The Rural Voice - June 2024

Rural Voice June 2024

The

THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE ... $3.50 PM 40037593

PLASTIC FROM DAIRY WASTE A bioreactor, bacteria and lactose from dairy surplus are being used to create a bio-degradable plastic

CREATING COMMUNITY

Connecting through food is what creates community believes owner of Orchard’s Landing Paisley

LAND ACCESS SOLUTIONS A limited partnership model is allowing new farmers to afford land and live their dreams

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Come celebrate our 50th season!

June 12 - September 7 Tickets from $40 (Group and Youth discounts available)

Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: The Farmarettes The Farm Show: Then & Now

Written by Alison Lawrence Inspired by the book by Bonnie Sitter & Shirleyan English Directed by Severn Thompson

Written by Theatre Passe Muraille with new additions by the Company Directed by Gil Garratt

The show that started what is now the Blyth Festival.

In 1972 a group of actors came to Huron County to try to write a play about farming. The seeds they planted are still being harvested.

SPONSORED BY:

The McGavin Family

At the height of WW2, young women from all over Canada rolled up their sleeves to help get crops planted and harvest in. Their lives were forever changed.

SPONSORED BY:

Outdoors at the Harvest Stage Artwork by Autumn Ducharme

Also this season: Saving Graceland, The Golden Anniversaries, Resort to Murder, The Trials of Maggie Pollock Season Sponsor

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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

18

Publisher: Deb Sholdice

28

22 Columns

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Newsletters National Farmers Union . . . . . . . . . .58 Perth Pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Bruce County Federation . . . . . . . . .60 Grey County Federation . . . . . . . . .61 Perth County Federation . . . . . . . . . .62 Huron County Federation . . . . . . . . .64

JUNE 2024 • Cover Photo

Dr. Shirley Wong, Metacycler BioInnovations.

Photo by Jeff Tribe

Editor: Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot rveditorlisa@northhuron.on.ca Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Gary Kenny, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Donna Lacey, Melisa Luymes, Carolyn Crawford, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe

• Deadlines: July Issue – June 11

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

18 Plastic from Milk Waste

Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell

August Issue – July 9

Researchers are close to marketing a biodegradable plastic made from lactose

22 Land Access Solutions

New farmers can farm thanks to a limited partnership model

28 Food Creates Community Orchard’s Landing Paisley uses food to create community and opportunity

37 Durham Perfect for Pasta

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: $30 (12 issues) $55 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $3.75 each.

Make cheques payable to: NORTH HURON PUBLISHING CO.

Durham wheat is transformed into Semolina flour at Howson & Howson Ltd. in Blyth

40 Strawberries in Season!

From jam to muffins, strawberries make everything good

46 Know Your Farm Culture Having a united goal goes a long way to creating a positive culture on your farm

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.

A division of North Huron Publishing Company Inc.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY June 16th to all the dads in ag!

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Lisa Thompson MPP Huron-Bruce Happy Father’s Day! CONSTITUENCY OFFICES Blyth Office:

Phone: 519-523-4251

Kincardine Office: Phone: 519-396-3007

Website: www.lisathompsonmpp.ca Email: lisa.thompsonco@pc.ola.org

Huron-Bruce Matters

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CALL THE EXPERTS! Business: 519-887-6428 Brussels 519-887-6289 www.huronfeedingsystems.com

2 The Rural Voice

Ron McCallum 519-524-3543

Chad McCallum 519-955-1588

GPS Grade Control & Mapping

“

Ruralite We are genetically engineering

”

bacteria to do this and make it as efficient as possible.

~ Aranksha Thakor on MetaCycler BioInnovation’s research to create biodegradable plastic from dairy milk surplus. See page 18.

Fun With Words

● Ant that goes to school = Brilliant ● A spy ant = Informant ● Ant that has a gun = Militant ● A proud ant = Arrogant ● Ant that changed from evil to good deeds - Repentant ● Ant that understands finances = Accountant

•

Farm Ownership “Through co-ownership, the farmers and I have a much better chance of our interests aligning, and maintaining a good relationship. The goal is to put these farmers on equal footing as others who lucked into owning land.” ~ Amy Stein, on looking for ecological farmers to join her in a co-ownership farming model See page 22

June

INSPIRATION

“Agriculture is the great art of directing and aiding nature in the performance of those functions which were designed by Providence for the comfort and subsistence of man.” ~L.Cass

•

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

● The definition of luck is

Khaki Campbell

A Khaki Campbell duckling gets a ride through the Timmies drive-through after the All-Ontario Fur and Feather Buy, Sell and Trade Day held at the fairgrounds in Shelburne on April 28. ~ Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

simply seizing opportunity ● Instead of learning the tricks of the

•

trade, just learn the trade

June 2024 3

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

Saving the farm when the marriage ends Over the years, I’ve had farm women seek me out for advice on getting divorced. These are hard conversations. So emotional. Decisions need to be made but fear, shame, hurt and anger quickly make things dark and twisty.

I don’t ask for these conversations.

Neither do I ever encourage someone to get a divorce. I listen and if asked, I share my divorce process because I remember how alone and scared I felt when it happened to me. I’m not an expert given that I was married once and divorced once. I'm proud I was married and not proud to be divorced.

But it happened and I have made it through the financial worries, the loneliness and being overwhelmed and afraid.

It’s been 10 years since the start of the process and I hope, now, that I can respectfully and honestly represent the business aspect of my divorce to help other farm couples navigate through this difficult time. This is not a fun column to write and I only write it at the urging of farm women. Through all the difficulty, I am proud my exhusband and I achieved our goal of saving the farm and that’s what this column will focus on.

I think the first thing everyone thinks when they separate is “I need a lawyer.” Yes you do. But do not make this decision lightly. Ask around. Ask every professional in your circle for a lawyer that meets your needs.

I wanted a lawyer who would not fight and or advocate going to court, as did my ex-husband. Despite the marriage ending, we wanted to keep the dairy farm going so that one or more of our children would have a chance to become farmers. We knew it would be almost impossible for one of 4 The Rural Voice

our kids to farm if we sold it, so we made saving it a priority. We chose lawyers that were not fighters and had an agricultural background so they understood the value, importance, emotion and legal ramifications of coowning a farm, post-divorce. It worked. We were able to divorce on our terms, without a legal battle.

We found our lawyers via our accountant who I would name but I’m not sure he wants an influx of calls. In the end, he became our primary mediator and separation agreement drafter. We had tried an “urban” mediator at one point but he had no farming background and it was a total waste of time and finances.

We have a long-standing relationship with our accountant and he is skilled at seeing the bright side of things. This was so helpful. He also understood our business and finances, has the ability to make financial forecasts and a mind to calculate different scenarios. My advice is to ask your accountant to work through different options according to your skillsets and how you envision the future. Write it all down and then sit with the numbers. Make sure you have enough to live on and support your children. Remember, the government sets out child support guidelines and calculators based on income.

In a divorce, assets are divided equally. With a farm, you have to divide assets in a way that allows the farm to prosper. For us, this meant the ex-husband took over the cows, quota and business plus half of the dairy farm land. I released decision-making of the dairy business and was given acreage.

The dairy farm then rented the land from that acreage in order to create income for me, grow enough crops to feed the cows and cash crop the rest.

All other non-farming assets were calculated into the equation to reach an equitable settlement. I’m thankful there were assets to divide and feel for the couples where divorce leaves both destitute.

Was our division of assets 100 per cent equal and fair? Well, land prices have gone up but so have milk prices.

A dairy business makes more money than renting out land but running a business also requires more labour and risk. There are so many factors and I’m

not sure “fair” is the right word to use.

At some point, you have to remember your core purpose. We wanted to save the dairy farm and this division of assets allowed each owner to have some equity and income while preserving the dairy farm as a sustainable entity.

When you divorce but co-own a property, the person living on the property has rights to privacy. I had to leave my house, home and farm in order to save it. This was so incredibly difficult for everyone. But the fact is that a divorce isn’t a win/win. Even when necessary, it can be a lose/lose and you have to make sacrifices. We both needed counselling to emotionally work through the losses while moving ahead to new wins. It requires a willingness to move through the pain, which is humbling, but ultimately increases your resilience.

A divorce also takes time. Years of time. Be patient because some decisions are better made once the first (second, third, fourth…) flush of overpowering emotions have cooled.

Expect to cry a lot. Create a support network and let those tears fall because they are as important as the division of assets. Then pick yourself up and get on with your new life. You have work to do raising your children, creating a new version of home and family, and getting a job because generally there is less money after a divorce, not more.

Get up and get at it.

Ten years later, our third son wants to be a dairy farmer! This is an exciting time and requires another round on the financial merry go-round. I am trading land for money, at a reduced price, in order to help him get established. It’s good. It’s part of meeting our goal of launching the next generation at Jackpot Jerseys.

We didn’t have a marriage contract but I now encourage my children and everyone else to create one.

Everybody’s situation will, of course, be different. I just wanted to offer hope that even if the marriage ends, the farm can survive. Having a positive goal goes a long way to reducing a punitive approach. You will get less money then if you sell the farm but for us, giving the next generation a chance to dairy farm was worth far more. ◊

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EXPERIENCE Huron County’s unique history and rural culture www.HuronCountyMuseum.ca 110 North St., Goderich, ON

June 2024 5

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

How can we farm at these prices?

I’m going to show my age here, but when I read an article that showed the latest values for farmland in Ontario, I nearly flipped out.

According to the article the value of neighbouring farms in my area of Huron County, in the southwestern part of Ontario, increased by 13.1 per cent last year. The farmland sold, varied from $15,000 to $41,700 an acre in our region in 2023.

I grew up on a farm north of Lucknow, across the border in the Mid-Western region where farmland had an average increase of 8.5 per cent per acre for a value range of $13,800 to $28,000 an acre.

And the headline on the story said

“Farmland value growth slowed in 2023, FCC” with a subheading reading that the growth was strongest in Saskatchewan, Quebec and Manitoba.

In my neighbourhood, most of the resident farmers are senior citizens, or nearing that age, right now. At those prices, what beginning farmer could afford to buy them out? We have the son of one neighbour, who I think of as young but he’s helping his son get started in farming.

Another young neighbour has an offfarm job but is trying to take over his parents’ farm.

The rest of our farm, nearly 250 acres, is owned by someone who rents the land to a large-scale cashcropper. Several of the other farms, once going concerns, have families living in the fine houses built by the McGowan family, the Scottish families that prospered on our land after they settled it nearly 200 years ago, but cashcroppers farm the land.

Is this the future of rural Ontario – people who live in whatever farm houses remain while the land is purchased by cashcroppers?

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How things have changed over the last 80 years. My parents bought a farm north of Lucknow after Dad returned home from fighting in Italy, Holland and Germany during World War II. Like many ambitious young farmers, he was betrayed by economics. During the war Canadian farmers had been encouraged to maximize production to feed England. But England was in debt and cut food imports. Canadian farm prices plummeted while the British lived with rations for years.

My father soon farmed on the side and worked in factories. My older sister and her husband bought the farm in the 1960s. My parents, if I remember properly, bought the entire farm for $3,500 in 1946 and sold it for double that to my sister 20 years later. Some 30 years later still, my brother-in-law got deathly ill and sold to a Mennonite. Old Order Mennonites and Amish were expanding into southern Bruce and northern Huron at the time. I don’t know but I’m guessing they aren’t setting up their children in farming here at today’s prices.

Most farm families live better today than we did in the 1950s and farms concentrate on growing crops with some also specializing in dairy, poultry, beef cattle, hogs, sheep or goats. Still, it’s hard for people to earn the sort of living people who aren’t farmers simply expect to live.

I’ve been a stiff critic of the current government for its support of expanding urban growth onto farmland but when you see those farmland prices it’s hard to see longterm certainty for farm production.

When people must spend $1.5 million to buy farmland — and how many farmers can get along with 100 acres these days — it’s hard to see how farming can continue. At the same time, as our population swells, we’re going to need more food. Right now people are complaining about the prices of food but the supermarket shelves are still filled.

Hey, I’m old and soon this problem won’t be mine anymore.

And I know we oldtimers often bellyache about ”the way things used to be”, but I’m worried about the future — how we can afford to grow food on this expensive land. ◊

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

Forewarned is forearmed

O

ne of my on-going life lessons is that most headaches are caused by the things you don’t know that you don’t know. One of those things for me lately has been about sorting out the role of executor. I can feel your eyes glazing over already – but stick with me. It could save you some headaches.

Before we get into the meat of this, be aware that I am writing as someone with no formal legal training. I am just a regular person who has worked through some of it and come up against some hard

lessons. Perhaps the first being that it is tough to find consistent answers when you are trying to sort this out.

I have written here before about the importance of having a will, keeping it up to date, and properly naming Powers of Attorney (POA) for Personal Care and Property, as well as executors. Even sorting out all of this is an important first step.

While most people know the importance of having a will, following through on those other steps is also vital.

The moment someone passes away, the POA documents become void, and the person with the position of executor, also known as “estate trustee”, takes over. The primary duty of the executor is to ensure that the directions outlined in the will are carried out in accordance with the law. I have had people try to tell me that the executor has the duty to ensure that the assets are distributed “fairly”, which is not the case. The executor gets the directions from the will and carries them out.

As defined by the Ontario

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government, “Estate trustees are responsible for carrying out the wishes of the deceased person set out in the terms of the will (if there is one) and administering an estate in accordance with the law. A person named as an estate trustee in a will is not required to act as the estate trustee. If they decide to act, they are responsible for winding up the affairs of the deceased, paying taxes, bills and any other debts, and collecting the estate assets and distributing the residue of the estate to those who are entitled to it (for example, the remainder after all liabilities are paid)”, https://www.ontario.ca/ page/administering-estates.

I think one of the most important pieces of that paragraph is that, like the people named as the POA for Personal Care and Finance, the executor has a choice about whether to accept the role or not. This is why it is vital, as the person choosing people for these roles, that you communicate and keep up to date on personal changes so that you know the people you have entrusted in these roles are willing and able to carry them out. As the person being named in these roles, you can say no if you are unwilling or unable to perform the duties as required. As with everything in life dealing with other people – good communication is vital.

The second thing I would highlight from that paragraph is how one little sentence can look so innocent yet turn into something so overwhelming. “Winding up the affairs of the deceased.” It is hard to know where to even start with that one!

“Winding up the affairs”, at least the financial ones, involves following the money. Where does it come from? Where is it going? Where does it stop in between? In these days of digital information – it can be more difficult to find out these answers than it was in the past. For example, the bank accounts of the deceased will be frozen as soon as the bank receives the Death Certificate and, depending on your bank, it can be very difficult to gain information.

Without paper statements and

account numbers, looking these up online can be impossible for an executor. Help your executor out by having a list of all account numbers, where they are held, paper statements, and contact information.

One idea is to name the person that you trust in the role of POA and executor as joint in your bank accounts. While this makes things easier should you not be able to do your own banking, or die, it brings with it the complication that your bank accounts are included in the other person’s list of assets should they go through a divorce or die themselves. It gets complicated in a hurry.

It is impossible to talk about assets without talking about probate.

Again, a very small word for something that can turn overwhelming in a hurry. In my experience, even trying to get a definition for “probate” can result in several different answers, depending on who you ask. I have learned that lots of people will tell you, with great confidence, what it is, but many of these people do not actually know. I got many different answers and, in the end, had to make sure that I had all the information and followed up with it. I think I finally understand it – but check in with me in a year and see if I actually do.

In order to save yourself some trouble, you can set yourself up on Revenue Canada’s “Represent a Client” page. This helped a lot as I was able to access government tax documents as well as set up our accountant so they could also digitally access the account.

Happily, the people I talked to at Revenue Canada were some of the most helpful people throughout this whole process.

All of this information is not that helpful after the fact. If you have someone you trust named in these roles, please make their lives easier, and give less of your hard-earned money away, by having your paperwork organized, communicate with your trusted person, and make sure they have the notarized paperwork they need to make sure your wishes are followed. ◊

Wingham Homecoming Event Sunday, June 30, 2024 1-3 p.m. & 3-5 p.m. at Wingham Train Station 431 Josephine Street A Video and Verbal presentation about Wingham’s 3 railways and the building of the transcontinental CPR By: B. Brown & V. Gedcke

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June 2024 9

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

Ground-on-up vision needed

I

had the opportunity to meet the Ontario Liberal Party’s leader recently. Bonnie Crombie served as the federal MP for MississaugaStreetsville from 2008 to 2011 and with an endorsement from outgoing mayoral legend Hazel McCallion, was elected as the Mayor of Mississauga in 2014, serving in that capacity until last year.

Crombie was in Dresden in an effort to shore up the interest of the candidate for the Lambton-KentMiddlesex (LKM) by-election, Cathy Burghardt-Jesson. She also offered words of support for Dresden’s effort to oppose the large recycling and landfill project proposed just north of the community – as did all eight LKM candidates running.

Crombie’s appearance in Dresden appeared to have minimal impact on the by-election results, even in Dresden where a large majority cast their ballot for Conservative Steve Pinsonneault. Overall, Pinsonneault received close to 60 per cent of the vote while fewer than one in four voted for Burghardt with fewer than a third of eligible voters casting a ballot.

I took the opportunity of having the Liberal leader within my sights to suggest that she “not forget us” once she becomes premier. In response she nodded toward Burghardt-Jesson, thus deflecting the comment, a clever response; a simple “yes” would have been better appreciated.

I tell this little story to emphasize the challenge before rural Ontario’s communities. We are under siege. In Dresden, it is the dump being thrust upon the community. In Wilmot Township, the Region of Waterloo is threatening expropriation of 770 acres of prime farmland for an industrial park. Outside St. Thomas, 10 The Rural Voice

another 1,500 acres of prime farmland was taken from Central Elgin for Volkswagen’s electric vehicle battery plant. Proposals for wind farms and battery storage are proliferating across the landscape and only after a furor of opposition was raised did Premier Doug Ford reverse his decision to allow housing developments in the Greenbelt last fall.

Other developments worth watching is the progress of Bill 185 – the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act – and the new provincial planning statement.

According to the organization Environment Defense, “If people in Ontario don’t speak up, the government might push through two new laws that could see a lot of the province’s farmland, forests, wetlands and habitats marketed for destructive suburban sprawl development. … both Bill 185 and the provincial planning statement prioritize low-density sprawl over densification in existing neighbourhoods…”

Finally, according to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, upwards of 300 acres of farmland was being lost on a daily basis in 2021 according to census information, a trend that continues to this day.

Meanwhile, hunger increases in

Ontario and throughout Canada.

Food banks are catering to more hungry mouths than ever before while farming remains a precarious occupation, often reliant upon vulnerable migrant workers, a kind of third-class of Canadian citizenry who live and work in Canada and yet are denied the full benefits of being here.

Now, the federal government is proposing to address the issue of made-in-Canada hunger by following the U.S. example, expanding school food programs with a billion-dollar, five-year program in an era when the issue of debt, government and personal, remains unresolved.

If Canadians wish to build food security a fundamental shift in direction is needed rather than bandaid solutions. Farmland and food production need to be valued.

That is already achieved to a degree through Canada’s supplymanagement system which connects the prices farmers receive to their cost of production. An imperfect system, perhaps, but one which has helped maintain a certain level of prosperity within agricultural communities.

The idea of fair prices for what farmers produce needs to be extended beyond supply management with the realization that investments made at the farm level have a multiplier effect

Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie and Lambton‐Kent‐Middlesex by‐election candidate Cathy Burghardt‐Jesson share a humorous moment with Stefan Premdas who is helping to lead an effort to stop a landfill and recycling development at Dresden.

benefiting not just the farm community but the entire economy.

This is similar to the vision of Henry Ford who increased wages, understanding that his factory workers were also potential customers for his vehicles.

“There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.”

Change doesn’t come easily.

A good first step is to provide a

voice for all segments of Canadian society. If food security is to be addressed, for example, surely the farm community should be part of the discussion. Simply expanding competition among grocery retailers, as proposed by the federal government, is an interesting idea but corporate domination of food trade exists beyond the interaction between retailers and consumers. There is an uneven distribution of power between grocery retailers and their suppliers through such measures as

the fees charged for shelf space and the cost of food waste carried largely outside the retail space.

I’ll leave the final word to the late Ralph Ferguson who served as the MP for Lambton-Middlesex and worked diligently to change the food system through his Compare the Share research: “I believe the taxpayer should not have to subsidize farmers’ incomes … there is ample room within the present price structure for the farm to earn a fair share from the marketplace.” ◊

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Mabel’s Grill George grumbled. “And then bale it and bring it in and wrap it .”

“This is one of those times when I’m happy to raise pigs,” Dave Winston chuckled. “The corn’s planted and the beans are in and now I just have the pigs to look after until the wheat’s ready to harvest.”

“Yeah, rub it in!” George mumbled.

“When I was young on my grandfather’s farm I remember haying season used to be a lot later,” Cliff said. “He didn’t start cutting hay until the middle of June.”

“I remember that,” said Dave.

“Back then it seemed like everybody had some cattle so everybody harvested hay.”

“And then there was baling season and everybody harvested small bales and there was a whole lot of sweating in haying season,” recalled Dave.

“I remember that sweating when I was a kid,” said George, “which is why I don’t have pleasant memories of haying.”

“My grandfather used to go back to the days of loose hay when they harvested hay with a hay-loader and

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

“Hey, how’s everybody this morning?” Molly Whiteside said the other morning as she delivered the menus to the table at Mabel’s Grill.

“Don’t remind me,” George Mackenzie said sourly as he flipped open the menu.

“Don’t remind you of what?”

Molly wondered.

“I have to go home and knock down my hay when I leave here!”

George grouched.

“I cut my hay yesterday,” Cliff Murray said.

“I’d have thought you guys would like cutting hay,” Molly said.

“Summer’s here and the weather’s generally good and the hay smells kinda sweet. I like going for a drive out in the country this time of year.”

“It isn’t as much fun when you’re the one who has to cut the hay,”

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stored it in the hay mow and the kids would jump into it from the high beams in the barn,” said Dave.

“Yeah, well before I get buried in hay, can I get your orders?” Molly asked as the guys made their selections and she took the orders back to Mabel in the kitchen.

“All this talk about haying reminds me that the Farm Show is coming back to the Blyth Festival later this month,” said Cliff. “My dad remembered when it toured the auction barns and town halls back when I was a tiny kid.”

“Yeah, my Dad remembers the scene where the city actor was helping put bales in the barn in the heat,” George remembered. “That was funny.”

“My father had a copy of the movie they made of that,” Dave remembered. “Maybe I should dig that out.”

“What I can’t figure out is how its going to make sense to the audience today,” George said. “We don’t do any of that on today’s farms.”

“I read that the director is supposed to be rewriting some of that stuff,” Cliff said.

“Not the good stuff, I hope,” said George. “I mean I could like seeing them sweating in the barn. It’d make me appreciate haying in my air conditioned tractor cab these days.”

“Speaking of heat,” said Dave, “what do you think about this war in Palestine these days?” Dave asked.

“What a complete mess!”, Cliff said. “Thousands of people dead. I read it will take them 40 years to rebuild all the buildings they’ve destroyed.”

“And all for what?”

George wondered. “My wife was watching TV and said ‘They’re fighting over this? Every scene I’ve watched seems like they’re fighting over desert on both sides of the border. Why do they care so much?’”

“All that death and destruction.

Kinda makes you lose your appetite,” Cliff said.

About the same time Molly returned balancing their plates.

“Bacon and eggs for George, pancakes for Dave and ham and home fries for Cliff.”

And despite their talk, they set right in.◊

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What is the value of happiness?

I

was so inspired in writing the article about land access this month and, once you read it later in this issue, you’ll understand why.

So much of what Amy Stein said about her farmland investments got me thinking about values and, strangely, about those ‘Priceless’ Mastercard advertisements. You know the ones, “There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard.”

A clever slogan that no doubt perpetuates consumerism and massive credit card debt.

Just like a fish doesn’t understand the water it swims in, we don’t often reflect on our economy, do we? But ever since a York University course in economic anthropology, I can’t see our world the same. Turns out that a number on a paper or screen is basically useless unless you can exchange it for food, shelter, entertainment, or something else of use. It is a scary thought but, really, currency only has value because we collectively believe it does.

And the way our monetary economy is set up, the more money you have, the more money you can make. In Canada, the top 20 per cent of people hold 68 per cent of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 40 per cent have less than three per cent, according to Statistics Canada and reported by Global News last year. And you think that the rich would be happy, but a Princeton University study showed that happiness rises until a person earns $75,000/year (USD) and then it plateaus. So maybe Mastercard was right – happiness is one of the things

you can’t buy.

But I wonder if it could. Maybe in some alternative economic system and here are some ideas.

First is the gift economy that I learned about in that fateful anthropology course. There are several cultures around the world, including the First Nations here, in which gifts are essentially the currency of exchange. One of my favourite social theorists, Charles Eisenstein, summarizes: “In a gift economy, the more you give, the richer you are.” Gifts create reciprocity and obligation, status, and social ties, which are a type of social wealth that ensure your needs will be met by community members.

Another concept is a solutions economy, termed by Shaun Loney who has helped start several social enterprises, in which the goal of the business is not profit, but a social or environmental outcome. According to Loney, a solutions economy would be social enterprises run at scale and with public funds. Imagine our taxpayer dollars were directed towards solving a problem before it ended up costing us down the road.

For example, making healthy food affordable now to save on health care spending later or creating jobs in underprivileged communities now to save on policing and incarceration later. In a solutions economy, strategic investment creates social and environmental wins, much like Amy and Michael’s investment in the land access article.

Next, believe it or not, there are still ways that people participate in a barter economy. A few years ago in Toronto, I met someone on their way to connect with a stranger they had met on an online barter group, exchanging produce from their garden for a stack of bus tickets. One of the issues with bartering is that each party needs to want what the other has, at the same value and at the same time, and this isn’t often the case. BarterPay® is a digital platform in Canada in which companies can offer their spare capacity of goods and services for credits that can be used later. I’m intrigued.

And similarly, there is

Timebanking, a community-based platform of credits in which everyone’s time is valued equally. By spending an hour tutoring your neighbour’s son, you can get someone else to walk your dog for an hour or give you an hour’s worth of legal work. It is a means of nonmonetary exchange that builds connections. There are also towns with “library” lending systems for tools, lawnmowers, extra cutlery for

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What really gets me thinking is that these examples above and the story of land access in this issue demonstrate how to build connection, and studies show that happiness stems from connection. So maybe we can buy happiness!

These examples, however, don’t feed our current monetary economy, which thrives on our constant spending and profit-motives. Is Mastercard, in effect, keeping us from the one thing money can’t buy?

I’m not suggesting we topple the system, but perhaps there are ways we can leverage our resources more creatively at a local level to make some more happiness and connection in rural Ontario. ◊

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June is

DAIRY MONTH

16 The Rural Voice

June 2024 17

DAIRY MONTH

June is

Science

Cows contribute to biodegradable plastic research

Access to the laboratory inside the University of Waterloo is a key aspect for MetaCycler BioInnovations’ quest to convert dairy structural surplus into bio‐degradable plastic where one of the company’s co‐founders, Dr. Shirley Wong (above) works to create a commercially‐viable product.

A

n innovative start-up company comprised of university doctoral students or full PhDs is applying the age-old adage of “waste not, want not” to the very modern goal of a commercially-viable solution for converting structural dairy surplus into biodegradable plastic.

“We’re trying to create a sustainable solution for the dairy industry,” MetaCycler BioInnovations (MCBI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nicole LeBlanc summed up succinctly.

The endeavour lies at the intersection of the challenge of what to do with dairy waste, combined with a broadlybased search for an environmentally-friendlier replacement for conventional plastic.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHAs, are one proposed solution. Degradable material created from other organisms, PHAs are flexible and can therefore be used in combination with other bioplastics says LeBlanc.

“So it can change the material for broader applications,” said LeBlanc.

“From film on a pint of strawberries to the cap on a milk carton,” added Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Parkes.

Bio-plastic is valuable, says MCBI Chief Science Officer Aranksha Thakor.

“And it is certainly very expensive to make.”

A significant percentage of this cost results from the fact that its production often sources food items as base ingredients. MCBI’s multi-tiered approach is sourcing lactose, a constituent of milk included in structural surplus 18 The Rural Voice

Lactose from dairy surplus is being used as the food source to create biodegradable plastic at the University of Waterloo but it’s not at the market stage yet • By Jeff Tribe •

from the dairy industry. For instance, whey, as the food source. “We see it as a big opportunity to utilize this waste,” said Parkes.

“You are solving two problems,” added Director of Fermentation Shirley Wong, who achieved her doctorate in pharmaceutical research in 2020. Not only could this process lower the cost of producing PHAs, it also sustainably repurposes what previously was waste material.

“We’re saying ‘We can take it and use it.’”

A third advantage exists within this model, responding to growing consumer and general public concerns around sustainability and environmental responsibility. For lack of a better term, creating biodegradable dairy packaging material from structural surplus offers significant “branding” potential. “We’ve circularized our own waste,” LeBlanc explained.

The concept propagated from biological doctoral research between Thakor and LeBlanc. While research is valuable for its own sake, establishing proof of concept through modifying the genome of existing bacteria to utilize lactose in the production of PHAs also identified a potential opportunity to better the environment.

“We are genetically engineering bacteria to do this and make it as efficient as possible,” summed up Thakor.

Their success generated interest leading to the realization the process could combine higher purpose with commercial application.

“We could bring it to the world as a whole rather than having it in a research lab,” said LeBlanc.

In very basic terms, genetically engineered bacteria are combined with the lactose contained in dairy structural surplus inside a bioreactor.

Following a 24-hour turnaround, microbes are refined through a process which extracts PHAs which at this stage are in powdered form.

Following heating to evaporate any water, the powder is melted and extruded into small pellets.

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in both terrestrial and marine environments, says Parkes.

“There is no microplastics associated with the work we are doing,” he added.

Both bacteria and structural surplus can be reused to extend production.

“All of our projects are in some way improving this process,” said Thakor.

“We know that it is possible,” Parkes added. “We know that we can, now it’s a matter of executing the ‘how.’”

Part of that equation is refining and optimizing procedures while scaling production.

“Obviously, you want things to happen overnight, but you have to trust the process,” said Parkes.

“You can’t go from one kilogram to a tonne. You’ve got to take the steps to go from one kilogram to two to 10 to 50 and 100.”

MCBI’s foundation story mirrors that measured progress, built on complementary, interdisciplinary skill sets.

M e t a C y c l e r BioInnovations was incorporated in December, 2022 in conjunction with filing a patent for its process. It was founded by LeBlanc, Thakor, Eugenia Dadzie (Director of Communications), all working on biology doctorates at The University of Waterloo; Wong and University of Waterloo biology department Professor Trevor Charles, who have achieved their PhDs; and Parkes, who is completing a business-related PhD in management at The University of Guelph.

The University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo), an entity dedicated to supporting the creator-owned transition of laboratory research innovations into the marketplace, has been instrumental. WatCo provides services and expertise, in effect, levelling the playing field for those 20 The Rural Voice

● MetaCyler BioInnovations COO Jonathan Parkes (left) is completing a business‐related PhD in management at The University of Guelph. ● Converting dairy structural surplus, such as whey, from the dairy industry (below) into bio‐ degradable plastic offers the potential for the industry to close the loop on recycling and repurposing its own waste products. ● MetaCyler BioInnovations Director of Fermentation Dr. Shirley Wong (bottom) achieved her doctorate in pharmaceutical research in 2020.

with an innovative research-based concept or procedure but lacking access to expertise or capital required to develop it commercially.

WatCo assisted MCBI with incorporation, establishing its capitalization table (quantifying each investor’s equity capital stake in the business) and helped define roles and responsibilities.

“That gave us a very strong foundation we can build off of,” said Parkes.

Ongoing research is being conducted within University of Waterloo laboratory space, a “crucial opportunity” given even a “bare bones” research facility would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It’s wonderful to have access to these resources,” said Parkes.

Growing the business runs concurrent to ongoing research, a combination of seeking development and investor funding and establishing MCBI’s presence in a competitive environment.

The company is fitting in through funding pitch competitions including SynBio Canada 2023 Accelerating Start Ups and The University of Waterloo’s Velocity start-up support program. The MCBI team also networked at the 2023 Sustainable Plastics Conference in Los Angeles, California and the 2023 Collision Conference ALPHA Start-Up Showcase in Toronto.

Beyond earlier success at pitch competitions, MCBI received its largest cash infusion to date – a $50,000 Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) investment – in December, 2023.

Apart from practical applications the funding will support, Parkes views it as an important 365-day milestone.

“A lot of people said, ‘That’s nice,’” he recalled upon MCBI’s foundation, contrasting the positive growth from ‘you’ve got a nice story,’ to “‘I can see it - and here’s a bit of cash to run with it.’”

Parkes describes MCBI as a fulltime operation based on collaborative part-time contributions from multitasking individuals. Completion of PhDs will allow for ramping up and an enhanced focus on development.

The company is far from alone in trying to create commercially-viable biodegradable plastics. Many of us who’ve tried to suck a milkshake up through a paper straw can attest plastic has attractive qualities to go along with significant environmental downsides. A market exists for creating something that degrades efficiently on either land or sea rather than residing in virtual perpetuity in landfills, the planet’s oceans or in micro form in the bodies of living organisms.

MCBI is one of many start-ups wading into a crowded and highlycompetitive space. However, the company is doing so on the ground floor with the strength of what it believes is a viable and proven concept and the flexibility to both grow and diversify.

“It’s an exciting time,” Parkes concluded. “In a sense, we’re not just making widgets. “This is something we can be proud of, and something that hopefully can make a difference.” ◊

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June 2024 21

Partnerships

Land access solutions take root in Grey County

I

• By Melisa Luymes •

n 2019, Ronaldo (Rony) Lec and Myriam Legault moved from Guatemala to Ontario with their two young daughters. All they knew was that they needed to farm.

While there is plenty of farmland in the province, gaining access to it is another story.

Rony is a permaculture farmer and teacher born in Guatemala. He studied anthropology in the U.S. and returned home to put Mayan agricultural techniques into practice on a piece of land near Lake Atitlán, in Southern Guatemala. With much of the country’s land owned by just a few families and used for export crops, palm oil production, mining, or for developing resorts near the lake, all he could access was an area that was prone to flooding.

But for Rony, it was the perfect place to build a system of canals and raised beds, creating a farm that was selfsustaining, diverse and interconnected. Rony traveled the world connecting with other farmers, learning permaculture and other agro-ecological techniques, founding the Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura (IMAP) in 1996 and training people near and far in ecological farming.

Myriam was born and raised on the outskirts of Sudbury and set out for Guatemala in 2010. A friend had recommended she study at IMAP after Myriam had developed a love for ecological agriculture in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia.

As love would have it, she stayed for eight years.

She worked with IMAP and she and Rony had two children before they decided they needed to leave Guatemala. A changing climate

A limited partnership model allows new farmers to have security and build equity without a big down payment or high interest costs Rony Lec and Myriam Legault (with daughters Luna and Mia) farmed in Guatamala before moving to Ontario in hopes of farming ecologically. A co‐ownership model with Amy Stein gave them a chance to start and creates a new kind of model to improve farmland access and create community.

22 The Rural Voice

has meant disease and water quality concerns for the area, and corruption can make it a dangerous place to raise a family. So, they researched ecological farming in Canada and decided to head for the Guelph area. They immediately found a like-minded community and stayed there for a few months before moving up to Grey County. Myriam worked at a Durham-area school and Rony worked with local ecological farms. Still, they dreamed of having their own farm someday.

That someday came quickly. At just the time they were looking for land, Amy Stein was looking for ecological farmers to join her in a co-ownership model.

Amy Stein now homesteads near Durham, but in a previous life she spent a few years as a Toronto-based investment banker. With an MBA from Wharton, she has a keen sense of numbers but also a passion for community and the environment. She later worked for non-profits and was instrumental in establishing Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works, which converted an abandoned brick-making factory in the Don Valley to a sustainable LEED-certified public space for local food, art, and community events.

Eventually, upon returning from two years in rural France, she and her husband Michael bought an old farm in 2014, restoring and expanding the old farmhouse and

building a new barn and shed, fencing for livestock, a small greenhouse, and a sprawling vegetable garden. With their daughters gone off to university, the couple moved there full-time in 2019. After Michael sold the shares in his business, they had a sizeable amount of money to invest and when an opportunity to help a friend access land came up, they realized how they wanted to invest the money to make a positive impact.

As farmers know, buying land is a pretty safe bet for appreciation, but Amy also wanted to support ecological farmers in a more meaningful way. She worked with a lawyer to develop a co-ownership model that would allow farmers on the properties to have security and the ability to build equity, without a big down payment or high interest costs.

Simply put, the agreement is a limited partnership (LP), in which the farmers gradually increase their ownership percentage, either by directly buying out Amy and Michael’s units (shares) or through capital investments in the property.

The LP has nothing to do with the farming, only with the real estate, and it signs a 20-year renewable lease with the farmer-partners (because a land lease of more than 20 years in Ontario is deemed to be a disposition). In effect, this is like a rent-to-own agreement at a pace that farmers can afford, and if they want to leave the partnership, they can sell their units to an incoming farmer or back to Amy and Michael.

Though simply renting to farmers might have been “easier”, Amy says she resists being a landlord (or offering private mortgages) because structurally, it puts the two parties’ interests at odds with each other.

“Through co-ownership, the farmers and I have a much better chance of our interests aligning, and maintaining a good relationship,” she says. In this model, Amy approves the high-level operating plan, but after that it is basically hands-off the business side of things.

Amy says another option would have been to form a non-profit organization to hold the land title, but

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then the farmers would not be able to co-own the property. “The goal is to put these farmers on equal footing as others who have lucked into owning land,” she says, meaning those who have inherited a farm or been able to buy one without a big mortgage.

“That still leaves them with all the same annual costs, and tough spending decisions on infrastructure upgrades,” she adds.

By now you’re probably wondering where the catch is. For Amy, investing isn’t about a monetary return, but about creating a different kind of value, for community, local food, and for the environment. Like many of us, she doesn’t like to see old buildings, trees and fencerows taken out for large swaths of cash crops; she prefers to see the natural areas preserved and the properties used by farming families.

“This is all about trust and generosity,” says Amy, “and kindness.” To her, generosity is not just about money, but it is a spirit that people can either align with, or not. She had completed two agreements and was looking for partners for a third property when she met Rony and Myriam; it was the perfect fit. “We just trusted her,” they said, and jumped at the opportunity of co-ownership.

From then, it all moved fast. Rony and Myriam went to look at farms with Amy and they fell in love with the second one they saw. It was a brick farmhouse and bank barn, south of Desboro with 100 acres, over half of which is forest and wetlands that are now protected by a conservation agreement with the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy. The rest of the farm is managed in line with an ecological agreement that was written by Rony and Myriam themselves.

They moved onto the property May 2021, and have already done improvements to the barn and installed fence infrastructure to do rotational grazing of their Corriedale sheep, supported with cost-share funding from the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF). They used permaculture no-till mulching

Rony Lec and Myriam Legault (left) have launched their own ecological farm, complete with a picture‐ perfect bank barn (bottom), south of Desboro. They moved there in May 2021 thanks to a unique partnership with Amy Stein who is investing in new farmers as a way to create value in community, local food and the environment.

Rony uses ecological farming techniques (top) to compost manure.

June 2024 25

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techniques to create raised beds, growing corn, beans, and squash together according to Indigenous farming techniques and many other vegetables for seed production.

Rony and Myriam named the farm Luna Mia, after their daughters’ names, and Spanish for “my moon.”

They homeschool and often have global volunteers working there with them; their household is a beautiful mix of Spanish, French, English and Kakchiquel, Rony’s first language.

They remain rooted in Central America, working with Central American plants such as amaranth here in Ontario, which was the focus of a series of seed trials in partnership with the Ecological Farmers of Ontario. They now offer organically produced seeds, fiber products, permaculture workshops, and farm tours.

With land prices as they are currently, I think it safe to say that if Rony and Myriam had not met Amy, Luna Mia Farm would not exist today.

Farmland access is a growing concern in Ontario, but also around the world. It is a question that Richard Bloomfield is taking a serious look into. A graduate of Ivey Business School, and raised on a farm himself, he started an urban farm and social enterprise in London and is now working on a PhD at University of Western Ontario examining farmland ownership, planning and policy, as well as ways that new farmers can access farmland.

Ontario’s farmland is the most expensive in Canada and prices rose quickly, around 20 per cent a year in 2021 and 2022, slowing to only 11 per cent last year, according to Farm Credit Canada. While this is great news for those that bought land a while back, this is now a huge barrier to entry for new farmers. Essentially, farmland can only be purchased by those that already have substantial farmland equity, or by wealthy investors.

And while farm receipts have also increased over the years, it just isn’t keeping up with the price of land, says Richard. While Ontario’s farmland values rose over farm

Richard Bloomfield is a graduate of Ivey Business School and grew up on a farm. He is very concerned about farmland access and farm consolidation and supports allowing smaller severances and tax breaks to support new farmers. income in 1988, they stayed relatively on par through the 90s, according to Statistics Canada.

Farmland prices started to really outpace cash receipts in 2001 and, since then, cash receipts have roughly doubled while farmland values more than quadrupled.

All this leads to consolidation, with larger farms but less farmers.

Between 1996 and 2021, Canada lost 121,000 farm operators – that is 32 per cent. And while 20 per cent of farmers were under 35 years old in 1996, it was half that in 2021, for a total decline of 66 per cent of Canada’s young farmers.

While many argue that there are some benefits to efficiency at a larger scale, Richard believes that economic efficiency is too narrow of a view.

There are also risks when things get too big, not only for the environment or health, but for the economic diversity and resilience of rural communities, connection to the land and for farming know-how. Richard suggests federal, provincial and municipal policy recommendations that could support new farmers, such as CRA tax breaks for those selling land to new farmers, allowing smaller severances and on-farm

diversification, or reconsidering land use around urban growth boundaries.

Both Richard and Amy envision a future in which there are more farmers, not less.

But farmland prices aren’t the only barrier to farming. And perhaps Amy knows that better than anyone, because she has walked alongside several prospective farmers with her offer of co-ownership. At the outset, she says, all some people could see was the one obstacle of the farmland price, but once she removed that obstacle for them, then they started to see all the other issues and got cold feet. Whether it was because they didn’t trust the viability of their business plan, saw the volatility of the market, or changed their mind about the low-earning, physically demanding work, Amy has spent time working with several farmers that have backed out of the opportunity.

Now a few years into coownership, Amy, Rony and Myriam still believe they made a good decision. While Amy believes agreements are important, she prioritizes relationship and alignment on ecological farming. “At best, legal agreements protect financial interests, but they don’t protect you from the emotional wear and tear of a relationship gone sour,” she adds.

While she set up the agreement in such a way as to preserve a good relationship between all parties, it still requires their (voluntary) time and work. She meets with farmer partners a few times a year to discuss financial updates, but the rest of the time they connect just because they like each other’s company, and to keep building their friendship.

And Amy isn’t done. She is currently working with a fourth property near Dornoch which aims to have several families living side by side in a village setting on a larger acreage, called Neighbourly Farm.

Land access may always be an issue when it comes to farming, but there is something to be learned from Amy, Richard, Rony and Myriam.

Through out-of-the-box thinking and hard work, surprising solutions can emerge, taking root here in our own community. ◊ June 2024 27

Food

Orchard’s Landing is where food and community meet Poverty is a good motivator and created a hunger in Sandra May Blodgett to find a home to sell fresh, local food and create community in Paisley

Sandra May Blodgett has expanded the space inside Orchard’s Landing this year to offer fresh vegetables and the inspected kitchen allows growers to create value‐added products from their produce.

F

● By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot ●

or two decades Sandra May Blodgett has lived in Paisley and for just about that length of time, she has wanted to create community with food. She’s finally realized her dream with Orchard’s Landing Paisley, a hub for food and food-connected entrepreneurs.

Located on the main street of Paisley, with green doors and windows plastered with flyers for all the events going on in this Bruce County town, Blodgett flies in for our interview with a big smile and stocking feet. She has been cleaning her fish fryer at home in Paisley and meets me at the front door, full of energy and eager to show the foodstuffs on the shelves.

28 The Rural Voice

There are jams, maple syrup, pizzelles, sauces, bowls, aprons and empty tables that will be filled with produce as it starts emerging from the fields and gardens. Bikes against the wall don’t seem to fit the brand but she’d recently hosted a bike maintenance workshop with a local entrepreneur so the bikes are there as part of the community model she envisions for the space.

The vision has been a long time forming.

Blodgett is an early childhood educator and was the long-time promoter and organizer of Paisley’s farmer’s market before it folded. “Farmers need to be on the farm and in the field,” says Blodgett. “They don’t have time to sit in booths and sell what they grow.”

Still, she really believes in the concept of a farmer’s

market and that every town should have one for people to buy local, to appreciate the agricultural community and have access to fresh, healthy food. Blogett wanted a space where she could make it easier for both farmers and customers to meet in the food space. A few years ago, a “seriously supportive municipal councillor” called Blodgett and said, “there is a space for your dream.”

The storefront and building Blodgett was about to invest in had housed an acupuncture clinic in the front while the back was, well, a little dilapidated. But it was space. Lots of space to have a foodstore in the front, and an indoor farmer’s market in the back. For the past two years, Blodgett has been slowly working towards that goal and this year, the whole back is being opened up to accommodate fresh foods as well as offering an inspected kitchen for growers to process their fruits and vegetables into value-added products such as jams and sauces. One client created diffused oil in the kitchen.

Describing herself as a community facilitator, Blodgett says she likes to ask people “what are you good at?” Her next question is then, “How can you use what you are good at to make money?” She likes to encourage creativity and now has the space to sell the results.

Blodgett tells the story of Emma Thornton, a young entrepreneur who answered the first questions by saying “crocheting”. Thornton liked to crochet little animals but she only did it for friends and family. She had four left. Blodgett placed them in the store and they sold! Encouraged by this little step, the crocheter upped her game and sold 32 last year.

Thirty crocheted animals do not a full-time job make, but as a side hustle, it’s a little something that many creators are looking for.

Blodgett also encouraged youth to get their first business experience at Orchard’s Landing. She has a 14year-old client who makes freezedried candy under the label Sunshine Sweets. The student needed a machine to make her product and first-year sales were so good, she was almost able to pay off the machine in one year.

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A lot of crafters approach Blodgett but crafts do not fit Blodgett’s vision. To her, Orchard Landing is about food so the only crafts she accepts have to be foodrelated, such as the crocheted farm animals, handcrafted aprons and wooden bowls featured in the store.

Everything in the store is made by locals.

“Tourists really want something genuinely made in Bruce County,” says Blodgett. “They don’t want to go to commercial grocery stores.”

Most of the food sold at Orchard’s Landing Paisley does come from the local Mennonite community. She also sells fish, farm-fresh eggs and local fruits. Blodgett is currently looking for a sweet corn supplier to round off her farm food offerings.

She continues to offer hands-on experiences as well. The next workship is a Power of Planting

event where Sophie of Sophie’s Tropical Plants is going to teach participants how to care for and divide plants.

Food and community are vital to Blodgett who shares that she lived in poverty for 12 years of her life. “I lived off the land and I knew how to do it because when I was a kid, if we did not grow it, we did not eat it.”

When Blodgett became a mother and her husband had seasonal work, finances were tight. They shared a car so when he went to work, she was at home on the farm. While she knew how to grow food, she admits “I did not have the skills on how to make money.”

Education via courses, applying for grants and online research have now given her these skills and she believes her purpose is to connect people with food, their community and opportunities to make money.

“That is so impor-tant to me,” she says.

Blodgett doubts she’ll ever be rich but with her husband now working full-time, a job and now Orchard’s Landing, she is finding her way. “I can live on a shoestring. I have done it my whole life and I can truly make something out of nothing.”

This year, she is adding a business partner who shares her passion. This will help with the workload and the shared synergy of ideas promises to grow the business.

Blodgett says Orchard’s Landing is a place to come in and feel comfortable. “You will be amazed by the amount of talent in Bruce County,” she says. And if for some reason, you don’t find anything to buy, it doesn’t matter. Just come see it, she says.

“All day long I sit here and watch people park across the road to head into the convenience store beside me but they don’t come in here. I’m telling you that nutrition is here and sweet is here too. And there’s still room for your ideas and to work in this kitchen,” she concludes. ◊

Sandra May Blodgett says poverty is a hard teacher but it instilled in her a desire to to create community with food and create a space where people can make, sell and learn about local foods.

June 2024 31

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Grain

Durum is the perfect wheat for pasta

Hundreds of metric tonnes of durum wheat are processed daily at Howson & Howson Ltd, in Blyth to become the primary ingredient in staple foods like pasta, couscous and bread. It takes a team to run the family business, including maintenance manager, Ken Stewart (right).

W

hen considering what makes Blyth unique, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds might be its hearty theatre scene, or perhaps its unofficial mascot — the rutabaga. But there’s another important component to the town’s identity that just might be worthy of celebrating, and it’s been hiding in plain sight for decades — pasta!

That’s right, Blyth is home to the largest durum semolina flour mill in Canada — Howson & Howson Ltd, located right downtown, by the Goderich-to-Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail. Over the years, President Jeff Howson has gotten used to explaining what his job is to people.

“The company has been in Blyth for decades, and the bulk of people in the town have no idea what we do here.

Some people, when they think of flour mills, they actually think of flowers. And then they think of bread and pastry flour.”

For five generations, the Howson family has been processing grain in Ontario. When they first opened up shop in Blyth’s then-defunct flour mill, the operation had one truck, a single electric light, and three employees.

Back then, bread flour was still part of the equation.

Today, Howson & Howson uses state-of-the-art technology to process hundreds of metric tonnes of durum wheat every day, which is transported to various food 34 The Rural Voice

It takes a lot of moving parts and dedicated employees to transform raw durum wheat into semolina flour at Howson & Howson Ltd. • By Scott Stephenson •

manufacturers in Canada and the United States, where it becomes the primary ingredient in staple foods like pasta, couscous and bread.

Between the mill operation and the transportation division, Howson & Howson now has over 50 employees, all of them working for wheat!

Canadian Western Amber Durum Wheat from Southern Saskatchewan, to be precise. Unlike its softer, more common cousin, bread wheat, this wheat is one of the toughest grains around - “durum” is actually Latin for “hard”. Durum is resistant to milling, and demands more effort for flour production.

While high in protein, it lacks the gluten strength for standard bread dough, but is considered to be the perfect wheat for pasta-making.

Semolina stands out with its golden colour, nutty taste and higher protein compared to all-purpose flour, forming elastic dough ideal for pasta. Conversely, all-purpose flour lacks semolina’s flavour and protein, varying in colour and requiring more effort for pasta making. Almost all commercial dry pasta is made from durum semolina, while those making fresh pasta at home often incorporate a blend of soft and hard wheats. Pasta made with semolina holds a special place in the culinary traditions in many regions around the globe, including Canada. From university students making Kraft Dinner in their dorm on a forbidden hot plate, to impressing a date with a fancy dinner of homemade pappardelle, to the fridge-clearing casseroles we scrounge together to feed a crowd on a budget, Canadians like their noodles.

Even though durum is the secondmost common cultivated wheat in the world, it still represents less than 10 per cent of global wheat production. The overwhelming majority of wheat grown in Ontario is soft wheat. While it is possible to grow durum wheat in Ontario, Saskatchewan has the ideal growing conditions for this fascinating grain.

Durum is a spring wheat, which means it is typically sowed in the spring and harvested in the fall.

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Once the grain is harvested in Saskatchewan, it travels by rail to Thunder Bay where it is loaded onto vessels and brought to Goderich, at which point it makes the final leg of its journey to Blyth by truck.

In its early days, the mill’s position close to the rail line made it easy to transport grain products.

“This was the spot for us,” said Howson. The existing mill had not been in operation since 1934, so major renovation and equipment updates were needed. The oldest part of the mill that still remains today dates all the way back to 1883. Now that the rail line has been converted into the G2G trail, the mill remains as a towering, working reminder of the golden age of rail travel.

Despite a lack of widespread local awareness, the mill is not without its fans. “Any food auditors or customers that come into our facility, they all say the same thing that they have never toured a flour mill with the level of cleanliness that we have here,” Howson explained, clearly proud of the mill’s AA safety rating and long track record of producing consistent products.

Another, equally proud Howson at the mill is Steve Howson, VicePresident of Quality Control, who loves his family’s place in Huron County history. “Blyth’s been my home for my whole life,” he said.

“My great-great-grandfather came to Aberfoyle, then to Teeswater, then Wingham, and finally Blyth in 1952.”

Steve has been involved with the family business for most of his life.

“I started back when I was a kid, just doing Saturday work, odd jobs here and there - cleaning, sweeping, loading trucks - just whatever. I’ve been around here for 50 years, or close to it.” He’s been at Howson & Howson full-time since 1981, gradually working his way up to his current position. Like Jeff, he loves their unique milling process, and wants more people to understand how cool it really is. “It takes a lot of moving parts to make flour!

People see the big building, but they don’t know what’s going on here...

● Top left: Technician Kevin Gross tests samples in the laboratory to maintain quality standards. ● Top right: Mill superintendent Dan Ryan oversees the daily operations at Howson & Howson Ltd. ● Middle left: Steve Van Meeteran is the financial controller at the mill. ● Bottom left: Durum amber wheat grown in Saskatchewan is ground into semolina flour at the mill. ● Bottom: Howson & Howson Ltd. is the largest durum semolina flour mill in Canada.

June 2024 37

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we’ve done a lot of upgrades over the past years, and efficiencies have really changed in the 20 or 30 years since I’ve been here. Actually 40, I guess!”

Much has to happen in order to transform the raw durum into usable semolina flour, and there are quality control systems in place for each stage of the complex process. Even the slightest variations in the semolina would affect the quality of the finished noodles, and is to be avoided at all costs. Tests are run at every step along the way to ensure everything is proceeding as it should.

Once the raw grain has arrived in Blyth, the first step is to begin removing all the things that don’t belong. First, a machine known as a combi-cleaner removes coarse foreign objects like large stones, which tend to get mixed in during the harvesting process.

Next to be refined out are other agricultural products that don’t belong, like soft wheat varieties.

Other common crop interlopers include peas, soybeans and corn.

Further cleaning is done by a colour sorter, which uses electric eyes to spot any off-colour contaminants that you wouldn’t want to find in your fettuccine. A process called aspiration then uses bursts of air to blow any dusty material off the grain.

After the grain is properly cleaned, it goes into a turbolizer, where water is added. This extra moisture is needed to soften the hard bran layer on the outside of the durum.

Next, the durum is tempered until it reaches between 16.5 - 17 per cent moisture content before entering the mill. Warming the water, especially during cold Ontario winters, helps it absorb just the right amount. At this point, it is also treated to sterilize the grain against any possible microorganisms that might be lurking in their midst. When the wheat leaves the mill, its moisture content is required to be 14.5 per cent.

The wheat then moves on to the debranner, where a grinding stone removes the hard exterior bran from the interior grain, which is now ready to begin the actual milling

process. This starts with the roller mills, which grind up the grain.

The now-pulverized wheat moves down the line, and is then sized by multiple sifter screens. As like-sized granules accumulate together, those of the desired grades move one step further down the path to becoming a finished product, while those that aren’t quite right yet head back to be reground.

Finally, the cleaned, finished product emerges — semolina! This flour has a completely different look than its all-purpose cousin because it looks like yellow sand. At this point, it’s ready to go to the lab, where it is tested to ensure it has the properties required to make spectacular spaghetti and marvelous macaroni.

All product that passes muster is then transported upward via grain elevator, and then dropped into one of seven silos.

Whenever it is time for the semolina to move on to its next destination, tanker trucks are toploaded at a rate of seven metric tonnes a minute. The mill sends out about 7-10 truckloads a day - that’s a lot of spaghetti! It takes about 20 minutes to load each truck, which takes its payload of semolina to pasta manufacturers in Canada and the United States, who process it into oodles of noodles of every size and shape. Those noodles are then packaged and shipped to grocery stores, where they await their chance to become somebody’s showstopping lasagna, comforting kugel or creative casserole.

All of these moving parts are kept moving by a dedicated staff that each have their own role to play.

Mill Superintendent Dan Ryan has worked at Howson & Howson for 15 years, having started out as a packer.

As an overseer of the whole operation, Ryan tends to consider the big picture. “When I go grocery shopping with my family, I do enjoy that we can look at the shelves and say ‘we’re helping supply the food chain’ — I get a kick out of that!” he explained.

Lab technician Kevin Gross has worked at the mill since the 1990s.

“It’s a family-owned business, and you’re not treated so much as a number here, like you are at other

places - there’s a real camaraderie here.”

Maintenance Manager Ken Stewart runs the only department that’s busier when the mill isn’t running. He’s been at the company for 23 years, managing daily maintenance and emergent mechanical issues. He relishes his part in the well-organized collective effort put forth by the whole team to optimize the operation. “It’s a long process, and everybody has to work together to make it happen.”

As a Financial Controller who grew up on a farm, Steve Van Meeteran loves the role the mill plays in the operation. “It’s a great company to work for,” he said.

“Agriculture is in my background, so it’s exciting to work in the business.” When he’s not at the mill, Van Meeteran does a bit of cash cropping on his farm just north of Blyth.

Fran Cook has been working in the office for 24 years, and in that time she’s noticed a few changes.

“It’s a little bit more computerized

now. I was using a typewriter when I started here 24 years ago — I was quite happy to throw that out the window!”

No load leaves the mill unless the front office has ensured the paperwork is in order, and that’s the dominion of Administrative Assistant Deb Stevenson. She’s been working at the mill for 15 years, and most admires the way Howson & Howson strives to be a good community partner. “There’s people in Blyth that don’t even know we’re here! The owners are not flashy people, the business is not flashy about how they support the community. They live here too, so they’re invested in the success of the town.”

If Blyth chooses to embrace this starchy side of itself, perhaps tortellini tourism is not far off. If the humble rutabaga can have its own festival, why not the noodle? From spaghetti cook-offs to lasagna layering workshops, the possibilities for celebration are practically endless! ◊

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June 2024 39

Recipes by Carolyn Crawford

Fresh strawberries are always a delight

E

very morning for breakfast my father, who is 85, has hot cereal, then two slices of toast with butter, with a thick slathering of jam, and two thin slices of cheddar cheese on them. All this is washed down with a cup of hot sweetened tea.

His favourite jam is strawberry.

He likes other kinds, too, but he does not like to be without a jar of strawberry jam in the cupboard.

When Mum was still with us, we would make homemade cooked strawberry jam or freezer jam every June/July when the strawberries “came in.” Mum would also freeze some for pies (or pies we made to freeze) and make quart jars of preserved strawberries. Back then, she did them in an open kettle method and sealed them hot. She did the same with raspberries, cherries, plums, peaches, and pears and one year made her own attempt at a fruit cocktail which turned out to be fantastic!

My husband, Don, also likes strawberry jam best. He has a standing joke that no one makes strawberry jam like his mom, Mary. Mary always helped her husband Jack and their sons at the barn, would take her grandchildren and go strawberry picking, and come home later to do up her strawberries. She froze her strawberries in lots that were measured out to cook up a batch of Strawberries can be measured and sealed in freezer bags to be used for future jam making sessions. Fresh strawberries will soon be available and Don Crawford, right, is seen enjoying strawberry shortcake at the Hillsborough County Strawberry Festival.

40 The Rural Voice

strawberry jam according to the recipe. She would cook up a batch and store it in the refrigerator.

Making strawberry jam at home is essential for me (even if it is second best!) because all the men in my family eat an astonishing amount of strawberry jam. Strawberry shortcake and anything strawberry never go amiss here either! So here are a few different ways to ‘do up’ some strawberries.

Strawberry Freezer and Cooked Strawberry Jam I have always followed the instructions on the Certo or Bernardin package to make sure I have a proper set and balance of flavour for the jam. One year we substitute cooked, pureed, tart apple paste for some of the sugar but the

set was different. We ended up using it for sundae sauce. You can also look at their websites Kraft/Certo: https://www.kraftheinz.com/surejell/r ecipes/521444-certo-strawberry-jam and Bernardin: https://www. bernardin.ca/recipes/en/classic-easystrawberry-jam.htm Bernardin also had a Strawberry Lemon Marmalade that I tried one year and it was good. No marmalade lovers in my house so I only made it once. It takes a long time for one person (me) to finish a whole batch! https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/ marmalade-strawberry-lemon.htm Sweet Cornmeal Surprise Muffins This recipe is from the Dairy Farmers of Canada website. Mum made these for us a lot back in the day. It was a nice surprise to find one in our school lunch box.

Ingredients: ¾ cup cornmeal 1 ¼ cups milk 2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt 2/3 cup sugar 1 egg ½ cup plain (full fat) yogurt ¼ cup butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup strawberry (or any) jam, divided (or 12 teaspoons) Directions: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan or line with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; set aside for three minutes.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk sugar, egg, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla into milk mixture; pour over dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Spoon enough batter into the prepared muffin pan to fill cups just under half full. Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the centre of each cup and top with remaining batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Transfer to rack to cool completely.

Tips: Be sure to use plain yogurt without any added gelatin for best results in baking. For the adventurous: Make a savoury version: reduce sugar to 1/3 cup, add ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper with the flour using hot pepper jelly in the centre.

Jemseg Strawberry Shortcake This is from The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook (1966).

According to the cookbook, Jemseg is a town in New Brunswick where strawberries are cultivated.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir or blend together: Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ cup granulated sugar With a pastry blender cut in until crumbly: ½ cup butter or shortening Stir in: 1 cup milk Directions:

Mix lightly with a fork to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8-10 times. Roll out or pat to ½ inch thickness. Cut into 3” circles.

Bake on ungreased baking sheet in 450°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Cool, split in half, and butter. Fill with crushed fresh, sweetened strawberries allowing 1/3 cup sugar for each cup fruit.

Top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with whole strawberries.

Makes 12 servings.

Strawberry Pie Bars This recipe I have adapted from Rock Recipes by Barry Parsons.

With the chocolate drizzle on top, they look pretty. You could switch the filling and topping layers for a different look.

Ingredients: For graham crust: 2 cups graham crumbs 2 tbsp ground or finely chopped almonds ½ cup melted butter 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar For strawberry filling: 2 tsp unflavoured gelatin powder, (stirred into ¼ cup cold water) 6 cups sliced strawberries, divided in half ¾ cup sugar, (use up to 1 ¼ cup if you like it sweeter) ¼ cup water 2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in ¼ cup water For the whipped cream topping: ½ cup whipping cream 2 tbsp icing sugar ½ tsp almond extract ½ cup mascarpone cheese For the drizzle: ½ semisweet chocolate chips, melted with 1 tbsp milk Slivered or sliced almonds, toasted, optional Directions: Measure the graham crumbs into a small bowl. Stir in ground or finely chopped almonds. Make a well in the centre. Pour the sugar into the well, then pour the melted butter into the sugar. Let this stand for a couple of minutes to let the butter seep into the

sugar. Then stir well to combine.

This step helps a lot in setting a graham crust in the oven.

Press firmly into the bottom of a 9”x9” baking pan that has been lightly greased and lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes.

Add the gelatin to the ¼ cup cold water and set aside for a few minutes until needed.

Add 3 cups of the sliced strawberries, the sugar and ¼ cup water to a small saucepan and simmer for only a few minutes until the strawberries have released most of their juice.

Dissolve the corn starch in the ¼ cup water and stir into the simmering strawberries. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes while the strawberry mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until it is fully dissolved.

Allow to cool to almost room temperature before stirring in the 3 cups of fresh sliced berries. Pour onto a fully cooled base. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Beat whipping cream, icing sugar, and extract together. Add mascarpone cheese. Mix on low until well blended. Spread on top of set, chilled, strawberry filling.

Refrigerate until well chilled.

Melt chocolate with milk. Drizzle chocolate in (zig zag fashion) diagonally on top of mascarpone mixture from one corner to the other.

If more chocolate is desired, repeat from the opposite corners. Garnish with toasted, sliced, or slivered almonds.

Ontario Strawberry Sauce This is from the “Discovering Canadian Cuisine” brochure published by Home Service Committee of The Canadian Gas Association of Don Mills, Ontario, and widely distributed just before Canada’s Centennial celebrations in 1967. This can be used as a sundae sauce, be poured over shortcake, or can be served with pancakes. You could sieve out the seeds in a fine sieve if desired, but I would not recommend high heat to cook your sauce! It is ok to cook with gas but June 2024 41

not too much!

Ingredients: 1-quart strawberries 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 tbsp corn starch 1 tsp lemon juice 2-3 drops red food colouring (optional) Directions: Hull, wash, and slice berries.

Combine with sugar and water. Chill overnight. Drain berries, reserving the liquid.

Combine 1 tbsp strawberry liquid and corn starch in a saucepan. Stir until smooth. Add remaining liquid, berries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high GAS flame stirring constantly until slightly thickened and translucent. Add food colouring.

Serve warm.

You cannot do too much wrong with strawberries! They are as easy to enjoy plain and fresh as they are prepared in any fashion. Here’s to hoping for an early season here in Ontario! ◊

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June 2024 43

Gardening

am hoping that by the time you read this there will be fewer, nay no, interlopers in our garden!

There were a few plants that tagged along from the farm that were having way too much fun out there. I thought when we moved we would have a clean slate and be more conscientious about watching what we plant. After all, it was a much smaller garden and I am trying to be a good environmentalist by planting more native plants to support the pollinators.

The first interloper to show up was a member of the Lamium family which includes mints, so you can imagine how it can cover an area quickly. They are not tall plants, taking up about six to nine inches in height. We have the boring wee one showing up here and there in the lawn and along edges of the gardens.

We also have two patches of Purple Dragon, a spotted dead-nettle

that blooms very early in May, a welcome food source for bees breaking hibernation. I often see the bees deep in the lipped blooms. The foliage is striking along the edges of the garden but too much of a good thing becomes a problem. I will readily admit I was seduced by the colours of the Purple Dragon and its flashy counter partner, Yellow Archangel, which has brilliant green and white leaves with tall yellow stems of deep yellow flowers. The yellow variety is much more invasive and best not introduced here even if by accident!

Once the lamium finishes blooming I get in there with a sharp knife or spade and trim the patch back. I get to enjoy the wonderful colour and avoid the job of digging everything up to get rid of it.

The next interloper in the yard is the sweet Forget-Me-Nots, Myosotis, which are extensively promoted by the Alzheimers Society. It is a native of Africa and why wouldn’t anyone want this wee beauty in their garden?

They are a wonderful soft blue cloud in the garden and flower for several weeks. However they are considered an invasive. The plant does feed pollinators but can quickly overtake other native plants. It is best to thin the population in your garden before they go to seed. I go into the garden with my sharp spade, or in a lot of cases with a trowel, and spud them

out. They will come back again next year from the bit of root left behind.

If allowed to go to seed you will not see your garden for clouds of blue.

The surprise interloper in my garden is a brilliant yellow Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia called “Aurea”. As the name implies, it creeps along the ground covering everything in its path. I have read the green cultivar is more invasive, which is hard to believe after seeing “Aurea’ in action.

You often see Creeping Jenny in hanging planters, adding a hit of brilliant chartreuse in shade pots, golden yellow in partial shade or brassy gold in full sun. The rounded leaves have almost a wavy edge, shiny and look like a string of coins. I have seen yellow buttercup-like flowers on the green variety but have not noticed any on the yellow one.

Roots are created when a leaf node makes contact with the soil creating a dense mat two to four inches tall.

I read a few sites that cautioned to not let this one escape from the garden. It will waste no time crowding out other plants. It is often used “carefully” as a ground cover to quickly hide spring bulbs that are dying down.

My plan was to leave a bit in the garden and then use it the following spring for my own planters. It worked for a couple of summers although last summer I could see the

Lamium

Forget‐me‐not

Creeping Jenny

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

Interlopers in the garden

I

44 The Rural Voice

writing, well the ivy, on the wall. I should have taken steps last fall.

Despite pulling some out last summer, I was not vigorous enough and this spring I have a real mess! I am thinking I may have to dig up some favourite perennials and use large tweezers to get the invasive roots out.

I am not recommending any of the above plants nor am I offering growing advice. I will share with you that invasives can survive the compost, even the municipal one. We have taken to putting them in garbage bags and tagging them to be buried very deep.

I have also been pulling garlic mustard and bagging that. We don’t have much and I even lurked around the neighbour’s yard yanking hers out too. I pulled a large bucket from the lake bank a couple of weeks ago and after a week in a black bucket in the garage, it was waving green shoots with white flowers. Garlic mustard can produce close to 5,000 seeds or more. Now that is a nightmare. It is recommended you can kill the pulled plants by putting them in a heavy dark green garbage bag and roast them on the driveway for several weeks before putting them in the compost. It is also recommended you check with your municipality to see if that is enough to safely dispose of the plant.

If you want to check and see if you have any invasive in your garden you can check with the ontarioinvasiveplants.ca You can also follow the Invasive Species Centre which covers plants and critters. They have a great selection of fact sheets you can read or download and save for future reference as well as instructive videos. I learned that you need to have an area free of garlic mustard for five years before growing native plants in the same area. That is a real eye opener. I guess I will be doing some hard pulling this summer!

One little footnote: A sweet yellow meadow lady slipper orchid which I rescued from a construction site survived the separation from a clump of knapweed last fall. This spring I have three four-inch shoots and am looking forward to blooms. ◊

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Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Do you know your farm culture?

Having a united goal and understanding relationships are key to creating a positive culture on your farm

A

ll the business planning in the world is useless without a culture keeping it in sync, says Andrea Gal, chair of Farm Management Canada.

Knowing your farm culture is very helpful towards creating team and financial success on your farm, says Gal. She spoke about “strategic management” at Farm Credit Canada’s Farm Ag Summit held March 13 in London.

“When you tie farm culture and strategic management together, they can really help you achieve your vision of success on the farm,” says Gal, who is also a consultant at Wilton Consulting and manages a beef/cash crop farm with her father and sister in Oxford County. She was curious what other farmers' visions of success were. The answers included: ● having a sustainable farm for future generations ● managing debt and improving return on equity ● yield and profitability ● profit and fun ● peace and financial comfort ● building a business while maintaining a work/life balance ● strong financials and great teamwork Gal said understanding the culture of your farm will help farmers achieve those goals. She said culture is defined as a way of life including customs, values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and opinions within a particular group of people.

“I encourage you to reflect on your farm team and think about personalities and different relationships between team members,” she said. “On our family team, I am very detail oriented and I keep everyone on track but I can also worry and be a perfectionist. My sister is a person who gets the job done but sometimes she is speedy and needs to slow down and think 46 The Rural Voice

Andrea Gal farms with her father and sister while also coaching farmers on their farm culture via her work with Farm Management Canada. about details. My dad has an upbeat attitude, is a great problem solver and is always on the phone chatting with people in the industry.” Though very different, they are united by their shared goals for the farm.

Cultivating a positive culture requires a leader to demonstrate good habits because attitudes toward management are both learned and are contagious.

“The attitude of my dad and grandfather played a key role in our farm culture. There is an emphasis on hard work and perseverance,” said Gal. When she became farm manager, she pushed for incremental improvement to the farm operation.

Within a culture, management and leaders need to project their values.

These could include excellence, sustainability, hard work, good communication, integrity, trust, flexibility, leading by example, commitment, adaptation and freedom to ask questions.

“An important value on our farm is persistence,” said Gal. Her father had a poster on the wall projecting

this value and would always point to it on tough days.

If one of your values is communication and understanding, you need to make space for employees to have time and feel safe asking questions. Also, to know if they make a mistake that they won’t be judged or become fodder for the neighbourhood grapevine.

If a value is work/life balance, discussion may need to be had between different generations. The older generation may have believed that first you work hard and then earn the right for a vacation. However, the younger generation may be more focused on a work/life balance. “If they feel pressure that they cannot take a break from the farm, they may not feel there is a place for them on the farm,” said Gal. Speaking specifically to the experience of women on the farm, Gal said findings from a study on farm women suggested it's the interaction and relationship with others that most determines the experiences of farm women. “The

study revealed 85 per cent of women are highly involved in every aspect of the farm but 43 per cent are not satisfied with their level of involvement in communications, particularly with long-term strategic planning.”

Stress is another important topic to discuss while thinking of farm culture and strategic management because stress is often associated with a declining interest in farm and animal care. People who are stressed can withdraw, have sleep issues, have irrational thinking and have an increasing negative attitude towards life. They might also have difficulty making decisions.

The great thing is having a strategy for the farm is a great stress reducer. “Planning ahead helps reduce stress and anxiety. Also, writing a plan down helps facilitate conversation about the farm,” said Gal. When creating a strategic plan for your farm, Gal had this advice: ● have your strategic planning discussions over winter before the busy spring season ● having them off the farm can help foster open communication ● write the plan down ● implement and monitor the plan ● try to have timely, regular team meetings ● understand it isn’t a “one and done” thing as plans change as the farm and people change ● leaders need to be proactive, self-aware and really pay attention to non-verbal language while also really listening; they also need to express themselves clearly and understand team members’ communication styles.◊

Kevin Kropf stands by part of his miniature farm toys collection, most of which are replicas of the machines he worked on during his career as a farm machinery mechanic.

Trust, honour, integrity

By Gary West After 38 years of working in the farm machinery business, first as a mechanic, then as an owner-operator and manager, South Easthope township’s Kevin Kropf has decided to retire.

In his career, he has worked at Nafziger’s in Brunner and Zehr Brothers near New Hamburg, now known as Stratford Farm Equipment.

Stratford Farm Equipment’s coowner, Dan Brown, says: “I met Kevin in 1996, the year we purchased the Case IH dealership from the Zehr family. Our deal was basically done on a handshake as trust, honesty and integrity was the cornerstone of their business. I soon realized Kevin was a good fit and represented them well, having worked as a service technician, service manager, and assuming the duties of parts manager when needed.

“Kevin and I had only worked together a short time when we asked him to take on more responsibility,

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in farm equipment sales and store management.

“Kevin was the person in the dealership who both customers and co-workers were comfortable approaching, and he knew farm machinery from time spent on the farm and inside the farm equipment dealership.

“If Kevin was your salesman, you knew he was both a trusted advisor and a friend. Always quiet with little to say, but when he is talking to you, you knew him to be sincere and correct.

“Like many in the community, we consider Kevin a friend and wish him a long and healthy retirement”.

Kevin and his wife Carolyn have two children, Mallory and Jeremy.

Jeremy followed in his father’s footsteps as a mechanic and works at Stratford Farm Equipment.

The couple live on the 100-acre farm Kevin was born. He plans to “tinker” in his newly built farm shop, travel, and just enjoy life with family and friends.◊

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June 2024 47

People

• By Gary West •

Cedar tree planting to celebrate 30th anniversary

H

undreds of white cedar seedlings were recently planted on the Andrew Sebben farm as part of the 30th anniversary of the Upper Avon River Conservation Club.

Along with the club members, a group of Grade 3/4 students, from Ms. Clark’s class in North Easthope Public School came in the morning.

By noon, 400 seedlings were in the ground, properly spaced for growth, and surrounded by a bed of mulch provided by the city of Stratford.

According to Craig Merkley, and Brenda Gallagher from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA), the club originated in 1994 by a group of farming neighbours in the Upper Avon River watershed to help create field wind breaks, stream buffer strips, and block plantings.

The club has tried to include local school groups (both urban and rural), as part of the plantings, to help educate as to the benefit of the

planting for future generations.

North Easthope Public School principal Charles Longston, said “the students that helped in this planting, had an amazing day and were helping to promote Earth Day, culminating with the tree planning activity”.

He said “at the same time they are learning to be great stewards of the land and the environment”.

Farmer Andrew Sebben, volunteers and students helped plant 400 seedlings to create a windbreak at Sebben’s farm.

Members of the Tavistock Optimist Club show off their new sign. Back row, left to right: Matt Lambing, Brady Roth, Terry Rozendale, Dennis Kuepfer, Ken Meadows, Ed Danen and Marty Griensven. Front row, left to right: John Markle, Adam Weicker, Rod Ramseyer and Eric Stewart.

48 The Rural Voice

Trees at the Sebben farm will form a 3,000-foot windbreak. Funding for the project was provided by the Donald McTavish Conservation Fund. McTavish helped create the 1952 Avon River Watershed Conservation Plan, and his son Murray McTavish, is still involved and was helping with the tree planting. ◊

Cleanup at Tavistock Optimist Park

M

embers of the Tavistock Optimist Club have put the finishing touches at the Optimist Park west of Tavistock in preparation for sports and Friday Night Frys.

The park is used for soccer and ball games. Equally popular are the Friday Night Frys which have turned into the club’s most rewarding fundraiser.

Club president Terry Rozendale said energy-saving LED lights have been installed at the park. He hopes everyone will have a great time at the club’s ParkFest event held June 1. ◊

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

Leafhoppers in Argentina are affecting corn production

M

arket sentiment has been rather negative for cash crop prices for an extended period of time. World inventories have been adequate, resulting in sufficient export offers to ensure that world buyers have seen an abundance of available grain. As a consequence, we have seen prices languish, weakening as U.S. grain futures fell in an attempt to be competitive with world values.

This narrative has been longstanding. Russia has been dominating the wheat market with their discounted offers. Not only has Russia had successful growing seasons, but they have also used wheat for political gain and to assist with financing their enduring war.

Ukraine has been producing well, and despite the challenges of both the past and present, grain is moving efficiently. South American production has been dominant, with China eager to buy a large Brazilian crop of beans, along with Argentina’s crop normalizing from last year's major drought and low yields.

A negative corn narrative has also been deeply entrenched, both with an extremely strong yielding old crop supply in the U.S. and an outlook for strong new crop corn production. The investment funds that trade commodities have taken notice of all of these fundamentals and have been sellers of grain. The result has been languishing prices. While the situation remained unchanged, the funds have had little to no incentive to buy back their positions. Without crop threats around the world there is no catalyst for them to buy grain

contracts. But as every grower knows, things change, and crop outlooks can rapidly change.

Crop threats have started emerging, and the narrative is adjusting. While there doesn’t appear to be large or immediate world supply threats present, some areas are seeing production reductions that will potentially remove some of the burdensome supplies that were once generally expected.

As discussed, Russia has been dominating wheat export market prices for the past few years. With their massive supply they kept wheat prices subdued, as they were routinely the cheapest offer in the world and found many ready customers who are price sensitive buyers. Old crop supplies were on offer at what seemed perpetually cheap values, with Russia expecting to have another large crop on the way.

This was the narrative and expectation, until April weather turned dry and Southern Russian wheat started to suffer under dryness.

Southern Russia has had the driest April in 10 years. With the dryness, came concerns of potential crop size reduction and the realization that Russian offers don’t need to be so low, because of potential losses forthcoming. As a result Russian values have risen, and world values have moved up similarly. From this, grain market watchers are closely monitoring rain events and forecasts for the drying region. May will be an extremely important month for this crop to receive much needed precipitation, and market direction will be dictated by rain accumulation.

But there are other concerns from Russia also, with their government intervention and its effects on markets. The Russian government issues grain export quotas to exporting companies, for the purpose of controlling export volume and authority over individual companies.

Recently government authorities have rescinded export quotas for some exporters. Of these companies, some have had volumes reduced in half, while some have been cut to zero. At the same time there have

been some government ally companies that have seen increases in quotas.

Brazil is a vast country and because of this, its harvest moves across the country over multiple months. While the early harvest in the north has been as expected, the southern region of the country has experienced flooding on a large scale, affecting harvest. The region of Rio Grande do Sul has seen extraordinary flooding in the region, with accumulation in some areas of 25 inches in a mere 10 days, resulting in the worst flooding in 83 years.

The ramifications of the flooding have affected both urban and rural infrastructure dramatically.

Transportation infrastructure has seen dramatic effects from flooding, with roads damaged and rail halted. This has caused shipping delays to Brazil’s exporting port Rio Grande, the country’s fourth largest soy port.

Not only are shipments to the port challenged, but approximately 25 per cent of the crop in the field in this region is yet to harvest and will likely never be harvested. Some have estimated up to five million tonnes of soys may be at risk.

Crop problems aresurfacing in other regions also. Argentina is seeing a dramatic effect in corn fields due to leafhoppers. These leaf hoppers spread a fungus that kills corn plants after they are infected.

The insect flourishes in humid and hot conditions and has been spreading widely this season.

Currently Argentine estimates for corn production have slipped three million tonnes.

While world grain inventories are still expected to see adequate supply, the extremely negative narrative may be changing. In May, we saw prices rebound significantly due to the production problems which have surfaced. With other regions losing supply, more attention will be paid to potential risk in the U.S. growing season. While the result of the U.S. cropping season is unknown, it hasn’t been off to a perfect start. Currently, the U.S. is slightly below the fiveyear planting pace due to excessive rain. ◊ June 2024 49

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

FireRangers work on the ground and in the air fighting forest fires

S

ince the emerald ash borer destruction, I get asked many times each year about the risk of forest fires. In an effort to help forest owners and enthusiasts understand the forest fire risk in southern Ontario, Grey Bruce Woodlot Conference organizers had a member of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources FireRanger team present to the audience at the conference.

It is important to understand that our area of Ontario, basically everything south of the Bruce Peninsula, is not included within the Provincial Forest Fire region. Our forests are of a different composition and are much smaller in size as they are broken up by agricultural land and development. Our local fire departments are responsible for all fire suppression, but they can call the Ontario FireRangers for advice or assistance.

FireRanger Ken gave a great presentation on the fire program in Ontario. His enthusiasm and passion for his trade came through in spades.

I believe he had the entire audience enthralled as he spoke of the aerial attack options that are commonly used in fire control. I think most people enjoy helicopters, but a helicopter that can carry a water bucket, up to 7,000 pounds of equipment or FireRanger crews, and 50 The Rural Voice

even be equipped with floats to land on water – wow!

Along with the helicopters, the Aviation, Forest Fires, and Emergency Services section of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has three fixed wing planes that are used in the battle against forest fires. In my opinion, the most famous plane used in forest fire fighting has to be the waterbomber. This plane can scoop over 6,000 litres (over 1,500 gallons) of water in 12 seconds while in flight. The two smaller planes in the fleet are the Twin Otter and the Turbo Beaver. While the Twin Otter can carry holding tanks for firesuppression water, both of these two planes are also used for carrying equipment, fuel, people, boats, and other items required for Ministry staff to work in remote locations.

One of the most important aspects of the work that the fire fighting crews do is communication. Water dropped by the aircraft falls with so much force that it can snap off trees and could seriously injure or kill a human. Both the boots on the ground fighting the fire and the pilots need to know where people are, and they all need to know what the plan is to be in the correct location at all times.

FireRangers on the ground are using shovels, firefighting backpack tanks, Pulaski axes, MacLeod tools, chainsaws, portable water pumps, hose backpacks, along with navigational and communication equipment. These rangers may be the first to attack the fire, using hand tools and other items that they have carried to the location from their drop point. Clearly, to become a FireRanger, you must be physically fit so all FireRangers must successfully complete the fitness test.

These hardworking people may also be fighting fires beyond the initial attack. Once the fire is deemed to be under control, FireRangers will continue to work at extinguishing the fire, what we commonly call “mopping-up”.

When not actively fighting fires, these FireRangers will carry out duties like presenting at conferences,

encouraging fire prevention, clearing fire risks in fire-prone areas, and equipment maintenance. These firefighters are part of an international group. If Ontario needs help, crews may come from another Province or another Country to assist.

Likewise, our Ontario FireRangers may be called in to assist another faraway region.

Back to our area and our forest fire risk, our risk is low. We live in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Forest Region. As such, the species of trees that are most prevalent do not create a heavy duff layer. A duff layer is the layer of decaying vegetation, leaves and other organic materials that are present on the forest floor. Our dominant tree species are also hardwood or deciduous trees. These trees are much harder to ignite. For example, a ground fire in a typical deciduous forest will burn right around a fallen log, but the log will not ignite.

I have had the unfortunate opportunity to work in controlling three forest fires in our watershed, on our properties. Each of these fires was only noticed through small whiffs of smoke drifting towards trails that people luckily hike. The largest of the fires likely burned for a few weeks to a month before being noticed. The total area affected by the fire was about one acre. The trees within this area had their roots burnt off. The other fires were discovered much sooner and therefore affected fewer trees.

When people think of forest fires, they think of wildfires. Wildfires are large unplanned, uncontrolled, and unpredictable fires. Often images of wildfires include crown fires, enormous clouds of smoke, and thousands of acres/hectares on fire.

Our forest fires are much less photogenic, less destructive, and less dangerous.

The Ontario FireSmart program has a lot of information for home and property owners. FireRanger Ken offered an important note from this program that is very relevant to our area. The maintenance of the area around our homes or other items of

interest should encompass 30 meters (100 feet) at a minimum. This maintenance includes the removal of combustible materials, dead branches, materials accumulated in eavestroughs, and keeping lawns healthy through mowing and watering. Trees and shrubs should be pruned, and we should think twice about planting coniferous trees next to our homes. As we all know from starting fires, coniferous trees ignite easily.

Having said this, we all need to consider our risks. The three cedars that are planted at the foundation of my home are surrounded by grass, and rocks. I consider these to be of minimal risk in the spread of fire.

These cedars are also pruned regularly, and the dead debris is removed.

There is some really great information available on the FireSmart program and awesome water bomber videos available online. If you aren’t able to Google the videos, invite a friend to show you. ◊

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June 2024 51

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

The mythical inoperable tractor

T

his month’s article doesn’t have much to do with farming, but I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to share a farmingrelated analogy at the centre of a recent impaired driving case. A “mythical inoperable tractor” served as the basis for the initially (but not ultimately) successful defence of the charge.

The facts of the case are simple.

A driver was involved in a single motor vehicle accident in the early morning hours one day in December, 2019 in the City of Toronto. The sound of the accident had been overheard by a witness who happened to be walking home at the time. When that witness arrived at the scene, he found a vehicle stationed under a streetlight and off the travelled portion of the road and noted that the vehicle was not running and had its four-way flashers engaged. There was a man behind the wheel of the vehicle and there was a female present outside the vehicle.

The witness did not see the accident and there were no other witnesses who had seen any accident.

The man in the driver’s seat was arrested for impaired operation of a motor vehicle on the basis of two breath samples showing his blood alcohol over the legal limit. At his trial in June, 2022, the accused did not call any evidence or testify in his own defence. Instead, he relied on an expert report that was entered into evidence with the consent of the Crown. The expert report confirmed that the accused’s vehicle was completely inoperable at the time it was discovered and was immobile.

The accused was acquitted at trial.

52 The Rural Voice

The trial judge accepted that the vehicle was inoperable and immobile when the accused was found sitting in the driver’s seat with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

There had been an accident, but it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. The accused was found sitting in the driver’s seat and could be found to have had the “care and control” of a “conveyance” necessary to support a conviction for impaired driving.

However, the trial judge ruled that “care and control” of a “conveyance” had not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt in spite of the following presumption set out at Section 320.35 of the Criminal Code: “In proceedings in respect of an offence under s. 320.14 or 320.15, if it is proved that the accused occupied the seat or position ordinarily occupied by a person who operates a conveyance, the accused is presumed to have been operating the conveyance unless they establish that they did not occupy that seat of position for the purpose of setting the conveyance in motion.”

The trial judge likened the situation to that of the “mythical inoperable tractor” found in the middle of a farmer’s field: could an individual seen drinking alcohol in a rusted-out old tractor with no windows or tires be convicted of impaired driving? Would it not be unreasonable to convict where there was no realistic or even speculative risk of danger and no evidence of intent to put the tractor in motion?

The trial judge accepted that where it had been proven that a vehicle was inoperable and immobile and posed no apparent danger to the public, and there was no evidence of an intent on the part of the accused to drive the vehicle, the presumption in Section 320.35 of the Criminal Code did not provide the “care and control” of a “conveyance” necessary for a conviction.

The acquittal of the accused was appealed by the Crown to the Superior Court of Justice. On appeal, the acquittal was overturned and the matter remitted to the Ontario Court

of Justice for a new trial. Although the appellate judge saw some “appeal” to the accused’s argument (and the trial judge’s reasoning) about the “mythical inoperable tractor”, the judge found nothing in the language of Section 320.35 of the Criminal Code that suggests that the presumption of “care and control” can be rebutted simply by establishing that a vehicle was inoperable and posed no risk to public safety. The definition of “motor vehicle” in the Criminal Code does not exclude an inoperable vehicle. If Parliament wished to make such an exclusion, it could through an amendment to the Code.

What the trial judge got wrong in his decision was that there was an onus on the accused to show that he was not sitting in the driver’s seat “for the purpose of setting the conveyance in motion.” It was not for the Crown to prove the intention; it was for the accused to prove the absence of an intention to drive the vehicle. As the accused called no evidence at trial (save for the expert report that went in on consent), there was no evidence of an absence of intention. The “mythical inoperable tractor” got the accused part way in rebutting the presumption of “care and control” of a “conveyance”, but not far enough. ______________________________ 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.

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

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

People

• By Gary West •

Dairy fund has dispersed over $1 million

T

he Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund (ODYTF.) was established 30 years ago to aid in the education of Ontario youth who are, or will be, involved in agriculture, particularly in the dairy sector.

The motto for the fund is “supporting and educating Ontario Dairy Youth.”

Since its inception, the fund has been overseen by a dedicated volunteer board of trustees. They are responsible for decisions on funding activities for dairy youth, and effectively investing and managing entrusted funds.

They are also in charge of promoting the Trust Fund as a donation of choice and encouraging their youth to be involved in activities, supported by the ODYTF. Ongoing activities include the sponsorship and support of the provincial dairy judging competitions for youth in 4-H and several educational events and competitions across the province for youth aged 913. The fund trustees award scholarships and grant prizes at various youth events and supports an outstanding Ontario Dairy Youth competition for ages 25-35 while supporting University of Guelph club events.

Some of the grants given out over the last year have gone to Grey County 4-H showdown, Dundas 4-H dairy club, Lennox & Addington 4-H dairy club, Ancaster dairy club, and the Flamborough 4-H dairy calf club which includes just short of 100 4-H members in total.

The trust fund also continues to sponsor the World Dairy Expo judging team, Young Breeders trips, Young Fitters competition and many showmanship competitions.

The Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund was set up to “support today’s youth, to be leaders of tomorrow”.

The board of trustees has been under the chairmanship of longtime dairy enthusiast and supporter, Ken Empey of Dorchester, who has

The Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund has dispersed over $1 million in its 30‐year existence. Standing with a poster highlighting the fund are (left to right) Heather Parkin, fund trustee; Hannah Woodhouse of Grey County, a former fund scholarship winner who is now finishing her PhD at the University of Guelph; and Murray Reissner, also a trust fund trustee. judged dairy cattle all over the world, and has been a trustee with the fund since its inception.

In a recent interview, he said “in the beginning it took over a year to get the trust’s nonprofit charter registered with the government. Then they started with a $3,500 gift from Holstein Ontario, and operated arms length with the Ontario branch”.

He says “the fund has been blessed over the years, with donations coming from county clubs, and the auctions at the Ontario branch annual meeting.” Over the 30 years of its existence, the ODYTF committee has dispersed over $1 million to dairy youth activities, which he says, has been “gratifying to see, with a lot of the youth

growing into today's leaders in the dairy industry.”

Empey also states that “the trustees have been a handpicked group over the years that do a commendable job in investing the money and also look at each application carefully.”

He said this is the responsibility of being a trustee, and all are volunteers working with no per diem or mileage remuneration and trustees have always taken the job very seriously.

The board of trustees encourages dairy farmers and interested organizations in supporting financially to contact: ontariodairyyouthtrustfund@ gmail.com ◊ June 2024 53

The

Rural Voice

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54 The Rural Voice

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June 2024 55

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

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

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Sittler Grinding Inc. Rick Sittler.

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------SUFFOLK SHEEP - Taking orders now for 2024-born breeding ram lambs and ewe lambs. Several British bloodlines. MV Negative closed flock. Florence Pullen, PO Box 715, Clinton, ON N0M 1L0 519233-7896.

-------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN breeding bulls, quiet, thick, semen tested, guaranteed breeders, delivery included. Posthaven Limousin, John Post, 519-766-7178. www.posthavenlimousin.com -------------------------------------------Red Angus/Simmental bulls for sale. Completed test results available by googling Ontario Bull Evaluation, Silver Springs Farms.

Heifers available bred to an easy calving bull for spring 2025 calving.

Contact us at 519-599-6236 to reserve yours. James, Joan and Robert McKinlay.

-------------------------------------------Limousin - Bred heifers and cows available for sale. Come pick your new herdsire prospect.

Smart Limousin, Meaford, 519-3727459, smartlimo@bmts.com. www.smartlimousin.com -------------------------------------------MARKETS -------------------------------------------Flesherton & District Farmers' Market. A "true farmers' market".

Locally grown, produced, and handmade. 9 am to 1:00 pm.

Saturday's until Thanksgiving. 101 Highland Drive, Flesherton. (Email: market.manager.fdfm@gmail.com).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RESTORATION -------------------------------------------The Olde Tyme Radio Centre antique radios, clocks, gramophones, telephones; sold/restored. (vintage autoclock radio repairs. Golden Oldies Antiques For Sale. Belgrave 519357-4304, www.oldtymeradio.ca --------------------------------------------

Huron County Cruisers is hosting a Cruise-In night, Friday, July 5, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. (rain date July 12); Harriston Rd. 87, Howick Community Centre. Music, food booth, celebrity guests and draws during the event. Contact Verdun Zurbrigg for information, 519-4448551.

-------------------------------------------CONSTRUCTION -------------------------------------------Liquid manure tanks, bunker silos, foundations and pads. All are 100% engineered. Serving Ontario since 1968. De Jong & Sons Ltd. 519-348-0523 -------------------------------------------CUSTOM WORK -------------------------------------------Custom Planting, Excavation and Scraper work. Competitive rates, Quality Work. Willing to Travel.

Ben Morgan 519-353-8704 Teeswater -------------------------------------------DAIRY -------------------------------------------Screened bedding sand, delivered.

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

-------------------------------------------FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Coleman Powermate Premium 6875 watt portable generator, $500 Call 519-524-0324 or 519-482-9170.

-------------------------------------------Frozen raspberries and blackberries; $6 per pint. Quantity discounts will apply. Call 519-2873013.

-------------------------------------------Alfalfa hay mixtures, pasture mixtures, top dressing for pastures, and a selection of organic grass seeds. All mixed to your personal needs. Available at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-395-2972.

Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

56 The Rural Voice

CLASSIFIED

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-------------------------------------------RETAIL AND GIFTS -------------------------------------------Little Falls Artisan Market Over 100 Artisans to choose from!

Large, varied selection of interesting gift ideas. Headquarters of popular 18 inch doll clothes. 83 Queen St. East, St Mary's; www.littlefallscraftersmarket.com -------------------------------------------SERVICES -------------------------------------------Farm buildings, homes, cottages repaired, remodeled, restored and jacked up. Also roofing, siding, doors, windows, cement work, foundations, piers, framework, decks, doors, fencing, beams, eavestroughing - repaired, replaced or installed. Brian McCurdy 519375-0958/519-986-1781.

-------------------------------------------Cronin Poured Concrete Ltd. Since 1976. Liquid manure tanks to 200'. Heights of 8'- 14' (1-pour).

All jobs engineer specifications/ inspections guaranteed.

Best firm quote in Ontario.

Mark Cronin. 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------PAL Class for firearms training.

Ongoing courses available.

Certified instructors. Call Greg 519-291-0507.

-------------------------------------------Income tax filing for farms, small business, truckers and individuals.

Will make house calls in the North Huron, Perth and surrounding area.

Call Shirley in Wingham.

Cell: 1-705-434-8187.

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

-------------------------------------------SERVICES -------------------------------------------Langside Chainsaw & Small Engine Sales & Service - chainsaws and accessories, string trimmers, power cutters, small engines, v-belts, lawn mower sales and service. Isaac M. Martin, 378 Langside Street, RR 5, Lucknow ON N0G 2H0.

-------------------------------------------Scrap Metal Recyclers in Perth and Huron Counties. Secondary Resources (Perth) Ltd. The Joyes Family Scrapyards - 62 Years in Recycling Business, Perth East Location: 4546 Line 42, R. R., 1 Sebringville, ON(519) 393-5390.

Huron County Location: 205 Nelson Street, Goderich, ON(519) 524-7024.Call for Lugger and Rolloff Bin Service for Metal Recycle. Visit our website at www.secondaryresources.ca.

-Thank you for Recycling!

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

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

DANNY’S

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

DONALD A ANDREW ACCOUNTING

RESISTS CRACKING & PEELING Water based, solvent free, Liquid Rubber Seal Roof creates an adhered, flexible membrane.

SURFACES • Metal (inc. galvanized & aluminum) • Wood • Concrete • Manure Pits • UV Resistant

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

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

Call: Jim Glavin 1-800-465-4725 519-228-6247 Eugene Glavin 519-228-6801 Specializing in on Farm Pest Management Serving Southwestern ON, Golden Horseshoe, GTA Email: info@sgsltd.ca

519-692-4232

www.sgspestmanagement.ca

------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------Family is looking to buy a dairy farm in Bruce County. Please send your response to Drawer #5 c/o Rural Voice, PO Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 .

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

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

-------------------------------------------John Deere or International grain binder. McCormick threshing machine preferably with straw cutter. Call 905-983-9331.

-------------------------------------------Farmland - Long or short term.

Cash rent, share crop. Contact Paul at Hill & Hill Farms, 519-233-3218 or 519-525-3137 or email: paul.hill@tcc.on.ca --------------------------------------------

Accounting & Income Tax Services for FARMS, BUSINESSES & INDIVIDUALS 296 Ross St., Lucknow

Ph. 519-528-3019 June 2024 57

National Farmers Union – Ontario NEWSLETTER ● Strong Communities ● Sound Policies ● Sustainable Farms

Phone: 1-888-832-9638 E-mail: office@nfuontario.ca Website: www.nfuontario.ca

Let’s talk about improving nutrient management

F

armers care about agricultural conservation. Over three quarters of the 246 Ontario farmers who took part in a recent NFU-O survey believe they have an important role to play in protecting water quality. A majority are also concerned about the rise of toxic Lake Erie algae blooms. Most are very aware that the re-eutrophication of Lake Erie is caused, primarily, by manure and synthetic fertilizers applied in agricultural production.

“We want to be part of the solution,” says Don Ciparis, NFU-O Local 306 president and grain farmer.

“We wish to initiate honest and difficult conversations about what we can do as farmers to advance an environmentally-responsible agriculture sector in this province.”

A multi-pronged approach is required to maintain and improve water and soil health. A proactive and accountable farming community has the power to shift the dominant narratives away from denial or inaction. The NFU-O recommends: The reintroduction of comprehensive Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (O M A F R A) extension services for nutrient guidance including free annual soil testing for all farm operations. Our study found that less than 15 per cent of conventional crop farmers rely on OMAFRA’s nutrient management guidelines and the majority take commercial fertilizer suppliers’ advice at face value.

The creation of a Canadian Farm Resilience Agency (CFRA) to coordinate a rapid, science-guided, and least cost transition to financially secure, emission-minimizing farms and food systems.

Public education campaigns, including free and accessible training on “least cost crop production,” or

farming for maximum profit versus maximum yield: Our survey data revealed that crop farmers spend, on average, one-fifth of their input costs on fertilizer. Both the environment and farmers would benefit from education campaigns on practices/methods that reduce the total amounts of fertilizers required to grow their crops.

An increase in public and private grants, subsidies, and costshare programs: Financial supports, like those currently offered under the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Initiative, are required to support farmers who make improvements by voluntarily adopting best agricultural conservation practices. These grants and subsidies need to be easy to apply for, equitably administered, and long enough in duration to measure the efficacy of any intervention.

Exploring how agricultural tax and federal program incentives could be made cross-compliant with on-farm agricultural conservation practices: This could include incremental revamping of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Business Risk Management programs, in particular AgriInvest, to incentivize farms that enact proven ecological improvements. At the provincial/municipal level, cross-

compliance could also include adopting specific agricultural conservation practices a condition for farmers to receive an additional reduction to their current 25 per cent agricultural property tax rate.

Revise the Nutrient Management Act (2002) to include synthetic fertilizer regulations and strengthen compliance measures.

Almost half of the farmers surveyed were open to augmenting voluntaristic approaches with specific regulations. These regulations need to make regular soil testing a requirement as it is impossible to adhere to sustainable 4R Nutrient Stewardship without it. These new and revised regulations need adequate compliance, monitoring, and enforcement both to be effective and to gain the public’s trust. Similar regulations have been introduced with considerable success in the United States, Europe, and recently, in British Columbia.

For more information, we invite you to read Ontario Farmers for Agricultural Conservation: An NFUO Report & Survey on Advancing Best Nutrient Management Practices on the N F U-O website, https://nfuontario.ca/resources/ontario -farmers-for-agriculturalconservation-2024/ ◊

Local News/Events ● Remembering Ken and Ruth Sinclair: The National Farmers’ Union lost two great supporters and advocates when Ken Sinclair and his wife Ruth passed away very close to each other. Ken died on April 2 and Ruth on February 23.

Ken was 94 and Ruth was 88. They had been married for 65 years. When you saw one, you saw the other. They had one daughter, two grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Ken was a dedicated potato and cattle farmer, plus an avid hunter when deer season rolled around. Ruth was a public school teacher loved by her students.

Ken spent countless hours drumming up NFU memberships long before it was compulsory to belong to a farm organization in Ontario. They hosted many meetings at their home for Local 345. He and Ruth will be missed by his NFU family and the community. (Submitted by Local 345)

A subscription to The Rural Voice is one of the benefits of being an NFU-O member 58 The Rural Voice

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

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

A concept that those in agriculture need to learn Submitted by Craig Hulshof s agricultural machinery in the barn and field becomes automated and powerful, farmers need to learn the concept of Lock-out/Tag-Out to keep themselves, their employees, and families safe.

Lockout/tagout is a protection system against unintentional exposure to hazardous energy from equipment and machinery while it is being repaired or serviced. A lockout device, such as a padlock, secures the energy isolating device while a tagout device (i.e. a tag) warns employees not to use the equipment. Usually the padlock has a tag on it that also has the name and contact information of the person who applied the lock. The idea is that the lock that is maintaining the machine in a safe state is not removed until the machine is safe to use again. The lock should also be removed when someone else takes responsibility for ensuring the safety of the machine by applying their lock to the energy isolation device(s).

Step 1: Preparation – During this stage, the authorized employee should investigate to identify the equipment, machine, or process to be shut down. As a safety measure, this step should also recognize which energy resources must be controlled and highlight all the potential hazards that come with it.

Hazardous energy sources include: ● Electrical: Could some be shocked while working on a circuit, or injured by a motor that accidently starts? The machine needs to be disconnected from its power source. ● Hydraulic: Are hydraulic lines under pressure? Could opening a hydraulic line or hydraulic pressure cause injury by accidental movement, or release a jet of oil? Lock off the pump, or tractor, or disconnect the hydraulic lines from the tractor, or turn off the valve to the pressure washer hose. Then safely release pressure.

A

● Pneumatic: Similar to hydraulic, but the accidental movement tends to be faster. ● Heat: Precautions need to be taken against burns or frostbite.

Equipment needs to be allowed to cool before it is serviced, or workers need to wear the proper protective equipment. ● Chemical: Could hazardous chemicals be released by working on equipment, such as a sprayer or silo unloader? How can this be prevented? If it can't be prevented, how can you protect yourself from them? ● Gravity Potential: Could something fall and cause an injury or fatality? Use jack stands or blocks where appropriate. Use the lock collars on hydraulic cylinders to ensure equipment does not lower while you are working on it.

Step 2: Notification – In the second stage, all affected personnel should be notified of the shutdown.

Essential items to communicate can include information such as the equipment to be locked out, the reason behind it, the estimated time frame of the shutdown, the authorized personnel for the shutdown, as well as who to contact for clarifications and questions.

Step 3: Shutdown – After the planning stage, the actual equipment shutdown begins. For this process, follow the shutdown procedures established by the manufacturer or the workplace itself. Turn off the controls and make sure that all the running parts of the equipment come to a total stop.

Step 4: Isolation – This stage, also called de-energization, is the part where the authorized person will be needing to remove the equipment from any energy sources it is connected to. Some equipment may need to be shut down by turning off power from the breaker or by simply shutting a valve.

Step 5: Dissipation – In simpler terms, this is the process of removing

possible residual energy still in the equipment. Depending on the type of equipment or power source, residual energy can either be disconnected, restrained, relieved, or made nonhazardous. Never forget about the capacitors in a disconnected motor.

Step 6: Lockout/Tagout – During this actual lockout/tagout stage, the equipment is locked using energyisolating devices. The tag to be attached, meanwhile, should contain the name of the person who performed the lockout and other additional information needed.

Step 7: Isolation verification – In this last stage, all the steps conducted have to be re-checked to ensure that everything is as it should be. Treat this as an opportunity to test the equipment by activating the process controls and observing the result.

Non-activation of the equipment is a confirmation that energy isolation is completed. For instance after you have locked out an electrical circuit, the voltage of the circuit being serviced should be tested to ensure the correct breaker or disconnect was locked off.

Lock-out Tag-out is not always easily applied to agriculture because we are not mandated to use it like other industries are. A lot of the equipment we use in our barns like disconnects, and pressure valves, can be locked in the off position. But the equipment we use in the field certainly isn't made to be locked out.

In some cases, putting the tractor keys in your pocket might be good enough. In other cases you might have to come up with other ways to ensure that equipment is not used while it is being serviced.

But the same principles apply.

Bring the machine to a stop, make sure it won't move, remove any sources of hazardous energy, communicate the potential hazard to anyone who might encounter it, then double check that the machine is safe to work on. ◊ June 2024 59

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

NEWSLETTER

519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA

Students get a taste of Agriculture with Interactive Learning - Roots of Bruce

R

oots of Bruce is a unique program that aims to educate all who attend about agriculture and food production in Bruce County. This year’s event was held April 18 - 19 at the Walkerton Agricultural Society facilities. Over two days more than 600 grade five and six students were able to participate in this interactive learning opportunity through 24 learning stations provided by local commodity groups. Bruce Federation president Chris Cossitt worked with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s Member Service Representative Margaret Vincent to play Agriculture Jeopardy with the students. Most of the students were very enthusiastic to test their knowledge.

The Roots of Bruce project was first offered in April 1995. Since its inception, over 20,000 students have experienced the unique, local, community volunteerbased, event. During the event, over 300 community volunteers from the women’s institutes, rotarians, retired teachers, and high school students form a team. This team is vital towards planting the seeds of learning about agriculture and food’s important role in living healthy lives.

We would like to extend our thanks to all the volunteers for providing such an exceptional event for local students. We extend gratitude to the Roots of Bruce committee for the hours of organization that it takes to run this type of event. ◊

If you require a new SMV sign for your equipment before heading out on the road, contact our office we have some available to members.

2024 Directors Meetings June 24 August 26 September 23 October 4 - Annual Meeting November 11

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

60 The Rural Voice

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

Students learn about agriculture at Grown in Grey

2024 Directors Meetings June 12 August 14 September 11 October 18 - AGM November 13

Josh Coles (front) assisted by Lucas Coles (background)

S

Dianne Booker

Margaret Vincent

ince it started in 1997, over 11,000 students have participated in Grown in Grey and each of them came away with a better understanding of agriculture and how it is part of the fabric of Grey County. The event would not be possible if not for the support and efforts of many organizations, commodity groups, farmers, educators, and individuals interested in the many facets of agriculture.

This year, Grown in Grey was held on April 16-17 at the Desboro Arena. It was a huge success! Eleven schools participated with almost 600 students from Grey and Bruce counties attending over two days, all learning about agriculture in Grey County through 32 learning stations of local farmers, businesses and organizations. There were about 100 volunteers running stations and guiding groups each day. This included the Environmental Studies class from Grey Highlands Secondary School who assisted with set up and moving students between booths. They also led the students in outdoor activities at lunch time. GCFA president Keith Reid and Ontario Federation of Agriculture Member Services Representative Margaret Vincent, played Agricultural Jeopardy with the students at the Federation booth sharing fun facts related to Ontario agriculture, local food, Canadian agriculture, types of farms and food literacy.

All volunteers were fed a wonderful hot lunch prepared by the Grey County Women’s Institute. For the first time in many years, the committee included an Open House on Tuesday from 2-5 p.m. It was a hit for families that attended and we are looking forward to including it at next year’s event. This portion of the day is open for everyone to attend.

Thank you to our sponsors this year: Farm Credit Canada (FCC), Grain Farmers of Ontario, Owen Sound Agricultural Society, Grey County Federation of Agriculture and Grey County Milk Committee who provided the milk that students enjoyed with their lunches.

The Grown in Grey committee is always looking for sponsors to make these days possible. Next year, they plan to make a road sign to advertise the open house and there is an opportunity to sponsor and have your logo on the sign. For more information about donating, volunteering or bringing your animals or displays to this great event or if you have any questions, please reach out to Lindsey Coles colesdalefarms@gmail.com or Tracy McNally mtamcnally@gmail.com.

The many volunteers made these days a great learning opportunity for all these students! We are teaching our future consumers where their food comes from and our stations are run by the people who know agriculture best, thereby educating as well as helping to clear up some of the misconceptions about agriculture.

Local events like Grown in Grey demonstrate that farmers can be proud of their accomplishments and share our stories with local youth. These events are made possible by the co-operation of many organizations, commodity groups, farmers, educators, and individuals interested in the many facets of agriculture. Thank you to all the classes for attending, and to the teaching staff and dedicated volunteers for making those days so successful. ◊

The province of Ontario has posted an up-dated Farm Guide for Farm Equipment on the Road.

Go to https://www.ontario.ca/page/farmequipment-highway for details.

Did you miss the Webinars on Farm Vehicles on the Road, or Easements on Farm Properties? Go to https://ofa.on.ca/resources/ ?xfilter=webinars or to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/ @ontariofarms

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

June 2024 61

Perth County Federation of Agriculture Office: 1-833-229-6834 Email: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com Website: www.perthcountyfarmers.ca Derek Van De Walle, President

Ontario needs more food processing infrastructure Submitted By Tim Halliday PCFA Director he Perth County Federation of Agriculture Spring Forum was held on April 24 in Mitchell. MP John Nater and MPP Matthew Rae were present to hear the concerns, challenges and successes of the agricultural sector in Perth County.

Perth County commodity and farm groups made presentations to the federal and provincial representatives.

Several municipal councillors were also in attendance to learn about the issues in the agriculture community.

Presentations were made by: ● Egg Farmers ● Dairy Producers ● Chicken Farmers ● Pork Producers ● Beef Farmers Perth County Federation of Agriculture President, Derek Van De Walle, (right), stands with ● Grain Farmers ● Perth County Federation John Nater, MP, Perth Wellington (left) and Matthew Rae, MPP Perth Wellington, (centre) of Agriculture at the PCFA Agriculture Spring Forum.

There were three key issues that were recurrent amongst industry has struggled because of a inflationary costs to agriculture, and the presentations: lack of available skilled and unskilled access to international markets.

1. Preservation of farmland is labour. Abundant and conflicting Participants agreed there was good important to the agriculture industry. regulations and other red tape have two-way dialogue and discussion Land is fundamental to the business held back the industry. Governments throughout the day. The forum was an of farming. Meanwhile, governments are always looking for economic educational opportunity for everyone want to expand housing and industry, growth opportunities and have a role in attendance. ◊ which also require land. Farm groups in creating a positive business encouraged the government to environment. Processing at the local maintain a balance between the two level with small abattoirs, pork uses. An open and transparent process processing and large milk processing in land use planning needs to take plants were discussed.

Use place. Intensification of building 3. Cell phone reception and rural (constructing “up”, not “out”) and your broadband internet and their necessity infilling of urban land were identified for farming operations and farm slow-moving as methods to reduce non-farm safety were also discussed at length. signs on farm development on farmland.

Many other issues were identified and equipment 2. Ontario could benefit greatly discussed, including support for risk from an increase in food processing management programs, protection of infrastructure. The processing domestic markets, effects of

T

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

62 The Rural Voice

Index

Bautec Industries Inc ....................9 Bernie McGlynn Lumber ............51 Bervie Supply Energy ................26 Bester Forest Products ..............63 Blyth Festival ......................Cover 3 Canadian Co-operative Wool ....43 Chalmers Fuels............................43 Cottrill Heavy Equipment............24 Crafter’s Corner ..........................42 Crop Management ......................15 Crop Quest Inc ............................36 Cross County Eavestrough ........26 Dairy Month............................16, 17 Daytrips & Destinations ............5, 7 Easy Lift Doors Ltd ......................12 Father’s Day ..................................2 Farm To Table ..............................13 Feeney Design Build ..........Cover 4 Green Valley Heating Inc ..............6 Grey-Bruce Construction ..........45 GRK Products ............................35 Hanover Honda ..........................39 Hardi ............................................43 Hayden Water Wells....................35 Highland Fuels & Supply ............63 Hill & Hill/Varna Grain ........Cover 2 H-P Public Health ........................42 Home and Garden..........30, 32, 33 JA Porter Holdings Ltd................47 Kenpal Farm Products ................21 LAC ..............................................51 Lakeside Shelving & Racking ....45 Legge Fitness ..............Back Cover Leon Brubacher ..........................14 Live Landscape ..........................45 Lucknow Music In Fields ....Cover 5 Marquardt Farm Drainage Ltd ....38 Martin Farm Wagons ..................38 May Apple Financial ....................19 McLeod Water Wells Ltd ............36 Moore Hemsworth Insurance ....45 Morris Sachs Silo Construction ..47 MRC Wireless ..............................23 Nu-Matic Systems Inc ................24 Nuclear Waste Mgt ......................51 Nuhn Forage ................................19 Outdoor Recreation......................11 Oxford Honey & Supplies ............6 Preserve & Store ........................29 RSC Forestry Mulching ................8 Riverside Welding ......................23 Robert Brown ................................9 Rural Voice Books ..............Cover 6 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage ............14 Schweiss Doors ..........................43 Seifried Farm Equipment ............36 Silver Creek Nursery ..................45 Superior Barn Painting ......Cover 4

SWO Diesel Inc ..................Cover 7 Townsley Barn Painting ..............57 WD Hopper & Sons ....................26 Waddell Engineering ..................36 Weber’s Farm Supply ..................14

DEADLINE for the

July Rural Voice Magazine is

June 11

Green Lumber Kiln Dried Lumber Coloured Mulch Sawdust Firewood

besterforest@gmail.com

Family owned and operated, check out our website www.highlandsupply.ca for updated equipment pricing throughout the year!

92 Main St. W., Dundalk, Ontario Tel: 519.923.2240 ~ Toll-Free: 800.265.9154 email: sales@highlandsupply.ca June 2024 63

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

Helping Make Road Safety a Priority

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

Upcoming Events May 31st to June 2nd Clinton Spring Fair clintonspringfair.com June 14th & 15th Dungannon Super Pull dugannonsuperpullanddemo.ca June 16th Happy Father’s Day

We hope you have noticed the two new signs promoting road safety we have erected this year. One sign is located on Highway 86 and the other is on Highway 4. In order to avoid accidents on our roads please make road safety a priority and be alert at all times.

OFA Zone 7 (Huron Perth) Elections The OFA members in Huron and Perth Counties will be holding an election for Zone director to the OFA board this year.

Anyone interested in nominating someone or anyone wishing to run for the three-year term should be aware of the election schedule.

2024 Zone Director Election Dates: Nomination Period: June 1 – June 28 Election Period: August 19 – September 13 Nomination Period for Director at Large: October 15 – October 28 For further information about the process or for answers to questions about the Director position please contact Loni Elliott, OFA Member Services Representative for Huron-Perth at loni.elliott@ofa.on.ca or call 519-482-9642/1-800-511-1135 extension 1

Congratulations to all the Graduates this year.

The HCFA provides one scholarship at each Huron County High School to a deserving student proceeding to a higher education in a agricultural related field.

Congratulations to all this years graduates and good luck with your future studies.

Farmer Wellness Initiative 24/7 counseling to farmers and farm family members, free all year round 1.866.267.6255 https://farmerwellnessiniti ative.ca/; and frequently asked questions about FWI: https://farmerwellnessinitiative.ca/faq

June 19th & 20th Ontario Pork Congress, Stratford

HCFA Board Meeting June 24th at 8:00 p.m.

Vanastra Office

Save the Date

The Huron County Federation of Agriculture is hosting its Annual/Regional meeting on Friday, November 1st

OPP Non-Emergency Line 1-888-310-1122

Room for Rent

The HCFA has a board room available for rent for $40 including HST. Call the HCFA office at 519-482-9642 ext 2 to book your meetings.

Huron Federation Office Hours Monday 9­12 and 1­4 Alternate Fridays 9­12 and 1­4

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

64 The Rural Voice

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7 Benefits of a Good Strength Training Program 1. TARGETED IMPROVEMENT - Target specific muscles and muscle groups.

2. CHANGE BODY SHAPE - Maintain youthful body shape.

3. DIGESTIVE SOLUTION - Specific core (abdominal) exercises can strengthen the entire digestive system.

4. STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION - Strengthens tendons, ligaments and all connective tissue.

5. RELEASE & RELAX - Release stored tension and stress in the nervous system, leaving you relaxed and rejuvenated.

6. IMPROVE POSTURE - Muscle strength supports proper posture and joint alignment.

7. ENERGY - Increase energy and strength.

We have been working with the BODYCRAFT Strength Systems for 25 years now with excellent results. BODYCRAFT offers a variety of models from Multi-Station Systems, Functional Trainers, Power Racks and Free Weight Equipment. We invite you to visit our Listowel or Fergus showroom to test drive our in-stock BODYCRAFT Strength Training Systems!

LeggeFitness.com 1-800-695-7338

202 Main St. W., Listowel 105 Queen St W., Fergus

Your Family Fitness, Wellness and Mobility Store Since 1988!