earth’s climate.

It is also in this context that the public education efforts of woodland enthusiasts like Willson and Baldwin have become more vital. But what about the modern forestry industry?

Sustainable forest management efforts could greatly benefit from an enhanced awareness of the spiritual attributes of forests, writes researcher William C. Clark. In his article “Clarifying the spiritual values of forests and their role in sustainable forest management,” Clark says that,

Dean Assinewe Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation since the 1980s, many forestry professionals and researchers have paid greater attention to “the less tangible forest values, including spiritual.” They believe they may play an important role in sustainable forest management and forest stewardship, he adds.

Indigenous perspectives on sustainable forest management have much to do with this development. In the 20 years he’s worked in the forest industry, Ojibwe forestry professional Dean Assinewe says he’s witnessed the beginning of “a shift” in how forests are fundamentally perceived and valued among his network of nonIndigenous forestry professionals.

A member of Sagamok

Anishnawbek First Nation in northern Ontario, Assinewe grew up “in the bush” learning traditional Indigenous ways of perceiving, valuing and interacting with the natural world. He credits his Sagamok Anishnawbek community of elders and more specifically the teachings of his father, a logger and a trapper and “a very spiritual man.”

“We spoke quite a bit about his spiritual relationship with the land,” Assinewe says of his father. “In our culture, everything is connected” and “everything has a spirit – the trees, the animals we hunt, the water, the mountains, the stars in the sky. We had ceremonies to pay respect and give thanks to the Creator for all that exists,” he adds.

“We were the original forest managers” in North America, Assinewe says of Indigenous peoples. “We weren’t managing in the conventional Western extractionoriented way,” he adds, but in a manner that avoided overexploitation and ensured nature’s bounty for future generations.

The recognition that everything is ecologically and spiritually connected has shaped Assinewe’s work as a forestry professional, he says. He’s been pleased to find that many of his non-Indigenous forestry colleagues are curious about his experience, and has taken advantage of opportunities to share his Indigenous knowledge and wisdom with them.

In the last 10 years especially, “the door has been opening,” Assinewe adds. Conventional forest industry viewpoints have been slowly undergoing a shift away from a primarily utility and production point of view to one in which the metrics of sustainable forest management include, not only ecological values, but also values that could be said to be spiritual.

Among the reasons for this shift, Assinewe thinks, is the climate crisis.

It’s forcing the natural resource sector to take the need for conservation and the carbon-capture potential represented by forests more seriously.

He wonders too if publicity around the tragic history of the former Indian

Yet, de Pater adds, they “elicited a profound connection with nature and a strong ethic of responsibility for the green world. That tells me that “the deepest core of forestry is surely spirituality.”

For woodlands enthusiasts, those are encouraging words. Modern culture conditions us “to take trees for granted, tune them out, and act as though we are separate from them”, says eco-therapist and writer Kai Siedenburg. “Most of us habitually walk by trees without registering their presence, let alone pausing to appreciate them or connect more intimately,” she adds. Seidenburg encourages woodlands enthusiasts, lay and professional, to deepen their personal connection to trees.

Baldwin cites the experience of awe as key to that pursuit. “I believe that one of the major conduits between natural environments and spiritual experience is feeling awe.

Awe is when we don’t just know, but deeply feel there is something greater than us; that our existence is relatively insignificant or inconsequential.”

We can experience awe “while gazing up at limitless stars in the sky, across the vast expanse of large bodies of water, or from a vista up high on a cliff or mountain…or in a forest,” Baldwin adds.

Or to paraphrase Thoreau, we can take a mindful walk in the woods and, inspired by wonder, emerge taller than the trees. ◊

Attractive IP premiums available for 2023 info@huron.com 519-482-8400

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

residential schools has helped to open the minds and hearts of Canadians, forestry professionals included, to Indigenous peoples’ ways of seeing the natural world and our place as humans in it.

Registered professional forester Mike Fry resonates with Assinewe’s observations. An employee of the Owen Sound-based Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, he’s worked across the spectrum of forestry environments. Early on in his career, in Alberta, the prevailing ethic was one of profit-motivated large-scale industrial production. It seemed like an “extractive” industry like mining, he says. There was little consideration of forest ecology and the long-term consequences of a high-volume approach.

In southern Ontario where Fry now works, the scope of values associated with forests are many and “not so volume oriented,” he says.

They aren’t just focused on money, he adds. “Individual trees take on an importance not found in industrial forestry.”

“Maybe it’s just the local circle I interact with, but foresters ask questions like ‘what will happen to the forest in five years.’ They take a longer-term view. The decisions they make are not strictly financial,” he says.

It seems like “a shift in mindset,” Fry says. But it’s “a hard balance” between revenue generation and the conservation of wildlife, plant life, soil health and all the other ecological values associated with forests. “But you do your best,” he adds.

While explicit metrics of spirituality may not yet be part of the goals and objectives of the forest industry or many local woodlot associations, the seeds of such have been planted. Cathrien de Pater, a researcher at Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, has done extensive research into the relationship between spiritual values and forest management. When interviewing foresters about why they chose their profession, she found they disliked the term “spiritual.”

Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment

January 2023 27

Rural Life

Think like a...

futurist • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Mary Doyle is the voice of rural when speaking with foresight analysts about the future of rural Ontario

T

o invent something new and make change, you have to imagine how things can be different because saying “I want to make a difference” is useless if you don’t actually make something different.

So says Mary Doyle, Founder of Rural on Purpose who describes herself as a futurist and program developer with her social enterprise business taking on the global mission of changing the course of rural communities. She is based in Belleville and spoke at the Rural Talks to Rural (R2R) Conference held in Brussels in late October, encouraging attendees to develop foresight when facing the issues the rural community faces.

It starts with understanding your own beliefs on whether you have no power, limited power or have super powers to make change to deal with issues of loss of rural youth, population decline and disappearing industry.

“I call myself fearlessly optimistic which is why I started Rural on Purpose,” states Doyle. “I felt that rural people did not feel like they had agency and power to make a difference.”

She encouraged the audience to share and one lady commented she believes rural Ontario is in a bad spot but “is getting better.” She described herself as an optimistic realist. Another participant believed it’s all about taking that “first step” which leads to change. One person said they felt grateful and appreciative for what they had in rural Ontario. Another commented that via R2R, she realized how many challenges there are in rural Ontario and felt overwhelmed.

Peter Smith, organizer of R2R, then commented that he thinks feeling overwhelmed is an indulgence. “I have been hit by a wall of water but we have to take a deep breath and be like the mail person who delivers the mail in the hail, rain or sleet.”

Which led Doyle to share the tools she uses to make a difference.

It starts with recognizing what the core issues are and how the community feels about them. Questions will get you there and once the core issue is understood, then it’s 28 The Rural Voice

We live in a VUCA world — volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous — says Rural on Purpose founder time to rally a network.

Doyle said there are several groups of people to attract: The ‘Ready to Go’ people, the Future Collaborators, the Skeptics Worth Convincing and the Star Powers. “Cold call the Stars and ask for their help and advice. They will never say no because they are passionate about what they are doing,” says Doyle. Then work on the future collaborators and skeptics and keep your door open because you can change their minds. Or, they might change yours!

Then check your blind spots. Doyle remembers taking driver’s education when she was in high school. It was a different time and her instructor felt at liberty to smack her in the head when she forgot to check her blind spot. The phrase “check your blind spot” never left her but it wasn’t until a year later, when she turned and almost hit a car, that she realized “an entire car was hidden from view because it was in my blind spot.”

Futurists may be fearlessly optimistic and eager to change the world but they, like everyone else, need to check their blind spot to avoid potential collisions.

Doyle also referenced COVID-19 and said the whole pandemic was predicted via social simulation, futuristic games. In particular, one called Superstruct, a future simulator that came out in 2008, simulating a future threat called ReDS, a bacteria spread by airborne droplets that was immune to antibiotics. The game asked players how they would feel, what they would do, and what habits would change during a pandemic. Would they selfquarantine and under what restrictions would cause them to resist?’’

“When COVID-19 hit, people did exactly what the game said they would do,” said Doyle.

Social simulation games are being used by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank to understand and collect data on how people would react to social situations. Doyle is currently playing one based on another pandemic caused by a tick that triggers a red-meat reaction. Information gleaned from these responses can

help leaders build policy to prepare for future issues, believes Doyle.

It’s a weird thought and Doyle says we now live in a VUCA world – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. “That’s a term that was

of snacks. Being ahead of the game is profitable.

Our own government has a “robust foresight department” says Doyle. Policy Horizons Canada uses foresight to help the federal government build stronger policies and programs in the face of an uncertain future.

Why is knowing all this important to rural Ontario? “It’s important because the future belongs to all of us,” says Doyle.

She says rural is underrepresented at the table as policymakers predict the future. She urged attendees at R2R to be fearlessly optimistic Mary Doyle spoke at the Rural Talks to Rural and choose to sit at tables where urban planners, Conference about making a difference. politicians and thinkers coined over three decades ago to are making the decisions. train military leaders to make better “If you are not building your own decisions for the future,” says Doyle. future, you are living in someone She also shared another acronym else’s,” says Doyle.◊ – BANI. This one stands for brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible. It’s a state many people feel they are in as long-time systems fail. News and too much information is making people anxious and leaves them unable to make decisions. When they do make decisions, the non-linear position means results could be widely out of balance as in the global response to the pandemic. The pandemic response was handled differently by every country, it seemed. Lastly, we are “in a state of information overload” which leads to incomprehensibility. “Big data and artificial intelligence is overwhelming and makes us unable to understand the world around us,” says Doyle.

Going back to “check your blindspot” Doyle says people can cope with BANI by scanning their environment and developing foresight.

Doyle explains that most governments and large corporations have foresight departments. For example, PepsiCO has a foresight department of directors and managers whose job is to investigate the future January 2023 29

Recipes by Carolyn Crawford

Mom’s favourite recipes remembered

T

he month of January was named after the Roman god Janus. Janus had the ability to see into the past and look to the future as well. I feel much the same way these days.

My mother passed away on September 29 and 2023 will be a year of complete reflection for me.

Mum was the reason I embraced food history — she and I shared the love of a good recipe and a good food story. She was often giving me ideas for my food writing projects and looked forward to reading my next submission in The Rural Voice.

Sadly, Mum did not see my last article in the October edition that pictured her and Dad preparing apples for pie, but when she read “Summer Is for Red Currants and Raspberries”, she told me that I forgot to add the sugar in my red currant and raspberry pie recipe in the July 2022 edition! (For the record, with my apologies, there should be 1-1½ cups sugar added to that recipe.)

Mum was my biggest critic (and support) when it came to food preparation. I don’t know about you, but when I make food of any kind, and especially if it is my mother’s recipe, Mum’s voice in my head guides me when I make it. It may even be more so now. All I know is that when I have a doubt as to how to do something in a recipe, she will no longer be a phone call away to consult. How I will miss that! As Dad says, “A word to the wise is sufficient”: Collect your family’s favourite recipes while your family members are still here to talk about those recipes! I feel very blessed that Mum was always forthcoming with information (and recipes!) about all our family food experiences. She has prepared me well for my future food endeavours!

For this article, I present to you some of Mum’s most prized recipes.

I consulted my dad, Lloyd, my brother, Bryan in Stayner, and my

30 The Rural Voice

sister, Cathy in St. Marys to make sure we have our favourites. Mum would have been delighted to share.

She was a proud homemaker, an excellent cook (often not using recipes when she cooked), and a wonderful baker.

Barbecue Chicken (in the oven) Mum made this different every

time. Making it in a hurry if “the men were coming in from the field” and, especially if there were guests at the dinner table. If she didn’t have lemons she subbed in slices of canned pineapple and added the juice for liquid and more cornstarch in the sauce. She also used this sauce for meatballs.

Barbara Cook was a big fan of her daughter’s column in The Rural Voice and was no stranger to publications herself for her own baking and cooking skills. Carolyn has collected some of her mom’s best recipes to share as a tribute to her mom and the skills and recipes that have been passed down to her children.

Ingredients: ¼ - ½ cup brown sugar 1-2 tbsp cornstarch (depending on how thick you prefer) ½ cup water (stock, or juice) ½ cup white vinegar (you can sub in cider vinegar if you like) 1 cup ketchup (or tomato paste) 1 tsp dry mustard or 2 tbsp prepared mustard 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste 1 large “value-pack” chicken—legs, thighs, or breasts, bone in 1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed Directions: Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium sized bowl with pouring spout. Stir in remaining ingredients in the order given. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking/roasting pan(s).

Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, you may need two pans. Lay lemon slices on top of chicken. You can also add sliced onions and green pepper if you like.

Pour barbecue mixture over lemontopped chicken. Bake at 350 F until chicken is cooked to 165 F (approximately one hour). The pan drippings are delicious drizzled on mashed potatoes.

One Egg Dressing This is great for potato salad but also to pour on a lettuce salad or spread on a sandwich. If you remember ‘Bojac’ brand salad dressing, or British salad cream, it is very similar.

Ingredients: 1 egg ¾ cup white sugar 2 tsp (Keen’s) dry mustard 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp all purpose flour 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 cup each: milk, water, and vinegar Directions: Beat egg in top portion of double boiler. Add sugar, mustard, butter, flour and salt and pepper. Add liquids gradually and stir constantly when you set over medium high heat of the double boiler. Cook until thick and starting to bubble. Remove from heat and cool. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill completely.

Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Note: This salad dressing is more perishable than store bought. Do not store out of refrigeration longer than 2 hours.

Peach Upside Down Cake Mum would make this fruit bottomed cake and make a butterscotch sauce (a white bechamel sauce with brown sugar in it) to pour over it when she pulled it out of the oven serving it all hot. If Mum was in a hurry, she would just make a cake mix and pour it over seasonal fruit or frozen fruit (thawed and sweetened) and bake. Dad isn’t a fan of cinnamon, but you could add it to the fruit or the butterscotch sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a 9x13” cake pan, melt ½ cup butter, and 1 cup brown sugar. If desired, add ½ cup nuts and/or maraschino cherries. Add 1 cup drained, or fresh, sliced peaches. Set aside.

Ingredients: For cake batter: 1 cup cake and pastry flour 1 tsp baking powder 4 egg whites, beaten stiff 4 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup sugar Measure flour and baking powder into a small mixing bowl and set aside. In a small, separate bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla and set aside.

In a large, separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and add sugar. Fold egg yolk mixture into whites. Then fold in the flour mixture until just mixed. Pour batter over the peach mixture in the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F or until evenly browned or when touched in the centre, it springs back. The hot butterscotch sauce Mum would pour on top while the cake was hot, was basically butterscotch pie filling without the egg, or white bechamel sauce with brown sugar added.

Butterscotch Pie Ingredients: 6 tbsp all purpose flour ¾ cup brown sugar ½ tsp salt 2 cups scalded milk 3 eggs separated

3 tbsp butter ½ tsp vanilla 1—8” baked pie shell Directions: Mix flour, brown sugar, and salt thoroughly on top of a double boiler.

Add one cup of the scalded milk and stir over direct heat until smooth; add remaining milk, then place over boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and smooth (about five minutes); continue cooking for 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Beat egg yolks thoroughly; stir in a few tablespoons of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks, then pour back all at once into a double boiler, stirring quickly.

Cook for three minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, and stir until mixed. Pour into the baked and cooled pastry shell. Serve with whipped cream or use leftover egg whites and 6 tbsp sugar to make meringue.

Banana Gems Ingredients: ½ cup butter ¾ cup white sugar 1 egg ½ tsp vanilla 1 cup extra ripe, mashed bananas (mash coarsely with a fork if you like chunks of banana in your muffin or puree in a food processor if you don’t. You will use more bananas if you puree them.)

1 ½ cups flour 1 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon (opt) Pinch of salt Directions: Mash bananas in a one cup measure or puree in a food processor and measure out one cup. In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, and spice, if using, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream butter, egg, and sugar.

Stir in vanilla then mashed bananas.

Add flour mixture stirring until just blended. Scoop batter into well greased or paper lined muffin tins.

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Chocolate Lime Swirl Ingredients: 4 tbsp butter 2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs January 2023 31

1 large pkg or 2 small lime Jello ½ cup sugar 1 ½ cup boiled liquid (use pineapple juice & water to make up difference) 1 can evaporated milk 2 tsp grated lemon rind ½ cup fresh lemon juice 1 can crushed pineapple, drained well, reserving juice Green food colouring Directions: Melt butter and add to chocolate crumbs. Spread in a 9x13” pan, reserving ¼ cup to sprinkle on top. In a medium bowl, dissolve lime Jello and sugar in 1 ½ cups liquid. Add ¼ cup lemon juice and lemon rind; let set in the refrigerator until thickened but not fully set. Put evaporated milk in a large bowl and chill in the freezer until crystals form. When well chilled, beat with an electric mixer until thick. Add partially set Jello mixture. Add remaining lemon juice and a few drops of green food colouring to attain a jade-like green colour. Beat further until the mixture starts to firm up. Fold in well-drained crushed pineapple and gently spread

unless it is just a doubled recipe.

Ingredients: ¾ cup raisins, softened in hot, boiled water ¾ cup butter, softened and creamed 1 cup brown sugar 3 tbsp cream 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp vanilla Directions: Pour boiling water over raisins to soak while you prepare the filling.

Cream butter well; add brown sugar and thoroughly combine. Beat in well

MORRIS SACHS SILO CONSTRUCTION

Farm Accounting Tax Services Tax Preparation Advisory Services

Allied Associates LLP www.alliedassociates.ca 1-800-661-1956

beaten egg. Add cream and vanilla.

Drain and add raisins. Fill pastry (Mum used the recipe on the Tenderflake Lard box) shells 2/3 to ¾ full. Start at 400F for 5-7 minutes depending on how hot your oven is, then bake 15-20 mins at 300F or until filling begins to bubble. Watch carefully to make sure the filling does not bubble over.

Mum collected many recipes over her lifetime. I hope to share more of them in future articles here in The Rural Voice. ◊

Reba Jefferson, CPA Accounting Advisor Wingham 226-791-2536 rjefferson@alliedtax.ca

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

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

32 The Rural Voice

Take-out Available

519-528-2211

Martin’s Nursery over the crumb mixture in the pan.

Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top.

Refrigerate three to four hours or overnight. Cut and serve.

Butter Tarts This recipe uses ¾ cup butter. I’ve yet to see a recipe for a single batch of tarts that uses this much butter

Bulk Food Store

• Baking supplies • Gluten-free products • Candy • Popcorn

Hydrangea Shrubs & Trees

Large selection of shade trees, including... MAPLES.... Royal Red, Sugar, Autumn Blaze, Autumn Fantasy, Morgan, Native Red, Silver X Red Maple Emerald Queen, Maple, etc., Oaks, Crabapple, Ornamental Pears, Ivory Silk Lilac, Ginkgo, Kentucky Coffee Trees, Lindens, Hydrangea Tree, Service berry, Saskatoon Tree, Globe Maple, Umbrella Catalpa, Birch, etc.

FRUIT TREES.... Apples, Pears, Peach, Plum, Cherry, Apricot, Nectarines, Blueberry, Black Chokecherry, etc., Grapes.

Lots of Spruce and Cedars, create your own privacy hedge, windbreak or boundary line with a row of healthy Black or White Cedars, 3-6+ feet tall.

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

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

Wheat prices fall agressively as Russia signs shipping agreement The grain markets had been elevated for the majority of 2022 with supply-shock fears arising from the conflict in Ukraine.

Throughout the year, concerns were raised not only about production worries in the conflict zone, but also shipments from the region. Shipping concerns were relieved somewhat upon the signing of the initial shipping agreement, which was in place for a 120-day period. Toward mid-November, shipping concerns escalated once again with fears that Russia may not extend the shipping agreement upon expiry.

Russia has seen record high wheat production this year and sales have been slow from the region. Russian sales are below last year’s shipments, and with a record-size crop, they are anxious to see further sales into export markets. Because Russia is a ready and willing seller, and Ukraine is a competitor which has been aggressively outcompeting Russia into these markets, speculation arose as to whether the Ukraine shipping deal would be extended as it could potentially be viewed as counterproductive to Russian interests. With this uncertainty, prices remained elevated with a risk premium; that is until Russia did finally agree on a further 120-day agreement. Since the extension of the agreement, prices have been falling aggressively, even much lower than the values seen pre-invasion.

Despite all the initial fears that supply would be unable to meet world demand, time has shown that world production has been resilient.

Wheat supplies look to be adequate, as demonstrated by substantially lower prices currently, which are trading at a 14-month low. It’s not only Russia with large production this year – Australia has also seen a bumper crop. Australian wheat production is predicted to be record high, up one per cent from last year’s record high production — totalling just shy of 37 million tonnes.

Australia has experienced heavy rains and large flooding in some regions. These rains were expected to downgrade vast amounts of wheat quality, but current reports indicate that quality was maintained well in spite of all the rains. Stemming from the lack of world demand and high production in many key growing areas of the world, expectations are for world inventories of wheat to increase in upcoming USDA estimates.

Unlike grains, soybean prices are doing well. This has primarily been driven by dryness in Argentina.

Major growing areas in this important soybean-producing country have not been receiving sufficient rains. As a consequence, planting delays are widespread, as growers wait for moisture before planting. Brazilian weather is currently close to ideal, and therefore attention is being focused towards Argentine forecasts. If Argentina does not receive reasonable amounts of rain shortly, revisions to the South American crop estimate will begin to occur.

It’s not just rainfall that is of a concern to Argentina. The nation’s foreign currency reserves have been falling with inflation costs and uncertainty with the Argentine currency. To bolster their currency reserves, Argentina is once again introducing a temporary soy exchange rate to encourage grower sales. Until December 30, 2022 the Argentine government is providing a rate of 230 pesos per dollar versus 166 being offered on the current market exchange rate. This is the

second time that the nation has brought into effect their “soy dollar” to encourage grower sales. In September, when the policy was first enacted, growers sold large volumes of beans. Sales reached 13.3 million tonnes that month, compared to traditional monthly September sales of 4.4 million metric tonnes. The growers benefit from higher prices in the local currency, and the Argentine government receives U.S. currency in tax revenues to service foreign debt obligations and bolster reserve holdings.

Ontario’s harvest is essentially completed. Yields have been generally strong in many areas, along with predominantly good quality.

The exception is in a few areas where vomitoxin was present in corn. With great harvest weather, the crop came off the field in rapid fashion, and harvest bin space problems have been widespread.

Not only did the rapid pace of the harvest affect bin space, but also movements into foreign markets have been challenging. This has occurred for two reasons.

• Firstly, you can only move product into foreign markets if you have freight to move the cargo.

Vessel movement from the lakes only has so much capacity to move grain, and additional grain cargo isn’t readily available.

• Secondly, in order to export, you also have to have a willing buyer to purchase your shipment.

As we have discussed, grain markets are experiencing low demands from world buyers, especially from those shippers in high-priced regions such as ourselves here in Ontario. Ukrainian corn is very competitive and is shipping large volumes. One week recently, Ukraine shipped 838,000 tonnes of corn via the Black Sea. With lack of export demand we have seen inventories swell here in the province beyond capacity in some regions.

Some elevators have made ground piles to handle excess production, while others have opted to close temporarily awaiting shipment from their facility once space was reopened once again. ◊

January 2023 33

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

A challenge for 2023 I have discovered podcasts and have started utilizing my wee tablet for more than looking up recipes or plants. The speaker is not too bad and I take it to where I am working, whether in the kitchen, poking around in the studio or working in the garden. Although, when in the garden, I have to pick an area to work in where I will not be running around and missing a few points in a podcast!

The latest one confirmed an approach to gardening that I have fallen into — creative maintenance.

Maintenance is normally thought of as keeping your garden as planned by cutting, pruning, and edging. Noel Kingsbury and Annie Guilfoyle are encouraging people to approach maintenance as an expression of creativity. Noel and Annie host popular Garden Masterclass workshops and webinars. Annie is an award-winning garden designer and teacher of design. Noel is a garden writer, teacher and consultant.

Together they host workshops in the UK and online horticultural webinars accessible to anyone and everyone.

I believe most gardeners are creative and are open to adding, editing, and rethinking areas of their garden(s).

I know at the farm as the trees grew, we had to think about moving some plants and introducing others to take advantage of the change in light levels. And like a few of you, gardens change with time and you learn new ideas and acquire new plants. As young trees on the east side of the house matured, finally, gently towering over us, the light changed from hot sun to dappled woodland. Loved it. That was the tipping point for acquiring more 34 The Rural Voice

hostas. Suddenly we were expanding and connecting the trees to each other by mulching ground between them to create curving swaths. The hostas were featured along with assorted primulas, lungwort, anenomes and epimediums. In brighter areas the lilies, peonies, and monkshood were happy.

There were “aha” moments. The one I will always remember was yellow-faced pansies crowding around a lovely swath of yellow sundrops (Oenothera) and along the border yellow-toned cora bells (citronelle heuchera) and yellowtinged hostas (Island Breeze and Diana Remembered) were erupting.

It made for a stunning snap in the garden. But the pansies seeded out and faded, the yellow-tinged hostas grew and had to be moved and the sundrops danced away through the rest of the garden. There was always a bright sunny note in that garden but it was that moment that it seemed to all look just right. And that is the beauty of gardening. Observing how plants interact, move, and relate to the rest of the garden is the joy of gardening.

If you think you can design a garden and keep it looking the same for years to come then you are not really appreciating the plants. They are living, evolving and intent on populating the garden.

They grow bigger or smaller than planned, seed out, or worse, sucker out with underground aggressive roots. And then there are the twining plants; the ones that like to climb on their neighbours and head for the sunny upper regions.

Creative maintenance is about being creative in the garden as you learn, as the light changes and as new plants start to crowd out older ones.

Observing how plants interact, move, and relate to the rest of the garden is the joy of gardening.

Editing in your garden is to observe and build on what the plants are telling you. When I worked in the garden centre I would field questions about ‘what do I do about ….?’

Sometimes it was simply to remind them that they were the gardener and if they did not like something they had a shovel. If a shrub was too big, they had pruners or loppers. Pruning involves getting close and personal and looking at the new growth, what blooms where and when, and assessing the point of trimming from what you see.

I have a patch of what I think is Blue Haze euphorbia that loves the hot front garden. It has a spectacular chartreuse blooms and evergreen foliage. BUT it likes to spread. I have learned to be ruthless and once it finishes blooming I yank out excess clumps, pulling out the vagrants that pop up in the middle of the peony and around the verbascum seedlings. I have been tempted to see just how far it would ramble but… maybe not this year.

So my challenge to you and for myself is to assess a part of our gardens and edit it to suit your evolving vision and integrate a native plant. Pick one variety and plant three of them. You may have to do a bit of reading to find the native best for you. You have to understand their

Gardening requirements, and habit of growth, like height, bloom time, colour, and how it reproduces so you can place it in an area that encourages it to develop to its full potential. The reason for three is that in order to attract native pollinators you should start with three plants; more impact, more of a draw.

Creativity with the addition of new native plants helps improve and contribute to the environment one garden at a time. Two years ago I was given a lovely bit of Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea, which will make you think of hot golden wild carrot. It attracts pollinators Mining bees, Azure butterflies, Negro bugs and Soldier beetles. And if it is being nibbled on, congratulations! you are probably hosting black swallowtail butterfly larva.

My poor plant was overshadowed by blackberries so this year it was moved into a dappled area with more room to spread. I let it go to seed and am hopeful for next spring. Ahh next spring! We all have those hopeful moments to look forward to. ◊

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

News

• Press release •

Grow Ontario Strategy to increase consumption and production of Ontario food

T

he Ontario government is building a strong, secure food supply chain and securing the province’s position as a food leader in Canada with the release of the Grow Ontario Strategy.

The strategy outlines the province’s plan to strengthen the agri-food sector, ensure an efficient, reliable, and responsive food supply and address ongoing vulnerabilities through new innovations.

The sector’s vulnerabilities include labour shortages, outdated supply chain infrastructure and declining processing capacity.

“The Grow Ontario Strategy is our government’s plan to make sure the province’s food supply chain remains safe, strong and stable from farm to fork,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This plan is a bold vision of pride and trust in the quality and quantity of food produced in Ontario, grown on the foundation of a competitive agri-food industry that serves the needs of Ontarians, Canadians and the world.”

The plan focuses on three key priorities: • Strengthen Agri-food Supply Chain Stability: Increase both the consumption and production of food grown and prepared in Ontario by 30 per cent, increase Ontario’s food and beverage manufacturing GDP by 10 per cent and boost Ontario’s agrifood exports eight per cent annually by 2032. This includes opening applications for the $10 million Food Security and Supply Chain Fund which will provide funding for projects such as updated inventory software, expanded warehousing to allow increased inventory levels or automation equipment to address labour gaps. The province is also strengthening its food processing capacity and food security to position the sector for growth through the $25 million Strategic Agri-Food Processing Fund.

• Increase Agri-food Technology

and Adoption: Boost research infrastructure, advance the uptake of new technologies, grow the market for Ontario innovative technologies domestically and globally, and grow the use of data to support efficiencies in the agri-food sector and value chain. The province will also begin consultations on modernizing the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario Act to fuel innovation and support efforts to provide modern, relevant research information to farmers and agri-food businesses.

• Attract and Grow Ontario’s Agri-food Talent: The province aims to increase total agri-food sector employment by 10 per cent by 2032, as well as increase awareness of modern, high-tech agri-food careers, opportunities for mentorship and hands-on job training, and support efforts to increase veterinary capacity in underserviced areas of the province. This includes launching public consultations to explore opportunities to modernize the Veterinarians Act as part of the plan to increase access to veterinary care in Ontario.

“The Grow Ontario Strategy is an important part of Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario, our fall red tape reduction package to strengthen provincial supply chains and improve competitiveness,” said Parm Gill, Minister of Red Tape Reduction.

“We’re stepping up our efforts to work directly with Ontarians to remove red tape and regulatory barriers across government, so people can thrive and businesses can prosper.”

The Grow Ontario Strategy was informed by the insights of farmers, Indigenous leaders, food sector leaders and businesses. The government is also working to reduce duplication and unnecessary burden and is encouraging the agri-food sector to submit their best ideas to reduce legislative and regulatory barriers to help enable a stronger supply chain. ◊

January 2023 35

Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Forage: Looking for the King of Grasses Nutritionist promotes growth of grasses to increase fibre digestibility but is still waiting to find the perfect grass

A

lfalfa has been described as the Queen of Forages but Cornell University nutritionist Dr. Debbie Cherney says researchers have long been searching for the King of Grasses to make a match.

In a forage stand with a mix of alfalfa and grass, the problem is timing. Alfalfa and grasses don’t often mature at the same time, resulting in farmers having to choose to manage between one forage or the other.

“We are always keeping our eye out for a new grass that could be the king of grasses to meet the queen of forages,” said Cherney, while speaking online at the Ontario Forage Focus workshop on November 22 which focused on grass in dairy rations. Cherney said she and her husband have been researching alfalfa and grass for 30 years and says so much of the science comes down to fibre digestibility, otherwise called neutral density fibre digestibility (NDFD).

“I can tell by looking at the cows if they have forage with high NDF,” says Cherney. A cow with a highly digestible diet will have a leaner belly while cattle eating forages with low NDF have a “big, old haybelly” she said. With all that hard-to-digest fibre, it takes a while for microbes to break down. “As we nutritionists like to say, it is the mammary glands that drive the intake and not the other way around. If you can’t get that energy down to the mammary gland, then intake suffers.”

When choosing to harvest forages to maximize NDF in lactating dairy cattle, Cherney recommends a 50 to 55 percent NDF for grass and 38-40 per cent NDF for alfalfa.

It’s important for the cows, for digestibility and for finances, says Cherney. If forage is harvested with

36 The Rural Voice

Dr. Debbie Cherney says the search is still on for the perfect grass to grow with alfalfa but she is convinced that grasses make forages more palatable, fibrous and digestible leading the more milk production. low digestibility, then the ration requires more corn, corn silage and supplements to get the same amount of milk. “More home grown forage with high digestibility means less cost to bring stuff in,” says Cherney.

What makes forage more digestible? The answer is grass, says Cherney. Growing a grass/alfalfa mixture has higher total fibre than alfalfa alone. Plus, including grass may allow an increase in the amount of corn silage that can be fed in the ration. This combination of feeding homegrown forages and corn silages, reduces the need for purchased grains.

“Grass provides fibre in a smaller package than alfalfa does,” says Cherney. This, in turn, leaves more room in the ration for grain. Plus, rumen acidosis is avoided.

Which grass is best to grow? That is the big question, admits Cherney.

Meadow fescue is a grass grown in Europe with a lot of research to back

it up. However, the United States is just starting to research the benefits of this grass grown in combination with alfalfa. There is some research of growing tall fescue versus meadow fescue, with results indicating a pure-stand tall fescue has 10-15 per cent more yield than meadow fescue. However, for winter hardiness, nutritive value and relative palatability, meadow fescue has tall fescue beat.

The debate on which grass to grow continues but Cherney is certain that a grass/alfalfa mixture is beneficial to dairy cattle. It results in: – less alfalfa winterkill – longer stand life – fewer pests and diseases – improve soil health – often higher yield – less animal disorders.

The cons of a grass/alfalfa mixture are the variable forage quality, it requires more management and limited weed control.

In terms of growing conditions, alfalfa thrives better in well-drained fields and grass in wetter fields.

Alfalfa requires more potassium, grass less, but grass needs more manure application and alfalfa requires none. Same with nitrogen.

Age of the stand will benefit grass, not alfalfa, which started dying out after a few years. Hot weather favours alfalfa.

As the stand changes over the years, Cherney says even a stand with five per cent grass will increase NDF digestibility by one per cent.

She doesn’t recommend a combination of more than 50 per cent grass and prefers a combination of alfalfa 50 to 80 per cent and grass 20 to 50 per cent.

When choosing seed, she very much recommends purchasing highquality seed as the seed is cleaner, the variety is purer (reducing variability) and growers can take advantage of new genetics.

When it comes to planting forages for pastures, Cherney prefers a different strategy. The best plan for

pasture is to plant a diverse mixture of grasses and legumes. Having a wide variety of forages can typically withstand variability in climates, grazing management styles and geographic conditions.

Is there any “best species” or “supergrass” for pastures? There really isn’t, said Cherney. Instead, growers should make their choice based on these factors: – what’s relevant to you? (geographical or biological) – what species is it?

– where was the variety developed?

– where has the variety been evaluated?

– under what environmental conditions and management systems has the variety been developed?

Ultimately, farmers should “ask, ask, and ask and get yourself some knowledge” , recommended Cherney.

She also encourages everyone to check out the Forage Species Selection Tool offered free by Cornell University. It can be found at http://www.forages.org/ ◊

Merry Christmas!

MATTHEW RAE MPP – Perth-Wellington

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: 55 Lorne Ave E Unit 2, Stratford ON, N5A 6S4 Phone: 519-272-0660 • Toll Free: 1-800-461-9701 matthewrae.ca • matthew.rae@pc.ola.org

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

$

INCOME TAX SERVICE

$

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 2023 37

People • By Gary West •

Loyal employees thanked

Farmers cook for United Way

T

he Saturday-Stratford Farmers Market has always been a mainstay for the residents of Stratford, Perth county and area for shoppers to buy local meat, eggs, fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods and crafts.

With the support of area producers along with Stratford Agriculture Society directors,various farm organization volunteers cooked up a breakfast to support the United Way of Perth-Huron.

Perth County dairy producers, Perth egg farmers, Perth pork producers, and Perth county grain farmers all got together to donate the bacon, eggs and cheese to cook and place on a fresh bun. A chocolate milk rounded the meal to provide market visitors with a balanced and hardy breakfast with 100 per cent of the proceeds raised going to the programs supported by United Way Perth-Huron.

At the closing of the five-hour market, organizer Martin Ritsma (now the city’s Mayor) announced the total raised was $3902.45. Over the last number of years, the Stratford and District Agricultural Society has raised well over $25,000 to donate to the local United Way and hopes of doing the same for many years in the future.

Linda Baechler and Roland Danis cut the celebration cake after a combined 64 years of employment at Shakespeare Feed Company.

W

ith 64 years of loyal work between the two of them, Shakespeare Feed company (S.M.I.) served up cake to thank Linda Baechler and Roland Danis for their loyalty.

Linda’s background is in accounting and says 34 years ago, “all of the company’s accounting was done manually.” Once computers took over, she took up the challenge of relearning.

She started working for Mark and Terry Wey and Bob Donald 34 years ago when they owned the Feed Mill.

She now works for Jeff and Cathy Sparling and said the reason “she has stayed for 34 years and counting” is because she has always been treated well by her employers and she enjoys her co-workers.

Roland Danis spends most of his time in the warehouse or at the rail cars loading and unloading the storage silos of feed and commodities next to the railway. He can remember in the early years of the mill, adding red and yellow dye to bird feed for shipment in bags throughout the area. ◊ 38 The Rural Voice

Top: Volunteers from the Stratford and District Agricultural Society cooked up bacon, egg and cheese buns to raise money for the United Way of Perth‐Huron. Above (left to right): Elizabeth Cooper,United Way co‐ ordinator; Hailey Peters, Agricultural Society Ambassador; Page Fawcett and Stratford and District Agricultural Society director, Martin Ritsma.

People

Dairy 4-H members makes Oxford proud at The Royal

The 2022 Oxford 4‐H TD classic members who competed at the The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair include — Front left to right: Zack De Silva, Nathan Wilker, Megan Atkinson and Sophie Pike. Back row, left to right: Taylor Buckrell, Blake Zehr, Keaton Jones, and Nicole Danen. (Absent was Bren Zeldenrijk). Photo credit — Ellie Wright

T

he Oxford County TD Canadian 4-H dairy classic team won’t soon forget their experience at the 100th anniversary of the Royal Agriculture Winter Fair in Toronto recently.

Chaperones Val Jones, Dean Karn and Jamie Atkinson said they could hardly contain their excitement for their young Classic team when the Oxford 4-H members were named 2nd Premier county overall from the 300 4-H competitors from Ontario and Eastern Canada that competed at the two-day show. Team members accumulate points in their showmanship and conformation classes along with their stable exhibit to compete for top points against other counties and districts.

Jones explained the Oxford members are required to exhibit their calves throughout the summer and after the 4th showing at the Stratford championship show, the members hand in a résumé. A panel of judges pick eight members with one

alternate to go to the Royal. She states their group were young and inexperienced with even the experienced members not being at the Royal since 2019 due to COVID19.

The team’s schedule included getting in line early Sunday morning to enter the Royal with lots of “tack and show boxes” to unload. The barn display had to be set up and ready for pictures at 5 p.m. that day.

Monday morning was the display competition and getting calves ready for the showmanship competition which began at 7:30 a.m.

The three chaperones said competing at the Royal Classic show would not be possible without many sponsors. The 4-H members distributed letters to local farming and related businesses, asking for donations as they estimated with hotels, trucking calves, and other expenses they would need between $7-9,000 to fund the team’s Toronto stay.

Donors were generous and the team surpassed their fundraising goal, allowing them to purchase windbreaker-style jackets to create a team uniform, which is one of the criteria for the stable competition.

They also had pins from the county, and some other pamphlets to hand out to the public to help with interacting as hundreds of visitors came through the barns. The 4-H members were trained to answer visitors’ questions with respect which also is included in the final score for “Premier” county.

The Oxford 4-H members said it was an experience of a lifetime and they hope to go again. ◊

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage 1990 Ltd. Harriston

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

GPS Grade Control 519-338-3484 • Cell 519-323-6335 January 2023 39

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

Zitty bark and other tree identification tricks

bottom up. Mature hard maple tree bark ridges will curl from side to side. These bark curls have never failed me when other features have not been as clear.

To identify an elm tree there are many hints to help. The overall shape of an elm tree, or its silhouette is the shape of an umbrella. At the end of each twig the bud will sit on an angle – this is called a cantered bud. If you are looking at a more mature tree that has bark ridges, break a bark ridge off or part of a ridge and look at the broken end, you will see a orange and creamy coloured layer.

Basswood may have a very identifiable leaf, but the bark is also a great indicator. Basswood bark has very shallow furrows and the “ridges” are quite flat. Small to medium-sized basswood will also have small circular marks throughout the entire stem. Basswood bark is known to be very soft, so soft that you can push a pencil lead into it without causing the lead to break.

This soft bark trick is one that I never found very conclusive. However, I did find the fact that there is chocolate brown bark under any removed bark ridge on a basswood.

Young cherry and birch trees have small creamy white lines that run

across their fine branches and small stems. These lines are called lenticels. Lenticels will work to help distinguish these two species from others, but to identify which species is which, more is required. Cherry trees are easily distinguished when in leaf as there are two glands located at the base of the leaf near the top of the stem. Birch do not have these glands.

Birch trees will have dwarf shots on their fine branches. Yellow birch is said to smell and taste like wintergreen but I have yet to experience this.

Many times, people have referred to poplar trees as white birch trees.

One of the easiest ways to determine the species is by the dwarf shoots of the birch. Or, on medium to large poplar trees, the trunk bark consists of coarse dark ridges that look like that of many other deciduous trees.

Contrasting the poplar appearance, white birch looks similar from the top of the tree to the trunk even into maturity.

I have previously given my hints for needles, but the bark of coniferous trees also offers some great clues. For example, if you remove a ridge of bark off a larger tree, you will find that the inner bark is a very beautiful reddish purple.

After discussing tree identification by leaf in the last two columns, I thought I would share my other tree identification hints. Some of these are sneaky shortcuts learned in college or over my career. I am sure a few of the items may seem a little cheesy, but they have worked for me.

I would be curious to hear if any readers have other systems to identify trees.

The most common trick that I have heard from other people has been that the trunk of a beech tree resembles an elephant’s leg. This trick works well, aside from the close resemblance of beech bark and soft maple bark.

Next, Black cherry bark resembles burnt cornflakes. This one works if you recall that the first letters of burnt and cornflakes is the clue.

To spell it out, the burnt has a ‘b’ which is also the first letter of black, and cornflakes has a ‘c’ which is the first letter of cherry.

Very generally, when you look across the canopy of a forest in the winter season, if the canopy has a red hue, it is a soft maple swamp. This hue becomes more intense as spring looms closer and the buds start to swell.

I have been told by many that they can see a cat face in soft maple trees. I cannot, but then I can’t do magic eye puzzles either. If you can see the buds of a mature maple tree from the ground, it will be a soft maple.

Hard maple buds are too small to be seen from 70 feet. Mature soft maple tree bark ridges will curl from the top down and the Clockwise: Elm bark, Black cherry bark (like burnt cornflakes) and Hemlock bark 40 The Rural Voice

Balsam fir trees were nicknamed zitty balsam as the trees of most sizes have resin blisters throughout the trunk. While many people find the reference a little disgusting, it worked for my college class. I often have memories of learning this one when I forgetfully grab a balsam trunk. Luckily, thanks to the COVID19 pandemic I often have hand sanitizer with me which will clean up the resin.

Medium to large Scots or scotch pine trees will have bark that is very similar to other pine trees near the trunk, however the upper third of the tree will have a distinctive orangey colour. Red pine trees are very similar to the Scots pine, but the upper third of the bark will be pinkish. The upper bark will also consist of very thin, papery flakes on both trees.

I hope that these clues will help you with tree identification, or that in the least they made you smile at the oddity of them all. For me, I believe some of the odd references and comparisons are what helped me to remember them. ◊

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

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

519-482-7979

www.seebachandcompany.ca

MAITLAND CONSERVATION’s 2023

Tree Planting Programs It’s time to plan your spring planting project.

2023 Tree and Shrub Orders - A variety of tree and shrub species are available to purchase for spring 2023. Large stock and seedlings may be ordered. For information and order forms please visit our website at mvca.on.ca or email Shannon Millar, Restoration Technician, at trees@mvca.on.ca.

Order deadline: January20,2023

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!

Planting Services - Interested in starting a windbreak, stream buffer or block planting but not sure how to begin? Maitland Conservation staff are available to assist you with choosing the best planting options for your property and identifying potential funding opportunities.

GRANTS AVAILABLE for some planting projects! Call for details.

Shannon Millar, Restoration Technician [e] trees@mvca.on.ca [w] mvca.on.ca [t] 519-335-3557 ext. 233

January 2023 41

Birds by Deb Johnston

Counting and photographing birds ... a birder’s vision

O

n December 17, Goderich joined communities across the world in the Christmas Bird Count. One of the largest citizen science projects in the world, the count assists biologists in knowing where to protect bird habitat.

Local birder, Deb Johnston of Goderich, promoted the event and all things bird as part of her passion for bird habitat, bird knowledge and bird photography. The following is some of her favourite bird photos from excursions in 2021, with her own commentary by each photo. ◊

The Eastern Meadowlark can be seen singing and fluttering over pastures and hayfields in summer but due to loss of suitable habitat resulting from development and changes in farming practices they are considered threatened or a species of concern.

Male Scarlet Tanagers are almost blindingly gorgeous with their blood red and jet black feathers. They are always a thrill to see but they can also be the most frustratingly difficult bird to find, as they perch high in the tree canopy singing their rich burry song.

The Green Heron is quite short and stocky and often has it’s long neck drawn into it's body like in this image. Green herons stand motionless at the water’s edge looking for amphibians and fish, stretching their neck out a long way to catch their prey.

Which was unfortunate for this young frog.

42 The Rural Voice

Above: Did you know we have Cuckoos in North America? We have Black Billed and Yellow Billed Cuckoos, which are very secretive and often hide in dense vegetation. They eat mostly caterpillars and are one of the few species who eat hairy caterpillars, such as tent caterpillars.

Right: Sandhill Cranes are a large bird that lives in open, often wet habitats such as bogs and marshes. They have a unique bugle call that sounds prehistoric and can be heard miles away. They are known for their dancing skills when they are courting with moves that include stretching their wings, bowing and leaping in the air in a graceful energetic style.

The Belted Kingfisher is common along streams and shorelines in North America.

They have a loud, rattle‐type call that you often hear before you even see them.

It nests in burrows along riverbanks and feeds on aquatic prey that they dive head first into the water for.

The Wood Duck is considered to be the most beautiful duck in North America. The male (above) has very showy, colourful , iridescent plumage but personality wise, they tend to be rather shy and elusive. Wood ducks nest in hollow tree cavities or duck boxes.

The Evening Grosbeaks are normally a northerly bird but will wander widely in winter in search of food sources. It is called an “irruptive” year when evening grosbeaks expand their range, visiting feeders for seeds.

January 2023 43

News

• Press release •

Innovative policies needed to protect farmland

“E

xtremely disappointing” are the words Ontario Farmland Trust’s (OFT) Executive Director Martin Straathof uses to summarize the recently passed Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.

Despite all the briefs, demonstrations, letters and submissions from many groups and citizens of Ontario urging the government to drop Bill 23 as many argued it will be ineffective at dealing with housing affordability, the Ontario Government decided to pass the legislation. OFT was among these groups and provided eight written submissions on the issues, as well as signing onto an inter-agency letter, citing the threat this Bill poses to farmland.

The controversial Bill 23 will significantly reduce protections for farmland in provincial land use planning allowing for sprawling development instead of sustainable communities. The bill was passed on November 28, 2022, despite the public comment period still being open.

We know that the rate of farmland loss in Ontario has increased dramatically since the 2016 Census of Agriculture, from 175 acres to 319 acres of farmland being lost every single day. In the past 35 years, Ontario has already lost nearly 20 per cent of its farmland.

With the increased rate of farmland loss, Ontario’s 11.8 million acres of farmland in production today will be gone within 100 years.

“The passing of this Act is a regression of our current planning processes. What we need are creative and innovative solutions to balance the intersecting needs of farmland protection and housing development,” Martin said. “The Ontario Farmland Trust is now calling on developers to do their part and work with us to develop these solutions so that the outcomes benefit society as a whole.” He added that opening Ontario’s farmland up for 44 The Rural Voice

More Homes Built Faster Act threatens Ontario farmland acreage development should encourage more people to permanently protect their farms with OFT. The fight to preserve farmland, natural areas, and the Greenbelt does not stop here.

During the Bill 23 consultation period there was a substantial support calling for farmland protection, natural area conservation, and securing a healthy future for Ontarians. Martin described this as truly inspiring and noted that this kind of collective action does have the power to make a difference.

That is why the Ontario Farmland Trust encourages people to not stop here. Here are four ways that you can help: 1) Reach out to Ontario Farmland Trust and other conservation groups to see how you can support their work 2) Call your MPP and let them know you disagree with Bill 23. Join a local rally in support of farmland and natural habitat 4) Talk to your friends, family, and coworkers and encourage them to join in these activities Please, continue to add your voice to the opposition of Bill 23, continue to support real affordable housing initiatives, and continue to support our farmland and natural areas.

OFT is here to support farmers who wish to ensure that their

farmland remains farmland, forever.

Our Farmland Easement Agreements are legally binding agreements that run with the title of the land in perpetuity. Farmland conservation easements are the strongest tool to available to protect farmland, ensuring that any future nonagricultural use remains prohibited because of the permanent easement on title. If you want more information about our easements, click here.

As Frank Shaw, OFT Volunteer and former Board Member puts it, “Provincial protection is lost but land trusts can offer registered protection for the land and water we love. We must press on and be champions.” ~ The Ontario Farmland Trust is a non-profit, charitable organization that works across Ontario to protect farmlands and agricultural, natural and cultural features of the countryside for the benefit of future generations.

Quick Farmland Facts ▪ The latest 2016-2021 Census of Agriculture shows an increase in farmland loss to 319 acres per day from 175 acres in the 2011-2016 census ▪ Ontario’s farmland is the foundation of the agri-food sector at contributes $47 billion in GDP to provincial economy ◊

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

The Drainage Act: 188 years of compelled cooperation Ontario’s first drainage legislation was enacted in 1834 – “An Act to regulate Line Fences and Watercourses”. Back then, Ontario was Upper Canada. Toronto happened to be incorporated as a City in 1834 and had a population of about 9,300. Rural Ontario was still very much the Upper Canada of Susanna Moodie’s “Roughing it in the Bush” or CTV’s “The Campbells” (does anyone remember that show from the 1980s?). Land patents were granted to settlers with conditions that they clear a certain portion of their lot for cultivation, erect buildings, clear the municipal road allowance, etc.

The development of land, whether for agricultural use or otherwise, has always required the management of surface water. It’s also always been true that water flows downhill; surface water from higher properties flows to lower properties. At Common Law, an owner generally has no obligation to accept surface water that drains from a neighbour’s property. Subject to prescriptive rights or agreements between owners, and outside of natural watercourses, a downstream landowner is entitled to block surface flows from an upstream landowner. In that respect, the Common Law was often an impediment to the clearing and development of land.

The drainage legislation enacted in 1834 was the first step taken by the Legislature to overcome the Common Law in the area of surface water drainage by compelling

participation in collective drainage systems. Section 16 of the 1834 Act stated the purpose of the legislation as follows: “… in all cases when it shall be the joint interest of parties resident within this Province to open a Ditch, or Water Course, for the purpose of letting off surplus water from swamps or sunken miry lands in order to enable the owners or occupiers of such swampy or sunken land to cultivate or improve the same, it shall be the duty of such several parties to open a just and fair share of such Ditch or Water Course in proportion to the several interests that such parties may have in the same”.

While non-participating landowners couldn’t be compelled to pay the costs of collective drains, landowners who wished to participate in a drainage system now had a mechanism to allow them to carry out work at their own expense on their neighbours’ lands “without molestation”. Eventually, legislation was passed making all landowners within a drainage area liable for their proportionate share of the costs of a collective drainage system. In addition, responsibility for the creation and maintenance of collective drains was given to municipalities (giving rise to the term “municipal drain”). This remains the law in Ontario today under the Drainage Act. Municipal drains are created by “petition” made to the local municipality. Petitions may be made by the majority of the number of landowners in a drainage catchment area, by any one owner who owns at least 60 per cent of the land within the area, by the municipal engineer or road superintendent where a municipal drain is required for a road, or by the “Director” appointed by the Province in the case of drains required for agricultural purposes.

Where the municipality accepts the petition, it appoints a drainage engineer and that engineer must prepare a report for the proposed drain. The report includes the design and specifications of the drain as well as a table of assessments in which each participating landowner’s respective share of the costs of the drain is assigned.

Subject to various appeal rights, all landowners within the area that drains into the municipal drain who are assessed for costs must pay those costs to the municipality. Also, those landowners must allow access to their lands for whatever components of the “drainage works” are required on their lands. These components may include an open ditch, an underground drain tile or pipe, a culvert, etc. Despite the fee simple ownership of the land remains with the landowner – the Drainage Act does not involve a taking of ownership – land may be physically occupied by the municipal drain and the Act prohibits interference with a municipal drain. Landowners whose land is required for the actual physical components of the drain are awarded “allowances” in the engineer’s report – compensation that is offset against the cost assessed to the landowner. In this sense, the Drainage Act operates like an expropriation statute.

Expropriation, but not quite expropriation. Lands required for the physical drainage works themselves are not taken, but rather are submitted to regulation and restrictions so that all landowners within a given drainage area can have access to a proper outlet. Ontario’s Drainage Act regime is more about compelled cooperation or compelled neighbourliness than it is about the taking of rights. That said, many agricultural landowners may question the propriety of being forced to accommodate the stormwater management needs of new residential subdivision developments. The Drainage Act doesn’t just serve the needs of agriculture. Indeed, some municipal drains may actually be playing a supporting role in the ongoing destruction of farmland in Ontario. ◊ ______________________________ John D. Goudy’s law practice includes real property and environmental litigation, expropriation law, energy regulation, and regulatory offences.

Agrilaw provides information of interest to the farming community, not legal advice. Readers should consult a legal professional about their particular circumstance.

January 2023 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

DL Distributing Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

Leadership in energy and environmental design

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

Devon Henry 519-505-2473

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

84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels

devonjhenry@hotmail.com

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

AGRICULTURAL

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

RESIDENTIAL

NEW CONSTRUCTION RENOVATIONS

46 The Rural Voice

519-524-0253

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

Profitable, Actionable, Advice Crop Planning SWAT Maps/Soil Sampling Variable Mapping/Scripts Cropwalker Newsletter

Jonathan Zettler CCA-ON, 4R NMS 519-323-7505 jz@fieldwalker.ca fieldwalker.ca

REAL ESTATE

QUALITY METAL ROOFING, SIDING & TRIMS

• Real Estate questions • Wishing a Market Value Analysis

(Free and convenient at your property)

• Buying or Selling?

“Welcome to connect with me anytime”

Gladys Munro Realtor®

Direct: 519.389.8242 Office: 519.396.3300 gladysmunro21@gmail.com 926 Queen St. Kincardine, ON

519-363-3757

2051 Bruce Rd. 19, R.R. 1 Chesley, ON N0G 1L0

The Better Choice, Plain and Simple

WIDEMANS BEE SUPPLY Taking orders for 2023 ORHBS Queens and Nucs Warehouse Hours Monday: 9-5 Tues - Friday: By Appointment Sat: 9-5

Specializing in Local Canadian Woodenware & Assembled Frames

519-492-0565 sales@widemansbeesupply.ca www.widemansbeesupply.ca

87690 Malcolm Line. RR1 Gowanstown ON. N0G 1Y0

B PACKERS: WE BUILD U RUBBER S TIRE PACKER I SPECIALISTS Order Now N Also large fold-up steel drum packers, lawn & estate rollers, E custom manufactured S RR #2, Arthur, Ont. (519) 848-2799 S C E N T R E

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING 519-531-0355 TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

DEADLINE for the February issue of The Rural Voice is January 10 Steve Cronsberry (Owner) 5483 Fifth Line Minto, Palmerston 1­888­534­0393 marquardtfarmdrainage.com

519­343­3233

of providing professionally designed and installed drainage systems.

January 2023 47

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

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

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

-------------------------------------------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, Beliveau R2X and Ramage XF Roundup Ready varieties.

Treatments and inoculants available. Call Mitch at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd. 519-4406712.

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

-------------------------------------------Second-cut alfalfa timothy hay, 3x4 and 3x3 large square bales, no rain. Third-cut alfalfa timothy individually wrapped baleage (4x6).

Also, big square bales, rotary combined clean straw, suitable for TMR ration. Call 519-369-4703.

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

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

-------------------------------------------Large selection of young bred cows and heifers available. Also Limousin bulls. Smart Limousin, Meaford 519372-7459. smartlimo@bmts.com www.smartlimousin.com -------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN breeding bulls, quiet, thick, semen tested, guaranteed breeders, delivery included. Select now for spring delivery.

OPEN HOUSE Saturday, April 8, 2023. Posthaven Limousin, John Post, 519-766-7178. www.posthavenlimousin.com --------------------------------------------

RESTORATION -------------------------------------------The Olde Tyme Radio Centre – antique radios, clocks, gramophones, telephones; sold/restored. (vintage autoclock radio, speedometer, tachometer repaired). Belgrave 519-357-4304, www.oldtymeradio.ca -------------------------------------------SERVICES -------------------------------------------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 -------------------------------------------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. 1-705-434-8187.

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

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

DANNY’S

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

Deadline for the February 2023 issue of The Rural Voice is January 10 48 The Rural Voice

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

WANTED -------------------------------------------Young farmer looking for land rent, sharecrop, or custom work opportunities. Good environmental stewardship and professionalism.

Short and long term. 519-200-7845 or hundt.chris@outlook.com -------------------------------------------Farmland – Long or short term. Cash rent, share crop. Contact Paul at Hill & Hill Farms, 519-2333218 or 519-525-3137 or email: paul.hillhill@tcc.on.ca --------------------------------------------

WANTED -------------------------------------------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.

-------------------------------------------Looking for two-speed transmission for 2004 Ski-Doo Skandic 550 wide track snowmobile. Please leave message, 519-371-4142.

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

CRAFTER’S

CORNER

Country Quilting -------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------South Western Ontario Dairy Symposium, Wednesday, February 22, 2023, Woodstock Fairgrounds from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. www.dairysymposium.com.

-------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------Dion threshing machine 22x38 or 28x48. International grain binder 905-983-9331.

-------------------------------------------Looking for pasture for summer 2023 in North Huron/South Bruce areas. Fence repairs ok. Contact Justin at 519-357-8272.

-------------------------------------------Round bales of horse or cattle quality hay picked up. Wanted t o b u y : small square bales of wheat straw, conventional or rotary.

Call Riley Gorman 519-321-1012.

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

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

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

519-887-9456

www.countryquilting.ca

Fabrics, Quilts & Much More

Long Arm Machine Quilting Services 519-392-6591 Teeswater By appointment only yscott@wightman.ca ~ Yoka Scott

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

Fabric, Quilting Supplies, Ready & Custom Made Quilts

January 27th ~ Fabulous Friday - “G” Day 20% off - Gold, green, grass, ground, goodies, goods, etc.

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

Check Facebook for store updates or visit our website sanityhill.ca

3991 Perth Rd. 107, Shakespeare, ON

January 2023 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.

More Farmland Lost Faster: What Bill 23 and Development on Greenbelt-protected Land Will Really Accomplish Undemocratically pushed through before the window for public consultation had been closed, let alone considered, the legislative assembly passed Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster (2022) on November 28, 2022.

The fight, however, is far from over.

Since its announcement in early November, the NFU-O has banded together with provincial allies to lend our voice in protest and, most recently, to call for Bill 23’s repeal.

The NFU-O believes that Bill 23 and the select removal of Greenbelt land from protection is only beneficial for developers and land speculators.

Premier Ford insists these changes are necessary to solve housing supply shortages and the affordability crisis.

He is being disingenuous. He’s also wrong.

Instead of showing itself as a champion of farmers and farmland protection, the Ontario government, through Bill 23 and the proposed carving up of the Greenbelt, is not just condoning land-grabbing, they are accelerating farmland loss, speculation and ecosystem destruction for the benefit of corporate interests and at the expense of all Ontarians.

The NFU-O believes that this Bill is a disaster for Ontarians in need of affordable housing, green planners and policy-makers, the farmers who grow our food, and for mitigating climate change and protecting sensitive wetlands, woodlands, rivers, streams, and wildlife habitat across the province.

Bill 23 is a farmland-grabbing accelerant. It is a way to speed up corporate control of land, further increasing land prices and putting our local food supply at risk.

By abolishing the Growth Plan and weakening regional planning, Bill 23 removes essential policies designed to reduce urban sprawl and protect natural heritage and agricultural lands.

Permanently protecting agricultural land and natural heritage features (as is the intention of the Greenbelt Act) is crucial to mitigate climate change and ensure food security for Ontarians.

Disruptions to long food supplychains, increased transportation expenses, crop failure in other parts of the world, and the need to limit our use of carbon-based fuels, require us to protect our food security by increasing sustainably-produced, locally-grown food.

Instead of protecting our natural heritage, Bill 23 will balloon urban sprawl by abolishing coordinated regional planning in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and potentially beyond. Bill 23 undermines the Growth Plan which balances growth with natural heritage and agricultural systems protection, reduces site plan control for many developments, and forces municipalities to expand their urban boundaries. Bill 23 ignores the fact that many city councils have democratically passed policies aimed at urban containment and encouraging smart, liveable density growth targets.

The NFU-O believes Bill 23 must be repealed.

The N F U-O is proud to be the voice at the table for farmers in the fight for farmland protections.

In just the past year alone, we’ve denounced the blatant misuse of Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs) to bypass democratic land-use planning processes; we’ve spoken out against plans to build super highways that would increase harmful air pollution and carbon emissions, and destroy vital farmland; we’ve rejected proposals to limit and remove protections for at-risk species; and we’ve rebuked attacks on Conservation Authorities’ power and authority intended to streamline irresponsible development at the cost of our food security and environmental health. The N F U-O has stood in

solidarity with “Stop the Sprawl” movements across the province and advocated the rejection of urban boundary expansion and we’ve called on the Ontario government to immediately present, debate, and pass legislation to prevent farmland grabbing and speculation in order to keep farmland in the hands of farmers.

This most recent threat to the Greenbelt, while wildly hypocritical, did not come as a surprise to environmental organizations and advocates on the ground who have seen this government dismantle decades of slow progress toward protecting Ontario’s environment and creating more sustainable communities. The Ford government has painted one clear picture: they will prioritize irresponsible growth and development over all else.

The N F U-O joins its allies to advocate liveable cities and rural areas by exposing the false pretense that Bill 23 will meet the need for affordable housing by cutting “red-tape” and by handing environmentally and agriculturally protected land over to developers.

Farmland is a finite resource. Once it has been paved over, it is lost forever. We are already losing 319 acres of farmland per day. Yet there is still reason for hope.

We see hope in the crowds gathered at MPP offices across the province, instructing their elected officials, and Premier Ford, to keep their “hands off of the Greenbelt.” We see hope in our members as they take up megaphones and microphones to raise their voices in the name of farmland protections.

We see hope in the efforts of our allies who’ve rallied against Bill 23, urban sprawl, and other attacks on the Greenbelt and Ontario wild spaces, to demand fair and democratic land-use decision-making and to hold the provincial government accountable to their election promises.

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

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

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

Perth County Pork Producers share perfect recipe Welcome to the post-Christmas winter cooking season. The barbecue has been stored away waiting for warmer weather, the Christmas turkey supply has been exhausted, and you are looking for the perfect pork roast recipe to serve at this weekend’s dinner party. Look no further, the Perth County Pork Producers have exactly what you need. Happy New Year!

Roast Picnic Shoulder with Apple Onion Gravy Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. fine salt 1 tsp. baking powder 3 lb. picnic shoulder roast (skin on) 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced 1 medium onion, diced 1/3 cup flour 4 cups chicken stock ground black pepper Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and combine the salt and baking powder.

Score the skin of the pork with a knife, and season all over with the salt mixture. Place the pork in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, basting occasionally with the pan drippings for 1.5 hours. After the first 45 minutes, add half the apples, and all of the onion, and toss to coat in drippings.

2. Increase the oven to 450ºF and roast the pork, basting occasionally,

until the skin crisps up, about 45 minutes more.

3. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, and place the pork on a plate or cutting board to rest while the sauce is prepared. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion and apples from the pan and reserve. Drain and discard all but 1/4 cup of the drippings from the pan. Stir the flour into the drippings and cook over medium heat until it turns a nutty brown colour, about 10 minutes.

Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the stock and let it thicken before slowly mixing in the remaining 3 cups of stock. Stir the reserved cooked apples and onion into the pan and add the remaining uncooked apples. Simmer for about 5 minutes to cook the apples, and season to taste.

4. Slice the roast through the skin, toward bone into 1/2" slices. Serve with the gravy. ◊ – Courtesy of “Living High Off the Hog” by Chef Michael Olson

Local Pork Products Available Fill your freezer with local pork products Order today from: Tanya and Darryl Terpstra (519-291-7603) or visit Leis Feeds in Milverton – Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon BBQ services for large groups are also available, contact: perthcountyporkproducers@gmail.com for more details.

Pork supplied by: Perth County Pork Producers January 2023 51

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

Federation office will be managed from remote locations The office in Hanover that has been shared with the Grey County Federation and for the Member Service Representative of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for many years will be closing December 31, 2022.

Over the years we have had great people in the office, Member Service Representatives Gertie Blake and Joanne Hughes, and Administrators Donna Spitzig, Gail Fullerton and Jackie Pennings.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we found that the office could be managed from remote locations and have decided to continue with working from home offices.

The contact information for both Joanne and Jackie will remain the same for the near future and if information changes, we will keep you informed.

2023 Events JANUARY 4-10 - Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week 11 - Directors’ Meeting FEBRUARY 8 - Directors’ Meeting 11 - Curling Bonspiel Public Speaking Semi-Finals MARCH 8 - Directors’ Meeting Public Speaking Finals APRIL 12 - Directors’ Meeting Shed Talk - Mental Health JUNE 14 - Directors’ Meeting JULY 8 - Ag Night at the Races AUGUST 9 - Directors’ Meeting Member Day - Storybook Park SEPTEMBER 13 - Directors’ Meeting Concert Series OCTOBER 13 - GCFA AGM NOVEMBER 8 - Directors’ Meeting

Jackie Pennings

Joanne Hughes

Phone numbers are: 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 Email: grey@ofa.on.ca Website: greyfederation.ca

Email: joanne.hughes@ofa.on.ca We look forward to working with you and we appreciate your support in being flexible with this move. ◊

Happy New Year!

The Board of Directors and staff of the Grey County Federation of Agriculture wish you a very prosperous New Year for 2023.

GCFA Curling Bonspiel Saturday, February 11 – Markdale Curling Club

9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Draws – Two 8-end games (lunch included) Prizes for all players (supplied by Bentinck Packers)

Please call 519-364-3050 Ext. 1 for more information * 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

446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551

NEWSLETTER Change is inevitable One thing that we can always count on is things change; times change, businesses change and organizations change. We here at Bruce County Federation of Agriculture are entering a time of change as well, starting January 1, 2023 we will no longer have a storefront office in Hanover.

Over the past few years we have adapted to serving our members one on one, either electronically or by meeting individually and we have noticed we are not using the office as much as we have in the past.

To use your membership money most efficiently, we have decided that we don’t need a dedicated office anymore.

One thing that is not changing, is the level of service for our members in Bruce County. You will still be able to reach out by telephone. For local county issues Jackie can be reached at 519-364-3050 Ext 1 or 1800-275-9551 by emailing bruce@ofa.on.ca and for any issue that requires the OFA attention

Happy New Year!

The Board of Directors and staff of the Bruce County Federation

Joanne can be reached at 519-3643050 Ext 2, 226-230-2359 or joanne.hughes@ofa.on.ca If you are looking for more information about the federation it

can be found on our website brucefederation.ca or monthly here on The Rural Voice page.

We look forward to hearing from you. ◊

Bruce County Federation of Agriculture 2023 Events JANUARY 4-10 - Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week 23 - Directors’ Meeting

JULY 8 - Ag Night at the Races Safety Days

FEBRUARY 27 - Directors’ Meeting

AUGUST 28 - Directors’ Meeting

MARCH 27 - Directors’ Meeting

SEPTEMBER 25 - Directors’ Meeting Concert Series

APRIL 24 - Directors’ Meeting

of Agriculture wish you a healthy and

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

MAY 23 - Directors’ Meeting

prosperous New Year!

OCTOBER 27 - BCFA AGM NOVEMBER 13 - Directors’ Meeting

JUNE 26 - Directors’ Meeting * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA.

January 2023 53

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

Ontario Bill 23 – A farmer’s perspective Ontario Bill 23, also known as the More Homes Built Faster Act passed on November 28 despite backlash from several municipalities, organizations, and various protests.

The Act aims to build 1.5 million homes in Ontario by 2031; a large goal considering current population and homes. The Perth County Federation of Agriculture supports the existing planning process that tries to balance development and farmland preservation and gives individuals a forum to have issues heard.

Of the 15 municipalities of the Greenbelt that are being opened up, there are indications that eight of them have had major swaths of land that have been bought up by developers since 2018.

The government indicates plans to cut delays and red tape. There have also been comments on plans to reduce government fees and shorten the development approval process.

This Act has been pushed through way too fast with minimal public consultation or any general awareness of what was being proposed. There is limited reception to the concerns being raised by various members of the public or municipalities.

Numerous valid concerns have been raised, with few amendments occurring prior to the Act passing.

This will destroy conservation authorities, woodlands and wetlands.

Who is responsible to pay when houses are built too close to flood lands? Numerous municipalities have

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

Cheers to health, happiness, and prosperity in 2023!

raised concerns of development fees being removed from developers, meaning that the costs of infrastructure development to accommodate new developments will have being paid for by all taxpayers within the municipalities. It only potentially solves one crisis at the expense of others.

Now, also considering the rapidly increasing real estate values, young farmers are being pushed out of ever owning land. Farmland is no longer viable for many existing farmers.

The Government is responding to housing pressures by wanting to build more houses as the population is growing. If these are built on good farmland, we will not be able to sustain enough food production.

Currently we are losing 319 acres of land per day that we will never get back for food production. The impact of this Act will surely increase this.

Also, with more population also comes more traffic and transportation pressures. Roads, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure will need appropriate updating, just building houses doesn’t fix the total problem.

Follow news from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for an upcoming webinar in early January on Bill 23 for farm members.

These are just some facts and opinions of a farmer trying to make a point. I hope it generates some conversation. ◊ – Submitted by Chris Tegenbosch PCFA Director

Perth County Federation of Agriculture

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday, January 25, 2023 7 to 10 p.m.

Stratford Axes – 439 Erie St., Stratford Free to Perth County OFA members RSVP by January 22, 2023 to perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com

The evening includes pizza, wings and two hours of axe throwing.

Elections for four directors will also take place.

To receive a nomination form contact perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com.

Have your nomination forms in by January 18.

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

54 The Rural Voice

Index Allied Associates ........................32 Argyle Marine & Small Engines..46 Armstrong’s Home Bakery..........32 Ausable Bayfield CA....................41 Bau-Tec Industries Inc................25 Bear Tracks Inn & Restaurant ......7 Belore Trailers ............................46 Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring ......41 Bervie Supply Energy Ltd ............7 Bio-Ag ..........................................19 Boonstoppel, Dave & Elly ..........55 Canadian Co-op Wool ................17 Chalmers Fuels ............................17 Christian Farmers ..............Cover 4 Crafters Corner ..........................49 CropQuest Inc ..............................19 DeDell Seeds................................17 DJ Henry Homes & Renos ..........46 DL Distributing ............................46 Dundalk District Credit Union ......11 Easy Lift Doors Ltd ......................12 Elder Enterprises ........................29 Farm to Table ................................2 Fieldwalker Agronomy ................46 Gerber’s Workwear ....................29 Gladys Munro ..............................47 Green Valley Heating..................25 Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week ........22 Hanover Honda ..........................20

Harold Jones Enterprises ..........47 Hayden Water Wells ......................7 Hayter & Associates Inc ............20 Hill & Hill ........................Cover 2, 5 Hub Capital..................................37 Hunter Steel Sales..............Cover 3 Huron Commodities ....................27 Kingwood Bins..............................11 LAC ..............................................55 Lakeside Shelving & Racking ....17 Live Landscape ..........................35 Mapleview Agri ............................13 Marquardt Farm Drainage ..........47 Martin Farm Wagons ....................9 Martin’s Nursery ..........................32 Matthew Rae MPP ......................37 Mike Boven Carpentry ................46 Morris Sachs Silo Construction ..32 MVCA ..........................................41 Nature’s Wave Inc..........................6 North Huron Carpentry Inc ........20 Nuclear Waste Management ......15

Ontario Federation of Ag ..............5 Ontario Pesticide ..........................8 RBC Ag West ..............................22 Ridgeway Metals ........................47 Rural Voice Books ..............Cover 6 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage............39 Schweiss Doors............................10 Seebach & Company ..................41 Silver Creek Nursery....................41 St. Lawrence Cruise Line............37 Steffen Well Drilling ....................47 Steve Thompson ........................37 Stops Along the Way..........Cover 7 Superior Barn Painting ......Cover 5 SWO Diesel ........................Cover 3 Townsley Barn Painting ..............49 Triple P Consulting ........................9 Trouw Nutrition ............Back Cover Usborne & Hibbert Mutual ..........15 Waddell Engineering Ltd ............19 WD Hopper & Sons Ltd ..............27 Wideman’s Bee Supply ..............47

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

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

Check out The Rural Reading Room in this issue Great books that make wonderful gifts for any occasion 405 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4311 January 2023 55

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

Heather Holme Farms 11th farm in series

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

Upcoming Events January 1 - Happy New Year!

J a n u a r y 4 - 5 - Ontario Ag Conference. For details visit: www.OntarioAgConference.ca January 4-10 - Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week.

For details visit: www.greybrucefarmersweek.ca January 9 - Huron Beef Producers annual meeting.

January 12 - GFO District meeting, Holmesville Community Centre.

The Century Farm Show Episode 11: Heather Holme Farms By: Jeanette Schramm (Huron Perth Junior Farmers) The Century Farm Show is a docu-series created by Huron Perth Junior Farmers in partnership with the Huron Heritage Fund, Lake Affect Media and The Staysh. Our goal is to highlight the enduring legacy of the Century Farms of Huron and Perth Counties; the series consists of 12 videos that each feature a different family, their farm, and their history. Catch a new episode at the end of each month in 2022 by visiting the Huron Perth Junior Farmers’ Facebook page (@huronperthjf).

The eleventh farm in our series is not quite a Century Farm yet, however its owners have aspirations of reaching that milestone. Heather Holme Farms, owned by father Glen and son Curtis McNeil, is currently

Snowmobilers Please remember that some crops in the field are vulnerable to damage from snowmobiles. Please ensure there is adequate snow cover before you enter a field and always ensure you have landowner permission to ride your snowmobiles on farmland and off the groomed trails.

280 acres with 80 milking Holsteins.

As the third generation on the farm, Curtis advises new farmers to be willing to adapt to change. The McNeils have experienced many changes themselves over the years, from the transition to supply management in the dairy industry to the construction of their new barn a few years ago.

Glen and Curtis express gratitude and pride in the achievements that they have made, as well as in the larger success of agriculture in Huron County.

Glen also praises the work of Junior Farmers, through which he met his wife Vanda. Check out Huron Perth Junior Farmers on Facebook to watch this episode (airing November 24) and to learn more about our organization. ◊ Thanks to the Huron Dairy Producers and the Huron Heritage Fund for generously sponsoring this episode.

Real Dirt on Farming The HCFA recently provided copies of The Real Dirt on Farming to all Huron County Students in Grade 7 and 8. We distributed books to schools in both the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board and the Avon Maitland District School Board. If anyone is interested in seeing a digital version, they can be found at https://realdirtonfarming.ca.

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

BOARD MEETING Monday, January 23 8:00 p.m.

Vanastra Office

HCFA BOARD 2022-2023 President: Murray Workman Vice-Presidents: Mike Colclough Rob VandenHengel Executive: Erica Murray and Ralph DeWeerd

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

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/huronfedofag and Facebook at Huron County Federation of Agriculture

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

56 The Rural Voice

         

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

Liquid Rubber Features:    

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

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

www.barnpainting.ca DORCHESTER

Contracting for 2023 Food Grade Soybeans SQWH S07-M8 S12-J7 OAC Aberdeen OAC Bruton GMO-White Hilum

Fall Delivery $3.50 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $1.50

VARIOUS

2725 CHU 2825 CHU 2925 CHU 2975 CHU VARIOUS

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

The Rural Reading Room

Happy New Year!

The Old Farmer’s 2023 Almanac This 231st 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. $9.99

THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK This book traces the generations of Alice Munro’s family. Evocative, gripping, and unexpected, the stories in this collection are Munro’s most personal stories. $21.00

Specializing in Rural Living & Local Authors

UNFORGETTABLE CANADA Explore your country, if only in print with this beautifully illustrated tour to 100 destinations across the country from Signal Hill, Newfoundland to the killer whales off the west coast to the Yukon’s Top of the World highway. $29.95

WHAT’S ON MY FARM This picture book for ages 2-5 helps introduce kids from farm and city alike to the world of farming including the animals, food produced, machinery and people – from farmers to veterinarians. 160 pages, small 5 1/4 by 5 1/4-inch format. $9.95

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC UNFORGETTABLE CANADA EVEN COWS GO TO HEAVEN WOODPECKERS OF NORTH AMERICA THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK WHAT’S ON MY FARM GRANDMA YOU’RE THE BEST MIGHTY MACHINES - TRUCKS Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books

Enjoy a new book

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

GRANDMA YOU’RE THE BEST Humorous and inspirational quotes celebrating brilliant grandmothers by dozens of famous people, ranging from Mark Twain, the Dalai Lama and Audrey Hepburn to Homer Simpson. $13.95

Qty.

$9.99 $29.95 $14.95 $24.95 $21.00 $9.95 $13.95 $5.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling Canada Post Fuel Surcharge Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

Total

$9.00 $4.00

WOODPECKERS OF NORTH AMERICA Woodpeckers are fascinating birds, using their beaks to find food and communicate. See beautiful colour photos and learn about 28 North American species, their feeding habits and their benefit to the environment. $24.95

MIGHTY MACHINES – TRUCKS For the young child fascinated by trucks, this little book, richly illustrated with coloured photographs, shows the many uses for these powerful machines. $5.95

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.

Hidden Gems of Huron County

Winter issue print version now available FREE at tourist information booths, town halls, local businesses, accommodations, and restaurants throughout the county and beyond!

Online version available at

stopsalongtheway.ca

HENSALL CO-OP Londesborough 519-523-9606 / 800-265-9000 Zurich

HOLSTEIN FEED MILL (2015) LTD.

MCBRAYNE FEEDS & NEEDS LTD.

THE HITCHING POST (2019) LTD.

TROUW NUTRITION CANADA INC.

Holstein 519-334-3424

Dresden 519-683-4439

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

St Marys 519-284-2360

Tavistock 519-655-2033