The Rural Voice - May, 2019

May 2019

Rural Voice

The

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Contents The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

25

16

Published monthly by: The Rural Voice, Box 429, Blyth, Ontario, N0M 1H0 Telephone: 519-523-4311 Fax: 519-523-9140 e-mail: info@northhuron.on.ca Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Lisa B. Pot rveditorlisa@northhuron.on.ca

20 Columns Lisa B. Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Departments Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 News & Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Newsletters National Farmers Union . . . . . . . . 4 Grey County Federation . . . . . . . 67 Perth County Federation . . . . . . 68 Perth County Pork Producers . . .69 Bruce County Federation . . . . . . 70 Huron County Federation . . . . . . 72

34 MAY 2019 • Cover Photo The van Stee family in their new dairy barn. Photo by Lisa B. Pot.

• Deadlines: June Issue –May 15 July Issue – June 12

16 Dynamite Compost The ingredients are gross but the compost they create is amazing.

20 Building for the Next Generation Thousands see the latest technology at the van Stee’s new dairy barn near Moorefield.

25 Cool and Breezy Lorenz Guntensperger chooses tunnel ventilation for a new dairy barn near Seaforth.

28 Making the Most of Vet Calls Veterinarians can be used as tour guides to see the whole picture on a farm, say vet panel members.

Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Arnold Mathers, Steve Bowers, Melissa Luymes, Mark Nonkes, Anne Mann, Bonnie Sitter and Gary Kenny.

Mailed by: McLaren Press Graphics, Bracebridge, ON Sales representative: Shelley Kroes rvads@northhuron.on.ca Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell Advertising & editorial production: Dianne Josling PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40037593 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 429 BLYTH ON N0M 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca Subscriptions: $20 (12 issues) $35 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $2.75 each U.S. rates, $65.00

34 Tommy Cooper Winner Named Grey and Bruce honour top farmers and volunteers.

42 The 5th Bean Liqueur Walton student helps develop a cream liqueur out of soybeans.

All manuscripts submitted for consideration should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs, although both are welcome. 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.

Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to The Rural Voice at the address listed above.

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

Mites are a worse problem for bees than neonics The Editor, Writer, Gary Kenny, presents a rather one-sided and misleading perspective in the March column of The Rural Voice called “Gram never heard of neonics.” His information about risks associated with neonicotinoid insecticides seems to originate from anti-pesticide sources – rather than the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada.

Neonics came into usage about 15 years ago as safe-to-people, lowenvironmental-impact pesticides, replacing more harmful insecticides formerly used for protecting food-crop and ornamental plants.

In 2012-2013, PMRA examined possible linkages between neonic seed treatments and honeybee deaths. The agency concluded that a talc powder then commonly used in corn planting could create neonic-laden, wind-blown dust potentially harmful to bees.

PMRA mandated a change to this practice; the agency has not identified neonic seed treatment as a serious risk to honey bees since then. A potentially larger concern may be effects of this insecticide on a water insect found in some prairie water sloughs. That’s stil under review.

The amount of neonics measured in flower pollen or nectar has been found in research to be at concentrations significantly below those known to harm honeybee colonies. Studies claiming the reverse almost invariably involve forced, artificial exposure of honey or wild bees to concentrations above those found in the real world.

Honeybee colony numbers continue to increase in Ontario according to Statistics Canada. Annual surveys done

by the Canadian Association of Professional Apiarists in recent years have not revealed neonics to be a significant health concern according to most Ontario beekeepers.

Because of changes made by the Wynne government, most corn and soybean seed used by Ontario farmers is now protected using other insecticides, though neonics are still needed for some smaller-acreage crops.

I am not aware of any evidence showing that the well-being of Ontario bees is any better as a result – especially given that the dominant health problem with Ontario bees is not insecticides at all, but, rather, varroa mites and various bee diseases which the mites help spread.◊ – Terry Daynard, RR 7, Guelph

Farmers drove up the price of land “on our own” The Editor, Even though I have enjoyed a long association with the Huron County Federation of Agriculture (HCFA) including having served four years as HCFA President, and even though I would benefit from anything that would reduce my farm property taxes, the HCFA acted irresponsibly by recently asking Huron County Council for relief in the way farm property taxes are calculated.

The HCFA doesn’t seem to be able to understand that we farmers “called the tune” when we drove up the price of farmland entirely on our own, but now we “don’t want to pay the piper” and are calling on government to bail us out of a problem we created for ourselves, by ourselves.

To look at it another way, the HCFA seems to have never heard of the investment adage – “If you can’t afford to keep it, how can you afford to buy it?”

What’s worse is that if this tax relief for farmers had been granted, it would have resulted in even further increases in the price of farm land at which time the HCFA would no doubt be back once again asking for even more tax relief.◊ – Stephen Thompson, Clinton, ON

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

Of box flaps and cat bites Sometimes things need to get done, right? Like right now! There isn’t always time to plan and think rationally is there?

Or is that what may be causing the various bruises and injuries on my person, the latest being a cat bite which has my kids calling me “ogre hands.”

It all began so well. We had extra barn cats, all excellent mousers, though perhaps a few too many.

When a friend needed mousers for their barn, I’d found the perfect solution. I went to the barn and nicely collected all my friendly cats and locked them in an old bunny cage. My friend arrived with her kids but had forgotten boxes.

“No problem,” I said, grabbing a grocery box from my basement.

We placed the box on the ground and I picked up the first cat. All good. I got a good grip on the back of her neck, just like a mother cat moves her kitten. She did not seem to like it. In fact, she got right upset when I tried to place her in the box.

However, I was sure I could trap her inside once I got the flaps down.

Well. I had not taken the time to make sure the flaps closed solidly.

Turns out the flaps on this box did not meet. The cat, now quite upset, then heard the dog who had decided to investigate. She was frantic and forceful but I was equally determined she should stay in the box. So I grabbed the escapee.

Instantly, I had a cat attached to the knuckle of my right hand, teeth digging into my flesh as I tried to shove her back in the box. I’m not sure why I thought I could still win this battle but I figured I was bit anyway. Why not try to accomplish the task?

Jeepers, though, it hurt. I finally asked for help upon which my friend tried to grab the cat and got bit herself!

Smarter than me, she let go of the cat who took off and hid in the bales.

My friend’s finger was dripping blood while I had four, white, oozing puncture holes. I was told I needed antibiotics and I scoffed at the idea until I called the Emergency department and they said cat bites are no joke. The doctor took one look and started writing out a prescription.

“The only thing worse than a cat bite is a human bite (for infection).

Even dog bites are much better,” said the doctor. Turns out cats carry a nasty bacteria in their teeth called Pasteurella multocida and their sharp teeth drive the bacteria deep into the wound, causing serious infection and damage to tendons and ligaments.

I left with a prescription and started taking the pills the next day. It was none too soon. My hand swelled and oozed and turned a hot, dark red – infected. I only started to worry when the infection started spreading

past my wrist to creep up my arm. I never should have searched “cat bites” online to read that infected bites can result in surgery and in rare cases, amputation.

In my case, by day three, the Amoxicillin/Clavulin had kicked in and my ogre-hand started returning to its human form.

There’s always a lesson to learn, of course. The obvious one is to make sure your box closes before you try and stuff a cat in it. We can also extrapolate a farm safety message from this experience. From large animals, to heavy bales to powerful machinery, there really is danger everywhere if you don’t take your time to THINK about what you are doing.

For those of us who tend to be rammy, it’s a reminder that things go better when you take a minute to plan for the best and prepare for the worst.

As for the cat, well, she’s keeping her distance from me right now. She watches me from the beams when I go to the barn. She’s staying put just as she planned all along. ◊

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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

Young farmers gather to address the future of farming More than 60 young farmers from across Canada came together March 4-7 outside Parham, Ontario at RKY camp for an intensive 3-day long young farmer convergence. The event organized and hosted by the National Farmers Union was filled with thoughtful conversation on a range of important topics affecting young farmers now and in the future. The dynamic event sandwiched young farmers wall-to-wall in the dining hall of the camp and created an inspiring and motivating experience which emphasized the importance of peer-topeer sharing and used the collective knowledge of the participants to help create a truly meaningful experience.

One young farmer said: “One thing I took away from the convergence actually came out of attending one of the impromptu breakout sessions on mental health in farming. I learned about the issues facing farmers with regards to mental health and some ways young farmers are coping with the long hours and stress of farming. As someone new to

farming, but coming from a highstress and mentally exhausting work environment, I was able to relate and take away strategies others are using to maintain good mental health throughout the season.”

The event touched on important topics such as how to farm in light of climate change, how to build a food system which supports farmers, and how to stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. Participants left having made meaningful connections with each other, making pledges on how they can use their farm to fight climate change, and with the knowledge that collective action and cooperation amongst farmers can lead to meaningful changes in our communities and on eaters’ plates.

Organizers with the National Farmers Union brought the group of young farmers together to help build connections between young people across the country and develop skills in organizing and production for the

next generation of farmers. One young farmer at the event succinctly illustrated this goal, saying: “Farming can be an isolating career, especially during the peak season when there may be little time to socialize and interact with others at the same experience level. Events outside of the core season, such as this convergence and other conferences, workshops, and retreats, are highly important to help young farmers integrate into the greater community and interact with other young farmers to gain a sense of solidarity. I left feeling that I had made connections with a number of folks and expect to maintain these newfound friendships throughout my farming career.”

A big thanks to all those farmers and eaters that donated to the crowdfunding campaign that helped support the event and to the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario for their assistance.

Coming Events Renfrew County Local 330 – Next meeting is Monday, May 6, 7:30 p.m. at the Barr Line Community Centre. Everyone is welcome.

Local 362 Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Ottawa, Prescott-Russell – Guest Speaker Christopher Kelly-Bisson will share his findings on farmland consolidation by financial entities in Eastern Ontario during the May 9 meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Riverbend Restaurant 3256 River Rd, Manotick. All are welcome.

Local 351 Brant, Hamilton, Halton will host four major events through our local this year: Skill Share - June 29 at Manorun Farm (782 Highway 52, Copetown ON); BBQ – Summer 2019, Location TBA; Film Night – Fall 2019, Location TBA; and AGM - Date and Location TBA. We hope to see you there.

A subscription to The Rural Voice is one of the benefits of being an NFU-O member 4 The Rural Voice

Ruralite

“

“I love cows. I love to drive up my lane and see them outside.”

•

WHAT TIME?

”

“You don’t need

~ Lorenz Guntensperger, on why farmers farm,

to do the right

while taking stock of his new barn and plans for

thing all the time,

the future, including a special pasture for dry

just the right thing

cows beside the road.

at the right time.” ~ Dr. Alison Pylypjuk from Interlake Dairy Services in Manitoba, speaking at the Canadian Dairy XPO.

Pinkish eyes, muzzle square, Odd-shaped spots and two-tone hair, Curious cows with a compelling stare, Bald-face bovines make quite a pair. ~Lisa B. Pot

There are two cows standing in a field.

The first cow says to the other, “I was artificially inseminated this morning.”

The second cow replies, “No way, I don’t believe you.”

The first says, “It’s true, no bull.”

{

}

MAY INSPIRATION Being negative only makes a journey more difficult.

You may be given a cactus, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit on it. ~Joyce Meyer

Hmmm...

• If a cow laughed really hard would milk come out of her nose?

• Why is there a ‘D’ in fridge but not in refrigerator?

•

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

•

May 2019 5

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

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As I drive through southwestern Ontario’s farm country, I’m constantly amazed at how prosperous the countryside seems.

Oh yes, I know farmers regularly face economic challenges that are sometimes overwhelming, leading people to throw in the towel and take urban jobs, but in general our farms look forward thinking, not portraying the sense landowners are holding on by the fingertips that you get in regions with fewer farming advantages.

Every year, for instance, there are fewer of the old bank barns that once were the centrepiece of an Ontario farm. The disappearance of these sturdy buildings makes me a little sad because there was a rugged beauty in the post-and-beam architecture that turned the upper portion of the barn into a sort of rural cathedral. Such is the attraction of these buildings that in my area, an old barn was moved to town and refitted as a banquet hall, in one case and in another, a lot of money was spent building a brewery that looks like a barn.

I have fond memories, too, of the stable area of our old barn. As a youngster, I remember falling asleep in sweet-smelling hay piled in an unused horse stall while the milking machine chugged away under my father’s care and cattle calmly munched away on the feed we’d put in front of them.

But these romantic memories only go so far because I remember how dark and inconvenient those stables were to work in for the humans, and they couldn’t have been pleasant for the livestock, either. That thought has come to mind whenever I’ve been in a nice, bright, airy modern dairy barn – although modern barns for hogs and other livestock are a huge improvement, too, over the old bank

barns.

And then, of course, there’s the economics. The traditional 40-by-60foot bank barn can’t house a fraction of the volume of livestock needed to pay a farm’s bills today.

The impressive thing is that farmers are optimistic enough to want to borrow the money it takes to build a large, modern barn – and that banks have enough confidence in the future of farming and the skills of the individual farmers, to want to loan the money.

But barns aren’t the only sign of prosperity in the countryside. I’m constantly surprised as the number of farms where modern houses have replaced the century-old farmhouses where past generations dwelt. Often these new brick homes replace small frame homes that had seen their better days – some of which had suffered the insult of horrid insulbrick siding, which was once someone’s idea of modernity.

I seldom feel any sadness to see these original farm houses disappear, unless I knew the family that previously lived there and some of the stories that took place within the house. I have more trouble in those rare cases when I see one of those proud, century-old two-storey brick farmhouses being demolished and replaced by a run-of-the-mill modern home.

The home I’ve lived in for 44 years, sits on the edge of the McGowan settlement, a neighbourhood north-east of Blyth where several Scottish brothers took up bush-lots side by side and prospered enough that they seemed to compete as to who could build the finest home. The one who made the most lasting impression was the builder of a large, field-stone house commanding a hilltop that still makes people dream of calling it home.

Ours is one of the smaller of the settlement’s homes, but even then it’s two-storey yellow brick with 15inch-deep baseboards that you’d never put in a modern home. I’d hate to see it ever replaced by a modern house.

Our history may be disappearing as the buildings of the past find modern, more efficient replacements but the overall prosperity of farm country is an exciting story to tell. ◊

Starring

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8 The Rural Voice

There is a purpose to holding grudges (for a time) Winter can often provide us with a bit of time to catch our breath, look forward to the upcoming year, perhaps reflect on the year gone by, and maybe even learn something new.

Lots of workshops, conferences, and meetings give us the chance to interact with other people and get some new ideas. This winter I came across a few books that I was able to dive into – one I finished, the others I’m still working on.

I was lucky to hear Dr. John Fast speak in March. Dr. Fast founded “The Centre For Family Business” at the University of Waterloo, one of the first centres in Canada and now one of the largest centres in North America. His years of experience with family businesses led him to write The Family Business Doctor which has “received wide acclaim for its ability to communicate the deepest issues facing business families in a hopeful and constructive manner.”

Dr. Fast is a dynamic speaker and his interactive session provided lots of food for thought. His years of experience with small business, farm businesses, and people in general, have given him unique insights that can help with succession planning, day-to-day operations, and improving any type of relationships between people.

He starts off with some encouraging news that family businesses have a lot of advantages – if we can get a few things right. In spite of the negative stereotypes, some of the most successful and

Kate Procter long-lived businesses still have family members as key components of their success. “In some industry sectors, agriculture being one example, family businesses make up 99 per cent of all business activity.

Family business is big business,” (The Family Business Doctor).

As farmers, we’ve been hearing for years about how old we are getting and the juggernaut about to overtake us all – the massive change in ownership and leadership of these family businesses. Everyone deals with transition differently and it is something that never stops. As succession for one generation is sorted out the next generation is coming up with a whole new dynamic. High land values challenge us all to come up with creative solutions.

Dr. Fast lists four main challenges that are unique to family-owned and operated companies through this transition: “Strategic business challenge, the challenge of balancing family and business, the challenge of the vulnerable next generation, and the difficulty with the succession planning process.” He stresses the importance of planning and really talking with each other in order to make the transition successful. While a substantial number of family businesses hope to keep the business in the family, “the lack of preparation and planning being done to fulfill this dream leaves the next generation vulnerable,” he writes. (Family Business Doctor).

One of the key components in making it all work is the ability to use “emotional intelligence” when communicating with our business partners, who are often our family.

Dr. Fast cites a Harvard Business School study that found that “over 80 per cent of the success of these high functioning executives could be attributed to their emotional intelligence. The influence of high IQs and accumulated skill sets paled in comparison.” There is a whole fascinating chapter dealing with emotional intelligence and perhaps one of the most impactful statements was “the lack of appreciation is the leading cause of family business disharmony.”

(Family Business Doctor).

Dr. Fast’s book does a great job of explaining how family businesses are unique, working out the importance of understanding each other, and giving some excellent advice on working toward a successful succession. You can order a copy of the book yourself and learn more about Dr. Fast and his organization at http://familybusinessdoctor.ca/. ’m always interested in learning how to get better at communicating and getting along with other people. So when I heard Sophie Hannah interviewed on the radio about her new book How to Hold a Grudge, my ears perked up.

Now before you jump into thinking of a nasty person who can’t forgive – Hannah is not advising that. Far from it. She suggests that done properly, grudges can be a good thing that help us acknowledge when something unpleasant was done to us, how to deal with it in a positive way, and actually become more forgiving. “All we need to do is recognise grudges as a good thing and soon everyone will be proud to drag their secret stash out of the cupboard under the stairs and display them proudly in a new, shiny grudge cabinet in the best lounge.”

Plus, the book is also very funny.

If you have other people in your life, you are going to experience

I

misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and downright anger from time to time.

Sometimes we realize that there are people who will just get under our skin and cause us unhappiness and we are best to avoid them. But we don’t always have that luxury.

Hopefully talking can help make a situation better – but this isn’t always the case either. We all have our idiosyncracies that drive each other crazy at times and some of these behaviours will never change no matter how much we try.

That’s where effective grudges can help. Hannah describes a detailed process that allows us to think about what happened, acknowledge that it was wrong, consider how we could have changed our own behavior that would result in a different outcome, and then sort out what “the right thing to do” would have been. Often, especially if the “sparking incident” happened a long time ago, the moment for doing the right thing is long gone. But preparing for a similar incident and being more prepared for what the right thing is can help protect us in the future.

Not convinced grudges can be a good thing? You can check out more about grudge holding and their positive potential at Sophie Hannah’s website https://sophiehannah. com/how-to-hold-a-grudge-2/. ◊

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

It all begins with starter from the freezer Outside, the day has brightened, a lighter shade of grey. High through the window, above the neighbouring roofline, the dark branches of an ancient elm silently etch the sky in their pursuit of light.

Eddie sees that water has collected along the broken eave and then, as though awaking from a slumber, straightens his back, places browncalloused hands on the table, and asks, “Care for a drive, my dear?”

“How could a lady ever refuse such a chivalrous request,” Dahlia replies.

They’re an odd-looking couple, Eddie with his tall, bow-legged gauntness and Dahlia, tiny and bundled against the damp. She is hatless but has a long scarf wrapped about her so little more than her bright eyes can be seen.

Eddie’s pickup is a couple blocks away along a gravel lane at the edge of town, his discrete route to his stone house on the hill, a few miles away. The ancient Chev still starts reliably. Stopping, on the other hand, requires a bit of patience.

“Any of your sourdough bread at the farm?” Dahlia asks.

“Nope, but there’s a bit of starter dough in the freezer. If you like I can thaw it out but it will be day or so before we see any results. Needs recharging.”

Eddie reviews the process in his mind. He started his latest dough last fall during a warm stretch with a handful of stoneground whole wheat and enough water to knead. Put it in a cup, cover with some plastic wrap and leave it for a couple days.

Remove cap (the part of the dough exposed to the air) and add more 10 The Rural Voice

water and flour. Then leave it again, maybe cracked wheat. I like to mix it this time for a day. up. No loaf exactly the same. Just “Goes back to the Egyptians, at remind me to save a bit of the least that’s what I heard,” he says. dough.”

“The Egyptians?”

They emerge from the cab of the “That’s who figured it out. truck at the top of the hill. Eddie Getting bread to rise. Yeast is surveys surrounding fields and then everywhere, even in the dead of his yard with a critical eye. The big winter but there’s more around when soft maples have shed more than a the weather is fine. That’s why I start few branches over the winter. my sourdough in the fall,” Eddie “Let’s put the rest of the afternoon says. “Don’t need to start from to good use. We can have a fire later, scratch today though, the starter is in maybe even cook a couple taters on the freezer like I said. Just need to the coals. Don’t like wasting things. make the bread and that takes a day Even deadwood has its uses.” ◊ or so.”

“Seems like a lot of work.”

“Once you have your starter, it’s not so bad. Once mine is thawed, I’ll add some water and more flour and tomorrow morning, we’ll start making the bread. That means more water and flour, a bit of salt, let it rise, punch it down, form your loaf, let it rise again and bake. I start with a hot oven and then turn it down.”

Recyling goes deeper than picking up deadwood “You’ve got me for a fire. For Eddie still trying to impress Dahlia, it’s confused, Eddie.”

“Don’t worry, it will about saving that little piece of dough. You never be good. I can use some know when the urge for sourdough bread might come over Dahlia. rye flour if you like or

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

“Yup, here comes Cliff now,” said George McKenzie as he and Dave Winston waited for Cliff Murray, the other third of their usual threesome.

“Yeh, that’s him alright,” said Dave, listening to the growing roar coming through the front window at Mabel’s Grill. “I’d say he’s about two blocks away.”

“Three,” said Molly Whiteside as she began filling the guys’ coffee cups. “Now he’s two blocks,” she said as she finished filling their cups and the noise increased.

By the time Cliff pulled into Mabel’s parking lot, all conversations in the restaurant had ceased because nobody could hear what their neighbour was saying.

The blown muffler was just the latest deficiency with Cliff’s old pickup. The truck had once been

white but now gave the impression of reddish-brown as the rusty-edged rust holes crept into new territory.

“Aw, it’s just extra airconditioning,” Cliff had said cheerfully one hot day last summer.

The air-conditioner had long since packed it in, of course.

Cliff was pulling earplugs out of his ears as he entered the Grill.

“Are you ever going to get that muffler fixed?” Dave asked as he sat down at the table.

“I guess so,” Cliff said glumly.

“What, have you got a sentimental attachment to that old muffler?”

George asked.

“No, I’ve been putting it off because I thought I finally had enough money put away for a new used truck and didn’t want to sink any more money into the old one.

But that was before my wife got into the act.”

“I suppose she wants to renovate the kitchen or something,” said Dave.

“She’s made plans for a vacation,” said Cliff.

“You can’t put a vacation ahead of a new pickup!” said George.

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“It’s a bit more complicated,” said Cliff. “You see, 17 years ago I begged off going on a honeymoon because soybean harvest was starting. My wife says it’s time.”

“Why couldn’t you have postponed the wedding until after harvest?” wondered Dave.

“Obviously you never did the math between the wedding and the birth of our eldest son,” said Cliff.

“Just the same, I’d think a pickup truck is more important than a vacation,” said George.

“You’d say that, but women have different priorities,” said Cliff.

“Besides, if truth be told probably more of the money in our savings came from Rachel’s job in that law office than from the farm.”

“So where are you going?” Dave asked.

“She’s got us booked on a tour of Scotland’s stone castles,” said Cliff.

“We went to Scotland one summer,” said George. “You know why they built those castles out of stone, don’t you? Because there’s stone everywhere, including the fields. No wonder our ancestors were willing to put up with six or seven weeks on a crowded ship and years of clearing bush!”

“And you got to fly home in a few hours,” said Cliff. “Imagine if your ancestors could see that?”

“Imagine if they could see how much we paid for that vacation?

They’d have been set for life with that much money,” said George.

“My wife’s always talking about these expensive vacations but I’ve come up with a way to put her off,” said Dave. “For instance, she was talking about a cruise but then there was that one cruise ship where everybody got sick and that one a month or so ago where the engine stopped in a storm and people had to be rescued by helicopter. ‘Imagine,’ I keep telling her, ‘all those people spent all that money just to put themselves in danger and have a ruined vacation.’”

“Yeah, and you can use all those plane crashes too,” said Cliff.

“Exactly!” said Dave. “Now I’ve just got to convince her it’s perfectly safe for us to drive down to Nashville or Branson for some country music concerts.”◊

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Mel Luymes Mel Luymes works in agriculture and conservation and blogs at headlands.ca

Travelling brings you out of your context Are you following all the stories in the news? Farmers survived another Veganuary, followed by animal rights activists targeting two dairy farms in March, the OSPCA backing out of its enforcement role and an unfortunate collision on the 401. And to top it all off, but this never made the headlines, my best friend just told me she’s becoming vegan. All these stories re-open the

debate and renew a stand-off between us and them.

Can I be honest? And you must promise to keep reading if I tell you, OK? It’s just that I don’t know if I’m on the “us” side or the “them” side. I mean that I don’t really have a side.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand both sides, and I do care. It’s just that no matter one’s stance, I could argue or agree with them depending on my mood that day and if I felt like keeping the peace or disturbing it.

Obviously, the activists in March were trespassing on farm properties, so if I really had to make someone “wrong” then that’s the easy target.

But I can also see where they are coming from, you know?

“One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of seeing things,” says Henry Miller. It is one of the travel quotes on my wall that I’m only beginning to understand. I caught the travel bug in my 20s when I went to South Africa on a solo missions trip for three months, then I worked in South Korea for three

years and traveled Asia and India, a few weeks in Peru as well.

I’m grateful that I traveled because it brought me out of context.

I traveled to places where my truth was irrelevant and I struggled against whole countries that, in my mind, were just plain wrong.

“Every time we meet someone that disagrees with us is a golden ticket to travel to a new perspective.” ~Mel Luymes

India, for example, is a beautiful country with rich colours, spicy food and generous people. But, goodness, I couldn’t get a steak for the four months I was there because of the holy cows. They wander around the streets and drink from sacred bathing ponds. People put flower necklaces on them and feed them chapatis and dahl. They crap anywhere they want but you’ll never step in a patty because old women pick them up (by hand!) to burn as fuel. To the people I met there, I was wrong because I wasn’t a vegetarian.

Side bar, though. India also spent 200 years under British rule – that’s 200 years of being told their beliefs and culture were wrong. In that time, the British took $45 trillion from them. Was that wrong? I guess whoever is in power gets to decide what is what.

Facts are facts, but they are hard to handle objectively because they are covered with our sticky assumptions and stories about what is what.

And we don’t have to go to India 14 The Rural Voice

Mel Luymes to see things differently. Every time we meet someone that disagrees with us is a golden ticket to travel to a new perspective. I’m still learning how to do this and, yes, it seems a bit freaky, but when I listen to another person, I imagine being inside their skin, seeing the world through their eyes and through the experiences they’ve had in their life. Then it isn’t so easy to make them wrong. It can keep a conversation from devolving into a standoff between two perspectives.

Getting back to the point, I get that farmers are passionate about animal welfare and feel their livelihoods and pride being threatened. I get that activists are passionate for animals having good lives and not being cut up, marinated and barbecued at the end of them.

Both sides are committed to their ideals and give their time and energy to speaking their “truths”. But I’m wondering how much time has been invested in listening?

It is a dangerous thing for the world when we can no longer change our stories about it. At some point in our lives we settled on a story of ourselves, others and the world and we called it the truth. A singular perspective. And much of our lives are wasted trying to get others to see things our way.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change,” says Wayne Dyer. And thank goodness for that. I spent years spinning my wheels trying to the change the world and refusing to change my perspective. I’m sorry world.

Also, this isn’t really about agriculture vs. the vegan agenda, is it? It’s really about my relationship with my mother and your relationship with your spouse. It’s the small things. It’s listening to your neighbour and trying to see from their perspective. Every new conversation is an opportunity to get a break from our own stories. An opportunity to make ours better.

Perhaps changing our perspectives with the small stories in our lives may be the key to changing the headlines in the news. ◊

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May 2019 15

Composting

Mixing bark mulch and chicken guts Dale Schefter makes meat cuts for his customers and uses the left over viscera to create a nitrogen rich compost • By Lisa B. Pot •

T

he recipe calls for 135 gallons of viscera, 30 gallons of lung and kidneys, 65 gallons of blood, 1.5 yards of feathers, 1.2 yards of bark mulch and 1.2 yards of active compost. Dump it into a vertical mixer, lay it out in a shallow row and let it cook.

That’s the recipe Dale Schefter of Schefter Poultry near Gorrie has developed for a 20-to-one carbon to nitrogen ratio to compost the by-products of his processing plant and avoid incurring disposal fees.

It’s quite a fascinating progression given the base

material Dale has to work with. It works amazingly well and Dale often shares the process with customers who come to the facility to have their chickens, turkeys, ducks and other fowl slaughtered. Wait times to butcher birds extend well into next year at the licensed processing plant but composting is a steady process and it was this sideline that brought Dale to the Huron County Water Protection Steering Committee’s Nutrient Management Strategy Day at Holmesville on March 22.

Later, The Rural Voice visited Schefter’s Poultry to see

In an old bank barn that used to house hogs, Dale Schefter mixes up the “leftovers” from his poultry processing facility near Gorrie with bark mulch in a tried and true recipe that creates some really good-smelling compost. It’s rich and safe enough for gardeners to use in their gardens. He recently spoke about the process at a nutrient management meeting held in Holmesville.

16 The Rural Voice

the composting process at work in an old bank barn on the facility. The former pig barn is used to keep rainfall off the cooking mixture.

Dale explained he is to compost what a brewmaster is to good beer.

After reading dozens of articles and researching his old Ridgetown College material (which Dale says was incredibly valuable), Dale began experimenting with the best recipe to ensure the perfect compost that a) works with the leftovers of poultry processing and b) meets stringent Ministry of Environment regulations.

“Making good compost is a science,” says Dale. “If it gets too wet it makes a mess.” Other problems that can affect successful compost-making are a lack of carbon, lack of turning, a pour size that is too shallow or too large or carbon particles that are too small because then the pile can’t “breathe.”

“When this first started I used grain screenings and hay as the carbon source because I felt I could not afford a wood-based product,” remembers Dale. “But bark mulch on a carbon basis is cheaper than lowcost hay or grain screenings.” he right recipe is needed to create the ideal biological chemistry that has the pile reaching temperatures of 164 degrees fahrenheit after seven days. “I had an egg roll out to the pile once. In 24 hours, it had cooked through,” says Dale.

Having years of experience with the process, Dale doesn’t need to measure the temperature daily anymore but it is still done for record-keeping purposes “so that when one of those white cars drive in, we can show our records.”

Due to the high nitrogen content of the compost, the next level of piles (some seven feet high) “make big heat” says Dale. He calls these curing piles. The bigger piles will still see temperatures of 162 degrees ensuring all harmful pathogens and bacteria have died. In return, the cooling piles grow mushrooms and healthy fungus.

“Sometimes we see a big seam of fungus growing through a cooler section of that pile. The old school farmers love to see that white area knowing it will inoculate the soil with healthy, beneficial stuff.”

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The big piles produce commercial compost. To create the speciality product “Uncle Dale’s Dynamite” compost for garden use, Dale has two large, motor-driven drums that turn every eight minutes in the summer and every three hours in winter to create refined compost that is sifted to eliminate any bigger pieces of bone. This he sells from the property but has plans to market it through stores once he has label approvals. It has a nitrogen level of 2.5 per cent.

Given the understandable odour of the packing plant, it was a bit unnerving to handle this finished compost and then be asked to sniff it.

The gardener in me, however, was thrilled to discover the black, crumbly, soil-like compost had a satisfying earthy smell.

The only drawback of the whole process is all the regulations Dale has to prove he follows on a regular basis not only to create compost but to run a processing plant. The time and money he spends meeting existing and new regulations is very frustrating for Dale, especially since he is proud of his entire facility and repeatedly hears from customers that there just aren’t enough processors in Ontario. ale grew up in the industry.

His parents were the original owners of Schefter Poultry.

Jim and Marian Schefter started the company in 1997 to help market their breeder/broiler flock. Market conditions cause the business to close doors in 1997 when Dale was 21. He accepted an offer to manage a 3,600 head finishing barn for Dinsmore Farms and said they were a great family to work for. He learned a lot about pigs, management and financing and grew in confidence as some of his ideas were implemented within the industry.

During this time, chicken farmers would repeatedly ask when the plant was going to reopen. When it was time to move on from managing hogs, Dale reached out to OMAFRA and with excellent support from staff, began renovating his parents’ processing plant to improve flow and meet current regulations. The plant reopened in 2006.

Back then he was processing 700 to 800 birds a day. Mostly chickens.

D

18 The Rural Voice

A fresh windrow of mixed materials (chicken viscera, feathers and blood) mixed with bark mulch steams as it heats in the old bank barn Dale Schefter (above) uses to compost the waste products from his poultry processing facility. Some commercial compost is further processed in two large, mechanically turned drums (left) which create Dale’s Dynamite Compost for gardeners (below).

These days, they process thousands a day. A recent kill day looked like this: 1,620 Peking ducks, 220 spent fowl, 210 muscovy ducks, 150 water fowl, 97 meat chickens, 24 guinea hens and eight turkeys. Maximum kill capacity is 10,000 birds a week.

Slaughter days are Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Packing days are Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Increased volume from small producers and contracts have allowed him to make improvements to the plant including an 18x32 shipping dock, a 48-foot refrigerator/freezer, electric walkies instead of hand pump carts, variable speed vacuum pumps and installation of a large waxer to process water fowl.

Meats cuts and whole birds are vacuum sealed into thick poly bags with metal clips to prevent tampering; packaging his customers really appreciate.

Staff are a huge part of the success at Schefters and something Dale likes to talk about. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have 25 staff and I want them to do well in life. It costs a lot of money to live,â&#x20AC;? he says. Pay is in the $20 range and he wishes he could pay in the $25 to $30 range but then prices to the farmers and growers would have to increase.

While he takes pride in having an good working environment at the plant, finding new workers is very hard. While the plant could expand to increase the amount of birds they could process, he cannot find the labourers required to work the plant.

So he works hard to keep the employees he has. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Staff is our biggest asset but can also, potentially, be our biggest liability depending on how we handle them.â&#x20AC;?

While he is on the kill floor himself every day, he does believe in giving employees ownership of their job. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I try to be hands-off as long as the work gets done well.â&#x20AC;?

The composting side of the business doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require a lot of labour and does save costs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did not have enough material to warrant a pick-up from a rendering company, which is an expensive service,â&#x20AC;? he says. He figures composting the blood, feathers and viscera saves him $50-80,000 a year on tipping fees.

Dale has also discovered creating

something valuable out of waste is a fun part of his job.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proud of all his work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we do here is beneficial. We make food to feed Ontario,â&#x20AC;? says Dale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also help our staff meet their requirements to live.â&#x20AC;? He says when customers see the birds they grew all professionally packaged, their thankfulness is also a big reward.

Creating compost out of the poultry â&#x20AC;&#x153;leftoversâ&#x20AC;? is a big bonus as far as Dale is concerned. â&#x2014;&#x160;

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Saturday, June 1st - FAMILY DAY General Admission $4 Family $6; Single $4; Children (6-12) $2.00; 5 & under Free

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Sunday, June 2nd * Goat Show at 9:00 am * Arabian and all breed horse show at 9:00 am - REACH Huron

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May 2019 19

Dairy

Space for cows and the next generation

Niek and Sonya van Stee are the next generation to manage the dairy at van Stee Holsteins Inc., near Moorefield as founders, Nico and Marian move towards retirement. Niek is a computer expert while Sonya raises the calves at the large dairy.

With six robots, potential for 440 dairy stalls and extra barns for heifer and dry cow pens, more room means healthier animals say both generations milking cows at van Stee Holsteins Inc. • By Lisa B. Pot • 20 The Rural Voice

T

he new barn at van Stee Holsteins Inc., is the first barn in Southwestern Ontario to feature a sidewall shutter ventilation system. The system doesn’t require a mesh like turkey curtains do, which can limit airflow. Also, the shutters block 80 per cent of rain which means cows near the walls don’t have to sleep on a wet bed.

Over a thousand farmers and their families came to see all the features of the 440-stall dairy barn near Moorefield on March 28.

Many donuts, beef buns, coffees and chocolate milks were consumed as families made a day of exploring the handsome building with its 18foot Gigant air and light ridge. There is no ceiling in the barn to block the light. The roof is a sandwich panel of steel/insulation/steel, explained Niek van Stee. Plus, the middle two feet of the ridge are open which draws out more air than conventional chimneys

The van Stee family (left) Nico, Marian, Sonya and Niek, opened their new dairy facility for an open house to show the six GEA robots (below, left), BigAss Fans and GEA duo-cleaner brushes (above), Canarm stabling (below) and how calm and curious cows can be (bottom,right).

May 2019 21

Agricultural Construction & General Contracting Lyle Martin p 519.291.5580 f 519.291.5187

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22 The Rural Voice

can. Light pours into the structure, shining on the sand-bedded stalls, the Canarm stabling and self-locks, the GEA scraper system, GEA Electromix manure transfer system, GEA duo cow cleaner brushes, GEA Koolway 6400 milk cooler and especially, the six GEA Monobox Robots.

“We really like that they have the ability to take milk from three quarters and dump milk from an infected quarter,” said Nico van Stee, owner and operator of the 255-260 head milking cow operation along with his wife, Marian, and their son, Niek and his wife Sonya.

The robots have an open area behind the cow where workers can view the electronic dashboard tracking production. This space also allows the family to treat cows as needed.

The goal is to milk 330 cattle with the barn as is. When the final quarter of the barn is fitted with stalls and two more robots are added, the barn will be at full capacity with 440 cows. Before moving into the new barn, the family was pushing a 130 per cent stocking density. he family chose GEA over other robotic milker manufacturers because the system fit better with their barn plans, explained Marian. Niek added that once cows are milked and leave the robot, they are directed a separate way so there is no interference from dominant cows which can prevent timid cows from entering the robot.

Niek, formerly employed with the Ontario government as an IT technician, says the new expansion is exciting for both generations. Growth creates profit to support another family while the labour-saving will allow Nico and Marian to start the process of retirement. The new management style that comes with robotic milkers suits Niek’s interests and skill set.

This is the third dairy barn to have been built on the farm. The former barns are now calf, heifer and dry cow housing. The dry cows are on a bedded pack with space to have a truly healing rest time.

“Minimum space requirements are 120 square feet per cow and we found once cows had the space,

T

many of our health issues disappeared,” says Niek.

Cows have been in the new barn since August of last year but a few issues had to be ironed out before they hosted an open house – the biggest one being the replacement of new “eyes” on the robots which positions the milkers on the udders.

Now that the robots are working properly, it saves each family member an hour of work per day estimated Niek.

The family crops 680 acres to grow all the feed they need for the dairy herd. They use a Supreme International TMR vertical mixer to feed in all the barns.

Niek and Sonya took time out of their busy open house day to give tours though the different barns. The progression from small and dark barns to the new, bright, spacious facility was fascinating to see. It’s not surprising to see the faces of the van Stee family beaming on this magazine’s cover as they received congratulations from neighbours and fellow dairy farmers on their modern, new facility. ◊

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24 The Rural Voice

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Dairy

New dairy features tunnel ventilation Fresh air moves through the new Guntensperger dairy barn every 50 seconds for excellent cow comfort • By Lisa B. Pot •

O

ver 25 fans are whirring at the back of the black building, pulling in fresh air so rapidly that there is a full air exchange in the dairy barn every 50 seconds.

Popular in dairy states such as Wisconsin and gaining traction in Ontario, tunnel-ventilation barns such as the new one at Guntensperger Dairy near Seaforth are cool, fresh,

Lorenz Guntensperger stands near the end of the barn where dozens of huge fans suck air through the new 330-stall dairy barn measuring 480 feet long and 105 feet wide. The goal is to maximize air flow through the barn for ultimate cow comfort.

and expansive.

Lorenz Guntensperger is the owner/operator of this new 330-stall dairy along with his parents and brother. It’s a modern-looking facility with its sheer black, plastic Lexan-panel walls and huge white fans. Turkey curtains at the front of the farm allow air intake. Choosing this system took some research, admits Lorenz, who had been milking cows in the new barn only four weeks at the time of this interview.

“We hope the air quality will be more controlled over 12 months than other barns that have fans running just in the summer,” says Lorenz.

Currently, fan usage sits around 40 per cent.

The goal is increased cow comfort by keeping the barn cooler with fresh air all year long. “We’re just in the barn and so far, it’s great. Once we are in it for a year, we will know much more,” admits Lorenz.

When the fans are running, the barn is noisier than a naturallyventilated barn but Lorenz says he is already used to the hum. In terms of proximity to the house, the barn was angled so that the rear fans would be 600 feet from the house.

A bonus of tunnel ventilation is that it creates negative pressure in the barn and flies don’t like negative pressure. That, combined with sawdust usage in the maternity and dry cow pens, will hopefully reduce fly pressure in the barn.

The barn was constructed in an Lshape in preparation for future growth. If the dairy industry picks up steam, or the next generation wants to farm as well, room has been set aside on the parlour part of the L to directly connect another barn. The May 2019 25

GEA parallel parlour, currently a double 12, has space to become a double 20.

Right now, the family milks 170 cows with part-time help and has plans to grow to 260 milk cows. The barn is at 70 per cent capacity.

They chose a parlour versus robots because of cost and personal preference.

“I like getting the cows milked and feeling like that job is done,” says Lorenz.

“Also, we would have needed three robots which equalled the cost of the new parlour. But with the parlour, we can triple our size with just the cost of extra labour.

With robots, we’d have to install more at significant cost.” The parlour was designed and installed by DairyLane Systems Lorenz says he likes to keep things simple but is willing to invest in technologies when they have good payback.

It’s partly why they also went with a skid steer versus alley scrapers to scrape the manure out the barn. Sand bedding is hard on chains and equipment and given the length of the barn (480 feet by 105 feet wide), the alley scrapers would have generated a wave of manure before reaching the end. Any cow sloshing through that “wave” could have ended up very dirty.

However, the family did choose to invest in other technologies. The parlour has an underground room to house all the vacuums, lines, hoses and meters to keep the parlour clean and uncluttered. The ventilation is controlled by an Edge dashboard much like you would see in a chicken barn. A quick glance at the screen shows there is temperature difference of about two degrees from the front and back of the barn.

Lorenz also hopes to install SomaDetect sensors in the parlour to collect data on milk components and measure somatic cell count, ketosis levels and hormone levels to test for pregnancy.

26 The Rural Voice

The new dairy barn at Guntensperger Dairy near Seaforth is at 70 per cent capacity, allowiing the family to grow either modestly or aggressively depending on the market.

The double 12 parallel parlour (right) has an underground room to house all the equipment keeping all the lines, hoses, vacuums and future sensors clean and out of the way of milkers. Lorenz Guntensperger (above) says he loves cows and the challenge of expanding and growing the dairy business. ~Parlour photos courtesy of Dairy Lane Systems Inc.

“We hope the SomaDetect will help us save on veterinary costs, labour time, and lost days from not knowing if a cow is pregnant or not”, says Lorenz. o far, Lorenz is more than pleased with the barn. Milk production dipped only slightly over the move and has now increased by one litre per cow with a 4.15 to 4.35 butterfat percentage. Lorenz is planning to change the ration to focus more on milk yield. Though it was a long and stressful build given the weather conditions this past fall and winter, the bulk of the work is done.

The office, chemical storage and employees’ room need to be finished as do the lanes around the barns. It’s still pretty mucky. Also, Lorenz has plans to create a pasture on the road side of the barn for the dry cows.

“I love cows. I love to see them outside when I drive by,” he said.

Once the number-crunching was done and the courage was found to take on the financial risks of a large expansion, Lorenz became excited about the challenge of becoming a large-farm operator. On a practical level, he enjoys the efficiency of the new build and says it’s just more enjoyable to work in. He’s excited that it situates the family for both modest or aggressive growth.

“The cows like it better and I enjoy it too. I don’t want to ever milk 1,000 cows but I don’t want to stop growing either,” says Lorenz. ◊

S

Lorenz Guntensperger chose tunnel ventilation for the new 330-stall dairy barn at Gunternsperger Dairy near Seaforth. Fans have been running at 40 per cent capacity since the cows moved in during the month of March. The system is controlled by computerized dashboard (middle photo) and keeps the cows cool all year around, while also minimizing flies because of the negative pressure inside the barn.

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Nutrition

Veterinarians as tour guides?

One veterinary said farmers would be better to use their vets as consultants rather than for “rectal tourism” • By Bob Reid •

T

he relationship between dairy farmers and their veterinarian of choice can be compared to a successful marriage. Trust, communication, commitment, respect and attitude were all cited as factors contributing to a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship by four vets, speaking at the recent Canadian Dairy XPO in Stratford.

Four vets working in three provinces formed a panel at the Dairy Classroom, one of the attractions offered at the annual two-day dairy trade show.

Their wide range of experience has brought them in contact with every potential health challenge facing Canadian dairy farmers. While their solutions to problems presented

to them by the panel moderator were mostly in agreement, their opinions on the benefits of belonging to a nation-wide dairy industry service differed.

This was obvious when the benefits of belonging to the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) was raised regarding the overall benefits of the monthly herd health visits and information provided.

These were referred to as “rectal tourism” by Dr. Matt Walker with the Oxford Bovine Veterinary Services in southwestern Ontario.

He suggested it may be more beneficial for vets to be regarded as consultants to dairy farmers rather than base the relationship on the

more regimented structure of the monthly DHIA visits.

This relationship would allow farmers to become more adept at performing health-related procedures following training by their vet. He cited the ability of farmers to do their own ultrasound checks to determine pregnancies.

The financial benefits of applying a “blanket” antibiotic dry cow treatment to every cow at the end of each lactation came into question.

Rather than determine if some cows with low somatic cell count (SCC) did not actually require the treatment based on recorded health results, it was perhaps less costly to simply apply the $13-treatment of antibiotics to all cows, suggested Walker.

Four veterinarians took to the stage in the Dairy Education room at the Canadian Dairy XPO to discuss animal care, the role of veterinarians and use of antibiotics. From left is Dr. Matt Walker, Oxford Bovine Veterinary Services; Dr. Andrew MacLeod, Linwood Veterinary Services; Dr. Jodi Wallace, Ormstown Veterinary Hospital, Quebec, and Dr. Alison Pylypjuk, Interlake Dairy Services, Manitoba.

28 The Rural Voice

It was noted that this prophylactic type of treatment does not fit with the societal pressure to use less antibiotics being placed on livestock farmers.

There are fewer cows on DHI because farmers are not using all the information they are receiving and paying for anyway, said Walker.

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Not in agreement with this approach was Dr. Alison Pylypjuk from the Interlake Dairy Services in Manitoba. She suggested there were other advantages to monthly herd health checks than dry cow mastitis treatment protocol, identified as a current “hot topic” within the dairy industry.

The absence of disease in a monthly herd health check is not a reason for stopping observation for the possible presence of disease, said Pyllypjuk.

She noted there is technology being developed for detection of mastitis in milking parlour operations.

Supporting her assessment was Dr. Andrew MacLeod, from Linwood Veterinarian Services. He compared vets to tour guides who need to become familiar with the overall farm environment.

“There are a lot of things going on around the farm that need to be brought together,” said MacLeod.

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30 The Rural Voice

they want to accomplish when working with their vet.

If the goal was to reduce SCC there was a commitment placed on the farmer to keep good records to measure what progress is being made.

Only dairy herds with a SCC under 200,000 are being considered for the reduction or elimination of dry cow treatment.

With farmers often cited for not keeping detailed daily records, it is beneficial in some cases to send a vet technician out to a farm to collect specific information required.

“If I send a vet technician out to the farm to gather the information then I know it is done,” said Walker.

Not surprisingl, basics such as creating a clean environment were identified as a means of preventing herd health challenges. r. Jodi Wallace, a vet at the Ormstown Veterinary Hospital in Quebec, was given recognition for having no calf deaths for two and a half years in the dairy herd she operates with her family.

While building a new calf barn was given some credit for the zero per cent calf mortality, she identified attitude as a major factor. Just because there are a number of calves born in large dairy herds doesn’t diminish the importance of each calf.

“I didn’t have four kids so I could afford to lose one,” said Wallace in bringing a human element to her example.

Of course, it would not be a dairy discussion without the ever present topic of colostrum making an entrance. Walker recommended getting colostrum into a newborn calf within the first hour of birth, even before the calf is able to get to its feet.

She also uses a portable milker so the delivered cow can be milked in place to cause less stress and assure the colostrum given to the calf is from its mother.

It was suggested that the quality of colostrum was more significant than the volume given. This related to the protein and fat content in the colostrum that could be measured with a refractometer.

Poor quality colostrum was

D

related to dry cow diets that contained a higher percentage of straw.

While colostrum remains an everpresent topic – better fresh or stored frozen, natural or artificial, etc. – the emergence of calf coats is a new development noticed by the four vets.

It is more uncommon to see a calf without a coat now, said MacLeod.

Also, auditing is the new buzz word for checking on the health of calves while doing chores. This is for catching early signs of pneumonia or scours.

Wallace often provides questionnaires to farmers as a means of determining some bad habits that might be responsible for calf mortality.

She also recommended the use of “calf incubators” to warm newborns.

A calf can better absorb the antibodies and nutrients in colostrum if it has a proper body temperature, said Wallace. he use of a live vaccine rather than a killed vaccine was strongly stated by Walker. The reasons being it is cheaper and longer acting. However it can’t be given to pregnant cows.

In Canada the main benefits of vaccine have proven to be prevention of pneumonia and reproductive problems.

Timing of vaccination is important with a modified live vaccine given 30 days after parturition in a “rotational vaccination program.”

Pylypjuk offered a word of general advice to farm clients. “You don’t need to do the right thing all the time, just the right thing at the right time.”

Establishing knowledgeable vet panels could become the challenge for dairy trade shows. Fewer students are training to become large animal veterinarians, noted Wallace.

Training or mentoring new vets is a part of his practise that MacLeod enjoys.

New vets come to the profession with enthusiasm but they learn to deal with on-farm challenges by working with experienced vets before going out on their own, said MacLeod. ◊

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People • By Don Crosby •

“She’s role model for future leaders” Catharine Campbell is praised for her volunteerism as she is given the 2018 Tommy Cooper award

C

atharine Campbell is the 2018 recipient of Tommy Cooper award. She received the honour at the annual celebration of agriculture and rural life hosted by the Bruce and Grey Federations of Agriculture.

She is a lifelong resident of Rocklyn, a small but vibrant agricultural community, south east of Owen Sound.

“There’s nobody more deserving especially in our local community.

She puts more than 100 per cent of her time and effort into local events.

She’s a role model for the next generation of leaders,” said Dave Wiley, president of the Rocklyn Agricultural Society. “Not just the Rocklyn community, she does a lot of work with some of the other agricultural societies as well. Pretty much any local fall fair you go to you’re going to see Catharine somewhere. There aren’t too many people around that don’t know Catharine Campbell.”

In accepting the award Campbell acknowledged the importance of agriculture in everyday life and the value of leadership among youth.

“Rural life is important just because we need to have our (rural) communities and people doing agricultural work,” said Campbell who has been involved in the 4-H movement and Junior Farmers for the past 31 years..

The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programmes and a positive youth development approach. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization, 4-H includes a wide range of options each allowing for personal growth and career success.

This year there are about 20 4-H leaders signed up so far for the 34 The Rural Voice

Rocklyn 4-H Club and Campbell expects close to 100 youth will take part in more than 10 clubs this year.

Clubs range from animal husbandry to photography and public speaking.

“There are so many opportunities for these kids. They can go to leadership camp; there are conferences, no matter what age they are. They learn public speaking, judging skills and involvement in the community,” she said. 4-H, which runs from age 9 to 21, represents four personal development areas of focus: head, heart, hands, and health.

Campbell acknowledged the 4-H movement’s deep roots in the community with involvement being passed on from generation

to generation.

“In rural life you have leaders and you graduate from 4-H to Junior Farmers who are very supportive of the community as well. We’ve had a number of our Rocklyn Junior Farmers go on to the provincial level.

I went on a young farmer exchange representing Canada – to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1998,” she said.

From Junior Farmers Campbell moved on to working with the agricultural society where she became president and now holds the title of past president.

“Agriculture is where this community developed and we celebrated our 150th anniversary the

Catharine Campbell is the 2018 winner of the Tommy Cooper award for her contributions to rural living. Catharine is front and centre in this photo surounded by: (front row) Lillien Campbell (daughter) Catharine Campbell, Sierra Campbell (Daughter); (second row) Emily McKague, Jessica Wiley, Diane Booker, Karen McKague, Lisa Squire; (third row) Shirley Ann Fulford, Jackie Grant, Kimberley Lewis, Billie Joe Saunders, Denise McKay; (fourth row) Steven Naylor, Christine Wyville, Lindsey Coles, Taylor Campbell, Tyler Campbell (husband).

Pat Jilisen is the winner of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture’s Award of Merit for outstanding farmers. He is flanked from left to right by Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker, Heather Frook, and HuronBruce MPP Lisa Thompson.

same time Canada did,” said Campbell who noted how the agricultural community grew along side of Canada through promotion of local fall fairs.

“This is our heritage and why communities are so important and why I am so proud to receive this award.”

Campbell noted the concerted community effort in receiving a $50,000 award last year partially to promote traditional skills entitled “Granny Taught Us”. Workshops are already being organized for crocheting and the growing of herbs.

This year a community dinner is being planned in the form of a long table celebration during this year’s fall fair to celebrate agriculture in the community. All of the food will be grown locally.

Campbell said volunteering consumes much of her free time. Last year she spent at least 1,000 hours volunteering while being a full time Registered Practical Nurse at the Owen Sound hospital and a wife and mother of two young daughters.

“I do it because I enjoy it and I want to be here for the next generation. The generation before me have taught me the skills to be a strong leader and the next generation I feel are going to be above and beyond what I could ever do.. . . It

just amazes me how confident they are and how many skills they have learned,” she said. She also volunteers with the local Temple Hill United Church Campbell was chosen from four nominees. The other nominees included Lori Smith of Markdale, nominated by the Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week committee; John Thornburn of Paisley nominated by Dave Bryson and Linda Baumberger; and Lorne Underwood of Belmore nominated by the Bruce County

Federation of Agriculture The Bruce County award of merit was also handed out at the Tommy Cooper award dinner. The award began in 1979 to be given to an outstanding farmer in Bruce County.

This year it went to Pat Jilisen.

Grey County Federation of Agriculture public speaking award winners received the Don Hill Memorial Award. They included Grace Routenburg-Evans, of Holland-Chatsworth School, winner in the junior category, who spoke on miniature horses and Sydney Martin senior winner, from Beavercrest Community School in Markdale with a talk on mental health challenges in agriculture.

The Tommy Cooper Award has been given out annually since 1959

by Bayshore Broadcasting and the Owen Sound Sun Times. It goes to a person who has contributed to the improvement of agriculture and rural living in Grey and Bruce counties.

Tommy Cooper is well remembered for his 39 years as a provincial government farm extension worker in Grey County. He retired in 1959. He is credited with helping area farmers adapt to new scientific and mechanical innovations in the first half of the 20th century.

He played a major role in shaping agriculture in County. He had a direct role in forming the Grey County Federation of Agriculture. ◊

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Recipes by Anne Mann

Experimenting with gluten-free baking

M

y Mom loved to have a cup of tea or coffee with a friend and a little treat to go with that and I inherited her love of sweets. When I was diagnosed with Celiac disease over seven years ago, I still craved those familiar treats and wanted to find something that I could make that was good enough to share with friends without Celiac disease.

Initially I was disappointed in many recipes that were labelled “glutenfree” so I began experimenting with various mixtures of gluten-free flours using my own tried and true “regular” recipes and I had much more success. All of the recipes below are also delicious made with wheat flour, if I remember correctly, just omit the xanthan gum!

Gluten-free All Purpose Flour Mix (GF AP flour) It was difficult to know where to start for flour mixes so I saved all the labels of products that I liked and noted which flours they contained.

There was no real way to know which flour imparted what qualities in combination so I used equal parts of all the flours and I have only amended it slightly over time. I have decreased the amount of teff flour because it is expensive and makes the baked goods a less appealing darker colour and I have doubled the sweet rice flour because I think rice flour is a good all round substitute for wheat flour. It works remarkably well with cakes, cookies, pies and muffins but I am still working on a mix that works for bread and biscuits. I tried “Mrs. Epstein’s Coffee Cake” from the March Rural Voice using this mix and it was delicious!

I am always on the lookout for these flours because no one store carries all of them. I get some at the supermarkets and others at the health food stores and the bakery. I keep them all together in a large bin so it is handy when I am ready to mix a few batches. It is best to keep this mix in a container that can be shaken before measuring so you get an even mixture and the heavier flours are not all at the bottom. I do not add any xanthan gum to my all purpose mix

36 The Rural Voice

Reducing the amounts of teff flour and doubling the rice flour makes a nice gluten-free flour that works well with cakes, cookies, pies and muffins. The almond almost loaf (above, left) and other fruit loaves (above right) employ fruit to add taste and binding abilities. because I like to have a more accurate measurement of it in individual recipes. I always sift my flour, after measuring, with the xanthan gum and other dry ingredients although I seldom bothered when using wheat flour.

Ingredients: 1 cup white rice flour 1 cup brown rice flour 2 cups sweet rice flour 1 cup sorghum flour 3/4 cup teff flour 1 cup tapioca starch 1 cup arrowroot flour 1 cup potato starch Directions:

It is more efficient to measure out two or three containers at once when you need to replenish your supply.

You can substitute this all purpose blend cup for cup in most muffin, cookie and cake recipes, adding a teaspoon of xanthan gum for every 1 ½ - 2 cups of flour. It will not work that well for biscuits or yeast bread.

Fruit Breads or Loaves Fruit loaves are a nostalgic partner for coffee reminding me of coffee and chats with my Mom. They are a versatile treat because they can be made ahead and keep well for a few days or frozen for a later day allowing you to make a variety or

Recipes just a single flavour. When my Mom’s friends served these breads in the 70s they always buttered them and I am tempted to do the same despite the extra calories but it is not necessary when they stand quite well on their own or complemented by a piece of cheddar, but near the end of their shelf life a bit of butter and jam bring them back to life!

The characteristics of fruit breads make them well adapted to glutenfree substitution because they usually have eggs to aid in the structure and the pectin in fruit helps retain moisture and hold the loaf together The fruit also masks some of the less desirable flavours of the alternate flours. Ground nuts mixed with rice flour or tapioca starch are excellent ways to improve the taste and texture of gluten-free products and pair well with fruit combinations.

Ensuring breads are well done is essential to success with GF substitution. I add 10 – 15 minutes to baking time for loaves and when I was starting to experiment I invested in an instant read thermometer to see that the starches were reaching 200°F needed for their optimum performance.

Date Nut Loaf Dates have such a rich flavour and the fibre in them seems to enhance the quality of gluten-free baked goods. This loaf is great to take on the road. It keeps for about a week, travels well and goes with coffee when others pick up a donut or muffin and you cannot.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups dates 1 cup boiling water 1 tsp baking soda 1 - 2 tsp orange rind, grated from about 1 orange 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups GF all purpose flour 1 tsp xanthan gum 1 1/2 tsp GF baking powder 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped Directions: Pour boiling water over dates.

Stir in baking soda and orange rind and let sit until cool.

Meanwhile beat butter with sugar

until light and fluffy.

Mix in eggs one at a time until combined.

Sift flour with xanthan gum and baking powder and add to butter mixture.

Stir in cooled date mixture.

Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 5 inch loaf pan and bake at 350°F degrees for one hour and 15 minutes until tester comes out clean and loaf is pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Makes 1 loaf Apricot Almond Loaf This beautiful, buttery, pound cake style loaf is a great contrast to the darker date and banana loaves on a plate or it is lovely on its own with a cup of tea or coffee. The original recipe, from Canadian Living’s 1995 Holiday Baking magazine, drizzled a little almond liqueur over top but I find a glaze can break down the structure in gluten-free baking so I leave it off.

Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cup white sugar 4 eggs 1 tbsp brandy or almond liqueur or 1 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp orange rind, grated 1/2 tsp almond extract 1 3/4 cup GF all purpose flour 1/4 cup almonds 1/4 cup tapioca starch or rice flour 1 tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp GF baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup dried apricots, chopped 1 cup sliced almonds plus a few extra to sprinkle on top Directions: Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition..

Beat in brandy, orange rind and almond extract.

Grind 1/4 cup almonds with 1/4 cup tapioca flour to make approximately 1/2 cup of almond flour. Set aside.

Sift flour with xanthan gum, baking powder and salt into a bowl and whisk into almond flour.

Beat flour into butter mixture then add apricots and 1 cup of almonds, mixing until evenly incorporated.

Spoon into a greased 9 x 5 inch or 10 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.

Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds and bake at 350°F for about an hour and a half, until tester comes out clean and loaf is pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Let cool 5 - 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely. Best made the day before you wish to serve it.

Makes 1 large loaf Bonnie’s Banana Bread Two or three different loaves set out with some cheese and jam when friends are together seem to get the conversation flowing and if you are going to have loaves you have to include this banana bread. I am still enjoying this recipe of Bonnie Roy’s after forty years and was delighted when I found that it was just as good made with gluten-free flour. The bonus is it makes two loaves so you can feed a crowd or give one away!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter or margarine 2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups sour milk or buttermilk 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 3 ripe bananas, mashed, about 1 1/4 cup* 3 cups GF all purpose flour 1 tsp xanthan gum 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Directions: Beat butter and sugar then add eggs one at a time, and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy.

Stir in mashed bananas.

Mix baking soda with sour milk.

Sift flour with xanthan gum and salt and add alternately with sour milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Stir in nuts and divide between two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350°F for about an hour and 10 minutes until loaf springs back when touched, is coming away from the sides of the pan and a tester in the centre comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves *Bananas have the most flavour when they are black on the outside and soft and golden on the inside. ◊ May 2019 37

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38 The Rural Voice

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MAY 2019 39

Rural Living

Local Vendors Wanted

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Gardening Rhea HamiltonSeeger is a skilled cook and gardener who lives near Auburn.

It’s a wonderful time of year to garden!

It is that wonderful time of year when we surge to garden centres, local Horticultural Society plant sales, and dig upand thin out old favourite plants to trade with friends.

It is a rite of spring for gardeners to seek out an unusual colour, interesting leaf pattern, new vegetable to taste or a new plant for our personal oasis. We don’t give too much thought to the possible impact

of newly introduced plants to our landscape until it is too late. I believe we are getting better at this. Garden centres, plant breeders are more cautious too.

There were two things this spring that got me mulling the idea of plants out of place.

The first was a visit to the Thomas Edison Winter Estate in Fort Meyer, Florida. It is a sprawling compound along the Caloosahatchee River with a “cottage” the size of a large home, attached to a guest house; a pool complex, caretaker’s house and carriage house. But what made this place especially interesting was Edison’s botanical research laboratory. Edison, and Henry Ford who had a winter estate next door to Edison, and Harvey Firestone of the tire fame, were concerned about America’s dependence on foreign sources for rubber for industrial use.

They formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation in 1927.

Edison took the lead to test over 17,000 plant samples until he found a source in the plant goldenrod. There

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was a seven-foot specimen preserved in a glass frame hanging in the office of the laboratory. Think about that for a moment, a seven-foot tall goldenrod!

Plants were imported from all over the world and grown on the estate. There were acres of research beds, raised gardens and various shaded structures outside of the laboratory. Plants were dried naturally and in ovens, and the results were stored in a cement vault.

The research was ongoing until 1936 when the lab was closed some five years after Thomas Edison died.

The estate also has a remarkable orchid collection in one part of the garden, a white and blue garden that is highly fragrant during the evening complete with a wee pool to reflect the moon and nicely located outside of Edison’s discreet office tucked away at the back. A lovely mango grove is a fragrant addition.

Not to be ignored is the biggest banyan tree in the continental United States. The milky white sap can be used to create rubber. It is one of 13 types of ficus trees on the estate.

The impact of this massive introduction of plants into this tropical zone may not be an obvious issue today. We have plants many consider native now but were introduced by settlers as early as the 1700s. The edible garden or “Truck Garden” at the Edison Estate supplied vegetables and flowers for the house as early as 1886. By 1900 there were 75 varieties of vegetables in the garden including onions, radishes, beans, beets, cucumbers, squash, celery and carrots. Surplus was sold to support the everyday expenses of the winter estate.

When I was young it was not uncommon for seeds to find their way home from the U.S.. We were introduced to okra, zucchini and Boston lettuce as children and never thought anything of it.

The second incident that got me thinking about invasive plants was a posting on Facebook, which talked about an ornamental shrub and its attractive red berries that were poisonous to our birds. I humphed

Gardening about it and when I went back to check on the name of shrub, I could not find the posting. Wow there is a lot of postings on Facebook!

I think most gardeners are well aware of using native species in their gardens for the sake of the birds, butterflies and pollinators. We are also open to new plants and have to balance both what we want visually in our gardens and how we want our gardens to be an integral part of the larger environment.

Researching a plant before the purchase is a balancing act. I find my plant purchases are spontaneous and then there is the wandering around the garden for a spot while checking more info about the plant from more sources than the tag.

We planted out four acres of mixed native trees last year. I noticed a sale on Korean Pine Nut trees and after checking with our local tree expert, we purchased 25 wee trees.

The tree is similar to our white pine and will withstand a Zone 2 climate.

They like well-drained soil and will take semi-shaded light. Which is great in a forested area. Not considered invasive, the first five years show very slow growth and then they bolt reaching 30 feet at maturity.

They are self-fertilizing so we don’t need to look for more varieties to cross-pollinate with them. The kernels or nuts are the size of regular pistachio nuts and are located at the base of the scales of the cones they produce. They are used in salads and in pesto.

So this all sounds great. I can picture them now along the lane.

Further research has disclosed they need to be in semi shade when starting out. So planting in the young woodlot will not give them the shelter they need so we are already devising a large nursery area where we can offer that shade shelter.

Oh yeah we won’t get a harvest for 10 to 20 years. So this crop is certainly for the ones who come after us. I don’t think this plant will be considered invasive and I think the ever-growing red squirrel population here will be forever grateful. ◊

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May 2019 41

People

Soy cream liqueur wins invention award Sean Mitchell of Walton hopes to create a new market for Ontario soybeans and reduce tofu waste • By Denny Scott •

W

alton-area man and University of Guelph student Sean Mitchell is part of a three-person team looking to change the landscape of cream-based liqueur.

Mitchell, alongside fellow students Timothy Shuh and Mitchell Rice, won the Project SOY (Soybean Opportunities for Youth) undergraduate category for their soybean-based cream liqueur, 5th Bean.

Project SOY is an annual contest that tasks students with developing new products and marketing opportunities using soybeans. Earlier this month, at the annual awards ceremony, Mitchell was among 27 students from his university’s Guelph and Ridgetown campuses showing off 10 soy-based projects.

With the win, the trio received $2,500 which Mitchell said they plan in re-investing into their business, specifically looking at legal advice for proceeding with the product and initial capital costs.

Mitchell, in an interview with The Citizen, explained that he and his project partners have been working for the past several months on the soy cream liqueur.

The three met together at their supervisor’s suggestion, and soon realized that, as far as the cream liqueur field is concerned, there isn’t a significant amount of lactose-free, gluten-free offerings like the product they would eventually produce.

In an early e-mail to The Citizen, Mitchell explained that 5th Bean is a unique product because, in its creation, it uses 72 per cent less water, half the land and produces 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional bovine cream liquors.

Mitchell said that, while he and his project partners wanted to create a

42 The Rural Voice

Sean Mitchell (right) of Walton along with fellow University of Guelph students Mitchell Rice (centre) and Timothy Shuh (left) won the Project SOY (Soybean Opportunities for Youth) for developing a soybean-based cream liqueur they have named 5th Bean.

soy-based liqueur, their real goal “is to create a new market for Ontario soybeans, reduce waste in the tofu industry through innovation, source our materials and create our product locally, and produce a carbon-neutral project.”

Each 750-millilitre bottle of 5th Bean is produced with 28 kilograms of soybeans, going a long way to creating that market. Of those 28.4 kilograms, the largest share comes from the creation of soy milk, where 22.5 kilograms of soybeans produces 278 millilitres of soy milk. The other 5.9 kilograms produces 195 millilitres of 65 per cent ABV tofu whey alcohol.

The waste from the creation of tofu, called tofu whey, is a soy-based project that is really the foundation of the 5th Bean liqueur, Mitchell said.

The original idea for 5th Bean

came when Mitchell and his cohorts saw the need for the product, but were helped along by information from the University of Singapore, where a wine is being made from tofu whey.

“We thought that was cool,” he said. “However, we didn’t think it would sell or create the demand we were looking for.”

Mitchell, Shuh and Rice looked to the dairy alternative market for inspiration, knowing that there had been an influx in innovation and demand in that sector over the past several years, and then came up with the idea to make their product.

The process for creating the product involves soybeans at nearly every level, Mitchell said.

Tofu is made from soybeans, which are ground alongside water, and, through the addition of other

People products, eventually creates the bricks that resemble the final customer product. The liquid, or whey, that is removed from those bricks is where 5th Bean starts.

Tofu whey naturally has high sugars, making it a perfect starting point for fermentation, alongside some special yeast that allows the highest conversion of those sugars to alcohol.

From there, the fermented whey is distilled to purify its alcohol content, after which, emulsifiers and flavouring are introduced, which lead to the creation of the soy liqueur. The first flavour the project partners have used is Irish cream.

Aside from the growing market, the environmental benefits and the unique product, 5th Bean also benefits from being something that can be produced locally, Mitchell said. “The tofu whey we used is from Mississauga and soybeans are widely available,” he said.

While the product can’t yet be sold legally, as there are hurdles for the team to overcome before that’s possible, Mitchell said that those who have tried it have had nothing but good things to say.

While the challenge of selling 5th Bean lies ahead of the team, Mitchell said they are confident because of not only the support they have, but also because they have overcome other challenges in the production of the liqueur.

“The two biggest challenges we faced in this endeavour have been unanticipated reactions during fermentation and sourcing our ingredients on a small scale,” he said.

While the project team has consisted of three, Mitchell was quick to say that they received significant support from professionals. First and foremost, Mitchell said, his professor, Mike Von Massow helped with advice and guidance.

The group also extended thanks to Ying Ying Soy Foods of Mississauga, which offered time with and access to their tofu whey; Escarpment Laboratories of Guelph and Prof. George van der Merwe who helped Mitchell and his cohorts identify the strain of yeast they

needed and Murphy’s Law distillery in Elmira, which helped design a still to refine the alcohol and make sure the product was safe for consumption.

Mitchell said the unique name for the product ties back to soybean farming. A traditional way of valuing a soybean crop was to look at the number of beans per pod. Three-bean pods are desirable, while four-bean pods are notable.

“Pods creating five beans are almost unheard of,” Mitchell said.

“When creating Fifth Bean, we strove to produce cream liqueur equally unusual in its high quality.”

As for the future, Mitchell said he and his partners hope to continue pursuing 5th Bean as a business. with the assistance of the John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise at the University of Guelph.

“As I said, there are legal hurdles before we go to market, but there is significant interest, identifying a potential market,” Mitchell said. ◊

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May 2019 43

People

Haags and Irelands are top herd managers Both Huron County dairy farmers place in the top three

By Lisa B. Pot

T

wo Huron County dairy farmers have placed in the top three spots for best managed dairy herds in Ontario according to CanWest DHI. Haag Farms Inc., owned and operated by Roger and Karen Haag of Brussels and Albadon Farms Ltd., owned and operated by Mark and Josh Ireland of Teeswater placed in the top three. Heidi Farms Inc. of Bainsville took the top spot.

The Rural Voice did a feature story on the Haags in July 2018, when they won Top Robot Herd for Management Score in Canada, the Top Herd Overall for Management Score in Ontario as well as placing 11th in the National Top Herd for Management Score ranking in Canada. Roger credited a new barn and a consistent management style with a focus on cow comfort, ventilation and wider alleys to prevent cow bullying as some of the key improvements on their farm.

The Irelands won the top herd management score for all of Western Canada in 2012. This year, they have tops marks for Ontario, having slipped a little on points due to a focus on improving genetics. Part of the overall management score includes points for having a herd with older cows, classified by having three lactations or more. The Irelands have put an increased emphasis improving fertility and longevity. To do that, they have been heavily culling older cows that may have health or breeding issues and keeping more young heifers to boost their genetic progress.

Interviewing Josh Ireland for this article, he said since the 2012 management win (close after the family had put up a new dairy barn), the family built a new calf barn in 2017. The focus is always on cow comfort to allow the animals “to live

44 The Rural Voice

The Ireland family consisting of Josh and Marjan Ireland and his parents, Mark and Debbie, stand near the truck while the next generation enjoys milk in the foreground. The Irelands own and operate Alabadon Farms Ltd. near Teeswater which placed in the top three spots for best managed dairy herd according to CanWest DHI.

optimally and reduce exposure to anything that would prevent cows from producing at the highest level.”

Efficiency is a key element on the Teeswater area farm, whether it’s improving crop yields or milk volume. Intense management requires a lot of focus on cow monitoring via studying computerized reports and visually watching the cattle, but it’s worth it, says Josh.

“I always make sure there is time allotted to monitor the fresh and sick cows,” he says.

Also, he relies on his staff and a team of professionals to do their best work. “We think our employees enjoy coming to work here and understand the importance of doing things right.”

He likes chatting with the farm’s

veterinarian, nutritionist and breeding representative weekly.

“Having the veterinarian here every two weeks isn’t just for a pregnancy check. It’s actually an animal husbandry audit. If they see something that could be improved, then we can have a conversation about that,” says Ireland.

The Ireland’s herd management score is closing in on 950 (out of a possible 1,000). Josh says the milking herd stands at 220 cows and is currently testing at a 42 litres per cows with 4.2 per cent fat and 3.35 per cent protein.

While he doesn’t use the management score to drive his management strategy, Josh says it is a good tool to compare herds and look at potential opportunities to manage differently for profitability. ◊

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MAY 2019 45

News

By Don Crosby

Hay is big in Grey, soybeans in Bruce

M

ore than 50 politicians and members of commodity groups from Grey and Bruce counties attended the annual politicians meeting in Elmwoodto discuss perennial concerns over farm tax assessments, the province’s new wildlife damage compensation programme guidelines introduced in February of this year and the economic impact of farm production in Bruce and Grey counties.

According to a 2016 report on the economic contributions of farming in Grey and Bruce Counties, the two counties account for nine per cent of all Ontario farms.

John Rogers, president of the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture, speaking on behalf of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture noted that the cash receipts for farm production for Bruce County in 2017 was $1,530 million and accounted for 31,841 jobs while in Grey County $1,149 million contributed to the provincial economy while creating 23,918 jobs.

He said in 2017 there were a total 1,928 farms in Bruce and 2,304 farms in Grey County. The total amount of farmland in Bruce County is 558,356 acres while there is 495,483 acres in Grey County. The largest use of land in each county is used for crops. The largest farming industry in Bruce County is grains and oilseeds while in Grey County it is beef cattle.

Soybeans are the major field crop produced in Bruce County (107,868 acres), while hay is the most predominant field crop in Grey County.

Apples are the largest fruit crop in both Bruce and Grey Counties 88 acres in Bruce County and, 3,352 acres being used in Grey County for apple production.

The major vegetable crop in Bruce County is green or wax beans (148 acres) while Grey County’s predominant vegetable crop is sweet corn (49 acres).

Participants heard that recent

46 The Rural Voice

amend-ments by the federal government to the health of animals regulations with respect to the h u m a n e transportation of livestock in Canada are also a topic of concern.

A representative of Beef Farmers ofn Ontario e x p r e s s e d concerns that under the new regulations the reduced maximum MP Ben Lobb was one of 50 politicians, farmers and allowable time in commodity group leaders who attended the annual transit without a politicians meeting in Elmwood to discuss issues in rest may actually agriculture. degrade welfare of beef cattle in transit

by China to stop the import of rather than improve them.

Canadian canola valued at $5 billion, The levels of stress and sickness affecting mostly Western Canadian are highest when loading, unloading canola producers and to a lesser and stopping at livestock rest stations extent, local growers. where animals are co-mingled from “We have a Pioneer seed plant in different origins.

Wingham for Canola which is a Meeting participants heard that the significant investment by them and Bruce Chicken Farmers produce we want to make sure that it remains $36.5 million of chicken which viable,” said Lobb. represents 4.8 per cent of Ontario’s “We also export beef, corn and chicken production. There are 40 soybeans to China and we need to family-run chicken enterprises in make sure we have a solid trade Bruce County and 23 in Grey relationship with them because it’s a County. The industry supports vital part of our rural economy.”

22,000 jobs province wide and Lobb said Canada has benefited contributes $3.7 billion to the Ontario from the trade war between the U.S. economy on an annual basis. and China and the tariffs they have The Chicken Farmers of Ontario’s applied to each other.

Cares program donates over a million “We need to support our local fresh chicken meals to food banks in farmers. The Canadian government Ontario annually. and the Chinese regime need to lock The CFO has established a themselves in a room and they need speciality breeds chicken programme to get this done; they need to hammer which is meeting the needs of many this out because it’s too serious. ethno-cultural communities across “We’re heading into planting Ontario and a new kosher processing season here in another month or six plant is now in operation. weeks depending on what province Huron–Bruce MP Ben Lobb you’re in, farmers need certainty, the expressed concern over the tariff war market needs certainty. We need to with the U.S. and China and Saudi get this deal straightened around,” Arabia. Also the latest action taken Lobb concluded. ◊

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News Submitted by Mel Luymes

Innovative drainage project opened to public

T

he public is welcome to stop by one of Ontario’s most innovative field drainage sites as it is being installed on June 15 at the Huronview Demonstration Farm, near Clinton. The event will include live installation, wagon rides, workshops, food trucks and a trade show. The field is located behind the Huronview complex (77722 London Road, Clinton) and all are welcome to drop in between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, 2019.

Admission is $5 per person.

The event is being run by Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association (HSCIA), which is a volunteer board of farmers that are passionate about improving soil and water quality. HSCIA has a 15-year agreement with the County of Huron to farm on the 47-acre Huronview Demo Farm field with cover crops, no-till, and best practices.

“We knew we needed to invest in field drainage there in order to control erosion and we took this opportunity to try the most innovative system out there,” said Doug Walker, President of HSCIA. “And by partnering with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA), we’re able to use it for research.”

“It is an unprecedented partnership,” said Melisa Luymes, Project Coordinator. “We’re bringing agricultural, drainage, and environmental stakeholders together to innovate and research for water quality,” she said. “The project is made possible with Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) funding from the federal and provincial governments, along with Huron County’s support.”

Drainage is essential for farming, but it needs to be designed well to reduce the potential for impacts downstream, according to Luymes.

“Essentially, we’re trying to ‘shut off’ drainage systems with underground control gates at certain times of the year,” she said. “It works on flat fields in Ontario, but the key

48 The Rural Voice

Members of the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association meet at the Huronview Demonstration Farm to prepare for an open house of the field drainage site on June 15.

to making it work on a slope is that lateral tiles need to be installed on contour at a very precise grade.

Conventional tile lines usually run straight, but these will curve around the field. It should be really interesting to see.”

This is the first time in Ontario that controlled drainage will be tried on a slope, according to Luymes. An Illinois-based drainage design company, AGREM, made the plans for the site and the designers, Jeremy and Bob Meiners, will be presenting their work on June 15 as well.

The site will feature a side-by-sideby-side plot of contoured/controlled drainage, conventional drainage, and an area that will remain undrained.

Water quality and quantity will be measured, along with yield and soil data. The site also features a research plot comparing 15-foot vs 30-foot tile spacing and a demonstration of surface drainage with terraces and a grassed waterway.

Farmers, drainage contractors, and the public are invited to attend the field day on June 15. There will be wagon rides to take visitors through the field sites to learn about contoured and controlled drainage, wetlands, water quality, terraces and soil health.

The project is being funded and supported by over a dozen partners so far, including the Huron County Clean Water Project, the Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario (LICO), Ducks Unlimited Canada, and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) along with four local drainage contractors and three tile manufacturers. This project is also funded in part through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of the Partnership in Ontario. To find out more visit www.huronview.net. ◊

News

Queen Victoria would be proud

WHO ARE YOUR ANIMALS MEETING? Ontario is seeing more cases of rabies in wild animals. Wild animals can infect your animals with rabies, a disease fatal to both humans and animals.

Herman Mooy of Blyth (left) and Brenda McIntosh of Egmondville (right) are excited to promote “Victorian Era Day” at the Van Egmond House/Museum on May 19, 2019 to celebrate the 200th birthday anniversary of Queen Victoria.

T

he cavalry and the infantry are coming to Egmondville on May 19 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birthday.

Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months as queen of the United Kingdom, has been called the “grandmother of Europe”.

She and her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had nine children who married into royal and noble families across the continent.

Promoters of the Van Egmond House/Museum are using the anniversary of her 200th birthday on May 24,1819 to celebrate and promote the historical focus of the Van Egmond House-Museum.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can take part in the day’s events which include demonstrations of Victorian era pursuits such as: candle making, blacksmithing, canoe making, croquet, a sack race, infantry tactics, tin smithing, rug hooking, leather making and badminton.

There will also be a mounted demonstration and Victorian era music played throughout the day.

A Victorian luncheon will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (prices $8 for adults and $5 for children under 12). Inside the house an afternoon tea will be served.

Anyone attending the event is encouraged to wear a Victorian costume. Admission is by donation.

For more information contact Dave Minhinnick at 519-600-5638. ◊

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- Vaccinate your dogs and cats against rabies.

- Check your animals for bruises and wounds.

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Another month has come and gone and the key trade deal between China and the U.S. is still yet to be completed. It seems the markets are settling into a tired and weary trade, moving away from inconsistent headline news, which at times appears to be optimistic, then disappointing. Recently President Trump announced that a China trade deal may be completed in four weeks. Needless to say the market response was muted and cautionary.

It appears that market players will no longer trade â&#x20AC;&#x153;dealâ&#x20AC;? rumours. They will wait until trade progress is a fact before getting too committed to the idea that exports to China will be resuming.

Even if a trade deal is completed, it is possible that China may have limited interest in purchasing large volumes of U.S. beans anyway.

South American beans are priced very competitively to China, trading at prices much lower than current U.S. offers. Argentine production is up dramatically year over year, with local yields strong, similar to Brazil.

These strong yields increased South American production by 30 million tons over last year. Therefore, when China comes to the market, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got no shortage of offers. Export competition is only part of the story about Chinese usage. African swine flu continues to lower the Chinese hog inventory, with current estimates suggesting that the Chinese herd is down potentially 20 per cent, even as the outbreak continues to spread.

With faltering pork production, Chinese demand for feed ingredients and, by extension, soybeans, may

Markets also decline, further limiting their soybean purchases. When considered as a whole, there are many factors that are weighing negatively on soybean prices. On a positive note, the most recent USDA report showed U.S. soybean planted acres falling this spring.

The USDA released their prospective planting report on March 29. This report provides the marketplace with an early estimation of the U.S. farmers’ planting intentions for the upcoming growing season. Following up on the soybean discussion above, the report showed growers responding to market prices and the bearish bean outlook, with soy planting estimates substantially less this season. Year over year the U.S. farmer was forecast to plant about 4.5 million fewer acres of beans. Conversely, U.S. farmers were forecast to increase corn planting significantly, increasing acreage just shy of four million acres.

Most notably in the corn planting intentions, were the states of North and South Dakota, both increasing acreage by 900,000 and 700,000 acres respectively. Interestingly, North Dakota is the state with the largest planted acreage of principle crops, with even larger planted acreage than the mighty agricultural state of Iowa. Its prospective planting acreage is about 24.5 million acres.

North Dakota produces more than half of the U.S. spring wheat and durum crops. It is forecast to plant about four-million acres of corn, 6.5 million acres of beans and 6.7 million acres of spring wheat.

Parts of the U.S. corn belt have been hit with devastating floods.

These floods occurred after the USDA surveyed farmers for the planting intentions discussed above.

Due to these floods there are thoughts circulating that corn plantings will fall and soy acres will increase. Regardless of how the mix might change for planted acres, the

Deadline for the June issue of The Rural Voice is May 15, 2019

market seems indifferent today, as prices languish with little volatility.

The bearish (negative) sentiment towards grain prices is just so significant that events (such as this flooding) that once would have caused markets to rally sharply are just not impactful to market speculators at this time. This is because: grain inventories are high; U.S. exports face tough export competition; it’s early in the season; there is plenty of time for fields to dry and demand has been reduced.

As mentioned, Chinese demand is likely to continue to falter and U.S. interior corn demand has been reduced as the flooding has idled 13 per cent of the U.S. ethanol capacity.

So will the market eventually be concerned about production potential and add risk premiums to the grain markets? Well the U.S. flooding story is going to potentially surface again as of this writing. The Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin are forecast to get some heavy snow accumulation (up to 1.5 feet) in early April. At this time of year you would

expect melt to occur rapidly and from this flooding is possible to reappear.

If this occurs are we close enough to seeding time to get the market to take notice? Large speculative funds continue to aggressively short grain futures and at this time they expect prices to continue to drift lower.

Producers on the other hand continue to be light sellers of grain and are very patient with their ownership.

Will the producer’s patience payoff?

First let’s get the crop planted, determine acres and from there summer weather will give us our answer. However we all know that history tells us not to necessarily count a crop in the bin before it’s even in the ground.

Wheat crop ratings are now being presented and the U.S. wheat crop has been improving with the warming weather. In regards to wheat, the U.S. ending stocks of soft wheat continue to fall dramatically and the carryover will be the lowest in many years. Some forecasts estimate that the U.S. SRW crop plantings are the lowest since 1984.◊

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Steve Bowers is a forester, forest owner and member of the Ontario Woodlot Assoc.

Ontario has a healthy population of black bears While bear sightings in Huron County have become fairly common in recent years (in fact, one was killed by a vehicle on Highway 8 east of Goderich in June of 2018), there’s still some uncertainty if they live in the area year round and also about where they’ve originated. My curiosity about our local population made a presentation entitled “Black Bears on the Bruce” of even more interest to me at the recent Grey Bruce Woodlot Conference in Elmwood on March 30. The presentation was delivered by Eric Howe who has over 15 years experience researching bears on the Bruce Peninsula, working along with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNR) and other partners.

While Howe focused on bears on the Bruce Peninsula, much of the information he provided was of a general nature for Ontario as a whole. MNR estimates the population of black bears in Ontario at between 85,000 and 105,000. The population is deemed healthy enough to support an annual bear hunting season with a spring bear hunt being reinstated recently after it was cancelled for a number of years.

Bears typically emerge from their dens in April and stay close to their home range eating grass and other green vegetation, carrion, insects and anything else edible they can catch or find. Howe says in spring bears stay close to their home range and are very territorial. Often the yearlings are chased off at this time, forcing

Woodlots them to find their own range.

Ontario as a whole is generally Bruce population, but who knows?

During summer and fall their healthy, the population on the Bruce The habitat is generally good for focus is on finding food such as Peninsula is much more vulnerable. bears on the Bruce Peninsula with insects, fruit, nuts or anything else One of the primary concerns is the lots of mast producing trees and edible. They need to gain as much limited genetic diversity due to the shrubs, e.g. oak, beech, apples, weight as possible since their fat Bruce Peninsula’s geographic berries and some agricultural crops reserves are critical for survival isolation from other Ontario bears. as well. However, the natural areas during the roughly six months of Populations of any species with are becoming more fragmented and hibernation. They may travel widely limited genetic diversity are much many more people are using the area, in search of food if necessary (i.e. 50 more likely to have reduced resulting in busier roads and more to 80 km or even further). reproductive success. There is chances for human / bear interaction, Hibernation normally occurs in almost no chance of other bears with thus reducing habitat suitability.

October and November. Winter dens fresh DNA reaching the Bruce from Generally, bear density is higher may be excavated in hillsides or the north, east or west due to Lake towards the north end of the made under tree roots, in hollow Huron and Georgian Bay. There is peninsula where habitat is less trees, logs, stumps or caves. Howe also very little chance of population fragmented. In addition, loss of says some dens are very beech trees due to beech bark disease complex and lined with has had a major impact on natural moss or grass. He says food available for the bear the complex dens are population. usually made by females.

There has been ongoing sampling Some bears (more likely of the Bruce bear population with males according to Howe) traps of low slung barbed wire baited just flop down in a with sardines. When a bear steps suitable spot. Denning over the wire, it often pulls a few may occur earlier in years hairs from the bear’s coat which can when food supply is then be sent in for DNA analysis. In scarce, to conserve 2012, 90 traps yielded DNA from 71 energy, or later in years different bears. The estimated Bruce of plentiful food.

Peninsula bear population in 2012 While mating occurs was roughly 316 (somewhere in June, the embryos are between 225 and 408). While that not implanted in the There is ongoing DNA sampling bear hair in may sound like a lot, such a small uterus until fall, and then Bruce County to estimate the bear population. number of animals in a genetically only if the female bear (or Current estimates range between 225 and 408 isolated population in a limited sow) has gained enough geographic area may be vulnerable to weight to support her and black bears. extirpation if there is an event such the embryo(s) throughout as a very poor food year. hibernation. This is called delayed implantation. Cubs recruitment from the south since At present recommendations to are born in January during settlement and development in the sustain the population include hibernation. In a year when food is last 150 years has resulted in protecting suitable habitat, reducing plentiful, by fall a sow may have extirpation of bears from that area. incidental mortality and further doubled her spring weight and Odds are, the bears recently seen in research to learn more about bear multiple births may be common the Huron County originated from the density and population size. ◊ next spring. After a year when food is scarce there may be very few cubs born the following spring. Also, in years when natural food is scarce there tend to be more human / bear conflicts as their search for food may lead them into areas inhabited by humans.

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

Assessing farmland value for property taxation – estimates alone aren’t enough The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (“MPAC”) is tasked with assessing the value of land in Ontario for the purpose of municipal property taxation.

The Assessment Act, the legislation that governs the process, provides that the assessment of land is to be based on its current value.

Current value means, in relation to land, “the amount of money the fee simple, if unencumbered, would sell for in an arm’s length transaction between a willing seller and a willing buyer.” Where an assessed owner disputes the valuation made by MPAC, the owner may appeal the assessment to the Assessment Review Board (“ARB”) and request that the assessed value be adjusted. In an appeal to the ARB, MPAC has the burden to prove the correctness of its assessment of current value.

The ARB recently issued three appeal decisions involving three separate rural properties owned by the same owner. One property was roughly 165 acres in size, classified as farmland without any buildings, and comprising about 129 acres of Class 6 farmland (rocky bush land and swamp/marsh land) and 36 acres of “Class 4 overgrown ‘pasture’ land”.

The second property was a 160-acre farm with outbuildings, comprising about 141 acres of Class 6 farmland (rocky bush land and swamp/marsh land), just under eight acres of Class 4 “pasture”, and 11 acres of Class 2 farmland. The third property

54 The Rural Voice

Agrilaw measured just over seven acres and was classified as a farm residence with farm outbuildings. MPAC had assessed the value of the 165-acre parcel at $31,500 for the 2017 taxation year and $47,000 for the 2018 taxation year. MPAC assessed the value of the 160-acre farm at $32,000 for 2017 and $54,000 for 2018. The smaller farm residential parcel was valued at $148,000 for 2017 and $175,000 for 2018.

The owner of the three properties appealed the MPAC assessments in all three cases on the basis that the values were not representative of the “true, significantly lower, value that would be more appropriate”. And, in all three cases, it appears that the owner did not put forward his own proposed current value for the lands; rather, he challenged the correctness of the MPAC valuations, which had resulted in significant increases in the assessed values over a span of only three years. The owner did not believe the increased assessments were fair or supported by evidence.

In each appeal, evidence was given on behalf of MPAC by the Property Valuation Analyst who had reviewed the properties and determined the assessed value for MPAC. In valuing farmland, MPAC uses the “cost approach”, which assesses the value of any improvements to the land, and then adds that value to the bare land value that is derived by comparing the land in question with other farms in the neighbourhood. For the 165-acre and 160-acre parcels, MPAC had assigned specific per acre values to the Class 6 land, the Class 4 land, and the Class 2 land. MPAC then checked those values by comparing the two parcels with other vacant and improved lands sold in the vicinity between 2008 and 2016 (parcels ranging in size from about 62 acres to 157 acres). Historical sale prices were adjusted based on trends to provide current 2016 values for the comparison.

For the smaller farm residential parcel, MPAC also used the cost approach. MPAC valued buildings on the property (a house and some outbuildings) at replacement cost, and then reduced those values for depreciation. MPAC then added in

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Agrilaw values for bare land based again on specific per acre values for Class 4 and Class 6 farmland. The resulting value for the property was checked for accuracy against the sales of four comparable properties in the neighbourhood – the same four comparables used in the assessment of the larger 165-acre and 160-acre parcels.

Where MPAC’s assessment of current value is appealed, MPAC “must not only estimate a current value but must present evidence clarifying how that value was arrived at and why it is right.” In all three appeals, the ARB came to the same conclusion about MPAC’s valuation – “there is no clear path from the four selected comparable farm properties and the value given the Subject Property.” The ARB noted that: “There were different values given for different types of farmland, which is to be expected, but not when those values are inconsistent within the same soil classification without explanation.” The ARB also noted, in connection with the farm residential parcel, that the comparable sales involved much larger properties.

MPAC had failed to prove on a balance of probabilities that its assessments of current value of the three properties were correct.

Where MPAC has failed to provide adequate evidence, the ARB is then to analyze the evidence provided by the owner to see whether it is capable of providing a particular current value.

However, as noted above, the appellant owner didn’t provide evidence that could support a specific value for any of his three properties. Where neither party in an assessment appeal provides adequate evidence of current value, the ARB fixes the assessment at the last uncontested assessed value. In these recent cases, the ARB applied the 2016 assessed values to taxation years 2017 and 2018.◊ ______________________________ John D. Goudy’s law practice includes real property and environmental litigation, expropriation law, energy regulation, and regulatory offences.

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

56 The Rural Voice

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Financial Management Brent VanParys is an accountant and Family Enterprise Advisor with BDO

The family secret to business transition Have you ever gathered your family, jumped in your car and just headed out on the road with no destination in mind? It is exciting and chaotic. Since the objective is simply to have fun, you do not need a map, or a plan, or reservations. You follow the road, turn left and right on a whim, and stay where you end up at dark. It all sounds like a wonderful adventure.

While spontaneity may connect you and your loved ones on the family road trip, it could very well create divisions during a family business transition.

By nature, a business family embraces different opinions, different perspectives, different goals, and different personalities. Aligning family members along an agreedupon path can be challenging. Yet it is an important step in transition planning.

Identify your values filter A family’s values are its way of filtering and assessing the world around them, and making decisions when faced with important questions.

While values are often inherent in a business family, they are not always clear. Identifying and discussing those values is a worthwhile exercise when beginning a journey of transition. The family can then refer back to its values filter to guide them throughout the process.

How to set your transition itinerary Business families embarking on a transition journey should start by answering three simple yet not-sosimple questions: Where are we going? Where are we now? How will we get there?

58 The Rural Voice

Vision – Where are we going?

Unlike the random road trip, a family business transition is most successful when the family agrees on the destination. Without a common vision, business family members may find themselves working at odds with each other, or spending time and money on actions that take them nowhere. Even if the vision is somewhat blurry, a family that sees the same picture of the future is able to focus energy on the right actions those that will take the family members to their desired destination.

The current state – Where are we now?

Every transition journey has a starting point. A business family that clearly understands the facts of its situation and the challenges at hand can eventually implement change.

This part of the planning process is an opportunity for the family to analyze where it currently stands and engage in meaningful introspection.

Done in a respectful way, this exercise can unite a family in the next step: finding solutions.

Strategy development – How will we get there?

Most business families are entrepreneurial – show them a need or a challenge and they will find a solution. Strategies are the activities the family will undertake over the ensuing months and years to address their identified challenges and reach their agreed-upon vision of the future.

Strategies for the transition of a family business should encompass three key pillars: • Ownership - The fair transition of the business ownership and protection of the family wealth • Business - The future success of the business and the transition of its leadership • Family - The well-being of the family Strategies are most effective when accompanied by an action plan, a timeline, and an identified leader to be accountable for implementation.

Three questions, three answers A business family that sets out on a transition journey without a plan is at risk of becoming one of the unfortunate family business statistics.

The Business Transition team at BDO includes trained facilitators and Family Enterprise Advisors. We help business families communicate and collaborate to answer the three key planning questions. We then accompany them on their journey to ensure the best possible outcome. ◊

Advertising Deadline for the June issue of The Rural Voice is May 15 Call Today to book your ad 519-523-4311

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage 1990 Ltd. Harriston

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

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

RAL READING ROO RUBOOKS M ON RURAL THEMES

MOM Celebrating

110 NATURE HOT SPOTS IN ONTARIO Informative introduction to some of the province’s bestkept secrets. A fresh look at destinations that have made Ontario famous. If you’re looking for a day trip or a weekend getaway, this book will appeal to you. $29.95

THE GARDENER’S A-Z GUIDE TO GROWING ORGANIC FOOD Information on organic growing of vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts.

Formulas and techniques to control 201 pests and diseases organically.

Information on starting with organic methods. $37.95

LETTERS HOME from Willis Machan Flight Sergeant Willis Machan of Brussels served with the RCAF prior to his death in the Azores in 1943. In his letters to his parents, brother and sisters he reveals the thoughts of a young man at war. $18.00

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

OUR LAND OF MILK AND HONEY The hard work and bravery of Dutch families who came to Canada after World War II is a story worth telling.

B.B. Carmen Johnson recalls the 1948 journey of her family, the de Haans, to Huron and their experience since. $30.00

GROWING TASTY TROPICAL PLANTS Here’s a guide to adding interesting indoor plants to your home that also provide tasty foods like lemons, limes, kumquats, figs, olives, coffee, tea, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, black pepper and passion fruit. $23.95 Total

Qty.

110 NATURE HOT SPOTS THE GARDENER’S A-Z GUIDE TO GROWING ORGANIC FOOD OUR LAND OF MILK AND HONEY ONE WOMAN FARM LETTERS HOME THE MAPLE SYRUP BOOK GROWING TASTY TROPICAL PLANTS JUST IN CASE SHIPPING & HANDLING RATES $6.00 for the first book 60¢ for each additional item to a maximum of $20.00

$29.95 $37.95 $30.00 $20.95 $18.00 $24.95 $23.95 $22.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

ONE WOMAN FARM Jenna Woginrich left a desk job to take up farming in upstate New York. Here she traces a year on her farm where she raises Scottish Blackface sheep and keeps chickens, pigs, goats and bees. She also writes for several publications. $20.95

JUST IN CASE: How to be selfsufficient when the Unexpected Happens Tips on how to prepare for an emergency: how to assess your family’s needs, pack an evacuation kit, do without electricity, develop a communications system and evaluate your food supply. $22.95

Send cheque or money order for full amount to: Books: North Huron Publishing P.O. Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 or call and pay by credit card 519-523-4311 MAIL BOOKS TO: Name:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Address:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________ Code _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Phone:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Prices subject to change with increases in wholesale prices, postage, taxes, etc.

Please refer to current issue for correct figures. Incorrect payment will delay delivery.

MAY 2019 59

The Rural Voice

Business Centre To place your ad call...519-523-4311

B U Brough & Whicher Limited S • Engineered Roof Trusses • “I” Joint Floor Systems I White Cedar Decking, Posts & V-Match WIARTON, ONTARIO N www.broughandwhicher Tel: 519-534-0340 or 877-866-3434 Fax 519-534-4637 E Email: sales@broughandwhicher.com S S Member of the O.W.T.F.A.

C E N T R E

BAG Supplies Canada Ltd. Bulk Bags/Tote Bags/Super Sacks

If we don’t have it in stock, we’ll custom make it for you!

info@bagsupplies.ca Tel: 1-519-271-2040

www.bagsupplies.ca Fax: 1-519-271-2027

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

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

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

John Berlett 519-291-3956 Cell: 519-291-8726

60 The Rural Voice

5711 Line 87, RR #3 Listowel, ON N4W 3G8 Email: jberlett@megawire.ca

Jeff Berlett 519-291-3722 Cell: 519-291-7609

INNIS NEW & USED TRACTOR PARTS LTD. Agricultural & Combines New & Used Parts Used Tractors & Machinery

1-877-274-6583 Phone: 519-291-4924 Fax: 519-291-1520 Fire No. 6142, Line 84, R.R. #2, Listowel, ON N4W 3G7 Wanted: Early and late model farm tractors, combines, crawlers and construction equipment, fuel injection pumps, starters and alternator repairs

Looking to Buy or Sell Your Farm or Home?

Give me a Call!

STEVEN NIXON Broker WILFRED MCINTEE & CO. LIMITED

Serving the area since 1999

Bus: 519-357-2222 Cell: 519-531-0252 Email: nixon@execulink.com Web: www.stevennixon.com 249 Josephine St., WINGHAM, ON N0G 2W0

Farm Drainage

Wa n t e d to buy

OLD BARNS • GPS • Plastic • 2013 Bron Plow • Surveys • Maps Glen 519-291-0709 cell Dennis 519-276-9292 cell

FOR SALVAGE CALL STEVE

519-523-4523

WE WANT YOUR GRAIN! • Corn • Soybeans • Feed Grains • Feed Ingredients • Food Quality Soybeans

Galvanized Roofing For Sale

Newton, Ont. 519-595-4545

AGRICULTURAL

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

RESIDENTIAL

NEW CONSTRUCTION RENOVATIONS

519-524-0253

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

MAY 2019 61

C E N T R E

STEVE TRUPP

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We Buy All Types of Scrap Cars & Trucks

195 Wallace Avenue North, Listowel, Ontario N4W 1K8 Bus: 519-529-1167 Bus.: 519-291-2299 Fax: 519-291-1015

www.peakrealestate.com

Cathy Hendriks Sales, Rep.

519-357-5128

Scrap Metal and Machinery USED AUTO PARTS • Government Inspected Scale • Competitive Prices • Bins Available

Looking for some extra land base? Or that country jewel that has it all? Well kept brick bungalow, large barn with loose housing for beef, drive shed & hay storage building.... for details or to arrange a viewing. EXCLUSIVE Call Cathy Hendriks 519.357.5128

3961 Road 111, RR4 Stratford

519-271-4008 perthautodismantlers@bellnet.ca

MANUFACTURING STEEL ROOFING SIDING & TRIMS

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING 519-531-0355

C E N T R E

TEESWATER, ON mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

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

Also Supplying Other Building Accessories

Genie Z45 Genie S45 Skyjack 27' All Terrain Telehandler 6000 lbs 36'

Advertising in The Rural Voice ~ A Wise Choice ~

• • • •

Call Today!

519-523-4311

Listowel

Tim Shantz

519-502-3553

PREPAID CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT ORDER FORM Please use the form below to write out your ad using one word in each space.

Please specify under which heading you want your ad: For Sale, Wanted, Equipment, Livestock, or Directory.

Classified: $13.00 for maximum of 20 words; no cost for name, address or telephone. Additional words 50 cents each.

Add $4 billing charge if payment not received in advance. Prices include HST. The deadline for classifieds is no later than the 15th of the month previous to the issue in which you wish your ad to appear.

Send to: The Rural Voice, PO Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0 Heading:_________________________________

One

Name:__________________________________ Address:_________________________________ ________________________________________ Postal Code:_____________________________ Telephone:_______________________________

62 The Rural Voice

Word

In

Each

Space

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AUCTION -------------------------------------------------Elmira Produce Auction – Hay and Straw Sales every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Consignors and buyers welcome. Call Noah Gingrich, 519669-3884. 7400 Reid Woods Drive, Elmira.

-------------------------------------------------CAMPSITES -------------------------------------------------CHESLEY LAKE CAMP. Find an ideal mix of accommodations, dining, activities and golf for your whole family at Chesley Lake Camp, 78 Camp Rd., RR #3, Allenford, ON. 519-934-2071. chesleylakecamp.ca Email: clc@gbtel.ca -------------------------------------------------CONSTRUCTION -------------------------------------------------WE POUR: liquid manure tanks, bunker silos, foundations and pads.

All are 100% engineered. Serving Ontario since 1968. De Jong & Sons Ltd. 519-348-0523.

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

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-274-1490.

-------------------------------------------------FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE -------------------------------------------------Parts for Massey 33 seed drill, fertilizer/seed cups, $30 each. 519364-2099.

-------------------------------------------------27 lamb partitions (penning) 8 ft. long, heated water bowls (Ritchie), electric fence posts and insulators (100 in total). 226-668-9055.

-------------------------------------------------FIREWOOD --------------------------------------------------

FOR SALE -------------------------------------------------Farm gates for sale – two 16-foot wrought iron gates, one steel 16-foot gate. Very strong for horses and cattle. 519-666-0525.

-------------------------------------------------Cedar rails for sale. Contact Jonathan Kuepfer at 519-749-5772.

-------------------------------------------------HAY & STRAW & IND. WRAPPED baleage, nice, clean, rotary combined, good for TMR. 3x3x7' bales and silage bales individually wrapped.

Huron East. 519-292-0138.

-------------------------------------------------Contractor Repairs Restores remodels and jacks up farm buildings, homes and cottages. Also roofing, siding, doors, windows, peers, foundation repairs, eavestroughing, beams, posts, fencing, decks, docks, horse stalls installed, replaced, repaired, storage and farm buildings built. Barns and silos demolished and removed. Brian McCurdy 519-9861781.

-------------------------------------------------Martin’s Nursery & Bee Supplies Etc. Large selection of flowering trees, shade trees, fruit trees and hydrangeas and other shrubs. We have the plants you need to make a living “privacy hedge” or snow fence, Blue spruce, pine, cedars, etc. Also…

Complete line of Bee Supplies for the commercial or hobby beekeepers.

We sell Bees (Nucs) in spring and early summer. Come see our selection Monday to Saturday at Emanuel E.M. Martin, 42661 Orangehill Rd., Wroxeter, ON N0G 2X0, one concession north of Wroxeter on Belmore Line.

-------------------------------------------------For prices on forage peas, forage pea mixtures, barley, oats, spring wheat and mixed grain. Contact Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-395-2972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

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FOR SALE -------------------------------------------------Soybean seed for sale – Absolute RR, Expo R2X, Excursion R2X varieties.

Treatments and inoculants available.

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

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

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

-------------------------------------------------Rebuilt water pumping windmills Beatty, Aermotor, etc., parts, repairs and sales. 519-357-3621.

-------------------------------------------------GARDEN TOURS -------------------------------------------------Visit the largest Botanical Gardens, Garden Centre and Home/Garden Décor Shop in Southwestern Ontario.

Explore 30 acres of manicured gardens within natural rock outcroppings, wetlands, meadow and forest. Shop for rare and unusual plants, unique garden pieces and quality home décor. www.folmergardens.com -------------------------------------------------Stratford Garden Tour – Discover eight gorgeous private gardens in Stratford Sunday, July 7, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets $15 each or two for $25. Self-guided tour hosted by Stratford and District Horticultural Society. Tickets are available on the day of the tour, at Stratford City Hall, 1 Wellington St. -------------------------------------------------HELP WANTED -------------------------------------------------SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY – Looking for assistant herdsperson to work with owner, milking, feeding and herd health. Every other weekend off.

Wages negotiable. Send résumé to nwboerkamp@aol.com --------------------------------------------------

Bodywood • Slabwood Quantity Discounts 519-441-2085 519-656-2057

Serving Southwestern Ontario for over 10 years!

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

Closed Sundays, 519-338-3920.

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

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

Deadline for the June issue of The Rural Voice is May 15, 2019

MAY 2019 63

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IRON & STEEL -------------------------------------------------DISCOUNT STEEL: New second grade steel sales; 1" - 8" square tubing; 7/8"-14" round tubing; Rectangle tubing, discount plate; New and Used I-Beams; Bar grating, rebar, angles; Custom cutting, welding, punching. Listowel. Phone Aden 519-595-7775.

-------------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK BEDDING -------------------------------------------------MIRACLE FIBER Livestock Bedding. Also, coarse wood mulch for horse and cattle walkways, wet areas around water troughs and bush lanes. Also available is dairy pack starter bedding. 1-877-773-8004.

Sittler Grinding. Rick Sittler.

-------------------------------------------------Bedding pack compost starter for dairy and veal barns. 1-877-7738004. Sittler Grinding. Rick Sittler.

-------------------------------------------------DUST EXTRACTED straw available in coarse or fine cut. Also available in pellets, bags or bulk. Call for details.

Chopped straw and sawdust mix; bags only. Edgar Martin, 519-2916783.

-------------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN – Double and homo polled, thick, well muscled, quiet breeding bulls available. Select now.

Delivery included. Posthaven Limousin, John Post 519-766-7178. www.posthavenlimousin.com -------------------------------------------------Gelbvieh Bulls – reds and blacks, 15 months old. Ready to work and fully guaranteed. Mike Klages 519363-6307.

-------------------------------------------------Double cut red clover seed.

James McKinlay 519-599-6236.

-------------------------------------------------18 Beef Cows, Charolais and Angus, starting to calve April 15. One young Charolais bull. 519-392-6356 Teeswater.

-------------------------------------------------SIMMENTAL BULLS – 3 yearlings off BIO test, 1 black, 2 full Fleckvieh.

Located in Alma 519-832-0701. Rolf Huber.

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LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------------Limousin Bulls – yearlings and 2 year olds, polled, some homozygous polled, thick, well muscled, semen tested. Smart Limousin, Meaford 519-372-7459. www.smartlimousin.ca -------------------------------------------------RESTORATION -------------------------------------------------The Olde Tyme Radio Centre – antique radios, clocks, gramophones, telephone and vintage auto clock radio. Speedometer, tachometer sales–restorations. Belgrave 519357-4304, www.oldtymeradio.ca -------------------------------------------------RETAIL & GIFTS -------------------------------------------------Stitches with a Twist – 404 Queen St., Blyth, 519-523-9449. Yarns, knit and crochet instruction. Chainmaille supplies. Alterations and repairs, including leather.

-------------------------------------------------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, 519-348-9062.

Cell 519-274-5000. www.cronin pouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------------INLINE FENCING – Custom farm fencing. Page wire and horse fencing 519-934-1555.

-------------------------------------------------Firearms and hunting training.

PAL & HUNTER ED. Ongoing courses available.

Certified instructors. Call Greg 519-887-9622 or 519-291-0507.

-------------------------------------------------Custom Clover Seeding with GPS $2.50/acre or $3.00 for pasture. Seed available at $1.75/lb. D.C. Call Kurt Beuerman 519-525-0538 or 519-5239234 (home).

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

64 The Rural Voice

All farm buildings & houses, seamless eavestroughing, liquid rubber coatings, waterproofing, metal, concrete, wood, foam and bin flooring sealing.

519-859-0097 or 519-871-0300 info@townsleybarnpainting.com

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

Ph. 519-528-3019 • Tree Seedlings • Nursery Stock • Shade Trees • Native Species Order for Spring 2019 Now

888-226-6344

www.hrichardsonfarms.com

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

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

Call: Jim Glavin 1-800-465-4725 519-228-6247 SEAMLESS EAVESTROUGHING

 Roofs & Walls  Elevator Legs  Air Blasting  Pressure Washing  Fully Insured  Free Estimates

London 1-888-253-3756

GRANT GNAY Chartered Professional Accountant Accounting & Tax Services 133 South St., Goderich

519-524-5113 Specializing in on Farm Pest Management Serving Southwestern ON, Golden Horseshoe, GTA Email: sgschris@ciaaccess.com

519-692-4232 www.sgspestmanagement.ca

HIGHLAND FENCE & SUPPLY INC. Joseph Kirwin

519-475-4868 • 1-800-923-4488 info@highlandfence.ca • www.highlandfence.ca 804075 Rd. 80, Embro, ON N0J 1J0

CLASSIFIED SERVICES -------------------------------------------------TRINAL CUSTOM FARMING – If you are looking for someone to do your disc-bining, big square baling or forage harvesting please call Ken Horst, cell: 519-292-1393 or Kervin 519-357-5557, RR 2, Teeswater.

-------------------------------------------------STANDING TIMBER -------------------------------------------------STANDING TIMBER - hardwood and softwoods. Quality workmanship guaranteed. B. Kropf Forestry Service Ltd., Bruce Kropf, RR 1, Shakespeare, ON, N0B 2P0. 519748-7422.

-------------------------------------------------TRAVEL -------------------------------------------------AGRICULTURAL & UNIQUE TOURS – Alberta/Sask. Farm Tour – Calgary Stampede/Cnd Rockies – NWT/Yukon/Alaska – Australia/New Zealand 2020 – Peru/Brazil/Argentina/Chile 2020 – Costa Rica 2020 – Panama Land Tour 2020 – Kenya/Tanzania 2020 – India 2020 – Plus more… Call or visit the website Portion of Tours may be Tax Deductible.

For these and other great departures, contact Select Holidays at 1-800-6614326 or visit www.selectholidays.com -------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------------SPRING BREAKFAST – Van Egmond House, Egmondville, Sunday, June 9, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Adults $8, Children under 10, $4, Preschool free.

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South Bruce Tourism’s 20th Annual Father’s Day Vintage Tractor Tour Sunday, June 16 from 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

“A Daytrip Back in Agricultural History”

On-farm displays of tractors, road construction equipment, automobiles and so much more.

Throughout South Bruce - near Mildmay and Teeswater, Ontario

Tour map and site listings at southbrucetourism.org Contact 519-367-2050

CLASSIFIED UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------------22nd Annual RV/Campout Jamboree May 23-26, 2019 at the Blyth Arena Complex and Campgrounds.

Brochure and registration form available by contacting The Barn Dance Historical Society, Box 68, Wingham, ON N0G 2W0 or www.thebarndance.ca 519-530-8000 or email: barndance2013@gmail.com -------------------------------------------------McQuail’s Meeting Place Organic Farm Open House: Saturday, May 11, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 12, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Free. Fun for the whole family. Horsedrawn wagon rides, farm tours, flower, herb, vegetable and heirloom tomato seedlings, freezer beef and pork, maple syrup, honey, lamb skins.

86016 Creek Line, east of Lucknow.

519-528-2493. www.meetingplace organicfarm.ca -------------------------------------------------TOPS 14th annual Perennial Plant Sale, Saturday, May 18, 2019. Most plants $1. 684 Elgin St., Port Elgin.

8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------Exeter Saddle Club 2019 Horse Show Dates: May 19, June 2, June 23, July 14, July 28, August 25, behind South Huron Recreation Centre, Exeter. Starting 9:30 a.m. For more information call 519-393-5051.

-------------------------------------------------Harriston & District Horticultural Society 18th Annual Garden Festival, Saturday, June 1, 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m., Harriston Community Centre (pavilion area), 111 George St. S., Harriston. Free admission.

Linda Campbell, 519-323-7151.

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FISHING & HUNTING RELATED ITEMS ONLY ELMWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE Saturday, May 11th 7:30 AM - 1 PM $5.00 admision, ladies free children free accompanied by an adult Food Booth Available For vendor info call Jim Stewart 226-747-3495 or Pete 519-506-0416

CLASSIFIED UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------------Comancheros Car Club’s 39th annual Show n Shine, Sunday, July 7, 2019, Listowel Memorial Park.

Registration: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Open to all makes and models – motorcycles, competition and special interest vehicles – spectators welcome – Food booth – Music by DJ – Goodie bags for first 100 – Top 10 people choice awards – 50/50 – All draws to be held as show winds down 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by Stop23 Auto Sales and Service. Proceeds go to North Perth Hospice. For more info contact Comancheros Club 519-291-4885 and or Greg O’Grady 519-292-6981.

--------------------------------------------------Neustadt and District Lions Club’s famous crab, steak or lobsterfest, Saturday, May 25. Serving 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tickets and information call Elaine 519-799-5914.

-------------------------------------------------The Saugeen Bach Choir presents Birth and Rebirth, Sunday, June 2, 2019, 3:00 p.m., Hanover Mennonite Church, 5th St., Hanover. Tickets: $15, students free. Available at the door or from choir members.

-------------------------------------------------The Saugeen Bach Choir presents Birth and Rebirth, Sunday, May 26, 2019, 3:00 p.m., Sauble Beach United Church, 899 Main St., Sauble Beach.

Tickets: $15, students free. Available at the door or from choir members.

-------------------------------------------------Summer KidsCamp Registration Open! Grey Roots KidsCamp is an exciting way to spend your summer.

Robots, reptiles, Vikings and more – each week is a different adventure! Per week: $125/child; museum members $110/child. See greyroots.com for more info or to register.

-------------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------------FARMLAND TO RENT OR SHARE CROP – Hay/corn/soybean/wheat rotation. 100% no-till. Annual soil testing. Monthly, quarterly, semiannual, annual rent payment options.

Please call/email Joe 519-525-0359, joewhitely05@gmail.com --------------------------------------------------

MAY 2019 65

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WANTED -------------------------------------------------Hay/Straw - small square bales of hay; timothy and alfalfa. Round bales of hay; timothy alfalfa or timothy grass mix. High class large square bales of hay. Call Riley Gorman 519-321-1012.

-------------------------------------------------Wanted to Rent or sharecrop good cash crop land. Short or long term.

Paying top dollar. Contact Alma Lane Farms Ltd., Jason 519-525-0509.

-------------------------------------------------Belt-driven Bear Cat hammermill, International corn binder, International #9 ensilage cutter. 905-983-9331.

-------------------------------------------------Actively seeking farmland to rent for corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, edible beans. Contact Narva Farms Limited: 519-366-2636 or 519-881-9384 or email: sandyfitzsimmons@hotmail.com -------------------------------------------------Farmland – Long or short term.

Cash rent, share crop. Contact Paul at Hill & Hill Farms, 519-2333218 or 519-525-3137 or email: paul.hillhill@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------------Straw – big square or round bales.

519-881-9385.

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WANTED -------------------------------------------------Scrap Cars Wanted – 20, 30, 40 yd. scrap metal bins available. We sell quality used auto parts. Wanted to buy – scrap cars, trucks, farm machinery, heavy equipment.

Kenilworth Auto Recyclers. 519-3231113.

-------------------------------------------------Barn, pine frame to dismantle and put back up. Beams must be in good condition. Also chicken nesting boxes, would prefer the type where eggs roll away. 519-699-5867.

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CLASSIFIED DAIRY FARM WANTED We are a family with four young children and we are looking for an on-going dairy farm in Bruce, Grey or Huron county. +/- 40 kg. milk quota.

Please keep this ad.

Email dairyfarmsearch@gmail.com

W.D. Hopper & Sons Ltd. Seaforth, Ont. 1-888-522-1737

Water Well Drilling: Farms, Irrigation, Residential Our Newest Addition

Grundfos Stainless Pumps Well Abandonments Down Hole Videos Geothermal Drilling Serving You For 100 Years+ wdhopperwaterwells.com E-mail: wdhopper@tcc.on.ca Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment

TAKE CONTROL EVERY SEASON. Power is th Pow the key to t superior tractor perrfo pe for ormance, and the M7 has plenty of power.

But utt wh w en e a particularly tough job demands eve ven nm mo ore power, the M7 activates its Power Boo o st, an a d the e eng engine en gine ine in in instantly deli eliver vers s more m pow owe ow err to to let ett yo e you finis iis sh what h yo ha you star ta arrtte a ted ed. ed d.

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66 The Rural Voice

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

Grey County shows its support for agriculture Any opinion expressed is that of individual County Directors or Representatives and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Grey County Federation of Agriculture or Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

In many areas, Ontario farmland values have increased dramatically.

When these increases are input to the County and municipal tax formulas, the result in many cases has been a shifting of the local tax burden toward the farm sector. While the specific consequences of this shift are different in each county and municipality, in general, there is an inherent unfairness to maintaining the status quo when some farm property ratepayers may see their taxes double while other property classes see theirs reduced.

The discussion about this subject is complicated for a few reasons: Financial: the property tax system is an application of a complex formula which is based on growth in taxpayer count and market value meant to collect revenue and fund municipalities Political: the system is meant to work for a diverse group of property class stakeholders made up of residential, farm and industrial interests.

Our elected officials are charged to understand the financials and apply best policy judgment within

parameters to ensure that there is logic and fairness for all.

Grey County Federation of Agriculture with the support of Ontario Federation of Agriculture, visited with county officials, both staff and elected, over the past couple of years to make the case for adjusting the farm property tax ratio downward in the interest of leveling the impact of the dramatic farm value appreciation.

Among other arguments regarding the important role that agriculture plays socially, culturally and economically in Grey County we also made the case that this value increase does not allow Grey County farmers to yield any more bushels/ acre or keep more livestock. In many cases farm succession sees a farm moving within a family and in many cases property gains are a tax event only.

On April 11, 2019 Grey County Councillors met to review data, deliberate the pros and cons and vote.

We had a full room of farmers in the council chambers to witness the meeting. We are happy to report that there were a number of councillors who stood with strong words of

support of the agriculture sector in Grey and in support of the motion to reduce the rate from 0.25 to 0.24 of the residential rate, which was passed with little opposition.

It is notable that last year, this proposal was defeated at council and while the change is less than some counties have allowed, it is more than many and importantly it is a significant symbolic signal from Grey County that the farm sector is an important strategic constituency in Grey County and is worthy of consideration.

We are pleased with this outcome and will continue to work with county policy influencers on behalf of farmers in Grey County.

Grey County Federation of Agriculture is the county organization of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. We have over 1,500 farmer members who we work with to represent the interests of the farm sector.

We are on twitter @greyfedag and we publish a monthly newsletter that we will send to all members who request it at grey@ofa.on.ca. ◊ – Submitted by Hugh Simpson GCFA President

Grey County Federation of Agriculture

DIRECTORS’ MEETINGS 2019 • June 20 – 8:00 p.m.

• August 15 – 8:00 p.m.

• September 19 – 8:00 p.m.

• November 14 – 8:00 p.m.

All meetings are held at Grey Ag Services, Markdale

Several members of Grey Federation of Agriculture attended a recent council meeting with concerns regarding the farm tax ratio vote.

MAY 2019 67

Perth County Federation of Agriculture Email: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com Website: www.perthcountyfarmers.ca Agnes Denham, Secretary: 519-229-8866 or 1-866-829-8866 Tim Halliday, President: thalliday33@gmail.com or 519-291-3374

Fair farm tax ratios are a tough sell in many municipalities

By Pat Jilesen, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Explaining Ontario’s property tax system and how farmland taxes are calculated is a complicated issue. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has been meeting with municipalities across the province to talk about the property tax system and asking municipal councils to reduce the farmland tax ratio. We’re making some headway, but it’s been a frustrating process.

Here’s the problem. Farmland values have been rising at a faster rate than rural residential property values.

As assessment values increase, so do taxes, unless municipalities act. This means that, unless action is taken, farmers are now carrying far too much of the tax burden – without needing more of the municipal services their taxes are paying for. But municipalities have the power to lessen this burden if they choose.

Farm property tax rates are legislated by the provincial government

to be up to 25 per cent of the residential rate to reflect the fact that farmland uses fewer municipal services than residences. The OFA has been meeting with municipalities to encourage them to reduce the farm property tax ratio to less than 25 per cent to help lessen the tax burden on farmers. It’s a small but significant request that would help correct the disproportionate amount of property taxes that farmers are paying for, compared to the services they use.

The OFA recognizes that, although there are municipal councils that do understand the farmland property tax ratios and the impact rising farmland values are having on farm tax bills, there remain many that have not acted.

In some areas, farm property taxes are rising by more than 15 per cent each year as a result of recent property assessments. These steep tax bill spikes are disproportionate to residential taxes in the same area.

In southwestern Ontario alone, five municipalities have recently voted against lowering their tax ratios,

PCFA needs members’ help to lobby council lobbying efforts by Perth County Federation of Agriculture, we have been unable to influence council to change the ratio to lessen the imbalance causing residential rates to be lessened while increasing the tax burden on farm land.

The Perth County Federation of Agriculture needs your help. We are asking Federation Members who are concerned with their farm property taxes to contact their local Perth County Council Representative to voice their concerns. Perth County Council will be voting on the Tax Policy for the next year, in May. ◊

PCFA DIRECTORS MEETING

PCFA celebrates 75 years!

2019 is Perth County Federation of Agriculture’s 75th Anniversary.

Watch this page for some interesting “Did You Know” facts from the past 75 years.

Mark your calendar for

Saturday, November 16, 2019 as we will be celebrating this landmark occasion at this year’s Perth County Harvest Gala.

PCFA 75 years 1944-2019 Did you know?

1. In January 1950, PCFA held a “Farm Prices Protest”, where did this take place? a) Mitchell b) Stratford c) Listowel d) St. Marys

Next meeting Thursday, June 20

2. In what year did PCFA oppose farm tax for education purposes? a) 1960 b) 1957 c) 1955 d) 1953

Contact office for time and location

Answers: 1. a) 2. d)

Ontario farmers are paying a disproportionate amount of property tax compared to the services they use. Read OFA’s farm property tax fact sheet to learn more – https://bit.ly/2FMvaHv. Perth County Federation of Agriculture has been lobbying Perth County Council to reduce the Farm Tax Ratio for farm properties the last few years. There has been an unprecedented increase in farm property taxes because of the 2016 property tax assessments which were driven by the substantial increase in farmland values. Increasing farmland taxes will continue for the next two years until the 2020 tax assessments are used to calculate future farmland taxes. Farmland will be funding over 30 per cent of property tax revenues by the end of 2020, up from under 20 per cent in 2016, but will not see an increase in services provided.

Despite repeated and persistent

pushing those farmers to take an unfair tax hit. Because those municipalities chose not to act, they have transferred a tax burden away from other property owners and onto farmers. However, 16 municipalities across the province have acted in favour of Ontario farmers by lowering their farmland tax ratios, these include: Brant, Caledon, ChathamKent, Dufferin, Elgin, Halton Region, Hamilton, Kingston, Lambton, Lennox and Addington, London, North Bay, Ottawa, Oxford, Prince Edward, Region of Durham.

The OFA will continue to advocate for fair farm tax ratios that reflect the municipal services used for farmland, and ultimately helping reduce the unfair property tax burden on many Ontario farmers. ◊

No meeting in May

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

68 The Rural Voice

Craig Hulshof, President craig.hulshof@gmail.com / 519-301-8483

Perth, Huron, Grey and Bruce County Pork Producers

NEWSLETTER

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

A day in Kenya includes chiapatti, speed bumps and respect This is a condensed version of Jen Christie’s account, you can find the full version at her blog, savvyfarmgirl.com We must have seemed like lazy mzungus (Kiswahili for white skin) to our hosts, who were up every morning before the sun. Stewart joked I was a true dairy farmer, up early every day but my jet lag never fully subsided either and I still found it difficult to rise before 8:00 a.m. An eight-hour time change does that I suppose.

When I did start waking at 6:30 a.m. on our last few mornings, there was already water at our door. The pale yellow, plastic jug had been brought down to us when they also brought jugs to fill the water tank for our toilet.

Our guest house was nearly finished and it had the only flushing toilet on the property. It was being built by our friend for his parents but with work and many other financial commitments, it had been under construction for several years.

“It doesn’t make me money,” our host told me matter of factly. It has two bedrooms and a tiled floor bathroom with toilet and electricity. We were grateful for all of it.

In the Cherangany, many of the homes do not have running water. Ours was brought from a well about 1/2 kilometre away, dug by a Swedish company some years ago. Other families have bore holes (wells) they draw water out by hand.

Luckily, there is lots of clean water in the Cherangany. Unfortunately, it’s just not available to the people. A pipeline takes it out to the region to Eldoret but the funding to build a pipeline to the communities has been given out many times in different tenders, yet no pipeline has ever been built. The projects never even got started.

Several families may draw water from a community well, like the one our water came from. Hauled up by donkey cart, the dozen plastic jugs of water were used for bathing, laundry, cooking and cleaning.

We tried to conserve it best we could, “showering” only a few times using a wash tub in the shower stall of the latrine. I don’t know if I’ve ever bathed with so little water and when I tried to wash my hair, I realized why so many

Kenyan women cut theirs short.

Otherwise, it wasn’t so bad and I enjoyed the warm sunshine streaming into the latrine before I realized there was a door. I closed it the next couple days because it seemed only too likely one of the curious neighbours, eager to see the mzungu guests, might wander by on the nearby lane!

We took our breakfast and dinner in the living room. Religious posters adorned the walls, several couches and chairs draped in fabric covers and coffee tables for gathering around. A thermos of chai (tea) with milk and sugar sat alongside a tray of mugs. Chai is a tradition in Kenya and many times visiting farmers to talk about the project, we were invited for chai. It’s rude to say no which can be challenging for someone whose stomach can be argumentative at the best of times.

Most mornings we had chiapatti for breakfast. It’s like a thin, fried pancake. They were rolled up and forks stuck in them for us to eat like a hot dog on a stick. They were good and every day we wished we had brought some jam or Nutella with us to spread over them.

Then we were off for the day to carry out our various tasks for our projects.

Most days this meant a stop at the Coop’s milk collection station, where dairy farmer members brought their milk to be sold collectively for a higher price than they could get on their own. We were working with a number of their directors for our poultry project.

Yogurt was also being made at the Co-op, which we purchased daily to take with us in case a lunch stop wasn’t in order. There were several trips to Eldoret, which allowed us to learn first hand that the road had 64 speed bumps along the way. The speed bumps in Kenya make driving any distance take far longer than necessary. Some of them are so high they will the take the bottom off your car if you’re not careful.

Greeting everyone you meet is quite customary. Everywhere we went, we shook hands with everyone present, including the curious neighbours who would wander by to find out what the white people were doing. Cherangany is not much of a tourist destination, so we were an attraction on our own.

In a way it was refreshing to show everyone the same level of respect, no matter their position. It was also confusing to know who we were in fact there to meet, so I just introduced myself to everyone.

It was usually dark when we climbed back in our cars to head home. The stars seemed to shine brighter in Kenya. Most of the homes near us had electricity, but short of a small yard light there were few other lights polluting the night sky.

We couldn’t help but marvel at the stars.

Dinner was rice, some beef or lamb stew, cooked carrots and peas, and schuma, a stewed greens dish. Eating after 10 has never been easy for me but I ate what I could and worried about offending my host every night. In Kenya, everyone eats as much as they can every time they can. I suspect it’s a reality of not always knowing when your next meal will come. A reality I certainly have never experienced.

Dinner was finished with chai, before we headed down through the banana grove, past the pasture and to the house, accompanied by our host with a flashlight. Another jug of hot water was brought for us to wash up, we brushed our teeth a la camping style (standing outside with a water bottle) and then did any last business outside before settling in for the night.

Or maybe I should say locked in. The heavy steel doors used in Kenya allow for a lock to be put on the door that cannot be cut off from the outside. Theft is rampant and we were firmly instructed to lock the door whenever we left and once we went to bed at night. I tried not to think too much about what may happen if we didn’t, but this meant once you were “in for the night” you were in. The walls were thin and since the door made a bit of a racket, I never wanted to have to open it once everyone was in bed.

Aside from the crickets and the donkey braying at midnight, there wasn’t another sound. It was perhaps the quietest night I have ever experienced in recent memory. By mid-week, the heat and long days meant I was falling asleep right away and most nights, I didn’t awake again until the rooster started crowing around six.◊ – Submitted by Stewart Skinner MAY 2019 69

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

446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA

Members in Bruce County by the BCFA NEWSLETTER Counties have a lot be proud of

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

Grey and Bruce counties have a lot to be proud of. Not only are our agricultural lands beautiful, but the farmers steward our soil and water in ways that secure that beauty for years to come. Grey and Bruce farmers have come together for educational events, research initiatives and stewardship projects in abundance in 2018, with more to come in the year ahead.

In 2018, 290 farmers participated in the Saugeen Conservation Coffee, Crops and Donuts summer workshop series highlighting soil management practices. This workshop series is an infield series that tackles topics related to soil health and the season at hand.

They connect farmers and bring in great educational resources like Anne Verhallen (OMAFRA) and Doug Aspinall (Woodrill) in small groups with great quality discussions.

Bruce Soil and Crop hosted a very well-attended mystery car tour with Peter Johnson, Meghan Moran and Dr. Simon Lachance. Grey Ag Services saw 589 people signed up for the winter courses they hold, with 20 in a Cover Crop Mentor Group session, facilitated

by Anne Verhallen. There are high hopes that this group will continue to network and learn from each other.

Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week has started to plan the 54th annual event in 2020 (January 3 to 9). This event is held in Elmwood, but can be accessed anywhere via the Live Stream option.

On the Ecological and Crop Days, there are always requests for soil health topics, and the committee will be meeting soon to establish the speakers for the 2020 agendas.

Looking forward to the 2019 season, Grey and Bruce counties can look forward to more fulfilling educational experiences: the annual Bruce Soil and Crop mystery car tour in July, a Coffee, Crops & Donuts – soil health in livestock operations workshop in Kincardine on September 4 and a 70 The Rural Voice

Coffee, Crops and Donuts soil health car tour in August, to name a few.

If one-on-one is more your thing, the Ontario Soil Network is back at it again this year and we have great representation here in Grey-Bruce.

Harry Biermans and David Gowan will be hosting farm tours and installing trial plots in time for late summer.

Grey-Bruce farmers have also been participating in a lot of exciting research, led by Saugeen Conservation and Bruce Soil and Crop. SVCA’s water infiltration project investigated the management of soils in Bruce county and measured the soil function outcomes. This information is important because it focuses on the functional outcomes of management decisions. This project is set to continue to define water infiltration in Bruce County and will be seeking participants for this year.

Bruce Soil and Crop began some very exciting and unique applied research, funded by OSCIA and in partnership with Saugeen Conservation, OMAFRA and the University of Guelph. They’re researching the soi’s recovery from compaction events and comparing the recovery curve between plots with cover crops and plots without cover crops. This is a three-year project at minimum and currently has one last intake for participants open for registration.

Not only have Grey and Bruce been wildly active in advancing our understanding of soils and best management practices, but we can boast that we put that knowledge to practice. In the SVCA-BSCIA Water Infiltration Survey, we were able to collect some bragging points per municipality: Brant had the highest average crop rotation complexity; Culross experimented with multispecies cover crop mixes the most; Kincardine had the highest percentage of strip tillers; South Bruce had the highest percentage of no-tillers; Brant and South Bruce had the highest number of berms and grassed waterways and Arran-Elderslie had the highest number of tree windbreaks/shelter belts.

In the 2018 Soil and Water Stewardship Program pilot, farmers

planted $35,000 worth of cover crops, hosted and attended 60 soil chats and posted 60 tweets on their experience.

Stewardship Grey Bruce explored methods of improving programming accessibility that cut red tape common to funding programs and reduced paperwork to a minimum. With improvement to accessibility, program participants had a greater capacity to access the educational and networkbuilding aspects of the program. With the focus on peer networks, Stewardship Grey Bruce also included social media ambassadors and innovators into the program, as leaders and resources. They’ve not only found opportunities to streamline administraion and support leaders in our community but have audited all the resources and activities within Grey and Bruce to develop a lean programming proposal that focuses on partnership as a means of maximizing the direction of funding towards stewardship actions.

2018 was a year full of opportunities to learn and practice soil health and 2019 is shaping up to be much the same. The Soil and Water Stewardship Program is fully enrolled, and this season’s educational opportunities will be plenty – especially now, including the activity of the Ontario Soil Network in our counties. If you haven’t taken in these events, make sure you do so this season! They’re very interesting, it’s a great opportunity to make connections to other farmers doing cool things and they’re always fun. You can learn more about them in OSCIA’s upcoming events newsletter, online at www.saugeenconservation.com, www.ontariosoil.net or www.steward shipgrey bruce.org, on twitter@ StewardshipGB @SVCAstewardship @SoilNetwork or advertised here in The Rural Voice.

– Respectfully submitted by Tori Waugh

BCFA DIRECTORS MEETING May 27 - 8:00 p.m.

County of Bruce Building, Walkerton

Index A & V Kucyk Ltd................................ 53 Abate & Associates.......................... 23 Advantage Royal Group....................15 ATV Promotion................30, 31, 32, 33 Bag Supplies.................................... 60 Bax Audio Video Inc..........................14 Bayfield Recreational Sales.............. 13 BDO.................................................. 41 Belore Trailers.................................. 60 Berlett Farms.................................... 60 Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring............ 52 Bervie Supply....................................13 Bester Wood Products...................... 52 Bill Horst Auctions............................ 23 Bio-Ag.............................................. 17 Bluewater Pipe..................................54 Blyth Brewing (Cowbell)....................66 Blyth Festival ......................................3 Brocksden School Museum................ 6 Brough & Whicher Limited................ 60 Bushell’s Auto Sales........................ 47 Canadian Co-op Wool Growers.......... 2 Cliff’s Plumbing................................ 15 Clinton Spring Fair............................ 19 Conestogo Agri................................ 22 Countryside Midwifery Services..........9 Cow Planet........................................55 Crop Management............................ 11 Cross Country Eavestrough................2 D.C. Craig Excavating...................... 47 Dairy Lane Systems..........................27 De Dell Seeds.................................... 8 Diamond Roof.................................... 6 Donkers Agri.................................... 17 Drayton Entertainment........................ 7 Easy Lift Doors..................................12 Elmwood Rod & Gun Show.............. 65 Fawcett Tractor................................ 60 Fretz Welding....................................51 Gerber’s Workwear.......................... 60 GL Carpentry.................................... 23 Grey Bruce Construction.................. 55 GRK Products.................................. 45 Grober Nutrition........................Cover 4 H & B Farms Inc................................35 Hanover Honda........................ Cover 4 Helm Welding....................................50 Hill & Hill Farms...... Inside Front Cover Huron Commodities............................ 8 Huron County Health Unit................ 49 Innis New & Used Tractor Parts........61 JA Porter Holdings............................ 49 Jantzi Plumbing................................ 22 Jones Harold Enterprises..................61 KMM Farm Drainage........................ 29 Kuepfer Farm Drainage.................... 61 Kuepfer Firewood..............................61 LAC.................................................. 61 Lakeside Shelving............................ 47 Layton Steve.................................... 61 Legge Fitness.......................... Cover 3 Mapleview Agri..................................29 Marquardt Farm Drainage................ 13 Martins All-Trade.............................. 22 McIntee Realtor - S. Nixon................61 Metzger Agri......................................43 Metzger Meat Products.................... 55 Michael’s Stabling............................ 50 Midwestern Farm Equipment............ 66

Mike Boven Carpentry...................... 61 Morris Sachs Silo Construction........ 19 MRC Wireless.................................. 43 Mulch Gulch...................................... 55 Newman Dust Control...................... 54 North Perth Chambers............ Cover 6 Nuhn Forage.................................... 71 Parker & Parker................................ 56 Peak Realty - Cathy Hendriks.......... 62 Perth Auto Dismantlers.................... 62 Peterhans, Stefan............................ 66 Ridgeway Metals.............................. 62 Royal Distributing.................... Cover 5 Rural Living................................ 38, 39 Rural Voice Books............................ 59 Rural Voice Promotion............ Cover 6 Saugeen Valley Conservation.......... 52

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage................ 58 Schoonderwoerd Bros Concrete...... 23 Schweiss Doors................................ 56 Sew & Save...................................... 40 South Bruce Tourism........................ 65 Steffen Well Drilling.......................... 62 Stihl Dealers......................................57 ThermoEnergy Wolf Structures........ 23 Tree Planting & Maintenance............24 Triple P Consulting............................19 Trouw Nutrition........................ Cover 8 TS Rentals........................................ 62 Usborne & Hibbert............................ 55 W D Hopper & Sons..........................66 Williams Drainage............................ 10 Yokassippi Auctions..........................56 Zehr’s Sales & Mfg.................. Cover 7

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HURON

42 First Avenue, Clinton, Ontario N0M 1L0 519-482-9642 or 1-800-511-1135 Website: www.hcfa.on.ca Email: ofahuron@tcc.on.ca

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

HCFA holds Local Politicians Forum

* The Rural Voice is provided to all OFA Members in Huron County by the HCFA

Upcoming Events May 8 – Section 26 meeting regarding Huron County Official Plan Review, Goderich Courthouse at 9:00 a.m.

May 12 – Happy Mother’s Day! May 14 – Open House regarding Huron County Official Plan Review, Libro Community Hall, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Clinton.

May 20 – Victoria Day. May 31- June 1 & 2 – Clinton Spring Fair. For more information visit: clintonspringfair.com Huron County Federation of Agriculture

BOARD MEETING No Meeting in May Next Meeting is June 24

8:00 p.m.

The Huron County Federation of Agriculture hosted the Local Politicians Forum on March 1 in Holmesville. In attendance to discuss a wide variety of issues facing farmers in Huron County, were from left, MP Ben Lobb, MPP Lisa Thompson and HCFA President Ethan Wallace.

Progressive Agriculture Safety Day Friday, June 7

Vanastra Office

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ian Fleming on the announcement of his induction into The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The ceremony will take place August 7 in Mississauga

(PA/PD Day at area schools)

8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Seaforth Agriplex, 140 Duke Street, Seaforth Registration fee: $5 before May 24 – $10 after May 24 Safety day includes lunch, snacks, t-shirt and take-home “goody” bag

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

We are also open other days by chance Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/huronfedofag

If you have questions or to register contact Susanne Claussen at 519-525-6985 or email: farmsafety4kids@tcc.on.ca

and Facebook at Huron County Federation of Agriculture

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

72 The Rural Voice

• Over 60 Vendors • Art Display • Food Truck ** Donations to local food bank greatly appreciated **

We Know Rural!

Let us help you grow your Agricultural Business.

Talk to Shelley or Joan today!

PO Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 • 519-523-4311

ZEHR’S SALES & MANUFACTURING 3962 Line 72 Millbank, Ontario N0K 1L0 519-595-7579

MARK YOUR CALENDAR ONE DAY ONLY!!!!

SATURDAY, MAY 4 15% OFF ALL ECHO EQUIPMENT Can’t make it? Prebook Now!!

ECHO SHOW TRAILER AND REPS ON SITE FOR ALL YOUR QUESTIONS COME SEE THE NEW PRODUCTS AND SAVE!

Free Coffee & Donuts

Door Prizes

Get your name in for a chance to win a Chainsaw

On Now Exmark Spring Sale Let us help you select the right mower %

0

Financing OAC

THE LITTLE SHOP WITH

BIG SAVINGS!

Making cows more

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Improving your return with the Newton Dairy Program www.trouwnutrition.ca

Contact your local Shur-Gain dealer for more information.

Belmore Feed Mill Belmore 519-392-6522 Dauphin Feed & Supply Dungannon 519-529-7951 1-800-665-5675 Walton 519-887-6023 The Hitching Post (2019) Ltd. St. Marys 519-284-2360

Hensall District Co-operative Londesboro 519-523-9606 1-800-265-9000

Nieuwland Feed & Supply Ltd. Listowel 519-291-5795 1-800-265-3229

Zurich 519-236-7155 1-800-565-7155

Drayton 519-638-3008 1-800-263-9818

Ripley 519-395-5955 1-855-895-5955

Elora 519-846-5354 1-800-265-5354

Mitchell 519-348-8752 1-800-669-3502

Yantzi Feed & Seed Ltd. Brunner 519-595-8251

Parkhill 519-294-6252

Tavistock 519-655-2033