The Rural Voice - March 2024

Rural Voice March 2024

The

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

THE GORDON BARN

Cross-ventilated robotic dairy barn attracts thousands at open house

GRAVEL PIT WARS Water and environment concerns spark protest against gravel pit applications

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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

16

Publisher: Deb Sholdice

23 Columns Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

29 MARCH 2024 • Cover Photo The Gordon Family of Thedford Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

• Deadlines: April Issue – March 5 May Issue – April 9

16 Seven Robot Milker Barn

With six family members farming and 300 cows to milk, the Gordons needed a new dairy barn

23 Too Many Gravel Pits Two leaders ask for local control over opening of gravel pits

Departments 29 Food Hub Sorts and Delivers Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Newsletters

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

Having a local food hub provides customers with fresh food and allows growers to set their own prices

33 Quite a Year for Beef Farmers

Editor: Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot rveditorlisa@northhuron.on.ca Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Arnold Mathers, Donna Lacey, Melisa Luymes, Carolyn Crawford, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe Advertising Sales: Shelley Kroes rvads@northhuron.on.ca Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40037593 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 429, BLYTH ON N0M 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca Subscriptions: $25 (12 issues) $45 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $2.75 each.

Make cheques payable to: NORTH HURON PUBLISHING CO.

Not used to good prices, beef farmers declare 2023 “quite a year” as they plan for 2024

36 One Million Pounds of Food Almost one million pounds of food is donated and delivered to communities in Huron County.

46 Of Farmers and Drug Dealers OPP Constables hear the same comments over and over

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.

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Email: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com Web: www.perthcountyfarmers.ca

Think Safety First When You Farm HURON COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE 519-482-9642 ofahuron@tcc.on.ca www.hcfa.on.ca

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CONSTITUENCY OFFICES Blyth Office:

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2 The Rural Voice

Phone: 519-523-4251

Kincardine Office: Phone: 519-396-3007

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

“

Ruralite

When you are given things to look after, you are called to give an account for that. We want to make it (the dairy barn/business) a pleasant experience for everyone.

”

~ Bill Gordon on the new dairy barn build at the Gordon farm near Thedford.

See page 16

Fun With Words

● I’m going to start collecting highlighters.

— “Mark my words! ● Fungi puns are my yeast favourite.

— There’s too mushroom for error ● When you teach a wolf to meditate, he becomes aware wolf ● The girl in the middle of the tennis court is Annette ● I took my new girlfriend out on our first date to the ice rink because the tickets were half price —She called me a cheap skate

•

Fight for Your Right “What are the cumulative impacts when so many gravel pits are next to each other, one after the other? I think we need more control and more legislation over what happens in our own area.” ~ Gina McDonnell of Benmiller on her concerns as she researches the environmental effects of gravel pits See page 23

March

INSPIRATION

“Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own.” ~ Samuel Johnson “I believe in the future of agriculture with a faith born not of words, but of deeds.” ~ Unknown

•

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

● If you think its hard to meet new people, just

Prickly Pear Valentine

Market assistant Tina Overholt selects a bag of carrots to add to a customer’s order on market day at Bailey’s Local Foods in Waterloo.

See story on page 29. ~ Photo by Gary Kenny.

pick up the wrong

•

golf ball

March 2024 3

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

Oh, the sublime smell of a new dairy barn

The Gordons estimate 2,000 people came through the barn during their open house and many commented on the good smell of feed from the bunk.

If it smells good to humans, it’s going to be a gourmet meal to cows.

It was just one of the many good things a new barn can offer besides the more important attributes of technology, efficiency and cow comfort.

Many non-dairy farming folk get to see modern dairy farms at Farm and

Food Cares wildly successful Breakfast on the Farm events. I would encourage families to also take advantage of new dairy barn open house to witness just how modern and progressive the industry has become. Moreso to look at the cows ... they are so calm and content in these new facilities. Seeing it would quiet concerns about those who only hear the words “factory farming” and associate that term with evil.

Seeing them might even hush the voices of the animal rights activists. ◊

W

hen I walked into the new dairy barn at Gordon’s Roxburgh Farms near Thedford the first thing I detected was the sweet smell of corn silage.

Growing up a dairy farm it’s one of the smells you never forget. It’s rivalled by fresh hay, fresh chop (that’s going way back), cold milk in the bulk tank and the molasses in calf starter.

There are the other smells of course ... the not so pleasant ones. I didn’t smell many of these at the Gordon barn partly because it was a cold winter day but also because their cross-ventilation system was doing its job. Oh, the joys of a new barn where even the traditional smells of dairy cows with all their odorous output is muted as fresh air is cycled through the barn every few minutes.

Is it possible to love a good fence?

P

ropelled by a new mini horse that couldn’t feel the faint shock through it’s shaggy coat and the realization that the pasture fence my dad and I installed 10 years ago needed some fine-tuning, I took a ,deep breath and hired a professional Since I was laying down the big bucks (fencing is expensive!) I decided to do it right. A new pasture was added to allow the old pasture to rest, the fencing around the old pasture was updated and a paddock (or sacrifice yard) was created to keep the horses out of the grassy pastures on wet spring and fall days.

I love, love, love the new fencing

by Central Huron Fencing of Blyth.

The installers were fantastic, the 4 The Rural Voice

shock will knock your socks off and it looks fantastic.

Best of all, I have way less stress.

There were many worries before this decision. I didn’t want to keep the animals locked inside on wet days but oh, the mess they made when they decided to kick up their heals. A paddock solves that problem.

Escapees are maddening and dangerous but a reliable shock alerted shaggy pony that focussing on “the green grass on the other side of the fence” has consequences. Having only one pasture lead to serious overgrazing and I couldn’t allow it to rest — a second one allows for rotation.

So, ya, I love my new fence and the peace of mind it provides. ◊

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March 2024 5

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

We are losing our unique culture I’m going to show my old geezerdom again when I recall how much I enjoyed reading a column in Huron County Focus, a free newspaper distributed in Huron, about the glory days of Circle 8 Ranch on CKNX TV. Columnist and history buff David Yates, wrote of the show in the heyday of CKNX-TV in the 1950s until its demise in 1978. The show was the product of local programming by CKNX founder Doc Cruickshank who made CKNX a success as a professional station in the 1930s and 1940s and in the 1950s became fascinated with the possibility of TV and wangled the channel originally designated for

Owen Sound for Wingham, bringing it on board in 1955.

Doc was also a country music fan and so created the CKNX Barn Dance and Circle 8 Ranch, which employed many of the stars of the Barn Dance.

We didn’t have TV until my older sister bought one for the family later in the 1950s. I was originally a fan of Circle 8 Ranch’s Ernie King, Rossy Mann and Don and Cora Robertson. I was there to see them when the Travelling Barn Dance came to my town on a Saturday night.

Eventually Doc became too old to keep the station going and sold it to Walter Blackburn at CFPL London, His daughter, Martha, in turn sold to other corporate owners.

And that’s where the old becomes new again. Western Ontario became a different place because of Doc Cruickshank’s imagination, introducing a whole series of innovations that shaped the culture of the region. The London-based owners of CFPL did the same for their region. Today, there are none of the local programs that created local

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6 The Rural Voice

“stars” in both regions.

Similarly, originally each town and village had a newspaper and printing shop. The coming of offset printing changed all that in the 1960s.

Most of the owners tended to be more printers, rather than publishers, so sold the newspaper portions of their businesses to centralized publishers such as Bob Shrier, owner, at that time, of Signal-Star Publishing Company Inc. in Goderich.

Originally designed to seek out local news, the newspapers functioned well in the 1970s through to the late 1990s with the number of staff dedicated to seeking out the news increasing.

But the Bob Shriers of the region (he eventually owned newspapers from Owen Sound to Grand Bend) grew older and sold out to chain owners. The farther the ownership got from local control, the less interested the chains were in providing a news service to the towns and villages and the more interested they became in creating profit.

At the same time, the internet was attracting the attention of many younger residents. Rather than the local control of the pre-1970s era, companies like Facebook and Google are the opposite extreme – international giants.

The poorer the job local newspapers do, the less important they become to local readers and the fewer subscribers and the less advertising they have. The Ontario Community Newspaper Association, which sells to national advertisers who want to advertise to regional audiences, used to put the subscription numbers for each newspaper on its website, until the numbers became so small they were embarrassing.

There are still a few newspapers that break the trend. The Citizen, the local community-owned (dozens of shareholders) newspaper which publishes this magazine is a rare case of a locally-owned newspaper.

But advertising in community newspapers has become rare because most newspapers are failing.

Will we lose local newspapers like we lost CKNX television and lose all they have meant to our local culture?

I fear we will .◊

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March 2024 7

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

Take the keys out of your truck!

T

here are certain words and phrases that just bring out an almost visceral reaction: root canal, filing income tax and cyber security. While we may realize these things are necessary, and avoidance can lead to bad outcomes, they still cause us to inwardly cringe and wish they would just go away.

Arjan van der Eijk, President of IT-WORKS Computer Sales and Repair, spoke to farmers gathered for the Huron County Soil and Crop AGM held recently in Holmesville.

He presented downright scary statistics about the increase in cybercrimes, especially how these crimes are affecting small businesses.

As if reading my mind, he pointed out that most small business owners

think they are too small to be a target of cybercriminals. However, small businesses are known to not take cybersecurity seriously enough, making themselves easy targets.

Van der Eijk spoke of some of the things many of us are guilty of doing such as using simple passwords, not doing proper backups, using the same password across multiple sites, and even storing lists of passwords in a note on a phone. These practices all make us easy targets for criminals kind of like leaving the keys in your truck when it is parked on the edge of the field while you are working.

One of the most important things we can do as small business owners is change our mindset regarding cybersecurity. We need to see it as a real threat – cyberattacks can result in loss of data, loss of cash, and even loss of reputation. Some businesses cannot recover if the attack is serious enough. Cyber criminals often work from different countries, making it almost impossible to prosecute them after the fact.

Once we have changed our attitude toward cybersecurity, van der Eijk provided many tips for protecting ourselves from becoming victims to cybercriminals. One of the first things is being more vigilant about having firewalls and updating security systems. Often we get messages about security updates – he

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8 The Rural Voice

stressed the importance of following through with these regularly and rebooting the system to make sure the updates are installed. “Usually these are developed to fix security vulnerabilities in the system and known loopholes that hackers have exploited recently,” he said. Getting a cyber risk assessment from your IT provider can help you develop better practices to safeguard your data, keep criminals out, and hopefully discover a breach quickly if one does happen.

Backups are another key component to reducing risk. Many of us have gone through the era of having external backups, and we all probably know the downsides of these. We fail to be disciplined about backing up regularly, the hardware fails, we discover too late that the precious backup is no good when we need to use it. Added onto these issues, if hackers gain access to your computer, and you have an external backup connected, the first thing they do is wipe the backup drive, he explained. van der Eijk recommended backing up files to “the cloud”. It may seem counterintuitive to think that data is safer stored somewhere where you don’t even know where it is than on your own computer.

However, van der Eijk said “it is way easier for hackers to get into your personal computer than a reputable cloud-based service.” Do not use a free service, but one that is located within Canada and utilizes technology such as custom encryption so that only you have access to the passwords. “At the end of the day, this is probably your last resort,” he added. While you can automate the backups to run regularly, he stressed that even they are not “set and forget”. It is important to test and make sure the information is there and usable if you need it.

When asked about Apple vs Windows, van der Eijk stressed that he does not recommend Apple for business use. “They used to be more secure, but now there is more malware targeting Macs than Windows devices,” he said. If your backups don’t work – it is very hard to contact Apple and get your data

back. However, if you do choose Macs for business use, he recommended avoiding the built-in backup, instead use a different cloudbased system.

Identity theft is another risk associated with cybercrime. van der Eijk stressed the importance of identifying and protecting personal and identifiable information that can be used to steal your identity. A hacker can call your bank using this information and pretend to be you.

Evaluate whether the records on your system need to be stored – if they are not vital, delete them. If they do need to be stored, make sure you have proper protection. van der Eijk also recommended using a service to monitor your system so hacks can be identified quickly. Often hackers come in and do not do anything for while – all the time gathering data, even monitoring keystrokes as you work. Discovering a breach quickly allows you to change your passwords and shut them out before they can do much damage.

Passwords. We need them to be complex enough that they can’t be easily guessed, which usually means they also can’t be remembered. But the easy ways to store them also have been shown to be the least secure. van der Eijk suggested using a service, such as Keeper Security, that allows you to safely store passwords, usually involving a monthly fee.

It all can seem rather daunting.

But there is help available. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has also produced a guide to help small businesses protect themselves from cyberattacks. It can be found at their website at: https://chamber.ca/ canadian-small-business-cybersecurity-survival-guide/.

As with many things in life, you can improve the things you pay attention to. Cybercrime is on the rise and artificial intelligence is just going to make this worse. Talk to your IT provider, set aside money and time to devote to protecting your business and personal assets. It is much easier to pocket your keys than watch as your truck disappears down the road in a cloud of dust. ◊

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March 2024 9

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

The right to exist

T

he onset of winter came late this season in Southwestern Ontario, well into January. I remember the day, observing from the back porch that overlooks our garden the first few flakes of the first substantial snowfall in the air, glimpses of impossible blue in an otherwise overcast sky. Quiet.

Every day I spend an hour there, often longer.

In the fall, guided by an impulse beyond the mere understanding of two-legged kind, flocks of blackbirds appear, flying east to west, always east to west, for hours upon hours, thousands upon thousands, tracing the broad sweep of the Sydenham’s

flow. Miss a flight, and you would never have believed it had occurred at all.

In Guelph at the organic conference, just outside one of the conference rooms, two young lads, dressed in identical, blue-checked shirts, black caps and shoes jostled playfully as their fathers spoke — of farming matters one might guess.

Seated nearby were an elderly couple. He appared to be a elder and I engaged with him. He was well worn and well fed after years of labour, cane in hand.

I referred to the young woman who had just spoken, her comments concerning the ongoing IsraeliPalestinian conflict. He suggested that Hamas was to blame for starting the trouble which brought to mind the words of a woman from Lebanon I knew many years ago who had experienced violence in Beirut, the capital, body parts flying.

“What comes around, goes around,” I said, relaying her words.

“And I might add, what goes around comes around and what comes around, goes around …”

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At that earlier time, I thought, she was speaking of love.

He countered with a familiar quotation from the book of Matthew, “Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.”

“They’re killing children, like those,” I said, gesturing toward the two boys.” I might well have added, “they carry no swords”.

Speaking at the Guelph Organic Conference was Yara Ibrahim. She works as a farmer in Canada on other people’s land and is the Egyptianborn daughter of refugees, one from Palestine, the other from Algeria.

The point the young woman emphasized during a panel discussion concerning local food alternatives to the corporatized food system, was that Canada should not support Israel by purchasing its food exports especially in light of the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip and the efforts to displace Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

It struck me as a reasoned, nonviolent response, one that might have been implemented years ago, given the context of the struggle, the “tit for tat”, or as Mahatma Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye will only make the world blind.”

Canada, meanwhile, is supporting the United States and, as such, is complicit in the arming of Israel and the denial of aid through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. More than 100,000 have been killed or maimed in the Gaza Strip, many children and women among them, and all involved are traumatized, the sword being a doubled-edged thing.

It has long been my thought that if the world is to be changed, the best place to start is home.

The other day, visiting one of the local discount grocery stores, I took note of at least three people begging near the entrance. I offered the change in my pocket to the first on my way in some change to another fellow on the way out. I did consider offering the package of bacon I had just bought instead but upon consideration, decided the resources to prepare it may be lacking. It’s the way it is when you’re homeless.

The incident reminded me of another farming conference, one that

took place in Oxford, England in the first few days of 2024.

Among the speakers was economist, historian and philosopher Guy Standing who spoke about “the commons” from a most English perspective, citing 1207 The Charter of the Forest that was signed, as was the more familiar Magna Carta, by the English King at the time. Unlike the Magna Carta, however, which focused on the rights of the nobles, The Charter of the Forest enshrined the rights of ordinary people.

“Common property defines what belongs to all of us or what belongs to a definable community,” Standing said.

Within those commons, people have the right to shelter and sustenance, the right to clean air and water – essentially, the right to exist.

The Charter of the Forest was only repealed by the British Legislature in 1971, and since that time, the fate of the commons has only deteriorated, the current plight of indigenous Palestinians being an example of how far removed from the concept society has shifted.

Tears came to Standing’s eyes as he expressed his dismay. I’ll leave the last words to him.

“Throughout our history, we have been losing our commons. Every type of commons is lost through the same process: encroachment, neglect, social forgetting, enclosure, privatization, financialization and the ultimate strangling aspect is neocolonialization,” he said.

“It (the Charter of the Forest) is our charter. We need to revise that spirit because only if we revive our commons will we have a civilized, good society for the 21st century.” ◊

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March 2024 11

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

“I forgot to pick up the mail yesterday so I stopped before I came in for coffee this morning,” George Mackenzie said as he sat down at the table at Mabel’s Grill.

“Anything interesting?” asked Dave Winston idly as he opened his menu.

“Six letters from charities wanting my money,” George grumbled. “My wife gives money to one charity and they seem to give the message to a whole bunch of other charities that there’s a sucker out there.”

“And about half the charities send along mailing labels,” Cliff Murray added. “As if I ever mailed anything these days because all the people I owe money to, like Hydro One, don’t want to open the mail so they’ve bugged me into having them take the money over the phone.”

“So what can I get you fellas this cloudy, grey morning,” wondered Molly Whiteside when she came to the table.

“Yeh, cloudy and grey, the same as yesterday – and most of the days this winter,” grumbled George.

“Holy mackerel, look at all those tattoos,” Dave gasped as a guy two tables over took off his jacket and showed sleeves of tattoos on both arms and edging out at the collar of his shirt, giving the impression that his body was likely covered as well.

“Think of all the hours he had to spend patiently sitting while somebody put all those tattoos on,” chuckled Cliff. “All the time he could have spent doing something better.”

“Like coming in here for hours every morning to get coffee,” said Molly dryly.

“I just keep thinking about how he’s going to be stuck with those images for life, even if he changes his mind,” said Dave.

“Yeah, I got one small tattoo with my husband’s name on it, down on an ankle,” Molly sighed, “And then my husband took off with another

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waitress he met at a diner on his truck route and now all I’ve got left is his name on my ankle – like a brand – and two kids.”

“You could always get it removed,” offered George.

“I hate needles!” Molly said. “I can’t bear the idea of sitting for a couple of hours getting more needles to remove it.”

“That’s what gets me,” said Dave.

It’s so permanent. I mean that guy’s” going to be old, someday, and the tattoo is going to be wrinkly, along “!with the rest of his skin “Not to mention all the scars in the middle of the tattoo from the operations he’ll likely need as he gets older,” sighed George.

“All right, enough of that,” said Molly. “Time for me to get your orders to Mabel before she has to go to bed.”

She collected the orders and hurried back to Mabel in the kitchen.

“I know Molly was kidding, but I was hearing on the TV the other night that people are going to bed earlier, even teenagers,” said George.

“Did you see the average teenager is going to bed at 10 p.m.?”

“To bed or to sleep?” wondered Dave. “My kids go to bed but then spend time reading and sending messages on their phones.”

“Speaking of the latest news,” Cliff broke in, “did you see that the climate has been changing enough – the storms have become so fierce and such – that the weather forecasters are suggesting they may have to come up with a new category of hurricane: category six! A category five hurricane doesn’t describe high enough wind speeds.”

“Oh those weather guys just like to make news,” George grumbled.

“Well on the bright side, looking ahead to spring, I saw way back at the beginning of February that they were already making maple syrup up at Sault Ste. Marie,” Dave said.

“Good news! That’s more like it,” said George.

“Yeah, but they also said that if this keeps happening, in the future they may not be able to make syrup at all,” Dave said.

“You always know how to take the fun out of anything!” George growled. ◊

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Gary Kenny Gary Kenny is retired from a career in international human rights, is a writer and resident of Grey County.

Is Canada arming a genocide?

There’s a meme that’s algorithmically bouncing about my Facebook news feed these days: “We have to talk about Gaza.”

I’m not a fan of “have tos,” “musts,” and “shoulds.” But I’ll gladly make an exception when the subject is the “crime of all crimes.”

The genocide currently being perpetrated by the Israeli government in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza is a fact by any objective reckoning.

That’s reason enough to express some measure of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

But the more so, because this criminality of unimaginable horror is unfolding in full journalistic view of the world: Live from Gaza, it’s genocide tonight!

The more so yet, because it’s a genocide openly aided and abetted by Western nations, Canada among them.

It's Israel’s shocking disregard for Palestinian children that, for me, is most emblematic of the unfolding genocide in Gaza. I thought of my 17-month-old grandson when I recently heard the anguished testimony of a pediatrician based in Gaza: "A child came in alive, literally burnt to the bone… Their faces were just charcoal, and they were alive and talking. And we had no morphine.”

Multiply scenes like that by the thousands.

More than 27,000 Gazans have been killed, 70 percent women and children. Tens of thousands more are buried under rubble and presumed dead. And the killing continues.

The war between Israel and

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Palestinians didn’t begin on October 7, 2023 as mainstream media would have us believe. It began 75 years ago when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced

by Israelis and their Western backers from their traditional homeland.

Palestinians have known a brutally oppressive occupier’s boot ever since.

By any measure, Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack into Israel was a murderous crime against humanity.

While the attack can’t be justified, it can be explained. Decades of an oppressor’s smothering boot on the neck of a people is bound to result in an angry militancy bent on revenge.

But Israel’s wildly disproportionate response to the Hamas attack is reprehensible in the extreme.

In January the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to comply with provisional measures to safeguard the right of Gazans to be protected from violence. The order also formalized the international legal obligations of other countries party to the UN Genocide Convention, Canada included.

Properly understood, the order should alter both the foreign and domestic policy decisions of Israel’s allies, including Canada and the United States (U.S.). It hasn’t.

Canada is complicit in the genocide on at least two counts.

The ICJ found that “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further.” Accordingly, any country’s action knowingly contributing to further deterioration would violate the obligation to prevent genocide and could amount to complicity in genocide.

Then, just hours after the ICJ’s ruling, the U.S. announced it was suspending funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The cuts came after Israeli allegations that a few UNRWA employees had participated in the Oct. 7th attack by Hamas. Canada quickly followed suit.

Of UNWRA’s entire staff of 30,000 people – 13,000 of whom are based in Gaza – only a small number,

reportedly 12, are alleged to have played some role in Hamas’ October 7 attack. UNRWA had already fired those staff and had initiated an investigation.

UNRWA is a critical lifeline for civilians in Gaza. Defunding the entire organization defies the recent ICJ order and amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population. How can the suspension of funding be viewed other than as a green light for genocide?

Canada is a supplier of military goods to Israel. In its December 2023 report, “Fanning the Flames,” Project Ploughshares reported that Canadian firms, with federally approved permits, regularly export military goods to Israel. In 2022 alone, Canada sent $21 million in defence equipment to Israel, including over $3 million in bombs, torpedoes, missiles, and other explosives.

The exports also include $3.1 million worth of components that are manufactured in Canada and built into every F35 fighter jet assembled.

The parts are exported to the US where the F35 is built.

These are the same jets that Israel’s Defence Forces Chief of Staff said “were contributing to [Israel’s] bombing campaign” in Gaza.

Because the ICJ found a serious risk of genocide in Gaza, continuing to export arms to Israel would be illegal. Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act also forbids arms permits to be issued if there’s a “substantial risk” that the goods could be used to facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law.

The exports would also be flagrantly inconsistent with Canada’s obligation to prevent genocide and could expose Canada and Canadian officials to liability for participation in genocide.

Please write to Prime Minister Trudeau, with a copy to your MP, demanding that Canada (1) restore its funding to UNRWA, and (2) ban all military exports to Israel including those channeled through the U.S. Never doubt that your letters can make a difference. ◊

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Dairy

Dairy barn is built for cows and people

Bill Gordon and two of his dairy‐farming daughters, Jennifer and Erin, walk the barn at Gordon’s Roxburgh Farms near Thedford where the family, committed to farming together, has constructed a cross‐ventilated dairy barn with seven robot milkers, automatic foot baths and an ingenious sand stall recovery system.

W

ith all the rain, snow and pressure from thousands of tires, fixing the long laneways leading to the Gordon family’s new dairy barn outside of Thedford was the order of business days after their open house.

An estimated 2,000 people came to see the family’s cross-ventilated robotic barn which features a sand recovery system, automatic foot baths and the latest in robotic milking technology.

I chatted with Bill Gordon and his two daughters, Erin and Jennifer in the new barn three days after the open house. They represent half of a six-member family team that manages the 300-cow milking herd in the new barn, along with heifers and calves in three other facilities. This fifth-generation dairying family has been milking cows a while but it’s never been easier with the addition of this state-of-the-art facility.

“We can now manage the barn with just one person at a time if we need to,” says Erin, while Jennifer demonstrated how the design, computer controls and gating system make moving cattle calm, cool and easy.

In fact, it’s the calmness of the barn that Bill says he enjoys the most. He feels very strongly that when you own animals, stewardship is critical. “We are a Christian family 16 The Rural Voice

With cattle in six barns during their gradual expansion, the Gordon family decided to make life better for the cattle and easier for them with a new, state-of-the-art dairy barn near Thedford • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

and when you are given things to look after, we are called to give an account for that,” he says. That includes cows, family and the people who work there. “We want to make it a pleasant experience for everyone.”

Bill admits he likes to come to the barn when no one else is there and just walk around. “It’s just so quiet and peaceful here,” he says, looking around at the cows. “It makes me feel so good to see how comfortable they are.”

Daughter Jennifer agrees. She also appreciates how easy it is to sort cows now, as the robots do it automatically. “If I need to see a cow, the robot will sort her out and we don’t need to disturb the whole herd. Plus, we don’t need a second person,” she said.

HFH Construction in Elora were the general contractors for the 296 by 265 foot barn. The barn includes 381 freestalls for the milk cows, 54 stalls for dry cows, plus a pack pen for the close-up cows.The family is currently milking 290 animals after moving 335 cows into the barn in June of last year. The cows adjusted well and production immediately went up in the new barn, allowing them to decrease cow numbers.

Cows are milked in seven GEA R9500 robots which feature an all-inone system including a quick attach and cup dipper. The system also takes milk samples and offers cows a basic pellet with fresh cows receiving an extra pellet ration. One of the robots is dedicated to fresh cows and is located right beside the pack pen.

“These cows can stay calm, can be walked to the robot and stay on the pack until they are ready to join the herd,” explains Erin. This robot is not connected to the milk tank so colostrum can be collected. Special needs cows are also milked here.

The sand recovery system was a big draw for visitors. As sand and manure are moved with analley scraper, the mixture is dropped onto a flume with the manure flushed away into a pit and the sand remaining on a sand lane. Bill scoops it up with a payloader and piles it behind the barn. In the six months since the barn has been in operation, March 2024 17

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An estimated 2,000 people attended the open house at Gordon’s Roxburgh Farms near Thedford to view the huge, 400‐plus freestall barn featuring mechanical cross‐ventilated (top photo) and seven GEA R9500 robot milkers. At left, dad Bill Gordon and daughters Jennifer and Erin stand around the computer screen revealing all the milk data the robot is recording during this milking. Above, middle, is the barn during construction. Below is a close‐up cow in the pack pen where fresh cows get to stay and be milked by their own robot before joining the rest of the herd and at right, Bill stands in front of the reclaimed sand from the freestalls.

March 2024 19

Gordon Roxburgh Farms near Thedford is a family farm that keeps growing and growing. Of the six children Bill and Beck (centre) Gordon have, four have chosen to become partners in the dairy operation which has grown from milking 55 cows when Bill and Becky married to milking 300 in the new barn they completed last year. This photo of the farm owners was taken at the farm open house held in January. From left to right, Michael, Jennifer, Becky, Bill, Erin, and Samuel Gordon. there is now a mountain of sand for re-using in the barn. They don’t have enough experience to say how it’s working but research indicates the sand is clean and can be reused several times without any health issues for the cows.

A Maximus controller in the barn is the “brains of the barn” to control the manure and ventilation systems, along with lights and other automated systems.

When Bill and Becky married in 1987, the dairy barn was still a tiestall and they were milking about 55 cows. A double-five herringbone parlour was built in 1991 and 10 years later, a new addition was added to the barn and a parallel parlour was added to milk 120 cows. In 2007, a new freestall barn was built and the milking herd grew to 220 purebred Holsteins. In 2016, the family 20 The Rural Voice

retrofitted five GEA robots in the new freestall barn. All the expansion meant heifers and dry cows were housed in different facilities and at one point, they had animals in six different barns.

“It just got crazy with cattle at the neighbours and it was a lot of work in those old barns,” recalls Bill.

There was talk of building a heifer barn but as more children decided to farm full-time and cow numbers increased, it made sense to everyone to build a new dairy barn. The process started in 2020 with all the paperwork and bank approval. In 2021, a manure pit was dug. Then the build began in September 2022.

“We knew right away we wanted robots and a mechanically ventilated barn because it gives the best atmosphere for the cows throughout the year with our hot summers and

cold winters,” says Erin.

Another emphasis of the build was labour efficiency because this barn was also built for people. Bill said he pushed his body physically his whole life and it’s not something he wants to see for his daughters as they farm full-time.

“You hear about animal welfare cases and mental health issues for people,” explains Bill. “People can get run down and once you get run down, you can’t do a good job.”

In the old, retrofitted barn, the distance between the robots and other areas of the barn averaged 900 to 1,000 feet, says Bill. All tasks ended up being a long hike. The robots in the new barn are centralized with cows in freestalls all around.

From Erin’s point of view, she felt the family has always worked hard but in the older barns, they couldn’t

always see or track the results of their effort. With robotic technology, the data can be viewed daily on milk production, breeding success, and health metrics. “This barn is so much more efficient that we have time for the ‘extras’ and that gives us more satisfaction in a job well done.”

The tasks of running a dairy farm are split among all the partners.

Mom Becky is the calf expert. Erin and Jennifer are dairy managers in charge of herd health, cows, calving, vaccination, breeding, drying up and hoof trimming. Basically, the day-today operation in the barn. Bill likes to focus on field work and takes his turn in the barn as he works towards semi-retirement. He also enjoys being in the woods and is a maple syrup producer as well. Son Michael is in charge of feeding and feed management. Samuel is the other partner and his strengths are in bookwork, robot maintenance, feeding one day a week and contributing to “a little bit of everything.”

When asked how they manage to work together as a family, they say it’s “good for the most part” and they are intentional about not holding a grudge. It helps that they all have their own roles.

Bill is very pleased to have four of the couple’s six children as coowners of the farm saying he never wanted to break up the quota or land base. “It took us a lot of years to build it all up and it would be so hard to break it up,” he says. Plus, working together allows everyone time for vacations and weekends off.

“We can run a more efficient business when we work together,” says Erin.

“The farm will continue as an entity and if you want to be involved, you will have ownership. If you don’t, there is provision for you to be bought out,” explains Bill.

The trio interviewed for this story all agree the new barn has proven its worth with increased milk production, work efficiency and sheer enjoyment in the calm, airy space. “It’s a nice place to be so I really like being here and getting stuff done,” concludes Jennifer. ◊

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Environment

Report bolsters fight against more gravel pits As thousands sign a petition against opening another gravel pit in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, the auditor general’s report on gravel pits reveals low rates of inspection or enforcement on infractions • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

T

here is a significant oversupply of aggregates and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is failing to adequately inspect aggregate operations, reveals a fact sheet on the Auditor General’s Report on gravel mining in Ontario.

Data collected by the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition on the Management of Aggregate Resources 2023 Value-for-Money Audit released in December 2023 is being used to bolster the fight by local groups and individuals trying to stop a new gravel pit from opening on Little Lakes Road near Auburn in Huron County.

Leading the charge against more gravel mining in the township of Ashfield-ColborneWawanosh are two women, who continue to collect data and ask local and provincial governments to assess the environmental impacts of allowing another gravel pit in the area.

Gina McDonnell ina McDonnell has long lived on Cherrydale Road, in the midst of a winding path of gravel pits along the Maitland River on Sharpe’s Creek Road and elsewhere. Large maps reveal the extent of extraction in the area, with many of the pits digging below the water table.

A woman who walks trails daily with her dogs, who used to farm sheep, ran a riding stable and trained herding dogs, Gina is a country woman at heart after growing up in Toronto. She returned to Benmiller when she was 19, working with her mother Joanne Mazzoleni who, with her brother Peter Ivey, founded the Benmiller Inn. Gina and husband Bob currently live in her mother’s house near Benmiller and are building a new house close by.

“Ten years ago, I started noticing more and more gravel pits popping up on Sharpe’s Creek Line,” remembers Gina. She was living at Cherrydale Farm when, the neighbouring farm became a gravel pit, with Gina and other neighbours deciding to fight the application.

G

Gina McDonnell of Benmiller holds a large map showing all the gravel pits already in existence in Ashfield‐Colborne‐Wawanosh and Huron County as she and another group continue to urge municipal and provincial leaders to conduct environmental impact studies to learn what is the impact of all these pits on the environment and human beings.

March 2024 23

It’s more than your livelihood, it’s your life You deserve an advisor who really gets what’s on the line.

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24 The Rural Voice

They took a two-prong approach fighting the rezoning of the land at the municipal level and the application via the Ministry of Natural Resource and Forestry aggregate resources act (ARA).

“It started as a group of neighbors and we got over 100 signatures on a petition,” remembers Gina. She pauses. “But it's really hard to fight gravel pits.” They did, however, get an amendment on the application that there would be no crushing and there would be the planting of a treeline.

With all the knowledge she gained, Gina started helping other landowners with their gravel pit concerns. She also started looking at the “bigger picture" and began to suspect that gravel pits are a real threat to the ecological soundness of the area, especially to the forest, Maitland River, and underground aquifers. “What are the cumulative impacts? What does it mean when so many gravel pits are next to each other, one after the other?” she asks.

Gina also wondered who was monitoring all these gravel pits and the fact that so many were strung together. She began approaching ACW council asking questions about the effect of below-water pits on the water table. Also, as the ponds formed from below-water mining get backed by the sun. Could this warm water potentially warm the groundwater? She also began advocating for the need to rehabilitate exhausted pits and to investigate health concerns from the dust created from crushing. “Does that dust contain particulates that are harmful to our lungs?” she wondered.

Also, as more and more gravel is extracted, how does that impact the ground’s ability to filter run-off from neighbouring farm fields?

She has so many questions and isn’t convinced municipal or provincial regulators or leaders have the answers. Gina believes local councils need to do more to protect themselves and the areas.

Specifically, she has asked ACW council to introduce an Interim Control Bylaw to halt rezoning applications for aggregate for a period of time so provisions can be created in the official plan to protect farmland and landowners.

“I don’t want to ban gravel pits. I just think we need more control and more legislation over what happens in our own area,” she said. Moreover, she wanted existing pits that are exhausted to be rehabilitated before new aggregate licenses are issued.

Gina is not affiliated with any current organization but supports “the underdogs'' with the knowledge and experience she has concerning gravel pits and aggregate applications.

She is, however, concerned about the new aggregate licence request by Lobo Sand and Gravel to expand the Fisher gravel pit off Londesboro Road into a property on Little Lakes Road which is very near Ball’s Bridge.

“Ball’s Bridge is close to all our hearts and if they move into it, they will destroy a wetland where there is tons of wildlife,” said Gina.

Rebecca Garrett ebecca Garrett completely agrees. She is the face and leader behind Friends of Ball’s Bridge and Little Lakes Road.

Formerly known as Friends of Ball’s Bridge, the group was instrumental in saving the historic bridge and raising funds to keep it repaired. When the group learned of the proposal to have an open pit on Little Lakes road, they mobilized forces again, added Little Lakes to the name and began what Rebecca describes as a “huge learning curve.”

“I didn’t know anything about gravel when this started,” says the visual, video and community-based artist who lives in her mother’s former home on Little Lakes road.

“We believe people who come to Ball’s Bridge enjoy it for its pristine, natural beauty and the quietness of the rural area,” explained Rebecca.

“All of the things that draw people here would be ruined by the presence of a gravel pit.”

With 4,000 signatures on a

petition to denounce the gravel pit, the group is currently in limbo as the case sits before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).

The group had originally tried to respond to the application made by Lobo to rezone the property at the municipal level. The land is currently zoned natural heritage and agriculture and an application was made for a rezoning to allow aggregate extraction. To open a gravel pit, owners

must also apply for an aggregate licence which is granted by the MNRF. Rebecca said the Little Lakes group is asking to keep the land zoned for natural heritage and agriculture. However, in a long timeline and confusion of meetings, dates, delays, lawyers and deferrals, the case ended up with the OLT. “That changed everything,” says Rebeccca. “ACW decided not to communicate with us anymore and haven’t spoken to us since. It’s been a year and half,” she said.

Rebecca Garrett lives on Little Lakes Road, having moved to the area full‐time after living in Toronto for her career as a visual, video and community‐based artist. She is leading the way in the fight against opening a gravel pit on Little Lakes Road, near the historic Ball’s Bridge with the group Friends of Ball’s Bridge and Little Lakes Road.

R

March 2024 25

The Rural Voice contacted councillor Jennifer Miltenburg who stated that on municipal council, the mayor speaks for council. Several questions regarding gravel pits in general and specific ones regarding the proposed pit on Little Lakes Road were asked of Mayor Glen McNeil.

He responded by saying “Thank you for reaching out to me. As this case is currently in litigation, it is inappropriate for me to comment at this time.Thank you for your understanding, Lisa.”

The Little Lakes group decided to continue fundraising, this time to pay for experts, lawyers and planners to represent them at the OLT. “We have incredible experts and a legal team who are working for peanuts because they believe in what we are doing,” said Rebecca. With a fundraising goal of $125,000, Rebecca hopes the amount is enough.

The latest development, according to Rebecca, is a delay in the ministry licence application because three Indigenous nations need to be consulted. Currently on hold, the

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The winding curves of the Maitland River can be seen from Gina McDonnell’s backyard. In her decades of living in Benmiller, she has witnessed more and more gravel pits opening along Sharpe’s Creek Line and wonders about the effect all these consecutive mines will have on the forests, water and people. group is asking for a consolidated hearing and for respect from the OLT of the consultation process with Indigenous nations.

Moreover, they are asking the province to declare a moratorium on all new aggregate licences until the recommendations in the auditor general’s report have been implemented. Also, they want an environmental assessment to be conducted on the Little Lakes property.

From Huron County council, the group is asking for a study on aggregate mining with inclusion of a map of all existing and proposed pits.

“We would like a study of the cumulative impacts of these pits,” states Rebecca.

In terms of winning the battle, Rebecca says “We know the odds, but we feel very positive about our stand. When we made the decision to go to the OLT to fight for this, we all looked deep inside to see if it was really worth it. We all agreed it WAS worth it and at that point, you do it because it is the right thing to do. No matter what happens, we will have won in the sense of standing up for what is the right thing.”

Key Findings from the Auditor General’s Report on Gravel Mining in Ontario ~ Supplied by the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition – The most recent study of aggregate supply and demand indicates a significant oversupply and suggests reserves in the greater Golden Horseshoe area are more than adequate to meet future demand.

– The rates of MNRF inspection are low, with 75 per cent of the office reviewed annually inspecting less than five percent of the aggregate operations in their district. There is also a shortage of qualified aggregate inspectors.

– Violations are widespread in the aggregate industry with an estimated 48 to 64 per cent not compliant with regulations – Of violations reported, less than one per cent were referred for further investigation – There is no guarantee of rehabilitation of pits and quarries The full report can be viewed at the following website: https://www. auditor.on.ca /en/content/ annual reports /arreports/ en23/ AR_mgmtaggregates_en23.pdf ◊

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Food

One-stop shopping for local foods Church basement becomes hub for Bailey’s Local Foods allowing farmers to schedule harvest with market days

B

ailey’s Local Foods is an online farmers’ market offering consumers coordinated virtual access to the equivalent of 150 local farmgate stands, combined with the convenience of one-stop shopping and delivery.

“We’re basically food brokers,” said Maryrose Ivanco, who has been along through its 15-year history. “We bring

it in and send it out.”

Bailey’s was started in 2008 as a buying club for healthy, local, organic food out of the family carport by Nina Bailey-Dick, on maternity leave at the time, and her father Wendell Bailey. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating had been published the previous spring. An enhanced appreciation for fresh, local food and the • By Jeff Tribe • economic boost from Blackberry’s surging success helped drive Kitchener-Waterloo consumers toward area producers, believes Ivanco.

Zoning by-laws encouraged Bailey’s migration to its current location, First United Church at 16 William Street, Waterloo. Ivanco was involved with the first pick-up at the church, and having lost her job, came on board to help with the books before buying into an ownership share with Rachel Ward.

Bailey’s subsequent evolution has been very “organic” says Ivanco. They embraced technological advancements making ordering and inventory control exponentially easier, while adjusting to consumer preferences through changing economic times.

“Even when we’ve tried to steer it, it does what it wants and needs to do.”

Currently, consumers in a 2,000-member mailing list network and those attracted via social media browse a wide variety of available food and produce options through Bailey's website. The site has a seasonally-dependent active list of between 125 and 150 farmers.

Orders are forwarded to producers who coordinate harvest with scheduled market days. They are held weekly in the summer, every two weeks from fall to Christmas, every two to four weeks from January to June around holidays, with an “every couple of days” window during strawberry season.

Farmers can bring their produce into the church hub or have it picked up, making participation more convenient for the area’s old-order Mennonite community farmers. The Bailey’s market-day-model used to feature more of a farmer’s market approach, a festive atmosphere complete with musicians.

However, during and post-pandemic, orders are filled by paid market assistants, prepared either for pickup or delivery, as per consumer preference.

Many of the farmers are within 100 miles and a significant majority employ either organic or natural growth methods.

There is no specific demographic to Bailey’s Maryrose Ivanco has thoroughly enjoyed her 15‐year experience customers, says Ivanco, admitting with a laugh she’s with Bailey’s Local Foods, which provides a virtual connection never been able to figure that part of the business out. between a mailing list of 2,000 consumers and 150 area Clients range from students to young, growing producers.

March 2024 29

families and on up through seniors. If there is a common denominator, it’s an appreciation for quality, local food and a willingness to pay a modest premium to acquire it.

“Our people get that piece of it.”

That premium has been reduced through the pandemic’s rising food prices however, believes Ivanco, citing a cost analysis from a year ago indicating the gap may have closed.

“We were $20 cheaper on a basket of food.”

There are many other plusses to the coordinated, local approach, says Ivanco, beginning with farmers setting their own price.

Bailey’s takes a fixed percentage commission for its services, leaving costing control with the producer.

“They know what they need to be paid.”

Farmers are also able to harvest to order rather than on speculation. They can comfortably leave additional products in the field or on the vine for later, reducing waste and potentially enhancing earning power, versus trying to guess how much they might need on a given market day.

Beyond lowering waste and • Top: Becky Jarvis shows off some of the dairy products available through Bailey’s Local Foods.

• Middle left: Rob Puschelberg has literally bought into the Bailey’s Local Foods concept, taking over ownership after three‐and‐a‐half years of delivery responsibilities.

• Middle right: Market assistant Angela Wenderoth fills an order on market day.

• Bottom: Members of the Bailey’s Local Foods team include, (left to right) Becky Jarvis, Laurella Woodcock, Angela Wenderoth, Benjamin Weber, Tina Overholt, Rob Puschelberg, Maryrose Ivanco and Marcie Dornhoefer.

30 The Rural Voice

the carbon footprint of kilometres travelled, Bailey’s local “pick to order” approach also provides the opportunity for peak freshness.

“It literally comes from the farm and hours later it’s at people’s homes,” said Ivanco.

A quick scan of the shop option on the website reveals a wide range of vegetables, fruit, baked goods, grains, meat, nuts, dairy products and preserves. Items include Wellington County garlic or year-round greenhouse greens, red onions from Perth County, organic beets from near Wellesley, and Snyder Heritage Farms turkey sausage and maple syrup.

Anne and Kevin Snyder are lifetime farmers: syrup — they’re expanding from 3,600 taps to 4,000 this year – and firewood, a constant through transition from beef and pork production into turkeys, for which they grow their own organic feed.

Their son Addison and daughters Michaella and Bronwyn as well as Kevin’s parents Carl and Kathleen contribute to a two-property, three.generation operation “It’s what we’ve dreamed of,” Anne smiled.

They offer on-farm retail sales and also wholesale to other retailers.

The Snyders participate in marketing initiatives including their own Maple Weekend and the Taste of Woolwich program, through which they heard of Bailey’s.

“You are looking for places to put your product to get the word out,” Anne explained.

She described Bailey’s as “lovely people to work with”, the process simply filling and delivering their list of orders on market days. “They’re friendly,” Anne continued, and always open to a call or an email if she has questions.

Communication is also vital between producer and consumer she added, given the lack of generational connection to farming the vast majority of urbanites have.

“People have questions, they want to know where their food comes from.”

The Bailey’s website includes an FAQ section along with a producer map and links to individual farms.

Bailey’s Open Food Network

member’s approach aligns with the Snyder family, providing consumers attuned to their methodology and values an alternative to big box grocery stores combined with wider variety than single producers can offer. The relationship provides corresponding benefits to producers, says Kevin.

“It’s just basically a bigger customer with a bigger volume.”

After 15 years, Ivanco and Ward are passing the ownership torch to Rob Puschelberg, whose company has been responsible for deliveries the past three-and-a-half years.

“I kind of had an idea what I was getting into,” said Puschelberg, who was “pretty stoked” about the opportunity to step into a longstanding operation, rather than starting from scratch. He is bringing Marcie Dornhoefer onboard to administer ordering and packing, and while still in “absorption mode”, is excited to continue a tradition of helping provide people with access to quality, local food.

“It doesn’t get any more local

than local farms. This gives people an opportunity to get a good choice of what they need without having to go to 20 roadside stands,” Puschelberg added. “Let us do that instead.”

Ivanco is pleased to see an operation which is important to both consumer and producer continue, having thoroughly enjoyed her experience, in particular the logistical challenges of efficient connection through one coordinated hub.

“It’s like a big puzzle.”

She has learned so much about food through interactions with both farmers and their customers, while enjoying the opportunity to not only raise her children at home, but feed them “really good quality food.”

And finally, Ivanco has also found lasting satisfaction in being part of a circular financial equation in which money produced in a community stays and benefitted that community.

“I worked for local and supported local. Not a lot of people can say that.” ◊

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Food

“Quite a year” for beef industry • By Amanda Brodhagen

Record prices made it a great year for Ontario beef producers but pasture land is getting harder to access Robert McKinley kicked off his presentation at Beef Day, Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week with a saying that his dad always told him growing up — “do it cheaper or do it better than anyone else or do something that no one else wants to do.”

O

ntario beef farmers saw record cattle prices in 2023, a trend that is expected to continue into 2024.

Beef Farmers of Ontario president Jack Chaffe and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs chief economist Steve Duff who also farms in Northumberland County provided a market update as part of Beef Day at Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week.

Duff called it “quite a year” for the beef industry.

What their data showed is that Ontario reached a new record last year among all weights and classes of cattle. For example, the average rail price was $377 per hundredweight was up 24.3 per cent compared to 2022.

While the beef cow herd decreased by 4.5 per cent last year, there was an increase in 2022. Duff said while there’s been a decline in numbers, he predicts that it will remain relatively stable.

“On the cattle side of things, we don’t have a lot of cattle around, so prices are up," explained Duff.

The verdict is still out on whether beef farmers will continue to see high prices in 2024, but Duff predicts that it is unlikely that prices will decline.

Duff provided several factors that have helped contribute to high prices for beef farmers here at home. In the U.S. about 40 per cent of grazing land and hay ground were hit by drought, coupled with the competing demand for cash crop acres, and rising input costs have also compounded the situation.

~ Photos supplied by Lorie Smith

Increased beef prices at the grocery store are a trend that the industry is closely monitoring.

“That is what is going to be the limiting factor as there are only so many dollars the consumer has,” said Jack Chaffe, Beef Farmers of Ontario president. “That is why it is key to have our export markets and be diverse throughout the world.”

Chaffe, a sixth-generation beef farmer raising beef cattle outside Mitchell, explains that Ontario is the only province in Canada that is currently exporting beef to Saudi Arabia, but Japan remains the province’s biggest export thanks to the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program. Since the program’s introduction to the market in 2001, it has provided consumers both domestically and internationally with a recognizable brand and Steve Duff logo that assures them of a Chief Economist, Ontario consistent, premium, and Ministry of Agriculture, Food locally-raised product. and Rural Affairs Chaffe also provided a March 2024 33

“top issues” update. Beef Farmers, the voice for the province’s 19,000 beef farmers have lobbied on several industry issues including: ● Advocating for updates to the PAWS ACT - an enforcement body responsible for animal welfare services within the Ministry of the Solicitor General. ● Have an ask into the provincial government for market development dollars. ● Continue working with the provincial government on expanding veterinary training for large animal care in Ontario – a file that has seen some movement because for the first time since 1988 programs have been expanded with the University of Guelph and Lakehead University. ● Pushing for more community pastures and trying to get access to more land through Crown Land. ● Trying to expand the deadstock zone with Atwood Resources for deadstock collection services. ● Working on the updated Beef Code of Practice that is up for review.

Dr. Peter Kotzeff Veterinarian and beef farmer Keeping Cows on the Ontario Landscape ollowing Chaffe and Duff, there was a panel discussion about keeping cows on the landscape moderated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs livestock sustainability specialist Christoph Wand, beef farmer and veterinarian Dr. Peter Kotzeff and beef farmer and Beef Farmers of Ontario producer

F

34 The Rural Voice

Jack Chaffe President, Beef Farmers of Ontario relations specialist Robert McKinley.

The panelists highlighted the challenges with raising beef cattle (cow-calf) in Ontario - Canada’s most populous province with pressures of losing pasture land due to high cash crop price and urban development.

Kotzeff kicked off his talk with a question that he answers, “why I run beef cows on some of the most expensive land in North America.”

“I identify the best use of my land and keep the soil on my land,” he said. “My responsibility is to integrate cattle grazing using minimal tillage, cover crops and a sensible rotation.”

On his operation he calves in May, then weans the calves the following March with no facilities of any kind.

“I think grazing is the best land use in some of the areas on my farm,” he said. “Grazing steep land and having that under grazing management is the best use of that land.”

His number one grazing cover crop mix is turnip, oat, and peas.

McKinley kicked off his presentation with a saying that his dad always told him growing up “do it cheaper or do it better than anyone else or do something that no one else wants to do.” He said that phrase lends itself well to farming and raising beef cattle. On his family’s farm he says that he likes to break it down into three sectors - cow calf, soil, and cash cropping.

“It’s better to maintain than rebuild,” he said. “Cows are a way to add value to our crop land.”

He went on to say that he sees the biggest threats to his operation are planting corn and soybeans, so the cows need to pay for themselves, he explained.

On his farm they graze corn stover and have started wintering cows on corn stalks with success. He said that he tries to integrate cows and the crop land together by utilizing cover crops.

During the question-and-answer period, a farmer from the audience asked about beef on dairy crosses and whether that is a threat to the beef sector. Wand responded by saying “Ontario will never be a low-cost producer,” adding that the feed conversion isn’t the same compared to pure beef and the extra input costs with medication is something that pure beef has an advantage over beef on dairy.

With respect to sustainability, Wand encouraged farmers to look into provincial and federal programs as he said there are “funding rich programs available right now.”

Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing Affects both the Quantity and Quality of Soil Carbon in Ontario Pastures otational grazing is often touted for its many environmental benefits including carbon sequestration on pastures, however little Ontario data has been available until now to support this claim.

Dr. Kim Schneider, Assistant Professor in Forage and Service crops with the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph presents some research on this topic with the bulk of it being funded by the Beef Cattle Research Council.

“Agriculture is in a unique situation because it's based off of the soil which is a huge carbon sink,” said Schneider. “Rotational grazing is fine as a term but there's a big variance on what that means,” adding that the quality of the carbon in the soil matters. “The amount of carbon that can be captured depends on how the land is managed.”

Not surprisingly, pastures have the

R

highest organic matter because of the importance of root systems. “The roots are critical to forming stable soil carbon,” said Schneider.

The research was conducted at several commercial beef farms located in Southern, Ontario. The sites were able to be compared to continuous grazing systems from across-the-fence comparison. There were five sites analyzed that had rest days between 25-30. Deep soil cores for sampling were taken. Research assistants tried to go 60 meters deep, but often hit rock.

In non-continuous grazing systems, the results found that about 30-40 per cent of fixed carbon could be found.

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Schneider says more research needs to be done on the mineral association with carbon chemistry.

During the question-and-answer period a farmer asked if there was any evidence of extra beef being produced on those acres. Schneider said that while this study didn't investigate that, as you manage pasture, you get more yield overall and the greater number of days out on pasture helps the bottom line. ◊

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Food

One million pounds of food delivered in 2023 As visits to food banks increase for the seventh year in a row, the Huron County Food Distribution Centre stays busy • By Shelley Kroes •

T

he Huron County Food Distribution Centre, of Centralia, ON, delivered approximately one million pounds of food in 2023 through distribution to area food banks, partnering agencies, and with the centre’s own mobile food truck program. That equates to about 83,000 pounds per month of total food.

A founding member of the centre, Mary Ellen Zielman, credits the work of volunteers, community, programs, donations and financial contributions to be able to deliver food in this capacity. The centre started in 2008 with the work of board members Gerald and Mary Ellen Zielman, Don and Sharon Gingerich and Dave and Isabelle Gagne. From a concept in 2006, the centre moved to charitable status by 2008 when it could start delivering food. Mary Ellen says 2009 was their “full-charge ahead” year with a higher output of food being distributed.

Mary Ellen notes that the statistics of the 2023 Hunger Report on food bank use for Ontario, “is true to Huron County too”. The work of the centre is continually in demand by a changing demographic and society.

The 2023 Hunger Report reveals that visits to food banks increased by 36 per cent, from April 2022 to March 2023, the seventh year in a row of food bank use increases for Ontario.

Mary Ellen states that Huron County is “second to Toronto” in terms of cost of living. Mary Ellen references her statement based on facts from United Way Perth-Huron 2023 Living Wage report. Statistics reveal the living wage of PerthHuron is $22.75 per hour and annual expenses are outcompeting income for a person or family to remain sustainable.

The work of the Huron County 36 The Rural Voice

Food bank volunteers, Dianne Faubert and Maureen Thompson (above) pack food into bags while Mary Ellen Zielman (below) stands inside the room‐sized fridge at the Huron County Food Distribution Centre near Centralia. Food, such as skids of potatoes (left) arrive from farmers, growers and grocers.

Food Distribution Centre is in demand and at work to make hunger non-existent in the community.

Currently, the distribution centre sources and supplies food and related products to serve food banks and aid agencies of Huron, as well as foodaid agencies in Stratford, St. Marys, and Mitchell in Perth County.

Agencies of Huron include the Women’s Shelter, Second Stage housing and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

The mobile food trucks act as a food bank as well. Volunteers at the distribution centre drive the food truck, deliver food to food banks, get orders ready, sort food and related

items, pack groceries and breakdown large quantities of donated and bought-in foods to smaller volume sizes. Volunteer time equates to 115 hours a week at the centre (approximately 40 volunteers). Mary Ellen states “our volunteers are what makes the distribution centre work.

Without them we would not exist”.

Although the figures and statistics reveal food security issues, Mary Ellen remains positive about the direction of the movement of food.

She comments on programs such as “Second Harvest” and “Food Rescue” which are accessible across Canada. Second Harvest's website states its mission is to “grow an efficient food recovery network to fuel people and reduce the environmental impact of avoidable food waste.” Food that is otherwise being wasted, is being returned to the food system. A quantity of food that the distribution centre distributes is in partnership with the Second Harvest program. Foodland grocery stores across the county of Huron, as well as an independent grocer, supply the distribution centre with food that is still of high quality but would otherwise be wasted because it couldn’t get to grocery shelves in time.

Foods provided by local grocery stores typically include items such as cheese, ready-to-go meals, jars of pasta, meat that is frozen before it’s best-before date etc. Items like milk, eggs, and fresh healthy foods are typically bought by the distribution .centre Mary Ellen credits the agricultural organizations of various commodity groups that contribute financially to provide dollars to purchase the commodity they are a part of. For instance, egg farmers cannot contribute eggs directly to the distribution centre (they must be graded first). But the Huron County Egg Farmers organization contributes money to purchase eggs for the distribution centre to distribute.

Other local commodity groups like dairy farmers provide money to the centre in a similar fashion.

Meat commodities, like pork, are donated directly. There are local foods, however, that are provided

directly to the centre by the farmer or grower. Foods such as turnips, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes are picked up at the farmers location by the skid load. Freezer, fridge, and floor space is at the distribution centre for storing and handling large quantities of foods.

The distribution centre always welcomes donations and volunteers.

Mary Ellen points out that financial contributions to the centre would aid in covering the cost of fuel for delivery and pick-up of food quantities, and the grocery bill the centre has. Not all foods or related items are supplied in full amounts and must be purchased to cover a shortage. Sometimes trading aids in this. “Harvest Hands”, a food distribution centre of St Thomas, may have a surplus donated item to cover a food item that Huron County Food Distribution centre needs.

Huron will trade back to Harvest Hands with a food item they require.

In the future, the Huron County Food Distribution Centre is looking

to expand by adapting an idea they got from a visit to a distribution centre in Pennsylvania. The idea is a food box program where boxes are filled with healthy foods. Churches or community organizations such as Lions Clubs or Optimists can order food boxes from the centre and have a pop-up food bank on a day of their choosing. The centre will have boxes delivered (for a small fee to cover the cost of the cardboard and delivery). People can come to their facility or food bank to pick up what they need. Volunteers will deliver the boxes to those that require them.

If you have any questions or would like to adapt this idea to your church or organization, reach out to the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre through their online form provided on their website (www.huroncounty food bank.org) or reach out to Mary Ellen Zielman directly at 519-913-2362.

The centre is dedicated to remaining a vibrant part of food security in the future. ◊

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Evolution of maple syrup production From using a brace and bit to a cordless drill, maple syrup production has come a long way at Meaford Maples

Before and After: Steve Smith has a photo for the first day he started tapping on February 7 and one from the last day of last years’ season with a bottle of Meaford Maple syrup, taken in front of the evaporator in the sugar house. ~Photos submitted

M

eaford Maples proprietor, Steve Smith, learned how to make maple syrup as a ten–year-old boy from his father, Ralph who learned from his father, Edgar in the 1930s.

Lacking money at that time, Edgar had their bush logged and all the maple trees were sold for lumber.

Fortunately, their neighbour still had some good maples so Edgar and Ralph tapped a few of them. Holes were drilled in the trees using a brace and bit and sap was collected in buckets hung from spouts. The full sap buckets were poured into galvanized milk cans that were hauled on a stone boat pulled by horses. The sap was emptied into a large cast iron pot hanging over an open fire where it was reduced to maple syrup for Edgar, Joy, Ralph, Ron, and Gordon to enjoy.

Fast forward to Meaford Maples in 2024. Taps are drilled using a cordless drill. Sap flows directly from the trees into an eightkilometre-long system of plastic

tubing and is pulled by mechanical vacuum to collection tanks at the sugar house. A reverse osmosis machine removes 75 per cent of the water before the concentrated sap runs into an efficient, forced-air evaporator.

When the temperature of the liquid reaches the boiling point of maple syrup, an automatic draw-off opens a valve and the syrup flows into a small tank. The collection tanks, evaporator, filter press, and bottling unit are all stainless steel, while all plastic is food grade.

The delicious maple syrup produced is certified organic attesting to its purity. It is enjoyed locally and taken all over the world by travellers wanting to share a little bit of Canadian heritage.

Maple Weekend in Ontario The first weekend of April each year gives us a chance to celebrate the beginning of spring and a new maple syrup season. Many members of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association (OMSPA)

open their sugar houses to the public for free tours. From April 6-7 this year, 70 or more operations will welcome visitors.

Visit www.MapleWeekend.ca to find a sugar house near you.

Fun Facts About Maple Syrup ● Some people refer to Maple Syrup as a “Time Capsule of Spring”. Each year’s crop tastes slightly different. ● In 2020, $26 million of maple syrup was produced in Ontario from almost two million taps. ● Only two per cent of maple trees on private land are tapped in Ontario. ● Want to start your own maple syrup operation? For a relatively low, initial cost, you can collect and sell your sap to help finance it.

Ontario Maple Producers’ Association is the official voice of sugar makers in the province and represents 600 producers who produce a high-quality product.

Check out www.omspa.ca/ to become a member. ◊ March 2024 39

Crops

Farmers, don’t be ashamed The many faces of Peter Johnson at the launch of S.H.E.D. talks held back in December.

Strive to be productive and don’t apologize

• By Lisa BoonstoppelPot

for it Editor’s Note: This story is a little late coming but we finally had room to get it in. Enjoy!

F

armers like talking about crops and they like to joke with Wheat Pete, otherwise known as Peter Johnson, who was part of the draw to get farmers to the launch of S.H.E.D. talks on December 2 in Brussels.

An initiative of the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health, S.H.E.D. stands for Sustaining Healthy Farms Through Empowerment and Dedication. The Talks project focuses on building connections and empowering an agricultural community in Huron and Perth County.

Further, it focuses on the goal of reducing social isolation and lessening the daily stressors that farmers experience.

For the inaugural event, Johnson’s goal was to talk about crops but through the discussion, encourage farmers to be proud of their work. Inspired by a comment from a farmer who said he was ashamed to be a farmer, fearing they were poisoning the earth, Johnson wanted to prove that productivity matters.

“When we talk about mental health, can you imagine the burden it puts on you if you have a mindset of shame,” 40 The Rural Voice

asked Johnson, a former Ontario cereals specialist, the resident agronomist with Real Agriculture, and podcaster with a weekly podcast called Wheat Pete’s World. “I want you to have the data that shows why you should NOT feel that way.”

The reality is that over 60 years, the population has increased 2.6 times while land use has stayed relatively the same. With the same land, farmers have amped food production up 3.9 per cent. That was due to the green revolution (a period of technology transfer initiatives that saw greatly increased crop yields) and farmers’ ability to adapt to that technology.

“Now, the green revolution did not happen without some environmental issues. We know we have greenhouse emissions and soil health is something we need to get back to,” admitted Johnson. “But growing the way we do, we have reduced malnutrition from one person in three to one person in ten.”

Johnson said some people believe the old ways were better but he cited an experiment in Sri Lanka where the country leaders decided to cut out all fertilizers and pesticides. “In three years they went from being food selfsufficient to not being able to feed their own people,” he said.

“Being a highly productive farmer is something you should strive for and not be apologetic about it,” he declared.

Beyond the green revolution, farmers are living in a time of climate change and Johnson agreed that globally, climate change is bad.

However in Ontario, Johnson said 50 per cent of the yield increase that Ontario farmers see is due to climate change. “We get one more day longer in our growing season every year,” was one reason. Solar brightening increases yield. Also, climate change is producing more rain and more carbon dioxide. It can be negative when rain events dump seven inches of rain in four hours but overall, more rain and carbon dioxide improve wheat and soybean yields.

“For every two millimetres of water, you get an increase of one bushel per acre,” said Johnson. “You get 10 bushels out of an inch of water.”

Soil matters too. Using data from the Indiana Corn Yield Competition, Johnson revealed the statewide average is between 150-200 bushels of corn. The top yielding farmers are in the 250-320 bushels per acre range. Of these, some have irrigated fields and some do not. Somehow, the very top yields come from fields that are not irrigated. “Farmers tend to irrigate on sandy soil and good soils are not, so what this says is that biology in the soil and carbon cycling is part of it. Your best acres always have the best yields.”

Measuring soil carbon, soil cycling and even soil health is very, very difficult. However, farmers know where they have good soils on the farm. They also know that when they put wheat in the rotation, it increases both corn and soybean yields on subsequent rotations.

In terms of sequestering carbon, Johnson believes that is a difficult process in southern Ontario.

“Everyone wants to sequester carbon but we almost cannot do it in our climate with a long season, good temperatures and active soil biology.” In Saskatchewan, where it is dry and the season is so short, they do not break carbon down as easily.

Other tidbits Johnson offered the crowd included: ● An easy win to help the planet is protecting your nitrogen which can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 30 per cent. “If you can get your nitrogen into the ground at least two inches deep, that is a 50 per cent reduction.” ● Never grow soybeans. The audience laughed and so did Johnson but he encouraged farmers to look at the roots of soybeans compared to wheat or even sunflowers. “The more fibrous the root system is, the more organic matter you get. Look at oats!

They have a mass of fibrous roots whereas a corn plant has these great, big, honking roots that are useless for the soil. If you want to build organic soil matter, plant crops with fibrous soil roots.” ● Corn is an absolute sponge for carbon. An audience member asked if the government should then be paying farmers to grow corn to absorb carbon dioxide. That would be a great idea if the plant wasn’t

annual and released carbon dioxide during harvest and processing, explained Johnson. ● A comment about urban farming drew some praise and derision from Johnson who said urban dwellers should try and grow things so they understand farmers better. “But if you think for one second you can grow enough lettuce on your apartment verandah to survive for an entire year, you have to give your head a shake.” Urban farming will never produce enough to feed the population.

Later, in the panel that finished the day, Johnson encouraged everyone to meet and create community. Personally, he is involved in his local theatre company as a way to connect. Meeting at restaurants, joining a sports team, or right on the farm are all good options. “However you can support your community to minimize the issues we have from a mental health standpoint is tremendous,” he concluded.◊

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Recipes by Carolyn Crawford

Breads find place at most of our celebrations

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any consider bread to be the “staff of life.” Bread certainly has been a staple in many households worldwide for millennia. The Food History timeline tells us that unleavened breads date back to the earliest of civilizations, but risen bread, made with yeast, appears somewhere around 4,000 BC. Our daily bread has been around a long time!

It is not surprising that a lot of celebrations that feature a meal like Christmas, Passover, or Easter also have some form of bread in the preparation or serving of that meal.

When I attended Fort York’s Hungry for Comfort Celebration in Toronto in February 2020, the theme was Jewish foods. One of the workshops and competitions was about making Challah bread. One of my Culinary Historians of Canada friends and Fort York Historic Cook, Sherry Murphy, took first prize for her Challah bread. Challah is a white braided egg bread that was at one time reserved for use on the Sabbath.

It was served at a Passover or Seder meal much like the Last Supper. For her prize-winning bread, Sherry used the recipe from “The Bread Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Much like Challah, another bread Sherry (who has Italian heritage) has made is an Italian Sweet Bread.

Genovese bread, or in this case rolls, often have saffron in it. Sherry used Eliza Acton’s recipe from her cookbook published in 1860 entitled, “Modern Cookery and All Its Branches”. Sherry has provided me with pictures of both these breads she made. Thank you, Sherry!

Geneva Rolls, or Buns.

Ingredients: 2 lbs flour 3 ozs butter 1 large tablespoonful solid yeast 1 teaspoonful saffron in less than a quarter pint of water 1 pint of new milk 2 eggs more milk Directions: Break down very small three 42 The Rural Voice

ounces of butter into a couple of pounds of flour Add a little salt, and set the sponge with a large tablespoonful of solid yeast, mixed with a pint of new milk, and a tablespoonful or more of strong saffron water Let it rise for a full hour, then stir in a couple of well-beaten eggs, as much hot milk as will render them lukewarm, and wet the rolls with them to a light, lithe dough Leave it for half to three quarters of an hour longer, mould it into small rolls, brush them with beaten egg yolk, and bake them for 20 minutes to half an hour.

The addition of six ounces of good sugar, three of butter, half a pound or more of currants, the grated rind of a large lemon, and a couple of ounces of candied orange-rind, will convert these into excellent buns.

When the flavour of the saffron is not liked, omit it altogether. Only so

much should be used at any time as will give a rich colour to the bread. perennial favourite at Easter is Hot Cross Buns. This has been on my list to try and make for a while now, but time always seems to escape me!

According to The Food History Timeline, the first record of Hot Cross Buns being made is in “Poor Robin’s Amanack (1733): Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs, with one or two a penny hot cross buns’ (a version of the once familiar street-dry "One-a-penny, two-a penny, hot cross buns’).” This recipe is from Canadian Living Magazine.

Hot Cross Buns Ingredients: 1 cup raisins or currants 1/2 cup candied mixed peel or finely chopped dried apricots 3/4 cups 2% milk, warmed 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided

A

Breads such as hot cross buns (top) and Challah bread (above right) are featured at many holiday celebrations. ~ Photos by Sherri Murphy.

1 8 g pkg active dry yeast 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg 2 eggs 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed and softened 1 1/2 cup icing sugar, divided Directions: In a microwaveable bowl, microwave raisins and 1/2 cup water on high until hot, about 45 seconds.

Stir; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Transfer to a separate bowl; stir in mixed peel.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir milk with 1 tsp of the granulated sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle in yeast. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, stir together flour, remaining granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

Whisk eggs into milk mixture; beat into flour mixture. Fit stand mixer with dough hook attachment; beat on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Gradually beat in butter, a few cubes at a time, beating for 10 seconds after each addition and scraping down the side of the bowl, until soft silky dough forms, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a large, greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn out dough onto lightly floured work surface.

Sprinkle with raisin mixture; knead to combine. Shape into a 15-inch log; cut crosswise into 15 rounds. Shape each into a ball, folding ends underneath and pinching at bottom.

Arrange, 1/2 inch apart, on prepared pan; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Whisk 3/4 cup of the icing sugar with 4 1/2 tsp water; brush over hot buns. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes; transfer directly to rack to cool completely.

Whisk remaining 3/4 cup icing sugar with 3 1/2 tsp water, adding more water, 1/2 tsp at a time, if needed. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip or resealable plastic bag with 1 corner cut off and pipe cross shape on top of each bun.

For a quick glaze, in a microwaveable bowl, microwave a half cup of apricot jam on high until hot, then brush it onto the cooled buns and let set.

Makes 15 buns.

If you are having Easter dinner at your place this year, I recommend these pan rolls to have with your meal. This recipe is a 4-H recipe that came from the 4-H Breadwinners Club in 1982.

Buttermilk Bread and Rolls Ingredients: 50 ml (¼ cup) water 2 ml (½ tsp) sugar 15 ml (1 tbsp) regular dry yeast 25 ml (1 tbsp plus 2 tsp) butter 625 ml (2 ¾ cup) buttermilk 25 ml (1 tbsp plus 2 tsp) sugar or honey 10 ml (2 tsp) salt 1500 ml (3 cups) all-purpose flour 2 ml (½ tsp) baking soda Directions: Assemble all ingredients and equipment. Turn on the oven light or prepare a warm place (30°C) for rising.

Measure warm water into a liquid measuring cup checking temperature by the wrist method or with a candy thermometer. Add the first lot of sugar and stir until dissolved.

Sprinkle yeast into water. Let stand for 10 minutes in a warm place. Stir briskly.

Dice butter and add to the saucepan with buttermilk. Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly until butter has melted. Pour into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and stir to dissolve.

Stir in 1 ½ cups flour and baking soda. Beat until smooth, adding yeast when ready. Stir in all but final ½ cup flour. Flour the counter and turn out the dough, scraping the bowl clean. Put a bowl to soak in cold water.

Flour hands and knead for 10 minutes. Sprinkle reserved flour on

the counter as required. When kneading is completed, rub the underside of dough with a little flour to prevent sticking and cover with a tea towel.

Clean bowl. Measure 3 L (12 cups) very hot water into a bowl and mark the level. Drain and dry bowl.

Lightly grease the interior of bowl with butter or oil, then roll dough in the bowl to grease the surface. Cover bowl with a tea towel and wrap in a plastic bag. Let dough rise until it reaches the “doubled” mark. (1 ½ hours at 30°C) Deflate dough by punching the centre. Using a rubber spatula turn out dough onto the counter. Slap down on the counter several times to completely deflate it. Cut dough in half. Knead each half into a round ball, keeping cut edges to the inside.

Place on a floured counter and cover with a tea towel. Let rest 10 minutes before shaping. Grease loaf and cake .pans Cut one half of the dough into 18 pieces. Shape or knead each one into a ball and place in a greased cake pan. Cover.

Roll the other half out with the rolling pin, smooth side down, to a rectangle 40 cm by 20 cm. Starting at the short end, roll up jelly-roll style.

The roll should be fairly tight. Pinch out any little bubbles that form. Press the final edge into dough. Tuck the ends of “log” under and place in a greased loaf pan. Rub tops of loaf and rolls with a pinch of flour.

Cover both pans. Let rise until double (1 hour at 30°C). Arrange oven racks so bread will bake in the centre of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Bake rolls for 25 minutes. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Bake loaf for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and tap the bottom of the pan against the edge of the stove.

Turn out and check that it is done by rapping with the knuckles on the bottom. A hollow sound indicates it is fully baked. Cool by placing diagonally across the top of the pan or on a rack.

If you did not get a chance during the Covid lockdowns to make bread, I hope you will take the time to try one of these. Happy Easter! ◊ March 2024 43

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

Try winter sowing using recycled containers

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inter gardening is taking off in a lot of areas and while I have heard about it, and tried to grow seeds outside in winter, I have not had the best results, so I was quite excited to sign up for the Maitland Trail Winter Sowing workshop.

Gardeners are an optimistic group and to get seeds started early and not really worry about them for a few weeks is a great idea. The focus was on native plants and learning and trusting in Mother Nature’s way of doing things. When you think about it, many native plants go to seed in the fall and those seeds are ready to spend the winter biding their time until spring.

The concept of winter gardening is pretty basic. Use a recycled, translucent container of a certain size that will allow three inches of soil mixture and some headspace for the seedlings, holes in the bottom for drainage and a lid with holes for moisture to get in.

The workshop was led by Michele Melady Young, Master Gardener, with help from Kathleen Lush of the Maitland Trail Association. Michele reached out to Master Gardeners for seeds and received a wonderful selection. I started seeds for Michigan lily, Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) and my Sweet Grass.

Your container should allow for three to four inches of soil, and headspace for the seedlings. A covering can be a lid with holes or place your pots of seeds in a frame 44 The Rural Voice

with a lid of carpenter cloth, or wire mesh to keep rodents and inquisitive squirrels out.

Michele was very organized and had enough containers clean, drilled and cut, waiting for us. She chose four litre washer fluid jugs.

Sometimes your local gas station will have a spot to recycle these and Michele scored enough for the class of 12. They were well rinsed and since we were not using them for food crops we were not worried about any residue.

Next a series of holes, four to six, were drilled in the bottom. Avoid drilling in the corners as when the container sits on the ground you don’t want to seal the holes where there is ground contact. It does not hurt to do a few along the sides at the bottom.

Next is to create a hinged top. The cut is about an inch or two below the shoulder of the container leaving a section along the narrow portion uncut to act as a

hinge. If you know anything about cutting plastic you may know that a straight line is elusive. So with a marker, a line is drawn as a guide, more or less. A very sharp heavy utility knife, like the one that we used for drywal, cuts through the jug easily. Leave the screw cap off the jug (or not) to allow moisture in.

If doing a lot of smaller lots of seeds you could look at a large tote container (one on its last legs so you

Recycled plastic containers with hinged lids or hand‐made hinges become great little greenhouses for winter seed sowing. These containers were used to start anise hyssop, showy goldenrod and sweet grass. The process was learned during the Maitland Trail Winter Sowing workshop.

don’t mind drilling holes in the bottom and in the lid) and fill that with four-inch pots of potting soil.

Now for soil. Straight garden soil is not your first choice. It carries unknown seeds and will be a bit heavy when transplanting your seedlings. I try to avoid anything with peat moss as it is a non renewable resource and once dry can be a challenge to moisten. A welldraining potting soil with perlite, or multi-purpose, peat-free composts which have a light texture appropriate for seedlings and with a bit of nutrient value for your plants.

If you are doing a number of containers it will be easier to moisten the soil in a large tub or container before filling your mini winter green houses.

The seeds are scattered on the soil surface. Unlike vegetables where we carefully space the seeds, native seed is often densely planted. Some seeds need to be gently but firmly patted to make sure they make contact with the soil surface. Larger seeds need a dusting of soil over them. Not so much as to smother the seed. You can also consider using a fine sand dusted over the top to help with this.

Labelling – if you are like me you start happily filling containers, dispersing seeds and then try and remember what you planted where.

You could tell Michelle had done this before. She had a system! She first marked the last number of the year, in this case 4 for 2024. This was particularly important for seeds that may take up to two years to germinate. Then she knew when she planted this. The next number was numerical. These numbers were on the top, on the side and on tags inside the jug. Despite the confident labelling you come to know that permanent markers are not all permanent! On a separate sheet, notebook or your choice of paper, record your numbers then match them with your seed choice using both Latin and common names and any information you might feel important, like sun, shade or height.

Secure the lid with a bit of duct tape either all the way around on your cut or in three spots. The crack

will allow for a bit of moisture to get in. There are so many creative, thoughtful people and since the workshop I noticed one gardener cut their container to create tabs that could be drilled to the base and secured with a removable screw.

The last step is placement. I wandered around our back yard pondering the best spot for my four containers. You don’t want the wind to upset them. Some use a bungee cord to secure all the jugs together.

You want them in a snow zone and not too much hot drying sun in the winter. Sheltered under shrubs is a good start. I may change my location as I monitor the sun whenever it comes out.

Our larger seedlings will be potted up in wee pots in April with some of the finer ones waiting to be transplanted when they are larger.

Half of them will be for our gardens and the other half will be planted along the trails especially in areas where the buckthorn has been removed and left sunny gaps. A winwin project. ◊

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Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Shouldn’t you be arresting drug dealers?

OPP Constably Kevin Bilyea says farmers can do better with road safety, cannot mud up the road and no, may not drive faster than 40 kmh with a slow moving vehicle sign

R

oad safety isn’t very Farmers are also allowed to let exciting until it is and no teens 16 and older drive tractors, one ever calls the police for even without a license but is it a good time which is why farmers always wise? asked Bilyea. “So need to follow the rules, no matter you have a 300 horsepower how desperate they are to get the tractor with 40 tonnes of corn and crops off. you throw an 18-year-old in there.

“I’m not here to harp on your Maybe he has been driving since guys because I am a farmer as he was 12 but does that 18-yearwell, " said Provincial Constable old have enough experience?” he Kevin Bilyea at the S.H.E.D. Talks asked. “Please take that and think inaugural event held at the about it before you put someone Brussels Four Winds Barn on in that situation.”

December 2. “But let’s all think of Bilyea said police do a lot of the worst case scenario when we shift work and “we see a lot of are on the road with our machinery interesting stuff at night”, he said. and ask ourselves if breaking the Bilyea said at night, plus 30 law is worth it at the end of the minutes before sunset and 30 day.” minutes after sunrise everything Bilyea was one of three should be lit up. Flashing lights speakers at the event designed to are valuable and farmers should encourage farmers to host their use them more, rather than less, own S.H.E.D. (Sustaining Healthy even if they aren’t required.

Farms Through Empowerment and “Light that thing up and let them Dedication), an initiative of see it,” advised Bilyea. “I Gateway, the Centre of Excellence personally like to see an amber or in Rural Health. These talks are a red light flashing,” said Bilyea. way for farmers to meet in their It doesn’t matter how fast your tractor can go.

Lights can make all the sheds or at a local restaurant to talk If you have a slow moving vehicle sign on a difference in terms of visibility. about their lives to stay mentally tractor or implement, you cannot go faster than “The moment you get in a crash, healthy via communication and we show up and let’s say the 40 kilometres per hour, said OPP Constable connections. Bilyea and family person who hits you says he have a cow/calf operation near St. Kevin Bilyea while speaking at Gateway’s didn’t see you. I look at your Marys and he is a certified crop S.H.E.D. Talks held in Brussels on December 1. tractor or wagon and see a faded advisor. On this day, he was present SMV sign and two faded strips of in full uniform to discuss road reflective tape. What do you think etc,” he said. SMVs are what police safety. is going to happen?” get questioned on the most because “I’m hoping you will take Bilyea showed a photo of a tractor the minute you put that sign on your something home from this talk to do pulling six grain carts down the road. tractors, wagons and machinery you a little better,” he said, before asking There are no rules about how many cannot go over 40 kilometres per farmers not to abuse the privileges you can pull as there is no exemption hour (kmh). “Your tractor may be they have to use the shoulder and on weight and length. Again, Bilyea able to do 60 kmh but you still have drive slowly with a Slow Moving asked if, when thinking of the worstto drive 40 kmh.”

Vehicle (SMV) sign. case scenario, would this be wise?.

The sign should be placed near as “Farmers with SMVs are exempt Up until now, farmers have had a possible to the centre of your tractor from a lot of things but you still have lot of leeway and been able to govern or implement and be two to six feet to stop at stop signs, right of ways, themselves within rules under the above the road.

46 The Rural Voice

Highway Traffic Act. If they want to keep that freedom, they need to continuously adopt best practices, have well-lit equipment and make sure they don’t turn without checking that there is no traffic to the left or right.

Bilyea finished his talk with announcing the five most common questions he receives as a police officer: ● When I turn left across traffic and am cut off, who is at fault?

A.”Make sure you use that shoulder, swing out, stay in your lane and always have a look. YOU are responsible for turning left and making sure traffic is clear in both lanes.” ● Am I able to drive faster than 40 kmh with a SMV. A. “Full stop, no.” ● Am I able to block traffic to unload? A. Farmers are not allowed to block traffic to upload. “You have to think of safety and farmer image.

Also, what if there is an emergency and someone can’t get past you?

Why do farmers think they are more important than the general public?”

Am I able to get the road muddy? ● No. I’ve seen parts of the road”A. with three to four inches of mud and had farmers tell me ‘don’t worry.

Drivers will slow down.’ Then I say, How about we get a tractor in here’ “ ‘.and push that off the road ● “Why are you giving me a ticket? Shouldn’t you be arresting drug dealers.” A. Bilyea said this is his personal favourite question and his answer is: “If we weren’t responding to so many farm calls, we would be arresting drug dealers.” ◊

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Beef

• Shawn Loughlin •

It was another good year for beef, says president Huron County Beef Producers receive updates, elect executive and celebrate a good year of sales and service

A

t the annual meeting of the Huron County Beef Producers, held recently at the Brussels Legion, LeeAnne Wurmli, Jairus Maus and Ron Stevenson, a Huron County Beef Producer himself, updated the local membership on the work of the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO).

First and foremost, after a recent increase to the provincial check-off (money sent from producers to the Beef Farmers of Ontario per animal sold), the trio reported on how the money was spent in regards to outreach. Nearly $105,000 was spent on the sharecost program, while just under $47,000 was spent on the county and district grant program. The Livestock Research Innovation Corporation received $40,000 of that money, while Feed Ontario’s Beef Food Bank Program received $50,000, the Farm and Food Care Ontario Public Trust received $40,000, AgScape’s education and career development spent $30,000, $20,000 was spent on 4-H Ontario’s Discovery Days and Impact Program, $7,500 was spent on the Ontario Legislative Internship Program, $6,000 was spent on youth events and shows and $1,000 was spent at Water First, which was an Orange Shirt fundraiser.

Huron County Beef Producers Secretary/Treasurer Kittie MacGregor noted that at the Huron County level, about $5,000 was returned to the organization through the sharecost program.

Stevenson also reviewed the beef market throughout the province for the local organization. The Ontario cow herd has decreased by nearly five per cent since July of 2022, he said, and stocker volumes were down one per cent. However, he noted that all weights and classes of cattle in Ontario set new records this year, while the average railgrade price was up nearly 25 per cent and 48 The Rural Voice

The Huron County Beef Producers Executive: (left to right) Secretary/Treasurer Kittie MacGregor, Vice‐President Dan Hoggart, President Bob Bennett, Advisory Councillor Harvey Hoggart and Past‐President Kevin McArter processing volumes were down 8.9 per cent federally and 7.7 per cent provincially.

He added that, while the average Ontario/Alberta basis was steady in 2023, the average Ontario/U.S. basis was negative for most of the year.

Ontario live fed cattle exports to the U.S. rose by 75 per cent, while feeder cattle exports to the U.S. dropped by 75 per cent.

Steer carcass weights were up one per cent above 2022 levels, while heifers held steady. Boxed beef imports into Canada rose by 7.2 per cent, while Canadian beef exports fell by 4.9 per cent.

He added that Ontario cattle that has been graded Prime and AAA in 2023 was the highest it’s been in five years.

Also in regards to the check-off increase, the program between the Beef Farmers of Ontario and Ontario Corn-fed Beef had been a success. After launching it a few years ago, Wurmli said the organization went ahead with a third-party review of its success and found that it was paying farmers back for their investment to the tune

of between $30 and $40 per head of cattle.

Stevenson also lauded the fact that Ontario beef was being reintroduced to some international markets, such as Saudi Arabia and South Korea, among others. *** Huron County Beef Producers President Bob Bennett said it’s been another good year for the beef industry in Huron County.

Bennett said that the Huron County Beef Producers have increased their outreach in the last 12 months, engaging with local schools and 4-H clubs, while also giving back to the community through local food banks. *** The Huron County Beef Producers’ executive will remain the same as 2023 for 2024. Bob Bennett will remain the president, while Dan Hoggart will serve as vice-president, Kittie MacGregor remains the secretary/treasurer and Harvey Hoggart stays the Advisory Councillor to the Beef Farmers of Ontario, while Kevin McArter is the past-president. ◊

News

• Press Release •

McNeil reelected as Chair of Warden’s Caucus Glen McNeil continues his role as chair of Western Ontario Warden’s Caucus while Jim Ginn heads economic committee commitment to advancing the priorities and initiatives of the WOWC remain unwavering. In 2024, we will continue to collaborate to further enhance our advocacy efforts in expanding housing options, fostering workforce development, and addressing the critical issues surrounding mental health and addiction in Western Ontario."

“I am pleased to resume my position as Chair of the WOWC Economic Development Committee. I will continue to represent Western Ontario to the best of my ability, and I look forward to continuing to advance the objectives and participate in the advocacy WOWC Chair Glen McNeil of Huron County work of the WOWC,” stands with WOWC Vice‐Chair Andy Lennox of stated Past Huron County Wellington County.

Warden and WOWC he County of Huron Economic Development Committee congratulates Warden Glen Both McNeil and Ginn assumed McNeil, who has been their positions after they were reelected as Chair of the Western reelected during the organization’s Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC), Annual General Meeting held on as well as Councillor and Past Huron February 2.

County Warden, Jim Ginn, who has About the Western Ontario been reelected as Chair of the Warden’s Caucus (WOWC) WOWC Economic Development The Western Ontario Wardens’ Committee.

Caucus (WOWC) is a not-for-profit Both McNeil and Ginn have organization that represents 15 upper been active members of WOWC for and single-tier municipalities in multiple years. County of Huron Southwestern Ontario, including CAO, Meighan Wark was also more than three million residents. reelected to the role of WOWC The purpose of the WOWC is to Secretary. They will each hold these advocate and engage with other positions until January 2025. levels of government as one united "I am deeply honored to continue voice on opportunities, common serving as Chair of the WOWC, and I needs and issues of critical am sincerely grateful for the importance to Southwestern Ontario. continued trust and support from our Quick Facts: members,” stated Chair McNeil. “As • WOWC is a united front in the we embark on this new year, our province of Ontario representing over

T

20 per cent of the population of the province.

• WOWC is a not-for-profit organization representing 15 upper and single-tier municipalities in approximately 300 communities.

• The Western region covers almost half a million square kilometers of territory, more than 90 per cent of it rural including, approximately 25,000 kilometers of roads, more than 3,000 bridges and 24,000 culverts.

• WOWC advocates on behalf of its member counties on key items such as: infrastructure, transportation, long-term care, broadband and economic development. ◊

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News

• By Tim Cumming •

Farmers share experiences using cover crops

M

ore than 50 people attended the annual cover crop workshop hosted by Huron County Soil and Crop Improvement Association (HSCIA) and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) on January 26, 2024 in Clinton, Ontario.

Four local agricultural producers (Mike Strang, Alan Willits, Joanna Wallace and Ethan Wallace) spoke to the crowd about their experiences using cover crops. They outlined both the successes of cover crops as well as the challenges. Planting and harvesting can be particularly stressful for producers, especially with unfavourable weather and field conditions. It was encouraging to hear from producers who found their cover crops allowed them to get back on their fields more quickly during .the wet autumn experienced last year Local, on-the-ground experiences are what seem to draw producers to this workshop, said Hope Brock, Healthy Watersheds Technician with ABCA. “It is great to be able to provide a space for producers to share and these discussions are so important in furthering the use of cover crops in our watershed communities,” she said.

In addition to the producer presentations, Nicole Menheere, a past University of Guelph graduate student, spoke about her research on cover crops and climate change.

Kelly Consitt, an agronomist with Agri-Solve Inc., provided a summary of the first-year results of the ryeafter-corn trial. Marisa Roefs, Stewardship Technician with Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), outlined the funding available for cover crops through the County of Huron’s Huron Clean Water Project.

Wim Feddes is President of Huron Soil and Crop. “It was great to see this well-attended workshop and hear what producers are doing to incorporate cover crops into their rotations,” he said. “I found it encouraging to see the interest in the rye-after-corn trial as the more

50 The Rural Voice

producers that are involved, the better we can generate and share information.”

Workshop organizers thanked all the producers for attending, for sharing their experiences, and continuing to innovate when it comes to incorporating cover crops into their operations.

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

Farmers are optimists despite interest rate and weather challenges As the calendar rolled over to a new year, most people looked to the year ahead with an optimistic hope.

The new year is a traditional time of reflection on the year past and a time to consider what’s to come and how things can be improved. This is

52 The Rural Voice

shown by the many new year resolutions that come forward, at least for a time anyway. Certainly with each new year we expect challenges, but overall I would anticipate that many feel a hopefulness that with each new year it will be better.

This concept of renewed hopefulness is generally true with farmers. Each year brings a new growing season and a clean slate.

There’s another crop to plan for.

With this planning there are varieties to select, inputs to manage and a new crop to plant and scout through the season. There is weather to watch and forecasts to check, most especially when rainfall hasn’t been cooperating with what was hoped for.

With optimism for the year ahead, the grower sets in motion and delivers those things necessary for the crop to succeed, providing the things that can be controlled.

Through all of this, there will be another large crop to harvest; if the hope of all those who plant is realized. I can’t recall hearing a

grower that was pessimistic about a crops outlook ahead of the season.

And if a crop doesn’t work out as well as hoped for, if yields suffer and the crop is a disappointment, there is always a certain expectation in the words, “Maybe next year.” This isn’t a business of pessimists.

Well the optimism has been working, as local crop production has been very good in the last few years.

Ontario has produced record yields in Soft Red Winter wheat production consecutively for the past three years.

The 2021 crop year set a new record at 90.9 bushels per acre (bu/ac), followed by 2022 which produced 96.5 bu/ac, only to be out done again this past summer in 2023 which averaged 99 bu/ac.

It’s not just wheat that had strong yields, soys and corn also produced extremely well this year. Ontario soy harvest matched the record high provincial production of 53 bu/ac.

This yield is 111 per cent of the Ontario average farm yield of 48 bu/acre. Corn yields were similarly strong, however final yield reports have been delayed with harvest delays and a higher percentage of the crop than normal remaining in the field. With 10 per cent of the corn yet to harvest in mid-January, average yields were running 194 bu/ac in the province. Expectations are for final yields to be slightly below this number as later harvested corn reports come in.

But in all the optimism of the grower and the things that can be produced and hoped for, there are many factors at play that are not in the farmer’s hands. Currently there are many things negatively affecting farm profitability, none of which the grower has an opportunity to influence. Interest rates continue to linger in an elevated range, and although the consensus seems to be that rates will begin to creep lower in the future, the pace may be slower than once thought. In a recent interview, the U.S. Federal Chair, Jerome Powell, spoke about the need for an extended, steady interest rate period, to ensure that the decline in inflation that has been experienced remains. Rates remaining higher for a

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longer period negatively impacts the farmer in two ways. Not only are farmers large borrowers of money because of the high amount of capital it takes to produce crops and livestock, but they are also affected by interest rates negatively affecting their income. The purpose of higher interest rates is to put pressure on the price of goods, and largely among this basket of goods is commodities.

This double-edged interest rate effect is a major pressure on the farm’s cash flow.

Naturally the weather is another major factor that is beyond the control of the grower. Currently the South American growing season is on the radar of agricultural traders and prices are influenced greatly with the weather forecasts. Last year, Argentina had an extended drought throughout the country and therefore a greatly reduced crop production.

This benefited U.S. futures, which was a help to both U.S. and Canadian growers alike.

The U.S. soy crush was record high this past year, as U.S. shipper’s exported large volumes of soy products to world buyers, filling the void of Argentina’s lack of supply.

This situation was expected to last until around April, when Argentina’s new crop production was expected to normalize.

However this expectation has changed recently, as early harvest in Brazil has been making its way to the Argentine crushers that have been waiting to return to normal capacity.

With a return to capacity, Argentina will look to regain the market share they lost to the U.S. last year.

Argentine meal will out compete U.S. production by way of lower prices, and U.S. soys will have downward pressure as well as world prices fall.

Argentine growers not only have expectation of a strong crop cycle this year, but they have seen a major reduction in the value of their currency. This allows growers there to receive more pesos for their crops sold in U.S. dollars. This is positive to Argentine production as seen in their export data. Argentine exports in January were $1.25 billion, up 64 per cent from January last year. ◊

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Woodlots Saugeen River in Grey County, but I can still envision that bird in flight. Now the bald eagle is a fairly common sighting over our rivers and near our water bodies. In fact, one of my colleagues reported sighting 14 bald eagles in their fence line at one time last week. That Sometimes my memory of would have been a yesterday isn’t that great. However, I sight to see. still remember when I saw my first It is written that bald eagle. When I was 12, my bald eagles were grandparents and great aunt took my once widespread sister and I to Florida where we went throughout the Great Donna Lacey got a chance to see a bald eagle up close to Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. I Lakes region prior to and feel its weight a few years back at the Bruce Grey am sure we saw many things at this the 1900’s. As land attraction, but the only thing that I was cleared all Forest Festival. remember is the two bald eagles. aspects of habitat they were considered vermin. We not These birds were so enormous and destruction occurred, trees no longer only took away their homes and majestic. They were perfect, just like available for nesting, and prey killed them for their plumage, but we the pictures I had seen. populations were reduced. The then started using synthetic It was 10-15 years ago that I saw majestic birds were shot for their chlorinated pesticides, such as DDT. my first bald eagle flying over the feathers, or to protect livestock as DDT was used in and around waterways and wetlands. Fish in those wet areas would then take up the chemicals, eagles would eat the fish and therefore ingest the chemical.

Bald eagles are one of the many examples of how we humans can try to right our wrongs in our environment. In the early 1970’s the use of DDT was restricted due to its environmental effects and its potential human health risks. It should be mentioned that one of the downsides of DDT is its persistence.

There is still DDT present in our environment from historical uses.

DDT was responsible for the bald 5*.& 50 1-"/ '03 413*/( eagle’s inability to reproduce 5SFF QMBOUJOH BOE TBMFT successfully as the shells on the eggs )BSWFTU DPOUSBDU NBOBHFNFOU were not thick or firm enough to allow for the maturation of the eggs.

5SFF NBSLJOH Removal of this threat has allowed .'5*1 the species to recreate populations 'SJFOEMZ BEWJDF BOE NPSF possibly to levels that predate the century. Increased populations may also be attributed to the discounting TBVHFFODPOTFSWBUJPO DB TFSWJDFT of hunting or killing the species as vermin.

The bald eagle is one of two eagles that inhabit our area. The Donna Lacey is a forester with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

Bald eagles — enormous and majestic

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54 The Rural Voice

golden eagle is roughly the same size but has maintained populations throughout the bald eagle’s troubled times as their diet does not include large amounts of fish. Both eagles feed on carrion whenever it is available. In my opinion, this is their least majestic trait. A few political comics have drafted images of a glorious bald eagle feeding on a Canada goose carcass. Really, bald eagles feed on fish, jackrabbits, muskrats, turtles, or other birds. They will even steal food from other carnivores or carrion feeders.

These eagles have a wingspan of six feet, making them unmistakable in flight – they’re huge. They are even bigger than a turkey vulture.

Once you observe their impressive size the next part is the hardest unless you are staring at a mature bald eagle. Determining whether you are looking at a golden eagle or an immature bald eagle can be very challenging as they don’t often come really close or hold still for long.

Immature bald eagles do not have an entirely white head – that takes four or five years of molting. In fact, bald eagles start out almost entirely brown and look very similar to mature golden eagles.

The immature or mature bald eagle will always glide with its wings straight or flat, while the golden eagle will keep its wings raised a bit.

An immature bald eagle will have white blotches or flecks on the underside of its wings and body, while a golden eagle will have white patches on each wing. As the bald eagle continues to mature the bill will become a very vibrant yellow, while the golden eagle has a yellow and black/gray bill.

Bald eagles mate for life, sharing parenting duties to raise up to three young. Their nests can be the size, and weight, of a small car. Often the nest is almost as deep as it is wide. In our area, these nests are most often found in the tops of large trees. In other areas, they will nest on the grounds or on cliffs.

It has been noted through blood tests of many eagles that there are still high levels of lead and other toxic elements present in several of

the birds. It is important that we stop using lead weights for fishing and lead shot for hunting. It takes very little lead to contaminate a large body of water.

The return of the bald eagle to our area is a sign that we can do better

when we are aware of some of the harmful things that we do. I still use herbicides, I believe in the right chemical, at the right dose, for the right plant, in the right spot. I still believe in hunting and fishing, just leave the lead out. ◊

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

Court of Appeal upholds dismissal of BSE Class Action

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he Court of Appeal for Ontario recently issued its decision upholding the dismissal of a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of Canadian farmers in connection with the BSE crisis. In May, 2003, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (“BSE”) was identified in a cow that had died on a farm in Saskatchewan earlier that year. It was believed that the source of the BSE in the cow was “calfstarter” feed containing ruminant protein fed to the cow in 1997 when it was a calf. As a result of the

positive ID of BSE, the United States and other countries closed their borders to Canadian cattle and beef products. The representative plaintiff in the class action lawsuit sued Canada (as represented by the Minister of Agriculture) for having failed to ensure that BSE did not enter the country. The damages originally claimed exceeded $8 billion for the period 2003-2008.

The BSE class action was originally dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in a January, 2022 decision made following a months’-long trial held in 2021. The lawsuit alleged that Canada did not adequately monitor animals that had been imported from the United Kingdom, the likely source of BSE, and failed to prevent those imports from entering the Canadian feed chain between 1990 and 1994. In 1990, Canada had imposed a ban on UK imports. In 1994, Canada had ordered the destruction of all remaining cattle imported from the UK. Prior to 1994, though, protein from approximately 68 UK cattle imported

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56 The Rural Voice

between 1982 and 1990 and slaughtered in Canada had entered the feed chain. Canada implemented a “ruminant-to-ruminant” feed ban in 1997. The lawsuit alleged that delay in implementing the feed ban was also negligent.

The claim was brought on behalf of all Canadian farmers who raised cattle in May, 2003 (the “Class”).

Canada denied that it could be liable in negligence because the relationship between Canada and the Class members did not give rise to a duty of care on the part of Canada – there wasn’t sufficient “proximity” or closeness between Canada and the Class members. Canada also argued that its actions were reasonable and consistent with scientific knowledge at the time, noting in particular that other countries like the U.S. did not have a feed ban prior to 1997 either.

Lastly, Canada relied on Section 9 of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, which it said was a bar to the lawsuit because Canada had developed programs to provide financial assistance to cattle producers. Financial assistance to the Class of approximately $2 billion in specific BSE-related programs had been authorized.

The trial judge dismissed the action on a number of grounds. He found that Section 9 of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act did bar the action in light of the financial assistance provided. He agreed with Canada that the relationship between Canada and the Class members was not of a sort that created a duty of care on the part of Canada. He found that if a sufficient relationship did exist, a duty of care should not be recognized because Canada had made policy decisions: what Canada did or did not do was a matter of policy and was not “operational negligence”. The trial judge also found that Canada had not acted unreasonably or breached the standard of care expected “of a reasonable regulator in the circumstances faced between 1990 and 1997”.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the trial judge based solely on Section 9 of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, which

it found to be a complete defence to the lawsuit. Section 9 provides: No proceedings lie against the Crown or a servant of the Crown in respect of a claim if a pension or compensation has been paid or is payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund or out of any funds administered by an agency of the Crown in respect of the death, injury, damage or loss in respect of which the claim is made.

The representative plaintiff argued that the programs made available by Canada to affected farmers were designed to provide “financial assistance” and not “compensation” such that Section 9 did not apply.

The representative plaintiff pointed to the fact that none of the government programs used the term “compensation” in describing its purpose.

The Court of Appeal found the use of terms like “financial assistance” versus “compensation” to be a distinction without a difference; what mattered was the purpose of the payment and whether it was contingent on an “event of death, injury, damage or loss”. The Court found that Canada’s purpose in paying assistance to the Class members under BSE-specific programs was “clearly to compensate them, in particular, for the economic effects of the border closures that arose from the discovery of BSE in Canada, but also for the impact of BSE generally.”

The BSE class action was commenced in Ontario on April 8, 2005, meaning it has taken nearly 19 years to get to this point. The representative plaintiff now has 60 days from the date of the Court of Appeal’s decision to apply for leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. This litigation story may not be over. ◊ ______________________________ 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.

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People

• By Gary West •

Over-quota milk turns into cheese for family use

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here have been many changes in farming over the years, whether in machinery, mechanization or labour-saving devices in livestock barns or in the field.

Dairy farming whether in milking cows, goats, sheep or water buffalo, takes a tremendous amount of work and excellent management to make an operation run smoothly and profitably.

I recently made a trip to a modern dairy farm near Stratford which is not only producing cows’ milk through a robotic milking system, but invites a mobile cheesemaker to the farm to make cheddar cheese from the whole milk produced that very day from their own herd of Holstein cows.

Bring on Maynard Martin from the Drayton Area of Wellington County, who along with his family, have set up a business known as “Farmers Cheese Inc.”. They make cheddar cheese in portable trailers, of which they have three in total.

All the cheese produced on the dairy farm is for the families’ use only and cannot be used for sale or any other purpose.

All dairy farmers own a milk quota and it’s hard to turn off a milkproducing animal when overproduction of quota occurs. The farm’s quota allows shipping 1.5 million litres of Grade “A” milk per year, through the Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) organization.

Rather than disposing or dumping the milk, they call on Maynard Martin to process that extra milk into cheese.

On this day we were at the David and Christine Meadows Farm, known as Elhaven Farms Inc., near Flannagan’s corners. The Meadows family includes two sons, Luke and Jacob, along with herdsman Dan Dunsmore. They milk approximately 100 Holstein dairy cows, and call on “The Farmers Cheese” during the year.

The process transforms 1,000 litres of milk into 250 lbs of cheddar.

Smaller dairies which could include milk from goats, sheep or water buffalo usually only make a batch from 500 litres. The higher the butterfat percentage in the milk, the more cheese is the end result.

Maynard Martin says he “started the business over 10 years ago, and now has one son running another trailer along with his wife running the third trailer when times get busy.” He says the busiest time comes near the end of the month when dairy farmers are trying to figure how much milk they could be over quota.

He adds the areas of Waterloo, Wellington, Perth and Oxford are by far his busiest areas, since this is the area where dairy animals are most prevalent.

Martin says he learned

the art of making quality cheese from a farmer from France who was a cheesemaker in Eastern Ontario, that taught him how to make high quality

Maynard Martin of The Farmers Cheese company (above) shows how he makes cheese from a secret recipe in his mobile cheesemaking trailer on the David Meadows Dairy Farm near Stratford in Perth County. Below, Meadows Dairy Farm family includes David and Christine with sons Luke and Jacob, shown in their robotic milking free stall barn, getting ready to package their own on‐farm cheddar cheese.

March 2024 59

~~ Sweet Reads ~~ MAPLE SUGAR From sap to syrup, the history, lore and how-to behind this sweet treat. The book provides information on maple tree varieties and suitability, tips on making your own syrup and sugar, a time line of developments in maple syrup and recipes. $19.95

THE MAPLE SYRUP BOOK The reward for surviving a Canadian winter is the sweet tradition of maple syrup. This richly illustrated book explores the history and lore of maple syrup, how it’s made, helps you judge the best and gives recipes. $24.95

Enjoy Pure Canadian Maple Syrup APRIL 6 & 7

2024

Call ahead to order your copy!

Limited quantity available The Rural Reading Room 519-523-4311

Roth’s

1944 Bean Rd., New Hamburg, ON

32nd Annual Syrup

Butter

Sugars

Products available year ’round

Gift Baskets ~ made to order

Jim/Dianne Magwood 519-364-1932

magwoodmaple@wightman.ca magwoodmaple.ca Located 1 1/2 miles northeast of Canadian Tire (Hanover) 341326 Con 2 NDR

2024 Fort Rose Maple Company Pancake Brunch Every Saturday & Sunday from February 24th - March 31st 9 am - 2 pm $20.00 / Adult, 12 & under $10.00 (Tax included) March Break Monday, March 11th - Friday, March 15th 9 am - 2 pm Brunch Includes: Pancakes, Sausage, Ham, Maple Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Fruit Salad, Refreshments, and Pure Maple Syrup.

Visit a Sugar House Near You Free Admission

Ontario Pure Maple Syrup It’s worth the drive to Fort Rose

Proper’s Maple Farm Grey Bruce District Maple Syrup Producers Association

GreyBruceDistrictMapleSyrup

60 The Rural Voice

Open during syrup season, otherwise by appointment only

David and Pam Proper 10 Jim Marks Road Wingham, ON N0G 2W0 519-357-5190

See our 11,000 tap operation ~ Sugar Bush Tours ** Maple Syrup available 7 days a week 9-5 year round

We accept cash, debit & credit 27382 Coldstream Rd., RR 5 Parkhill, Ontario 519-232-9041 Visit our on-line store on our website www.fortrose.ca

cheddar along with selling his old equipment and recipe to the Martin’s.

Five cheese flavours can be added to the process — onion-parsley, onion-blend paprika, garlic-sundried tomato, hot jalapeno pepper, and cumin seeds. All flavours originate in Holland.

New this year, the Martin Family also offers vacuum packaging, where

the farm family can cut and package their own cheese in the sizes they prefer.

The cheese should age for two months or more to obtain a great aged taste.

Martin states that in the past, homemade cheese could leave a bitter aftertaste but he believes the cheddar they produce is good-tasting

with no bitter aftertaste.

Knowing the cheddar cheese is made from milk from their own herd adds extra satisfaction in eating the cheese. Both families stress how the cheese making equipment is cleaned more than twice to make sure quality is never compromised.

More info - maynardchristine @mwpol.ca ◊

Another banner year for Stratford and District Ag Society

M

embers of the Stratford and District Agriculture directors and volunteers who greet them with a smile every Society had another banner year in 2023 and Saturday morning”. expect the same in 2024, as was reported at their “They still have room to expand the market, but all in recent annual meeting. all, it was another successful year and they are always The Society was incorporated in 1841 and is the longest looking at new ways to advertise the long running Stratford running organization in Perth County.

Farmer’s Market”.

Society President Brian Anderson, who dairy farms The many activities taken on by the Board of Directors with his family in South Easthope Township, south-east of included: serving breakfast at the Canadian Dairy Expo; Stratford, said “the organization functions due to the providing breakfast at the Ontario Pork Congress while also number of dedicated volunteers that put in the work year helping with setup and takedown and manning the bar; and after year”. He follows in the footsteps of his father Stewart hosting a fundraising drive-through pork chop dinner in and his grandfather William Anderson, who were also July with the Perth County Pork Producers. presidents in past decades.

Following the annual meeting, Brian Anderson was A very busy volunteer with other agricultural returned to a second term as president, Laurie Neubrand as organizations, including 4-H clubs, Anderson says he is first vice-president, Don Storey as second vice-president, glad to help make it what it is today.

Jeremy Eaton as third vice-president, Heidi Danen as past He also thanks the many sponsors who financially president and Susan McGonigle as office administrator. ◊ supported the society’s many activities over the past number of years.

The organizations biggest venture every year is the Stratford Fall Fair held in September. This year it was blessed with nearly perfect weather, resulting in record attendance. Old favourites, such as cattle shows (including 4-H shows), the ambassador competition, homecraft, farm-to-you, school fair displays, and horse shows were enjoyed by all.

Anderson also said “this was the second year they had a goat show and the first year hosting lawnmower races, both of which should be continued”.

Anderson says “the farmers’ market held every Saturday morning at the Agri-Plex, had stable vendor numbers The Stratford and District Agriculture Society 2024 board of directors: and foot traffic increased in the summer Front row: John DeWys, Lynn Fleming, Ruth Moore (treasurer), Brian of 2023”.

Anderson (president), Elaine Landsborough, Laurie Neubrand, Susan He also stated “the people coming to McGonigle (office administrator), Martin Ritsma (city council representative). the Stratford Farmers’ Market, seem to Back row: Tom Melady, Greg Bell, Dave Hanley, Ron McKay, Ron Neeb, appreciate the bacon on a bun that is Ashley McKay, Kim McKay, Heidi Danen and Dave Gaffney. Absent: Don available, thanks to the roster of Storey, Jeremy Eaton, Marlene Ballantyne, Kyle Moore, Dianne Walkom.

March 2024 61

The

Rural Voice

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

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

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

www.beloretrailers.ca

Full service to all boats and marine engines

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

ARGYLE Marine & Small Engines Inc.

Jamie Belore

33973 Church Camp Rd., Goderich 519-524-5361 Email: argylemarine1960@gmail.com

DL Distributing Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

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

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

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

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

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

Steven: P/F: 519-363-0152 Jeffery: P: 519-363-5933

62 The Rural Voice

701234 Side Road 5 RR #4 Chesley, ON N0G 1L0

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

REAL ESTATE • Farm, residential, country, cottages, condominiums.

• Thinking of Buying or Selling? Rightsizing? Relocating?

• Market value analysis on your property.

“Welcome to connect with me anytime.”

Gladys Munro Realtor®

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

QUALITY METAL ROOFING, SIDING & TRIMS

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

Spike’s Auto Parts

252 Queen St., Kincardine 519-396-1515 Email: lap@porters.ca

Delivery available in Southwestern Ontario

519-363-3757

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

The Better Choice, Plain and Simple

TREE TRIMMING & REMOVAL Any Size. Any Place • FULLY INSURED • FREE ESTIMATES • OVER 18 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

5554 Highway 23 Harriston, ON Office: 519-638-0121 Cell: 226-885-0045 FULL SERVICE: Tree Trimming • Tree Removal • Stump Grinding • Brush Chipping •Thorough Cleanup • Fire Wood & Wood Chips Sales Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 6:00 pm Saturdays on request We accept payment by cash, cheque or E-transfer

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

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING Tile Installed, GPS Surveying, Excavator, Backhoe, Dozer Work, Weeping Beds Installed

FAMILY BUSINESS SINCE 1949 Mark Cook Main 519-393-5656 Cell 519-276-7402 4283 Line 42, Sebringville, ON N0K 1X0

519-531-0355 TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

WE WANT YOUR GRAIN!

ROTH DRAINAGE LTD Quality Workmanship Since 1948 * Farm Drainage * Excavator & Backhoe Service * Municipal Drainage * No Obligation Quotes

Gads Hill 519-656-2618

1-866-494-2618

PACKERS: WE BUILD

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

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

CASH & FORWARD CONTRACTS Call us today for Quotes Scott Speers Richard Smibert Scott Krakar Matt McKillop Alex Kissler 1615 NORTH ROUTLEDGE PARK UNIT 43 - LONDON, ONTARIO, N6H 5L6 519-473-9333 Toll-Free 1-800-265-1885

Blyth 519-895-6367

Order Now

RUBBER TIRE PACKER SPECIALISTS

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

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

March 2024 63

C E N T R E

CLASSIFIED

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-------------------------------------------COMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------Partner Appreciation Evening and Conservationist of the Year Award on Thursday, March 21, 2024, Ironwood Golf Club, 2 km east of Exeter. Fellowship, light supper. RSVP a week in advance at abca.ca or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.

-------------------------------------------FACTS (Fashion Arts & Creative Textiles Studio) is offering an online introduction on How to Grow a Dye Garden. Learn how to plant, grow and harvest plants from your garden to create natural dyes.

Wednesday March 6th at 7pm. $25.

Go to www.factsblyth.ca to register.

-------------------------------------------Profitable Pastures 2024 webinar series March 5-7 at 8-9 p.m.

EST. Visit https://onforagenetwork.ca/ontario -forage-council/profitablepastures/ to register.

-------------------------------------------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 stone picking. Let us harvest rocks so you can harvest crops. Serving Grey, Bruce, Dufferin and Wellington counties.

Call Brendan Martin 519-503-1101. brendan.martin870@gmail.com -------------------------------------------DAIRY -------------------------------------------Screened bedding sand, delivered.

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

-------------------------------------------FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Soybean seed for sale - Altitude R2, Beliveau R2X, Ramage XF, Savage R2X and Orr R2X Roundup Ready varieties.

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

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

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

-------------------------------------------Alfalfa hay mixtures, pasture mixtures, top dressing for pastures, and a selection of organic grass seeds. All mixed to your personal needs.

Also red clover for plowdown. Available at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-3952972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

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

-------------------------------------------If you’ve got a dairy herd and a cream separator you need an electric butter churn to make your own butter. Can be delivered towards Bruce area in the spring. $50 OBO. 519-344-6903 --------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Suffolk Sheep - Purebred yearling rams. Born in Feb/Mar. British blood lines, GenOvis tested, M-V Negative, closed flock. Florence Pullen, Clinton. 519-233-7896.

-------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN breeding bulls, quiet, thick, semen tested, guaranteed breeders, delivery included. Select now for spring deliver. OPEN HOUSE Saturday, April 6, 2024.

Posthaven Limousin, John Post, 519-766-7178. John Jr. 519-8311869. www.posthavenlimousin.com.

-------------------------------------------McKague Charolais bulls, registered, purebred yearlings, polled and semen-tested, good disposition. Open and bred heifers available. Wingham, 519-357-3808.

-------------------------------------------Black & Red Simmental Bulls, yearlings & 2 yr. olds for sale by private treaty. Performance, ultrasound and semen tested with BIO$ scores. Reports on AgSights website. Contact Dave Milliner, Dundalk, ON. 519-9239188 / 519-375-0122 or milliner.dg@gmail.com -------------------------------------------Bulls on test. Watch them grow by Googling Ontario Bull Evaluation, Silver Springs Farms. Heifers developing. Contact us at 519599-6236 to reserve yours for 2024. James, Joan and Robert McKinlay.

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

64 The Rural Voice

• Tree Seedlings • Nursery Stock • Shade Trees • Native Species Order for Spring 2024 Now

905-797-2801

www.hrichardsonfarms.com

-------------------------------------------GARDEN SEEDS -------------------------------------------Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds vegetable, herb and flower seeds, 6923 Sideroad 2 West, Mount Forest ON, N0G 2L0. 519-3433375, hawthornfarm.ca; sales@hawthornfarm.ca -------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK BEDDING -------------------------------------------MIRACLE FIBRE Livestock Bedding.

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

Sittler Grinding Inc. Rick Sittler.

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

Limousin BULLS and Open and Bred FEMALES

26th Annual Open House & Private Treaty Sale ~ Sat., April 6, 2024 At the farm 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Please call to arrange a private viewing

Smart Limousin

137606 Grey Rd. 12 Meaford 519-372-7459

www.smartlimousin.com or Follow us on Facebook

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

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

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

Heights of 8'- 14' (1-pour).

All jobs engineer specifications/ inspections - guaranteed. Best firm quote in Ontario.

Mark Cronin. 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------Income Tax Filing for Corporations and late filers - for farms, small business, truckers and individuals.

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

Call Shirley in Wingham - cell No. 1-705-434-8187.

-------------------------------------------Tax Quest Certified Tax Preparation. Twenty plus years experience. Personal, farm, investment and business returns.

Flora Becker 177975 Grey Rd. 18 Owen Sound, ON N4K 5N5 519447-0922.

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

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

Short and long term. 519-200-7845 or hundt.chris@outlook.com.

-------------------------------------------Farmland - Long or short term. Cash rent, share crop. Contact Paul at Hill & Hill Farms, 519-233-3218 or 519-525-3137 or email: paul.hill@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------Scrap Cars Wanted. 20, 30, 40 yd. scrap metal bins available. We sell quality used auto parts. Wanted to buy - scrap cars, trucks, farm machinery, heavy equipment.

Kenilworth Auto Recyclers. 519323-1113.

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

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

Ph. 519-528-3019 Specializing in on Farm Pest Management Serving Southwestern ON, Golden Horseshoe, GTA Email: info@sgsltd.ca

519-692-4232

www.sgspestmanagement.ca

DANNY’S

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

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

March 2024 65

Call or or text text for for a a quote quote 519-521-3482 519-521-3482 Call

RCS specializes in forestry mulching services such as tree & stump removal, lot & land clearing, subsoiling, grading & excavation, armour stone installation and design, industrial & commercial vegetation management, tree & fence line clearing, headland clearing, trimming back over hanging limbs and trail maintenance.

PROPANE - LUBRICANTS FUEL - CARDLOCK Now offering…

Save fuel by up to 3%

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

33267 Coursey Line, Lucan, ON N0M 2J0

rcsforestrymulching.ca

New Arrivals Just In Time For Easter!

EASTER ON THE FARM An Easter adventure following the Easter Bunny as she hops through your favorite places, spreading hoppy-ness to those she meets along the way! $14.99

EASTER ON THE FARM This lift-the-flap board book is designed to introduce toddlers to early learning in a fun and engaging way through answering questions and lifting the flaps to find different-colored eggs in each farmyard scene. $10.99

A-Z OF KNITTING This book will tell you almost everything there is to know about this beautiful and practical craft. $23.95

GRANDMA’S KITCHEN Call the office to This sweet story order your copy celebrates the special bond between today! grandmothers and their grandchildren.

A The Rural Reading keepsake board book Room children will cherish for 519-523-4311 generations. $14.95

66 The Rural Voice

2000 STICKERS BUSY FARM Full of engaging activities including puzzles, mazes, connect the dots, matching, hidden objects, spot the difference, decorating pictures, and more! $11.95 BARNYARD BATH! This bath book and washcloth set from bestselling and beloved Sandra Boynton is the perfect tub time diversion for little ones who love barnyard animals! $12.99

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

You’re invited: NFU-O AGM & Convention 2024

M

ark your calendars! The N F U-O Annual General Meeting (A G M) and Convention will be held on Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20.

We’re excited to announce that, after three years of meeting virtually, we’ll be returning to in-person this year and will convene at the beautiful Arboretum at the University of Guelph. The ability to attend via Zoom will also be available for members who prefer to participate remotely.

We think you’ll agree that our theme this year, “Soil: A Matter of Biology”, holds paramount importance to our farming community.

Soil is not just a medium for plant growth; it is a dynamic, living ecosystem teeming with microbial life, fungi, and countless organisms that form a complex web of interactions. In addition to supporting plant growth, healthy soils play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, supporting water filtration, enhancing the ecosystem’s resilience, and acting as a carbon sequestration powerhouse.

In all regions of Canada, soil degradation has developed into a major national concern. Whether from wind erosion on the prairies, water erosion in Ontario and the Maritimes, or from excessive fertilizer use in the endless pursuit of increased crop yields across the country, the decline in soil conditions threatens local and global food growing capacities.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

The National Farmers Union Ontario (N F U-O) has long since recognized the importance of soil & has championed direct support to farmers implementing soil conservation practices, like crop rotation or reduced tillage, that build up organic matter in the soil. The

2024 NFU-O AGM will position the transformative potential of soil as a matter of biology, rather than chemistry.

Our Annual General Meeting will explore the multifaceted importance of living soils and how they contribute to the broader goals of sustainable agriculture. Join us for one day or for both and celebrate the richness of living soils and their indispensable role in cultivating a sustainable and prosperous agricultural future.

We’re excited that our Tuesday evening keynote address will be delivered by Vivian Kaloxilos, Founder of Docterre - Soil Life Regeneration.

Vivian is passionate about the natural world, assisting and documenting life and biodiversity as it bounces back from states of degradation. She is an ecologist who specializes in soil ecology and

applied soil life regeneration.

Vivian a graduate of McGill’s School of Environment and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in applied field ecology, and completed her Permaculture Design Certificate.

As always, our AGM agenda will also consist of reports from the NFUO Board, elections, and debates on policy resolutions.

For more information or to book tickets, scan the QR code or visit: https://shorturl.at/bkw03 ◊

Local News/Events NFU-O Local 340 (Waterloo, Wellington) is hosting a “Feast & Film: ● Local Farmers Get Together” on Sat., March 16 from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the Drayton Chophouse (41 Wellington St N, Drayton, ON). Join us for a free dinner, a screening of a few of the NFU Depth of Field films, followed by some AGM business. For more details and to RSVP email: stephen@hawthornefarm.ca

A subscription to The Rural Voice is one of the benefits of being an NFU-O member March 2024 67

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

Farm Safety Week - March 10-16, 2024 GCFA recognizes the importance of farm safety not only now but all year round. This is why they have undertaken the initiative to “Build A Barn” and Saugeen Safety Village.

In collaboration with the Safety Village committee, we have come up with a plan to increase the presence of Agriculture and Safety at the Village.

Fundraising started in October 2023 with a “kick off” event featuring two YUK YUK’s comedians.

Our plans will continue with events throughout 2024 so we can see the vision come to fruition as soon as possible. With over 5000 children visiting the village each year it is an excellent way to teach about the

importance of agriculture as well as safety.

If you would like to help us achieve our goals faster by donating to the cause please reach out to our office and we can help you out, receipts for donations are available.

As always, farm safe for you, and for your family.

Next GCFA Meeting March 13 via Zoom, Call our office for details

We want to hear from you...

Do you have any questions, concerns, comments, suggestions for the GCFA? Or even an agriculture-related event that you would like to see promoted on the Grey County page?

Please send them to grey@ofa.on.ca Or call 519-364-3050 Ext 1

GFCA Public Speaking Finals March 4th (snow date March 8th) MacPhail Community School Flesherton 7pm Come support our local youth * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Grey County by the GCFA.

68 The Rural Voice

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

NEWSLETTER

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

Farm Safety – Practice Everyday In Canada, Agriculture Safety Week is celebrated each March. This year it is March 10-16th, although farm safety should be a priority everyday.

Safety isn’t just about knowing the hazards, it’s also about instituting

changes to make everyday safer for everyone through conversation as well as your actions.

If we as farmers promote farm safety year round we can work toward ensuring no one gets hurt on our farms.

This Canadian Agriculture Safety Week, we celebrate Your Farm, Your Family, and Your Success.

If you would like more information regarding the Safety is our Heritage initiative from CASA please visit agsafetyweek.ca

2024 Directors Meetings

AgSafe Ribbon Campaign

CASA is asking all Canadians to join us in celebrating Your Farm, Your Family, Your Success! The AgSafe Ribbon Campaign is a celebration of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week and a way to declare your support and raise awareness about farm safety.

March 25 April 22 May 27 June 24 August 26 September 23 October 25-Annual Meeting November 11

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

March 2024 69

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

PCFA reviews busy 2023 year and welcomes new board member

By Joanne Foster PCFA Director or the last 80 years, Perth County Federation of Agriculture has had an annual meeting to update their members with the happenings in Perth County.

PCFA board members and guests gathered at the St. Marys Curling Club for this year’s annual meeting.

The evening started out with pizza and wings! Following this, our President Julie Danen went over last 2023 annual meeting minutes and financials.

President Julie Danen then presented us with a slide show presentation showing what the PCFA has been up to in 2023. PCFA has been busy in the last year!

Our year started out with axe throwing for 2023’s annual meeting.

Spring brought us our Spring Brief, a meeting with PCFA and local commodity groups discussing the ups and downs of their particular industry with Perth-Wellington MP John Nater

F

as well as MPP Mathew Rae. Some of the policies that PCFA worked on over the last year included the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and the natural environment with the County Official Plan. We also discussed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and last but not least, Bill 23.

In the summer, PCFA teamed up with Perth County Tourism to host a Mystery Farm Hop, a free bus tour featured four local farms. Stops included a cheese farm, a farm produce store, a flower farm and a water buffalo farm. At each stop there were fun things to do and see.

Of course, our Harvest Gala was held in November. This year’s Agricultural Recognition Award was presented to Daryl and Tanya Terpstra, Atwood-area farrow-tofinish hog farmers. Tanya and Daryl farm together with their seven children and one daughter-in-law.

PCFA also presented two $1000 scholarships to university, college or

trade program students who will be pursuing a future in agriculture. The 2023 winners were Jilliam Ohm from Monkton and Lexi Johnston from Listowel.

This year, PCFA is happy to announce Laura Good will be joining our board. Laura and her husband, along with her brother-in-law run a dairy farm close to St. Pauls. Laura is also a flower farmer, known as “The Crazy Glad Lady”, a roadside business that she started 16 years ago.

Welcome Laura! Board members were thanked for all their work.

A big thanks also goes out to Tyler Denham who will be leaving us due to moving to Bruce County. All of his hard work will be missed, especially with his work on the Harvest Gala committee.

PCFA director and OFA VicePresident Sara Wood gave us a quick update from the OFA board.

The evening ended with a game of curling or “learn to curl” for those interested. ◊

The 2024 members of the Perth County Federation of Agriculture board are (left to right): Back row, left to right: Pete Nyenhuis, Derek Van De Walle, Eric McLagen. Front row, left to right: Sara Wood, Inge Koskamp, Julie McIntosh, Julie Danen, Joanne Foster, Laura Good and Tim Halliday. Absent: Sam Knechtel, Chris Tegenbosch * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Perth County by the PCFA.

70 The Rural Voice

Index

Allied Associates ........................21 Armstrong’s Bakery ....................53 Bautec Industries Inc ..................57 Bernie McGlynn Lumber ............55 Bervie Supply ..............................32 Canadian Co-operative Wool ......51 Chalmers Fuels............................66 CMHA Ontario ................8, Cover 5 Crop Quest Inc ............................53 Cross County Eavestrough ........26 DeDell Seeds ..............................37 DL Distributing ............................62 Dortman Bros. Barn Equip ..........21 Easy Lift Doors Ltd ......................12 Gaffney Electrical ........................71 Gaia Organic Seeds ....................45 Grandview Concrete Grooving ..18 Green Valley Heating Inc ............55 Greenville Liquid Plant Food ......53 Grey Sauble Conservation..........50 GRK Products ............................56 Hanover Honda ..........................65 Hardi ............................................32 Hayden Water Wells ....................31 Highland Fuels & Supply ............58 Jantzi Plumbing Inc............................21 JJM Concrete Grooving..............47 Kenpal Farm Products..................11 Kirkton Vet Clinic ........................17 Lakeside Shelving & Racking ....45 Lambton Heritage Museum ........51 Leon Brubacher ..........................28 Live Landscape ..........................45 Mapleview Agri Ltd ......................21 Marquardt Farm Drainage Ltd ....51 Martin Farm Wagons ....................6 Martin’s Nursery ..........................45 Marvin L Smith Forestry..............47 McCann Redi Mix ........................17 McLeod Water Wells Ltd ............55 MNP LLP......................................24 Nature’s Wave Inc ......................24 New Life Limousin ........................11 Nu-Matic Systems Inc..................18 Ontario Pesticide Training ..........50 RCS Forestry Mulching ..............66 Riverside Welding & Mfg ............10 SVCA ..........................................54 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage............32 Schweiss Doors ..........................52 Seebach & Company ..................57 Silver Creek Nursery ..................47 St. Lawrence Cruise Lines ..........58 Stephen Thompson Accting ......49 Stoneview Custom Service Inc ..14 Townsley Barn Painting ..............65 Usborne & Hibbert Ins ................28 WD Hopper & Sons......................41

RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEME ANNOUNCE MENT NT from

After 30 years of owning and managing an electrical business, Brian Buffinga will be retiring on March 1, 2024.

In 2015 Brian Buffinga Electrical Controls joined Gaffney Electrical Solutions Ltd in Mitchell. Both companies shared the same belief of providing customers with top quality workmanship and personal customer service with an emphasis on honesty and integrity. With Brian’s retirement, these service standards will remain, and our customers will receive the same quality of service and response time they have come to expect.

For all your electrical projects, please call the Mitchell office at 519.348.0505.

The Gaffney Group wishes Brian a very happy retirement.

We thank him for his dedication, leadership and friendship.

81 Herbert Street, MITCHELL, ON 519.348.0505 www.gaffneyelectrical.ca March 2024 71

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

What does your Farm Business Registration to OFA do?

• Lobbying. The board and staff of OFA continue to work for farm members on numerous issues faced today • Member Assistance. Staff from both the OFA head office and in the field work to assist members on a variety of topics • Farm Property Tax Rate. By having a FBR number tied to your farm properties, you keep a “Farm Tax Rate” on your farmland. This rate is set by the municipality and is often 25 per cent of a residential tax rate.

• Local Level Federation Support. A portion of your membership is shared at the local level for projects. The HCFA also works on your behalf for area-specific issues • Benefit Partner Opportunities. Not only do these partnerships help save you money, they earn money to further support the activities of OFA. For more information please contact your local Member Services Representative Loni Elliott at 1 800 511 1135

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

Upcoming Events March 5 & 6 London Swine Conference www.londonswineconference.ca March 6-8 London Farm Show www.londonfarmshow.com March 19 Grain Farmers of Ontario March Classic.

For details visit gfo.ca/about/2024-march-classic March 31 Happy Easter

HCFA Monthly Board Meeting Monday, March 25, 2024 8:00 pm Vanastra Office

OPP Non-Emergency Line

Huron County Federation of Agriculture 23/24 Executive Committee President Murray Workman Vice President Shawn O’Rourke Vice President Rob VandenHengel Erica Murray and Ralph Deweerd

2024 MP MPP Local Politicians Forum The HCFA is currently making plans for our 2024 MP MPP Local Politicians Forum on April 5.

If you have specific concerns you would like the HCFA Board to present to our politicians please contact the HCFA office or a director to state your concern.

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

72 The Rural Voice

Join the Guardian Network today!

The Guardian Network is a volunteer, peer-driven community of mental health advocates that supports Ontario’s farming community.

Learn more, join a monthly training session, or book a private training session for your group today: GuardianNetwork.ca Funded in part by the Governments of Canada and Ontario under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a 昀ve-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

 House & Barn Painting

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

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

We’re also certified applicators of Liquid Rubber

 Free Estimates

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

Liquid Rubber Features:  Waterproof  Adheres to almost any surface  Resists Cracking & Chipping  Flexible in all weather

www.barnpainting.ca DORCHESTER

Discover The Mutual Difference We were built by and for our policyholders over 160 years ago, which means it’s simple we offer the products you need and the service you deserve.

It’s not the way every insurance company does business, but it is the mutual way.

Find your local mutual at

ontariomutuals.ca Home, auto, commercial and farm insurance - 160 years strong.

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Reaching your potential is as simple as ABC...

Achieve Fitness with our quality cardiovascular products including Treadmills, Ellipticals, Bikes and Rowers, as well as Strength Systems, Functional Trainers, and Free Weight Equipment. Fitness benefits include improving heart and lung health, burning calories, building muscle and skeletal strength and boosting mood!

LeggeFitness.com 1-800-695-7338

Boost Youthfulness with a wonderful deep muscle Massage Chair and the famous Softub Therapy Spas handmade in Sudbury, Ontario. Melt away tension and stress naturally, boost feel good hormones, reduce pain and decompress and stretch.

Create Wellness with the benefits of total body detox, increasing flexibility and naturally lowering pain in one of our Canadian Made Saunas. To help people with healthy nutrition, we carry the Solexx Infrared Greenhouses, so that you can extend your growing season. We are also a dealer for Pfenning’s Organic Farms from New Hamburg, Ontario and we receive fresh weekly shipments. Remember, what we eat either contributes to illness or promotes wellness!

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

Your Family Fitness, Wellness and Mobility Store Since 1988!