The Rural Voice - Oct. 2021

Rural Voice

The

October 2021

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

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Contents The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

20

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

15 Columns Lisa B. Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

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

24 OCTOBER 2021 • Cover Photo Dr. Kymberley Snarr.

Photo by Jeff Tribe.

• Deadlines: Nov. Issue – Oct. 12 December Issue – November 9

15 There Goes the Pig Barn Tornado winds destroy barns and grain bins at Kingsbridge Farm

20 Organic Cop She doesn’t police organic farmers but Dr. Snarr does make sure they are following the rules

24 Bees Buzz, Horses Graze Bees and horses make a productive and marketable partnership for Miel Rebel Honey

30 Success at Soestdale Watching, learning and changing is the successful approach at Soestdale Holsteins

Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Arnold Mathers, Donna Lacey, Melisa Luymes, Anne Mann, Nancy Fisher, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe, Amanda Brodhagen and Hetty Stuart Mailed by: McLaren Press Graphics, Bracebridge, ON Advertising Sales: Shelley Kroes rvads@northhuron.on.ca Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell Advertising & editorial production:

Dianne Josling PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40037593 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 429, BLYTH ON N0M 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca Subscriptions: $20 (12 issues) $35 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $2.75 each, U.S. rates, $65.00

38 Leave the Leaves Gardening columnist says leaves are a mulching gold mine

49 Artists with Stone Stonecarvers from Syria grateful to hone their craft in Canada

All manuscripts submitted for consideration should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Editorial content may be reproduced only by permission of the publisher. The Rural Voice makes every effort to see that advertising copy is correct.

However, should an error occur, please notify The Rural Voice office within 30 days of invoicing in order to obtain a billing adjustment.

NH

ORTH URON

PUBLISHING COMPANY INC.

A division of North Huron Publishing Company Inc.

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Ruralite

“

That’s the pig barn gone.

”

~ Gene Frayne, while watching the September 7 tornado from the sunroom before insulation plastered the windows from the destroyed pig barn.

Where Do These Phrases Come From? ● Jump on the Bandwagon: In the mid 1800s, circuses would parade around town before setting up, with bandwagons leading the parade. They drew large crowds and politicians started renting space on the bandwagons to face-time with an audience. ● Get off your High Horse: Before cars, owning a horse was a sign of prominence since nobility and high-ranking officials were primarily the ones who owned them. Getting off the horse meant to humble yourself. ● Mad as a Hatter: In the 17th and 18th centuries, hat-makers (hatters) often went insane as a result of mercury poisoning, a side-effect of manufacturing felt hats.

•

Climate Change “Genetics change by the day, just like cell phones and computers. We breed all our heifers to sexed semen as we only want heifers out of our heifers, not the older cows.”

Dairy farmer Jeff VanSoest on the breeding strategy at Soestdale Holsteins near Hensall

FARMING IN OCTOBER “To a farmer dirt is not a waste, it is wealth.” ~Amit Kalantri

•

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

• Silence, to politicians,

Keeping an eye on business Colette Mesher of Miel Rebel Honey Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

•

is consent

October 2021 3

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

Bee sting operation This year’s honey harvest barely avoided becoming a sting operation once the bees started talking and came armed and ready.

The fact that bees communicate with dancing and pheromones has been well-documented by researchers keen to understand the language of bees. I just didn’t realize their nestbased communication would make a honey harvest operation blow up faster than a high school shed party on a Friday night.

It was, indeed, a Friday when conditions were right to harvest honey from honeybee hives I keep on in a small meadow created from a portion of my lawn. I’m new to beekeeping and have much to learn so experienced beekeepers will shake their heads reading this story but bear with me ... I’m learning as I go.

Truth is, I was a little rushed that day having packed too much in the schedule. I should have had the table, trays, pails and knives all ready to go so that when my helpers, Jason and Sam, arrived, I just had to get the honey frames from the hives. Instead, it was all a bit rushed and disorganized which was part of the problem. Also, it was hard to get the bees off the frames from the honey

4 The Rural Voice

supers. In the Spring, I could give the frames a quick downward shake and all the bees would fall off. This fall, the bees stuck on and I had to gently brush the bees off the frames. Then by the time I placed one frame in the wheelbarrow to get another one, bees had found the first. A cover would have been smart. By the time I had collected eight frames, a few bees were tagging along but I figured we could handle them.

I pushed the wheelbarrow to the garage where our honey extraction operation was set up. It actually went pretty smoothly even with the half a dozen bees that were flying inside the garage. Most of them found the south-facing window so we decided to open the window and let them fly out. Forgetting to close that window was our big mistake.

We kept working away, using a heated knife to cut off the capped wax. This was collected in glass trays before inserting two frames into the manual extractor. One person held the extractor (boy, does it shake during spinning) while another spun the handle. Soon, golden honey was pouring out the bottom into a clean pail. Piles of it!! Last year was my first season with one beehive and I was only able to harvest five jars. I had four times that amount this year.

However, there seemed to be more and more bees. Soon I had to stop working to catch and remove bees from the garage. Still, things were still relatively under control until helper Sam noticed one frame (which had a section of capped brood) had bees emerging from the brood caps. Shaken by the spin they had just survived (or perhaps it was

just time), we had the amazing experience of watching these new bees chewing through their caps and emerging from the cells. Now I was engrossed watching the process while all the spun frames, pails of honey and honey-covered wax were beckoning to any bee smart enough to fly in the window. And fly in the window they did.

Clearly, at least one Chatty Cathy honeybee had told her friends at the hive about the sweet bonanza awaiting them if they flew 75 metres south, took a right at the green wheelbarrow, then hung a sharp right into the window above the cold frame. As this was happening, I had donned my bee suit and was returning the empty frames to the hives, leaving Jason and Sam to spin the last two frames.

I was quite safe, returning the frames, and thrilled with the whole process. We had harvested so much honey! When I returned to the garage, Jason, Samantha and Maria were less pleased. Unprotected against the horde of hungry bees that had flown into the garage, the pair had wisely bailed. We decided to fling open all the doors and cart the equipment outside. I brushed bees off the honey pails and bowls of honeycovered wax and got them into the house. A little honey was left in the extractor so we closed it up and then ran inside, letting the bees harvest the honey on the tables and left in the wax trays. I figured once nighttime hit, I could safely drain the extractor and clean everything up.

So it went. When darkness fell, most of the bees had disappeared but caught out after hours, a layer of bees

Lisa B. Pot was hiding in the bottoms of the trays. I brought these trays to the hive, which was still buzzing.

Hearing that sound, these cold bees immediately climbed out of the trays and into the hive.

In the end, all the honey was extracted and the only person who got stung was me when a bee found a hole in my shoe and got me right on the baby toe.

Honey Harvest 2021 was way too chaotic to be sure and I don’t blame Jason and Sam if they never want to help me again but honestly, the situation was fascinating. Reading about how bees communicate is one thing. Watching the results in real life is quite another. With the two hives, I rarely see more than a dozen bees together at one time as they gather pollen and nectar. Yet in less

than 30 minutes, we had hundreds of bees in the garage due to their incredible communication process.

Before this harvest, I interviewed Colette Mesher of Miel Rebel honey (see story inside this issue) and she said her favourite thing about bees is that they have a story to tell. Our job, as beekeepers, is to learn how to interpret that story and give bees what they need.

Clearly, I have much to learn and didn’t realize how fast news flies in a bee colony because my Big Rock Bees were sharing a story I didn’t even know I’d written! This is part of the challenge, excitement and rush of working with bees. They are smart, efficient and very focused. Next year, I’ll make sure being organized and airtight is part of my story so that the bees don’t take over the narrative. ◊

New backyard beekeeper, Lisa Boonstoppel‐Pot (above) before learning about the dangers of open windows when harvesting honey. At left, helpers Samantha Moon and Maria Moonlight before they abandoned the operation due to the remarkable communication skills of honeybees.

October 2021 5

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

There is always more to learn If there’s one thing the pandemic has demonstrated it’s that we never know as much as we’d like to know.

Many of us have been frustrated that the experts and the politicians, who put the experts’ advice into action, keep changing their minds.

It’s natural, of course, that when something new comes along we have to learn as we go but most people would just like the experts to give them one set of rules that didn’t change.

So when scientist first said masks weren’t that effective, then said everyone should wear masks indoors, people got confused. We were told to worry about being infected by germs

6 The Rural Voice

on our groceries, and then told it wasn’t a big danger after all.

For those who don’t trust authorities at the best of times, it was a sure sign the “experts” were either misleading them or just plain didn’t know what they were talking about.

And it didn’t help when the Delta variant changed even what we thought we knew.

And then there was the human psychology factor. Who’d have dreamed people would panic about toilet paper shortages? That so many people would take up baking that flour and yeast were in short supply?

That people would buy up every bicycle and snowshoe in sight?

As someone whose profession as a journalist has meant learning new things every day, I’m always fascinated by the way accumulated knowledge keeps changing. I’ve listened to several acknowledged experts speak year after year at events like Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week and watched as their advice changes based on the most recent research. We have more people employed doing research today than probably ever in history, so if these

people are doing their jobs, we’re bound to be getting more new discoveries than ever before.

What’s fascinating is that sometimes we take the best information and make changes that have repercussions people never thought of.

I was reading an article recently

by Jacqui Empson Laporte, a former environmental specialist with OMAFRA. She noted that farm safety concerns meant that many multi-storey chicken barns had been replaced with single-floor barns.

Meanwhile, to improve the welfare of pigs, more space was alloted to each animal.

The unanticipated consequence of this was that the amount of roof area of livestock barns has increased.

Hard-surface roofs mean that when it rains, more water rushes off the buildings creating drainage problems.

Meanwhile, in cattle operations, cement bunker silos are replacing upright silos – again more hard surface that can’t absorb rainfall.

To prevent flooding, rainfall needs to be slowly absorbed or pooled until it can slowly be released into streams and rivers. To make up for these hard surfaces we’re going to have to change drainage systems. And what repercussions we haven’t thought of might that bring?

To be more environmentally friendly, automakers since 2000 have been using electric wiring in their cars that’s covered with plastic made from soy-based oil instead of petroleum. It’s good for the environment and provides a welcome market for soybean growers.

There’s just one problem – mice and rats love the soy-based plastic and they chew it. So far it’s cost me, personally, nearly $2,000 in repairs.

There’s a class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. to make some car makers compensate car buyers.

During the pandemic we’ve learned that one thing leads to another which leads to another.

Closed stores means shopping online which leads to demand for shipping containers for consumer goods which means a shortage for shipping grains.

There will always be more to learn.◊

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October 2021 7

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

Homelessness an issue of key concern for United Way Sticking together and helping those in need has always been something that rural communities pride themselves on. Sometimes we feel that we are immune to big city problems and that we deal with things differently out here. But times and our communities have changed since the days of barn raising and quilting bees, when everyone knew everyone else.

I am both excited and little sobered to write about a new United Way (UW) Community Committee that has formed in our area. The first

meeting of volunteers on the Northern Huron Community Committee (NHCC) of the UW was held in August and a Kick Off event was held in Wingham on September 17, 2021. I am excited that we now have our own UW group in our community. But I am sobered by the fact that we need one.

While most of us are familiar with the United Way Perth-Huron, who has been supporting the most vulnerable in our region for many years, we haven’t had a community committee in our area before and we may not all be familiar with how the UW works and how it helps people and communities. Two of the most important facts about the UW are that the money raised in our community stays in our community, and that UW tackles emergency issues on the ground, while also seeking to address the root causes of those issues.

Unignorable issues in our communities include poverty, homelessness, and mental health.

Ryan Erb, United Way Perth Huron Executive Director, is excited about the new community committee

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as it means that now all of Huron and Perth regions have enough staff and volunteers to be covered by the UW. The UW has identified homelessness across the region as being one issue of key concern. “People living rough in all our communities is a bit jarring because we haven’t seen it before,” he says. It is easy as we go through the busyness of our own lives to miss the needs of those struggling.

Regardless of how people come to that circumstance, it is important to recognize that people are human beings who should not be discarded.

Erb reminded all of us that the work of the UW is about people – people with names and faces, who have come into hard times but may not have a network of family and friends who will help them get back on their feet.

Martin Ritsma, who was formerly the Principal at F.E. Madill in Wingham and his wife, Kathryn, were campaign co-chairs for three years. Ritsma pointed out that the UW isn’t just about gathering money and handing it back out – it is about connecting people and providing community during times when it is most needed. New co-chairs, Rob and Leslie Edney from St. Marys are enthusiastic and keen to come up with new fundraising ideas. He encouraged all to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves and reminded us that hope is contagious. “Raise the voices of YIMBY!”, he said, and support the idea of “Yes - In My Back Yard.”

The NHCC has a work plan for the next few months. First, volunteers will identify the key issue to address.

The group will raise money towards the Perth-Huron campaign goal of $2,002,061.00.

The official Kick-Off event, was held in Wingham on Friday, September 17. Four local restaurants participated in “Unite for a Bite”, including Castings Public House, The Great China House Resturant, The Blyth Inn, and Subway in Wingham.

“Our first campaign Kick-Off event in the Northern Huron area was a great success! Funds were raised that will be put back into our local communities and increased awareness of the United Way’s

Kate Procter Northern Community Committee and its plans for the future are both outcomes that will help cement and continue the work of the United Way in Northern Huron,” Lisa Harper, Community Development Manager.

The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) will be held on February 26, 2022, and will be the main fund raising event for this campaign.

While the NHCC is a new community committee of the UW, the organization has already been actively helping families and individuals in need throughout the area. It has served 5,918 people in the northern Huron area, which includes North Huron, Howick, and MorrisTurnberry: 5,312 people were given access to food, six youth benefitted from housing and support care, 18 people benefitted from the “Poverty to Prosperty” program, 112 seniors and those with mobility challenges connected to the community by transportation, 14 women and their children received shelter after escaping violence, and nine individuals and their families participated in physical/community activities to increase wellness.

Homelessness has become more visible in North Perth. This awareness has sparked a deeper look into what the community needs. At the same time, United Way has been working to develop a community hub where service agencies can work together to better support clients.

Hope Links allows people to access multiple services in a supportive and welcoming environment, eat nutritious food and connect socially and emotionally. By creating a community-centred place to connect, Hope Links aims to build a supportive network for participants and help them build a brighter future.

In addition, the Urgent Needs Fund was established and is designed to support local residents in a time of crisis with funds for essentials such as rent, groceries, car repairs, medication and child care. Some 72 residents of North Huron, Howick, and Morris-Turnberry accessed assistance, over 700 people across Perth-Huron were able to receive help through United Way’s Urgent Needs Fund. ◊

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October 2021 9

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

The election in hindsight

T

he western reaches of Essex County are unfamiliar territory to many Ontarians. Most people travelling through on the way to Windsor or the US take the 401, Canada’s busiest highway.

They are likely to see corn and soybean fields during the growing season on the flat terrain and perhaps the odd field of wheat. Wind turbines too.

I prefer less travelled ways, dropping south from the highway, perhaps finding my way to the Town of Essex and then heading due west.

There’s a noticeable change in the farmland here. Heavy clay gives way to better ground. You can tell by the farms. The corn grows taller and there’s a livestock component as well.

Reach the Detroit River and there’s only two choices, apart from a swim or turning about. Head north toward the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit or make a hard left for

historic Amherstburg, Eugene Whelan’s home town.

I cannot say I knew Whelan well, though I did hear him speak a few times following his retirement from the House of Commons and prior to his appointment as a senator in 1996.

He, on the other hand, was a bit of fan of my scribblings in the old Voice of the Farmer, or so I was told by one of his Liberal colleagues who, like Whelan, served as agriculture minister in Ottawa, if only briefly.

I once interviewed Whelan at his home. It seemed rather a modest place for a parliamentarian who had managed to make a name for himself well beyond the confines of the farming community; a split level, perhaps constructed in the 1970s, facing the river and beyond the river the United States.

It was here, gazing at the river and its distant shore that Whelan told me a story, something that puzzled me at the time. Whelan liked to speak in a rambling and often cryptic manner, allowing his listeners to come to their own conclusions, though perhaps nudged toward his view on the matter at hand In short, I was told that bald eagles prefer their prey live. It’s only now, two decades later, that I’ve come to understand that Whelan was speaking of people rather than actual birds, intimating to the extent that decisions taken in the United States impact

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10 The Rural Voice

policy and the direction of government in Canada.

I’m not sure if Whelan was spot on with his analysis yet the governance of Canada and its closest neighbour was at best troubling, as it is today. A large segment of the population remains convinced government intervention utilizing borrowed money is the way forward.

Consider, for instance, the paternalistic approach that continues to be taken with Canada’s Indigenous peoples. All the major political parties have promised major investments, the New Democrats offering to head even further down that particular road, and yet no amount of money spent will make much of a difference if these diverse communities are not first empowered.

Climate change is another most pertinent example, one inextricably linked to the farming community.

Not only is North American agriculture among the largest greenhouse gas emitters, it also has greatest potential to address the issue.

Yet during the course of the election that potential received scant mention, if any mention at all.

The farming community needs to be properly compensated for what they do, rather than living at the knife’s edge. Only then can a sensible approach to land management and carbon sequestration be achieved.

Housing is another critical issue and yet again government is expected to address the issue with dollars being spent. I even heard it proposed by one advocate for the homeless, a view aired by our national broadcaster, that free housing should become a right for all Canadians yet no explanation of how that could be actually achieved was provided.

Government in Canada needs to be empowered as well. A return to civility is needed, certainly, and the idea of the common good embraced.

Like Justin Trudeau proposed and then reneged upon, proportional representation could make an important decision, better representing the populace and shifting parliament toward a constructive, cooperative approach. ◊

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October 2021 11

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

“Sorry I’m late,” said Cliff Murray the other morning when he joined the others already sitting at the table at Mabel’s Grill.

“There was a tree across my concession from the storm last night so I had to drive around the block.”

“Yeah, there’s been so much wind lately, hasn’t there?” said Dave Winston.

“I suppose we can blame climate change for that,” said Molly Whiteside as she poured Cliff’s coffee and topped up the others’.

“Or politicians!” grumbled George Mackenzie.

Molly didn’t issue her normal warning about not talking about politics. Mabel had explained to her she didn’t mind people complaining about politicians in general. “After all, if there’s one thing to bring

12 The Rural Voice

people together it’s blaming politicians for everything that’s wrong with the country. It’s only when they start discussing which politician is to blame for everything that’s wrong that we get arguments.”

“So how come politicians are to blame for the storms we’ve had, not climate change?” Dave wondered.

“You think it’s just a coincidence that the stormiest weather of the year happened during an election campaign? I mean the weather guys say it’s hot air that’s to blame for these hurricanes and tornadoes, don’t they?” George asked rhetorically.

“And what’s been the biggest source of hot air the last month or so – the politicians in the election campaign.

“And the gas from my cattle burping is always getting blamed for adding to climate change. Well how about all those gasbags spouting off for six weeks or so?”

“So we should have wished they’d had the election in January so things would be warmer because of the political hot air during the campaign?” Molly asked.

“Nah, they’d probably just have caused one of those old-fashioned

stormy winters,” George grumbled.

“Politicians always seem to make things worse.”

“So how was your birthday?”

Dave asked Cliff after Molly had taken their breakfast orders and gone back to the kitchen. “Any interesting presents?”

“My sister got me one of those Ancestry kits to trace my background,” said Cliff.

“I did one of those,” said Dave.

“Mostly there were no surprises – Scots, Irish, English and a bit of Swiss. The one shock was they said I was two percent Chinese. I mean how do you get a drop of Chinese DNA in all those European ancestors? You think somebody could have eaten too much Chinese food or something?” he chuckled.

“Probably the company threw that in just to get you to sign on for more,” said Cliff. “I mean all I did was send in my test and register online and I started getting daily emails trying to get me to buy extras.”

“Kinda like all the charities that you give to once and they bury you with letters asking for more,” said George. “Except with e-mails they’re not even helping to keep Canada Post financially viable like the charities.”

“Yeah,” said Cliff, “and the gifts the charities keep sending! If I used all the mailing labels I’ve been sent in the last five years Canada Post would have record profits.”

“Well I’m tempted to follow up this DNA thing a little further,” said Dave. “I mean wouldn’t it be amazing if it turned out I was related to that Chinese family that’s feuding right now?”

Seeing the blank looks on the guys’ faces Dave went on to explain that there’s a feud going on between the 80-year-old father and the son of a Chinese family that owns Smithfield Foods, the U.S company that owns and processes a huge amount of the pigs in the U.S..

“Huh, and I thought the Chinese were communists,” said George. “So all this talk about how good communism is, is just hot air?”

“Actually, they save us from hot air“ said Cliff. “Their politicians don’t need to get elected so they don’t need to waste their breath – if you think that’s an advantage.” ◊

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October 2021 13

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14 The Rural Voice

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Storms

Tornado flattens Kingsbridge barns

An aerial view of Eugene and Megan Frayne’s cash crop and hog farm shows the devastation the September 7 tornado left on their farm, destroying a bank barn, a pig barn and two grain bins. ~Photo by Waddell Engineering

T

his summer, there was a tornado to the left and to the right of the Frayne Farm on Highway 21 near Kingsbridge but on September 7, a tornado came directly at the farm. It destroyed a pig barn, an old bank barn, a silo and two grain bins while seriously damaging a shed on this cash crop operation owned by Gene and Megan Frayne.

Thankfully, the storm spared their commanding home which stood solid while Megan and the couple’s four daughters stayed safe in the basement. Gene stood in the sunroom watching the storm when the windows were suddenly blasted with insulation. He knew the pig barn was gone.

It was a shocking scenario for the young couple and in the days since, tears have been shed as they cope with the stressful situation. This farm was worked by both Gene’s father and grandfather so there are many memories here.

Yet both Gene and Megan cannot express enough thanks for a community that has rallied behind them, spending hours and days cleaning up the mess.

The Rural Voice chatted with Megan on the day a crane was carefully taking down the elevator of the farm’s drying operation. Two grain bins were destroyed and two remained standing, though Gene suspects they will have to come down because of the twisting action of the wind.

Remnants of the old bank barn were smoking and steel from the barn and shed still littered the soybean field across

the road. Insulation from the pig barn is plastered everywhere...on the house, the trees and even the garden plants. The kids’ tree house blew into the field and many trees have jagged limbs.

Megan remembers the day of the storm. “We had looked at the radar and saw purple so we knew something bad was coming,” says Megan, sitting on the deck, having retrieved the patio couch from the neighbouring field. “I

A teenager took shelter in the shower before tornado winds destroyed the Frayne pig barn. It was the only part of the barn left standing once the storm passed.

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot • October 2021 15

took the cushions off the chairs, put the chairs down and moved the plants inside.” She and Gene were in the sunroom and Megan thought it was time to take the girls, who had just come home from school, to the basement. Gene didn't want to unduly frighten their daughters but when the power started to flicker, Megan and the girls went to safety. Megan watched the storm from a north side window, seeing a dark blue sky while the sky to the south was white.

“I saw branches go by, the patio furniture flying and the gator in the field,” she recalls.

Upstairs, Gene was still in the sunroom watching the storm come in when his view was blocked as insulation plastered the windows.

“That’s the pig barn gone,” he remembers thinking.

Jesse Vermeltfoort. a 16-year-old employee was in the barn when tornado winds struck! The Goderich high school student worked at the farm every day after school and he was doing the barn chores when he noticed the wind pick up. He looked outside through the barn curtains and saw a funnel cloud almost touching the ground. “It was at the treetops, coming off the lake,” remembers Jesse. Suddenly rain started coming in sideways through the barn. “Like, it literally went right through the barn, not touching the ground or Clean up began almost immediately at Frayne Farms near Kingsbridge as neighbours and friends rolled in after the tornado. At top, lumber is dumped on the smoking remains of the old bank barn seen in the middle shot of the farm before the September 7 tornado. Megan Frayne (bottom, right) ) shared the family’s experience with The Rural Voice as did Jesse Vermeltfoort (right) who was in the pig barn when it was flattened by the tornado. He witnessed the funnel cloud coming through the barn curtains and hid in the shower.

16 The Rural Voice

anything.”

Realizing he should seek shelter, Jesse ran into the utility room where workers change and take showers. “I knew the barn would take off like a kite so I got into the shower room and I could hear the wind pick up badly,” he says. He put on his helmet and goggles, hoping to protect his head and eyes. The shower curtains fell down and then it got “pretty bad” says Jesse.

“The wall in the shower room started to cave in and a hole opened up in the roof. I could see steel flying all over. It started to rain inside and then it was over.”

Jesse went outside where he saw Gene coming to check on him. “He told me everything Gene and Megan Frayne (above) shared a was done and I saw that family photo showing their four daughters and everything was totaled and the farm before a tornado struck September 7. flattened. The whole barn, The tornado demolished the old bank barn except where I was, was flat.” where the family housed two ponies, chickens Unbelievably, Jesse didn’t and a few cattle but all the animals survived have a scratch on him though, the storm. The family also lost a pig barn but unfortunately, he is out of a job the shed (in background) remained standing at the moment. although the tornado ripped a corner off it as Of the 700 pigs that were in the barn, only two died during well. At right, insulation from the pig barn is stuck everywhere including the steel of a shed the storm.

The pig barn can be near the house that was spared. ~Family replaced (the foundation is still photo by Hope Photography. good) but it will be harder to surrounding farmers recognized the replace an old bank barn that was Frayne farm and soon help started moved closer to the house from the pouring in. Local businesses donated lake in the 1990s. The historical barn coffee and food while neighbours provided shelter to two ponies, a few and friends came and immediately cattle and chickens making it a focal started making piles of the debris by point for the family. Gene is hand or with loaders and tractors. fascinated by local history so losing Neither Megan or Gene can the barn was an emotional blow for fathom the support. Gene got him. During a quick chat at the barn, emotional when asked what he where Gene was working with wanted to say. “The support from the volunteers helping in the cleanup, he community and from a huge area, said he hopes to find and purchase well, I just can’t believe it. People another bank barn to move to the have been here all day, every day, farm but right now, the focus is on since it happened. I'm just so cleaning up. thankful.” As clean up progresses, A whole chunk of the shed blew plans are being made and Gene says off across the road and sheets of while it has been stressful, everything twisted steel are still in the field that was damaged can be fixed. He’s while its owner figures out whether just so glad his family is safe and no to clean it up or combine first. one in the path of the storm was hurt.

Much of the damage was covered “Now we just have to drive on.”

by Global News when a reporter Megan feels the same. She talks of drove by just after the storm passed. the father and son who came. The The Kingsbridge community and

son, not even 10 years old, worked the whole day shovelling grain. The shed was patched up in days. “It's a great reminder of how lucky we are to live here,” says Megan.

At the time this article was written, the storm hasn’t yet been confirmed as a tornado but the damage certainly suggests it. The Frayne farm was hit hardest but many neighbours experienced damage as well. Trees were uprooted, branches broken and more old barns lost pieces of their roofs. Still, no one was hurt and the community is rallying together. For this, the Fraynes couldn’t be more thankful. ◊ October 2021 17

Barns

Unique Gothic roof toppled by wind

D

uring this wild summer of stormy weather, it wasn’t just tornadoes damaging barns. A strong south wind took down a unique barn roof just north of Clinton on Highway 4.

Shelley Kroes, who is the Advertising Sales Rep for The Rural Voice, owns the property which

featured an older barn, what some might call a hip roof barn. However, research into the history of the barn revealed the roof was actually a Gothic style that was ordered from the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue.

Unfortunately, that bit of history crumpled and was knocked over on

August 29 when an evening storm hit the area. Shelley was upstairs in her yellow-brick farmhouse when she heard the wind pick up. “I heard a ‘bang’ so I looked outside toward the barn and saw the roof partly on the ground,” she remembers.

The barn was housing 30-40 sheep for her sister and brother-in-law in the lower level and equipment for her parents in the upper level. No sheep were killed or equipment damaged.

What is lost is a cool piece of history. Shelley had never heard of ordering barn roofs from the Sears catalogue, then known as the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue. An older friend had told her this was a possibility and back in the day, the roof kits would arrive by rail cars.

Then a contractor would install the roof based on the kit instructions. An advertisement found online featuring Sears roof kits reveals a 36 x 38 foot roof would cost $968. Shelley’s barn measures 36 x 70 feet.

Though dates have been lost through history, the barn was standing when Sharon Telfer lived there as a child. Her parents had a mixed farm including dairy cows and chickens. Later, the family moved off the farm when her dad hurt his

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

Before and after photos reveal the loss of a unique barn near Clinton when a summer storm knocked over the Gothic‐style roof on the property of Shelley Kroes outside Clinton. The roof was likely a mail‐order kit from the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue (right) although exact dates are not known.

18 The Rural Voice

back building a shed.

Sharon has good memories playing in the barn and Shelley feels the loss of the structure as well. She did the evening chores, taking care of the sheep and admired the look of the barn with its unusual roof shape and row of windows down the foundation. The foundation is still standing, measuring 12 inches thick.

It doesn’t have any cracks and looks solid but Shelley is in the process of meeting with engineers to determine the safety of the concrete. Once that is decided, she can move forward with either a rebuild, a Cover-All type building, or building a new structure beside the foundation.

“I feel pretty calm about it all but I’d like to save some part of the building,” says Shelley. “It was a distinctive barn and I really liked all the windows in the foundation.”

She’s thankful the third cut of hay wasn’t wrapped beside the barn. Her sister and brother-in-law were able to store that feed at another location and house the sheep in another barn as well. ◊

Farm Feature daily at 6 am and 12 noon Helped raise over $100,000 for local charities in first year Tune in to 100.1 FM Theranch100.com October 2021 19

Crops

The “organic cop” keeps it real • By Jeff Tribe •

Dr. Kymberley Snarr works as o her husband Art Shannon, Dr. Kymberley Snarr the eyes and ears of the is the “Organic Cop”, a term of endearment paying homage to her father William’s tenure as organic certification body to Superintendent, Peel Region Police.

“I’m not,” laughs Kymberley, an independent International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) improve consumer contractor from the Flesherton area. “We are not the police. We are the eyes and ears for the organic confidence when buying certification body we are contracted by.”

The role does relate to regulatory adherence.

However, that adherence is crucial to creating and organic foods confirming consumer confidence that certified

T

organic products and production do indeed follow a defined, differentiated path, versus merely representing an ambiguous marketing strategy. Rather than nuisance, Snarr and her compatriots’ efforts help create a credible link contributing to the growth industry that is the organic marketplace.

“If you are buying certified organic, I feel I am making sure that integrity is there,” says Snarr, whose own food choices lean heavily in that direction.

The position represents geographically-related career evolution for Snarr, the classic “little girl who grew up loving animals” and began working life as a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), becoming organizationally and educationally active in the profession’s professional association. After 20 productive and enjoyable years working within the veterinary world, Snarr shifted gears into academia, earning a collaborative PhD from The University of Toronto (U of T) in Environmental Anthropology, with specific interest in the interface between monkeys, forests and humans, seeking conservation management solutions. Insitu research took her to Asia and Central America, with Snarr present at the inception of the Canadian Organization For Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC) and its Cano Palma research station near San Francisco de Tortuguero, Costa Rica.

Snarr sits as chair at the 30th anniversary of a registered charity and internationally-renowned organization dedicated to multi-flora and fauna monitoring through long-term baseline data set creating identifying spatial and temporal change.

Forays southward dovetailed with her career within the U of T’s Centre for the Environment (currently School of Environment), developing, managing and teaching online programs for professionals in search of degrees or material, while educating other professors to teach online. However that career did not geographically match a growing 20 The Rural Voice

Dr. Kymberley Snarr doesn’t consider her role as an independent International Organic Inspector contractor as being about policing organic farmers. Rather it’s about making sure the “certified organic” label maintains its integrity and means something to consumers who choose to buy organic foods.

relationship with Shannon, a horse logger (featured in the awardwinning documentary Workhorse available on Apple TV) Snarr met at an international forestry conference.

“His horses didn’t fit in the backyard in Leaside,” she laughed.

They moved forward together on a 117-acre Dundalk Highlands property, renting other farms they collectively began farming organically.

“And while we each had some farm background, we didn’t really know what that entailed,” Snarr admitted, saying they “figured it out” through consultations with other organic producers, and a gifted set of regulations. They grew rotations of hay, spelt, winter wheat and tried “corn and soybeans a bit,” doing okay, but always challenged by offfarm employment and family commitments. Timing and detail are critical in any form of farming, says Snarr, but particularly so for organic producers.

“You’ve got to be there on the right day with the right climate, or the weeds take over.”

Her academic base of operations shifted to Laurentian University in Barrie and then again to Sudbury, but despite the institution cooperatively grouping her classes as tightly as possible, the commute and resultant time demands became onerous.

Snarr’s openness to a career change lined up with the IOIA’s annual January conference in Guelph, championed by her father who had morphed into a fence inspector during retirement. Kymberley’s skill set included organic farming and regulation compliance, interacting with, interviewing and managing people, and familiarity with precise data compilation. Taking the IOIA’s internationally-recognized training course, Snarr quickly found herself actively engaged in inspections. nspectors are mainly independent contractors whose services are contracted by third party private companies or not-for-profits, who were downloaded oversight on regulation. These certifying bodies operate under evolving government standards, formalized in 2006, authenticated through on-the-ground

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annual inspections, unannounced certification, they simply submit their day period. follow-ups and sampling for potential report to the certifying body, which “It has to be transparent,” said contaminants. then will issue a decision based on Snarr. While producers and In very basic terms, certified findings. There are potential issues processors complain at times about organic certification identifies Snarr sees on occasion, others when the paperwork and increased consumable products which have a certifying body will identify things oversight, especially those who have been planted or hosted on ground been the pioneers in the organic she hadn’t initially. If there is an free of designated inputs for a industry, I often turn it back to them, outstanding issue, a producer will prescribed period, and have been stating ‘It’s your decision, you’re in receive communication outlining grown, raised or fed and processed this program - you have to jump remedial action required, within a 30similarly within clearlydefined government standards. Inspectors prepare detailed reports on individual operations, traceability seed through sales via the combination of pre-visit interview, record auditing, on-site inspection, checking boxes in prepared questionnaires, an exit interview and importantly, intangibles honed with time and experience, what could be summed up as a combination of common sense and instinct.

“I just go in and ask a lot of questions in guided conversations: “show me, show me, show me,” explained Snarr, pointing to potential red flags such as fields that appear too weed free, whether acreage fits the available tractor horsepower rather than requiring custom operators and potentially “tainted” equipment, or is the sum of the records she sees, the producer narrative she’s hearing and the physical evidence she’s seeing within the parameters of a realistic organic equation.

“Does it tell the story?

Snarr asked rhetorically.

“Is this all adding up?

And generally it is, most people are on the up and up - but there are bad Dr. Kymberley Snarr says farmers can make a good living in the organic space and being an inspector apples out there.

“My eyes and ears are is about building relationships with the farmers. Snarr prides herself on being fair as she inspects a wide range of production operations from farms that grow field crops to vegetable growers, maple trying to see that.”

Inspectors do not make syrup producers, vineyards, livestock operations along with processing operations that make baked the final call on goods, coffee, flavourings, flour, chocolate and cereals.

22 The Rural Voice

through hoops.’”

Snarr prides herself on being fair, striving to build positive relationships through trust and rapport. The approach comes from a combination of personality and personal experience, understanding what it’s like to be on the other side, that people’s livelihoods are at stake.

“I know what this is like.”

Her approach is consistent, but that’s one of few similarities in an industry defined by being different.

Organic producers trend toward the character end of the spectrum Snarr smiles, “especially the earlier ones.

Nothing is cookie cutter.”

You can make a good living in the organic space she says. If producers can survive the first four or five years, they often are in it for the long haul, despite the fact it can undeniably be frustrating at times.

“But most of these people enjoy what they’re doing.”

Snarr has inspected a wide range of production and processing operations, the variety of which keeps her job interesting. They include field/row crops including grains, oilseeds, pulse crops, fresh vegetables, greenhouse, herbs, cannabis, tobacco, honey, maple syrup, wild gathering, mushroom, micro-green production, vineyards, tree fruits, and forage crops for livestock feed or processing markets.

Her roster also includes livestock operations producing organic beef cattle, hogs, sheep, eggs, meat poultry, cattle dairy, goat dairy, and bees. And finally, she has inspected food processing establishments of various types including multiingredient and multi-site operations, specifically baking, bottling, cereals, chocolate, coffee, cooking, distributors, flavourings, flours, fresh packing of fruit, vegetables, and herbs, grain cleaning, herbs, honey extraction, hulling, juicing, meat (broilers, turkeys, lamb), milling, and wine.

Farms can range in size from a few acres to thousands, her on-farm transportation from high-end SUVs to horses and buggies.

There is so much variation, each farm and each processor has its own personality.”

Snarr enjoys the variety, working outside and an industry based on environmental principles closer to her own, evolving beyond reduced chemical use to include enhanced ecosystem management and riparian and pollinator zone creation.

“Agriculture is just another natural resource. It’s managing it wisely.”

Snarr’s career shift has been enjoyable but also productive. She began part-time on smaller operations, getting her feet on solid ground. Her scale, opportunities and earning power has increased as she worked her way up the ranks in terms of experience, relationship and reputation with certifying bodies, and additional course qualification levels or categories.

“It’s always building on your education.”

COVID-19’s unwelcome arrival dictated a more remote hybrid approach, with higher risk or new clients still afforded on-site inspections.

“We helped keep the industry

moving forward, which was key,” said Snarr.

With the easing of restrictions, inspectors are back onsite, however following strict guidelines including social distancing and masking. “We go over COVID protocol on the phone.”

In conclusion, Snarr has found life as the “organic cop” rewarding on many levels, an enjoyable and financially rewarding avenue she would recommend to others. Those who are interested are invited to visit the IOIA website: https://www. ioia.net/ for more information.

In demand initially, her career has progressed from part-time to the point she can work as much as she desires, handing off some job offers to younger inspectors seeking a fuller schedule.

“You can easily move to full-time if you are available and skilled,” Snarr summed up. “There was and still is demand, because there is growth in the organic industry, both in farming and processing.” ◊

October 2021 23

Beekeeping

Bees tell a story ... beekeepers listen Every time she opens a hive, Colette Mesher of Miel Rebel Honey reads the story of the hive as she videos and takes notes to continue the narrative

E

very time you open a hive, the bees are trying to tell a story and a good beekeeper can interpret that story and give them what they need.

So says Colette Mesher, sleeveless and wearing shorts, who quietly enters the little grotto where three of her 40 beehives are kept. She’s about to read the story of these hives. Without gloves, she carefully smokes the hive then lifts the lid and inspects each frame.

“What is the story of this hive,” I ask?

“I’m asking this hive if you are full of honey, did I

make a mistake not giving you a honey super this year,” says Collette. “They are telling me they are ready for winter and all is well.”

Colette has been reading honeybee stories for many years and is using her accumulated knowledge from her past jobs in a new role as the Technology Transfer Program Lead for the Ontario Beekeepers Association (OBA). This new job involves research and education, testing new products, supporting beekeepers and helping bee breeders develop new honey bee genetics for such attributes as disease resistance. It’s a role Colette is very excited about as she balances time between it and managing her own honey bee business, Miel Rebel Honey, which incorporates two passions — beekeeping and horses — as her hives are placed on horse farms.

“There is so much land and flowers and water around horses that bees and horses naturally go together,” explained Colette. Hives are not placed IN the pastures. Instead, she finds ideal areas outside the fence for the bees to live. One would think horses would steer clear of these areas but Colette said the opposite is often true. Flies and other biting insects tend to avoid the flight path zones of the bees and horses find respite in these areas from pesky insects.

In return, honey is a natural healer. If a horse gets scratched or grazed, honey will drain the moisture out of the wound. If the horse licks the area, it’s only ingesting honey instead of medication.. Honey works so well for this application that Colette now markets Horse Honey as a product to horse farmers.

The hives we are visiting today are at a horse farm near Erin in Wellington County and Colette is happily teaching me about bee behaviour. As a former educator at the University of Guelph, teaching is a passion for Colette and allows her to diversify her operation because 40 hives are not a profitable honey business.”People do not value honey,” explains Colette. “Beekeepers cannot sell their honey at a Costco price.” The price of honey, in relation to the skill and investment required, is low. In Ontario, 200 hives could create a profitable business but diversification into selling nukes (nucleus colony of bees to start a hive), or teaching or offering tours is often needed.

Colette Mesher of Miel Rebel Honey “reads” the story of a newer Her focus with Miel Rebel Honey is health, not hive thriving on a horse farm near Erin in Wellington County. The honey. Colette feels her business is a success when beekeeper shares her extensive knowledge in a new role as the Technology Transfer Lead for the Ontario Beekeepers Association.

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot • 24 The Rural Voice

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her bees are happy and healthy, rather than how large the honey crop is.

Profitability and a love of teaching is what led her to develop the bee and horse connection, allowing her to create a unique marketing strategy that includes tours, value-added products and beekeeper support. In a normal year, she would attend fall fairs, farm markets, tasting events while offering tours to observe hives. “When I pull up a frame with a queen, people get really excited,” she says. She has also taught new beekeepers, both urban and rural (which require different strategies) how to manage their hives. The pandemic had an immediate impact on the teaching/training component so the job with the Ontario Beekeepers Association came at an ideal time for her business and her personal need to learn and grow.

Colette has extensive knowledge about working with bees after first becoming a marine and freshwater biologist. She has a Masters and phD in Marine and Estuary Ecology and has worked in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and the Drake Passage. However, she gets terribly seasick so following her marine adventures, a job at the University of Guelph seemed ideal. She was trying to get students excited about freshwater mussels but kept hearing from them how keen they were about the school’s honeybee course.

“So I took up honeybees!”

Discovering a new passion, Colette quit her job at the university and went to work for a commercial beekeeper. The pay cut stung but the learning gave her a buzz. She was working with bees every day including handling queens and splitting hives. A stint in a beekeeping supply store followed and she purchased her first hive in 2015 and soon launched her own business.

“I don’t tend to do things by halves,” laughs Colette.

As she was already coaching horseback riders and had many contacts with horse farm owners, placing the beehives on horse farms was a natural partnership. Plus, she had taken a starter course at the

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October 2021 25

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Guelph Wellington Business Centre which encouraged her to develop a marketing strategy. Bees and horses make for an interesting combination and a striking logo, which was developed by her sister, an architect.

Colette’s original goal was to become a commercial beekeeper with 50 hives. She grew to 40 when the pandemic hit and with her new job at the OBA, she decided to downsize to 20 hives so she could manage both roles. Some of the hives are part of her Hive Host program where for various reasons, families want a hive or two on their property, but don’t

Colette Mesher Miel Rebel Honey Technology Transfer Program Lead, Ontario Beekeepers Association want to manage the hives.

B a c k y a r d beekeeping is really taking off in Ontario.

“We expected interest in bees to go down but it keeps rising,” she says. Part of her role as the Technical Transfer Program Lead is to teach new beekeepers how to manage their hives. Her advice for brand new beekeepers is this: • Place hives in a place that is safe, convenient and practical, particularly if you live in a town or have close neighbours. “Bees will die in people’s pools, or neighbours may be scared of bees so before an inspector gets called, talk to your

Interested beekeepers, naturalists or tourists who take Colette Mesher’s beekeeping courses and tours are always very excited when they get to see a queen (above with white dot) in one of Colette’s Miel Rebel Honey beehives. She checks her hives every two weeks to read the story on their health and honey production.

October 2021 27

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neighbours and have a backup plan where you can move the bees if it doesn’t work out,” says Colette.

Giving away lots of honey to neighbours also helps in these situations.

• Educate yourself. “I thought with 10 years experience in bees I would know everything but I’m still learning,” says Colette, who is now in the second year of a master beekeeping program.

• Dedicate time. “You have to commit to setting aside time for your bees. Although it is less time than spent with a cat or a dog, bees do require attention.”

She recommends checking the hive every 10 to 14 days.

• Join your local beekeeping association for advice and support.

• Colette really LIKES bees. She finds them personable and says it is exciting to develop a relationship with a creature so different from herself. “I know each hive individually,” she says. To keep the relationship current, she takes videos and writes notes after each inspection.

• She also likes to get creative and crafty. Colette has a range of intriguing honey-based products including flavoured honey, Mesher places her hives on horse farms, finding horse beeswax wraps and pastures and bees make a great combination. Horses candles. benefit from the healing properties of honey if they • Like her bees, get scraped or grazed. Mesher likes to get creative Colette is a lady with honey, developing flavoured honeys and with a lot of productive energy!◊ beeswax dish covers (left).

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Dairy

Observation, observation, observation The Van Soests are always watching their cows and calves to make sure each animal is meeting its genetic potential

Jeff and Yvonne Van Soest and son Connor dairy farm outside of Hensall and hard work, attention to detail and a willingness to adapt to change are key components of running a successful dairy operation.

D

airy farming is about constant improvement believe Jeff and Yvonne Van Soest of Hensall, along with their 24-year old son Connor. Nine years ago, the Van Soests purchased a dairy farm on 17th Line near Hensall and recently achieved their goal of transforming a herd of 270 grade cows into a registered herd.

All the while, success comes in small steps, observations and restructuring that reshaped the farm into the productive dairy operation it is today.

“There is a real shift in the dairy industry: a lot more focus is put onto the calves,” says Yvonne, as she proudly walks us through her job in the calf barn. Built a few years ago, this automated calf barn has replaced the outside calf hutches and provides huge benefit by removing most of the stressors that can cause a calf to become sick. The temperature is controlled, the pens are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before bringing a newborn calf into the barn, the food is delivered in a timely fashion, and there is 30 The Rural Voice

an intensive record-keeping process that transmits all information to the central computer. Yvonne underlines the importance of the calf barn: “When a young calf gets sick, she will turn into a cow that gives us trouble. Our goal with this calf barn is to start them out as well as we can to avoid later trouble in life.”

Connor makes the sweeping statement that seems to be the backbone of this farm: “We are working towards achieving full genetic potential.” When a calf is born, it is

In this third installment, of Newbie Farm Tours, Hetty Stuart visits Soestdale Holsteins and learns first hand how dairy farmers adapt to change on a continual basis.

• By Hetty Stuart •

born with all the genetics it needs to perform. Jeff expands the idea: “Everything that a human does to them from the day they are born may limit them. Yvonne’s job is so critical, working with the calves - if she can do a good job in the first 90 days, the rest is so much easier.”

There are approximately 30 to 40 calves born per month on this farm.

Within twelve hours of birth, the calves receive Selon E (vitamin E), and Vitamin B through injections.

They also receive two vaccinations, one for BRV (bovine respiratory virus) and Calf Guard for scours.

They also get a carbon bolus orally, a natural product which helps to promote gut health in the calf.

The mother’s colostrum milk is separated from each individual cow, tested, then fed back to her own calf for two days before the Uddermatic feeder system begins its program. A milk powder is mixed with warm water in the feeder, then it moves along the rail system to feed the new calves three small meals per day. The increased meal ensures a uniform growth rate amongst the newborns, with less than one per cent mortality rate. Within two months, the calves will have more than doubled their birth weight. “There is always something new to learn,” says Yvonne with satisfaction.

In addition to some milking shifts, her full-time employee cares for the calves, constantly recording the data on the computers as they move through the first three months of their lives. Less than 10 per cent of the calves need any antibiotic treatment.

“We only treat if they display signs of illness. There is no blanket antibiotic treatment. Overuse of antibiotics kills good and bad bacteria in a calf, to the point where they may no longer be strong enough to fight infection on their own. We focus on prevention,” says Yvonne.

It is easy to comprehend that the investment spending on this calf barn will have a great payback.

The calves will stay in their own pen from the day they are born to the day they leave the calf barn. Their pen is in one of the four rooms of thirty-six pens in this barn, continually and seamlessly upgrading

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their diets until by the eleventh week when they are fully weaned. At this time, the bulls will eat a whole corn diet with a protein supplement and the heifers will be eating several kilograms per day of a farm-made calf starter ration. The amount of care given to both bulls and heifers is identical; there is no difference in their treatment. “This is why our beef program is doing so well,” says Jeff.

“The bull calf is started properly, not just a by-product.” The bull calves and the heifers are separated at this point. Another of their farms will raise the veal calves to 850 pounds.

The Holstein heifers will now enter the loop of the next barn where they will prepare to be bred at 12 months.

Connor takes over the next phase: a necklace device is put on each heifer to track movements and health, as well as her breeding schedule.

When the heifer is fully in heat — which happens every three weeks — her step-monitor shows increased activity and she is then artificially inseminated. There is only a 24-hour period for this A.I. to occur, so Connor monitors this pen often. “It seems like I don’t do much,” he says candidly, “I basically walk around and make sure everything runs smoothly.”

His father comments that Connor’s observation of small details is what makes him an outstanding farmer. “Dairy farming is comprised of a lot of small things. Skip a few little things, and it will catch up with you,” he admits. “Connor can walk the 300-foot walkway through one barn and notice five small problems such as a water bowl not working, the feed is too damp, the scraper turned off … observation, observation, observation! And communicating the troubles amongst all the staff is key.”

Cow breeding also has a system.

The semen that is

stored in tanks is either sexed (female only) or beef: an older cow will be bred to birth beef calves which are fattened for red veal. The new heifers are bred to birth more heifers. Jeff says, “Genetics change by the day, just like cell phones and computers.

We breed all our heifers to sexed semen as we only want heifers out of our heifers versus older cows, because these new calves are going to be genetically superior to our older cows. I am a numbers guy, and numbers never lie. It took my son a long time to convince me to do it this way, but it works.”

There are different rations of feed for every stage of the cow’s life: from the two-month-dry stage, throughout the nine-month pregnancy, and then to the fresh stage, after the cow has birthed her calf. “I can usually tell on the quality of the calves if the cows were stressed during

birthing,” says Yvonne.

Again, there are many trained eyes watching the whole process as the Van Soests try to raise the healthiest calf possible to turn into a healthy cow. Connor checks on a birthing cow hourly, but allows her to do the work unassisted. “No need to rush them,” he says. “If you do, infections happen, placentas are not pushed out properly, and the milk will not release readily. The cows are quite capable of taking care of themselves.” If the calf is lying wrong in the womb, in most circumstances, he can manually move it.

Every two weeks, the vet comes to check on the welfare of the herd. If there is trouble with the feed, or the breeding system, the vet can help sort out the cause of it. Pregnancy checks are done with very little invasion through a special ultrasound. A scope is inserted rectally, and the image is Data is constantly collected from the dairy cattle as they eat, walk around the barn and get milked. It is recorded and analyzed by Connor (left) who uses it, along with observation, to detect heats and illness among the herd. Jeff (below) enjoys the feeding process, ensuring the cattle have fresh feed 24 hours a day.

October 2021 33

shown on the vet’s glasses. “Our vet is quite proactive,” says Connor. “He will show me how to do certain things to help the cow. We have a stethoscope to listen to the heart, lungs and stomach. Also, an artificial insemination company taught us their skill and we do that ourselves too.”

Walking past the “sick pen”, Jeff notes that only some of these cows are being treated with antibiotics, and their milk gets dumped automatically. “The milk truck driver takes a sample of our milk when it is picked up from the farm. It is tested for antibiotic residue and bacteria levels before processing. If there is even a chance that our cooler is contaminated, it gets dumped, and we purge the whole system. If our milk is tested at the lab and shows some discrepancy, we could be fined, and after two incidents, we would have our licence revoked. There is no room for error.”

High school students are hired to work in the milking parlour. “We like kids with zero experience. We’ll teach them our good habits, and how to milk our way,” says Connor. “A cow that is calm and not stressed will milk a lot easier and give more milk.

You can save a cow a lot of stress by having calm interaction with them.

We never use canes, and never raise our voices. Even our walking is measured and even.”

Cows are milked two times daily, 20 at a time. The milking procedure is quite logical -- spray the teats of the first 10 cows, wipe the teats and udder with a cloth towel, return to the first cow who had been prepped and she will be ready to be milked.

“Timing is so important. If a cow is not properly ready, she is unable to release all her milk. Up to one litre of milk could be withheld, if she is stressed.” Within one hour, over 100 cows can be milked in that parlour. A cow is milked for 300 days per year, and will average 35-40 litres of milk daily.

As the cows are being milked, her anklet will be scanned by the transponder and relay information to the computer. Her milk is tested for conductivity, a measurement of salt in her milk which could be a precursor to infection. Constant 34 The Rural Voice

notations and adjustments are made in order to maintain optimum health and productivity. There is a “nonspecific health report” that is checked after each milking which will show any deviation for individual cows from previous milkings. “We don’t just milk cows here, we produce food,” Jeff claims proudly.

The bulk tank holds 30,000 litres of milk, and gets emptied every other day. It was purchased with the intention that there would be room for growth both in the herd size and production. There is a timed temperature recorder that takes readings 24 hours per day, and will send an alarm for any unusual activity.

Inspections are done yearly, but sporadic ones can occur as well. The Van Soest farm gets the Gold Seal most years — a standard that shows a Grade A facility, low bacteria and somatic cell count for that year. “You can complain about these inspections all you want,” says Jeff. “But we make food and we have to do a

quality job. How well you take care of your cows, and how clean everything is will reflect on the Gold Seal.”

Cleaning is a priority. The separate rooms in the calf barn get washed monthly as the calves are moved out and the rooms are emptied. The dairy barn gets completely foam-cleaned annually.

While Yvonne’s main work area is the calf barn, and Connor’s is the young heifers and the milking parlour, Jeff’s eyes light up when he shows us his work area - his “kitchen” - a shed where a tractor and mixer sits, ready for its load of nutritious ingredients. He says, “It takes 24,000 kg of food to feed our entire herd, on a daily basis, and there is a precise recipe for each stage of the cattle. The bulk of the food is haylage and corn silage.

Protein levels in the feed are supplemented with the combinations of canola meal, soya meal, corn distillers, fine ground corn, bypass protein, mineral and more.” It all gets

Keeping calves healthy to maximize their genetic potential is Yvonne’s Van Soest’s primary job on the dairy farm while Jeff prefers to manage the feeding with a TMR mixer (below) while milking is largely done by highschool students. The Van Soests prefer to hire students with zero dairy experience so they can be trained to milk calmly without use of canes or loud voices.

dumped into the mixer with a frontend loader, every ingredient measured according to dry matter.

Cows are fussy eaters - if the face of the bunk is damp, due to rain, adjustments have to be made. Every morning, leftover feed is monitored to measure the “refusal rate”.

Between Connor, Jeff and a feed consultant, the “stew” is adjusted to meet the cow’s requirements.

Behind the barn, accessible to the tractor, are the bunkers, huge cement walls that contain their alfalfa and corn. Plastic sheets encase the new crops, allowing the corn to ferment, for optimum feeding, and no spoilage. Jeff usually has more than a year’s worth of crops in advance, in case of crop failure.

Their employees help with the field work and equipment, as well as the milking and cow management.

All spring long, until the geese fly south, there is constant field work that needs to be done. Yvonne states, “There is a perception that farmers don’t care for the land or the animals.

That is not true at all: on a personal level, we take our stewardship very seriously as our responsibility. Our ultimate goal is to take as good care for the land, and for the cows as is possible.”

Jeff relaxes with a cold drink in the cool of the kitchen. He twinkles as he says, “It’s nice to see someone coming along behind you, he gets all the hard jobs. I'll get the easy ones.”

He is referring to the new GPS that Connor had put on the tractor last year. “I was dead set against spending $8,000 on the GPS to cultivate a field. But, I did it, and I loved it. No overlap, no break in the rows, just a perfect field. And I’m not tired at the end of the day either. I listened to my son.” Yes, Connor has the hardest job somedays, it is clear to see.

Yvonne sums up the overriding philosophy of the workings of their farm: “You must adapt. You have to, if you want to stay in farming.” With this wise attitude, and inspiring leadership beside him, 24-year old Connor, of Huron County, is part of the next generation of dairy farmers who will keep Canadians fed and alive! ◊

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October 2021 35

Recipes by Nancy Fisher

Peaches and pie make for a guilty pleasure

I

was listening to an interview with celebrity food writer Nigella Lawson on the CBC. She and Tom Power were discussing guilty food pleasures. Nigella made an interesting point that our guilt around food is usually based on one of two beliefs. The food may be perceived as restricted, (whether warranted or not) because the food is thought to be unhealthy or too high in calories; or the food is considered low status perhaps a greasy fast food, or a childhood favourite. She suggested that we should not feel guilty for enjoying any food but rather we should focus on the pleasure it brings us. Life is too short to not enjoy the occasional treat.

It got me thinking about what foods I crave and enjoy with a few twinges of guilt.

One of the first that came to mind was my craving for a nice piece of pie. I do not make desserts with every meal, but some evenings I wish I had something to go along with a cup of tea, and pie would be my first choice. The process of baking an entire pie is more time consuming than an evening craving allows, but recently I did come up with a cheeky solution.

I had purchased some premade pie dough for another reason and had one left. I also had three fine Ontario peaches. In a matter of minutes my pie craving was fulfilled, and I had virtuously used up a couple of things hanging around in my fridge Peach Crumble Tartlets Ingredients: One pre-made pie crust from the 36 The Rural Voice

cooler section of the grocery store or if you are not in a hurry, enough pie dough for 12 tartlets.

Approximately three fresh peaches peeled and chopped into small chunks 1 tablespoon cornstarch to help thicken the juice ¼ teaspoon nutmeg Directions: Mix these items together and let sit while you form your pastry shells When it comes to guilty pleasures, puff pastry filled with veggies (right) is a favourite for Nancy Fisher while sweet and savoury spiced pecans and walnuts (below, right) are a dangerous combination for her.

When craving something sweet, pie is high on her list but a Peach Crumble Tartlet (below) will fill the bill quite nicely.

I used a shallow 12-count tart pan and found I could cut enough rounds from one sheet of the premade dough. After forming these I spooned the peaches into the shells.

Crumble - mix ¼ cup flour with one to two tablespoons of soft butter and two tablespoons of white sugar to form crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the peaches.

Bake at 350°F for about 15-20

Recipes minutes.

With a total lack of guilt, I ate four of them. he truth about my need for pie really extends to all things topped or surrounded by pastry. If you put it in a crust, I’m going to love it.

As always at this time of year a zucchini appears daily from my garden. How do they grow so fast? I am always looking for different ways to incorporate them into meals, so I decided to pull some frozen puff pastry out of the freezer. Puff pastry is very time consuming to make from scratch, and the frozen stuff is a secret weapon that everyone should have on hand. So again, I used up some of the never ending zucchini and justified my guilty love of a crispy crust.

Veggie slice Ingredients: 1 roll of frozen puff pastry About 2 - 3 cups of thinly sliced zucchini 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 leek trimmed, washed and slice finely Scant tablespoon olive oil About 6 leaves of fresh basil finely chopped or ½ teaspoon dried Salt and pepper to taste (you can add a good pinch of salt here as the veggies will absorb it) 1 egg beaten Directions: Prepare your filling in advance so it has time to cool prior to baking.

In a non-stick skillet sauté the vegetables in oil until soft. You want to cook until some of the juices evaporate, and your filling is not too wet. Season with basil, salt, and pepper. Once cooked, remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. The box may recommend a lower heat and use your own judgement based on your oven. I like to bake it a bit hotter and watch it carefully.

Partially thaw the puff pastry sheet and roll out slightly to even out the rectangle. You want the pastry cool enough to move without cracking but not completely thawed.

Spread your cooled filling down the centre third of the rectangle. I tried to

T

be fancy and cut the sides of the dough on an angle to make a braid, but this is not my best skill. Because I hate to waste any of the beaten egg (you won’t need it all for the wash) I poured about half of the beaten egg over the filling.

Fold the sides in over the centre as fancy as you wish and brush the entire thing with the remaining egg.

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes watching for the golden brown colour. I use a good thick sheet pan with a silicone liner and also leave the parchment from the pastry under it as it bakes. I believe this helps the bottom to cook evenly without burning.

Remove from pan and slice to serve. This was a super successful and tasty side dish. I even forgot I was eating more zucchini! am not much of a candy eater. I tend to snack on more savoury things. These sweet and savoury spiced pecans and walnuts are a bit of a dangerous combination for me. But walnuts are consistently on lists of superfoods, so really what is there to feel guilty about?

Spiced Pecans and Walnuts Ingredients: 2 cups pecan halves 1 cup of walnut halves 4 tablespoons butter melted ¼ cup packed light brown sugar ¼ teaspoon celery salt ¼ teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon powdered mustard Pinch of salt Directions: Heat oven to 350°F Mix together the sugar, celery salt, paprika, mustard and salt - set aside.

Spread pecans and walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes. Check and stir a few times so they do not burn.

Put melted butter in a bowl large enough to hold all the nuts and scoop the nuts into the butter directly from the oven. Stir to coat with butter.

Add the sugar and spices and stir to coat. Spread on a new pan (lined with parchment) to cool.

Apparently, these sweet and savoury treats will last two weeks in a sealed jar.

I wouldn’t know. ◊

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Gardening leaves land there.

Certain leaves like maple and poplar Last year we had a rich pile of tend to pack into suffocating thick leaves but no mulcher to take layers. They are best chopped up a advantage of the bounty. We did rake bit. a few leaves into the back of the Many leaves are naturally acidic, border, around the base of shrubs and except our sweet maple leaves, and it was gone by spring. great for rhodos and blueberries. But Nature has a plan. The fall gifts of debris from our vegetable and flowerbeds as well as the leaves from the trees are organic matter to feed the soil and in turn our perennials, shrubs and trees. It October is the month when the helps maintain the rich layer of trees shine and put on the show. humus in the soil. With the Many of us will drive into the starches and sugars countryside to revel in the rolling withdrawn, a dead leaf is hills covered in orange, yellow and largely cellulose from its red. Friends from the cities will call epidermal “skin” and tissues and ask how the colours are and you of inner cells. It’s packed with know they are talking trees and magnesium, calcium, nitrogen, hoping to get a drive in before the phosphorous and potassium.

Leaves can be stored in bags and added to an fall rains and winds clear it all away.

So how do we handle this Some gardeners see this as the bounty? Leaves raked into the outdoor composter during the winter to add time of “great enrichment”. I say back of the border naturally carbon and balance the nitrogen of fresh some, as I know there are others who break down and offer some kitchen waste. battle the great knee high piles of much-needed nutrients. Winter leaves and others who rake every day mulches help reduce the threat of as fresh leaves begin to decompose, for weeks. On the farm we basically frost heave and winter kill in the they lose much of their acidity and let the wind take charge and we perennial border, especially if you become more neutral over time. It would clean up any wee heaps in the were able to do some thinning and takes a lot to change the acidity of corners in the spring. The closeness moving of plants. But there are some the soil and usually only within the of the houses in town redirects the valuable points to consider here. The top couple of inches. wind’s scouring action and one leaves can harbour safe winter haven You can speed up the person’s tidy yard may come at the for slugs, wood bugs and voles as decomposition by running the lawn expense of another having all the well as a few other troublemakers. mower over the pile of leaves to chop them. This will help them decompose faster and thus reduce their acidity.

You can gather the chopped leaves and let them decompose in a designated area. You can add other garden debris to the pile but keep in mind not to add any diseased plant material and avoid those aggressive invasive perennials like creeping buttercup, goutweed and twitch grass. I finally rid our garden of black spot on the peonies by simply cutting back each fall and burning the debris.

Assess your pile to see if the wind will be a problem and, if need be, Starting at $7795 cover the pile to keep the contents from blowing. If you feel ambitious on a warm February day, you can 702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH aerate the heap with a garden fork, (519) 422-ATVS (2887) sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca otherwise let Mother Nature do the job of decomposing. If not quite Rhea Hamilton‐ Seeger is a skilled cook and gardener who lives near Auburn.

Mulched leaves are a gardener’s bounty

38 The Rural Voice

Gardening decomposed to your liking in the spring, cover it with black plastic early in the spring to retain the moisture and leave till fall, when it should be dark, rich and crumbly, great to add to gardens as a soil amendment.

If you decide to use the chopped leaves as a mulch in the fall keep in mind this layer should not be greater than three inches. You still need valuable moisture and air to get to the soil level.

Adding chopped leaves to the garden reduces the effect of the wind scattering them, it also reduces the ability of the leaves to pack thickly like paper maché and smother the ground.

This year we have a mulcher on the lawn mower and we will be cutting up leaves as they fall and letting most of them lie on the boulevard to smother the grass and create a woodland setting under the maples. We also bag leaves to add to the composter during the winter when we dump our household kitchen waste. A balance between fresh and dried leaves keeps the composter working and sweet smelling.

I mentioned earlier this year about letting our back boulevard go native.

We planted some yarrow, monarda, and leopard’s bane along with some pussy toes and meadow orchids. Yes the grasses that were there grew along with some lovely wee white asters and a statuesque golden rod.

The neatly mown border makes it look intentional but I think we still need a sign to indicate it is a pop-upeco-zone for natives. We have some native plants throughout the garden and for a brief moment I was dismayed by some leaf damage on a vervain. I had to give my head a shake and remind myself that the whole concept of focusing on some natives in the garden was to offer food to our insects including butterfly larvae. The parent insects can only suck so much nectar before they look around for a safe plant to raise their young on.

I will keep you posted on the outcome of spring in the boulevard.

Until then, happy raking. ◊

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

Hurricane has negative impact on crop futures Hurricane Ida made landfall on U.S. soil at the end of August. It is reported to be the most damaging hurricane to batter the state of Louisiana other than Hurricane Katrina which struck hard in 2005.

The direct wind damage to Louisiana and other states was catastrophic in places, and flood damage was extreme up the entire East coast, with severe flash flooding occurring even up to New York city.

In some regions crops were battered

and in other regions some welcome moisture fell as the storm tailed off.

The outcome to grain-producing regions was mixed, with some cropping regions receiving the muchneeded moisture to finish off crops and some areas getting swamped.

However, the impact to standing crops in the field was not the most impactful effect of the storm.

Overall, the hurricane had a significantly negative impact on crop futures. After the hurricane subsided, and the damage was surveyed, the market took rapid notice of the impairment caused to major grain exporting terminals on the U.S. Gulf.

Not only were some terminals damaged for an extended period of time making them inoperable, but even those with what appeared to be minimal issues were also incapable of operation for some time, as the electrical grid in the area was also severely affected. Widespread, longlasting power outages would delay the commencement of the necessary repairs to the critical export terminals.

More than three weeks after the hurricane subsided, only five of the

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12 terminals in the U.S. Gulf had resumed operation. One elevator that is reported to export one million tonnes per month is expected to be out of commission for the duration of the harvest season due to the significant damage incurred. The grain shipments that were destined for terminals in the gulf were abruptly stopped, backing up grain flow into the countryside. As bushels were sold in these market conditions, buyers were defensive, and with limited export marketability, prices in the interior of the U.S. waned under the weight of the now over-supplied domestic market. Not only grain, but also feed ingredients were under price pressure as the market searched for places to move product. Other terminals in other regions – such as the East Coast – saw congestion from extra volumes moving their way, and extra capacity is not something that container yards have these days with constant bottlenecks already afflicting the shipping industry. The result of all this was U.S. grain futures were under pressure and the market prices sank.

While the U.S. gulf woes are significant, they were not the only contributing factor to the downtrend we experienced in grain values. As we move toward harvest some of the early season crop production fears have subsided. Crop size which was once an uncertainty is now more of a known. With the clarity of a decentsized production, premiums have faded as the market looks for competitive pricing. The recent USDA reports demonstrate that crop production this year is very adequate and likely be comfortable. Currently there is a bias by some analysts for crop size to continue to increase. If the market experiences even a one per cent improvement from current estimates, the U.S. national yield would be record high. From this it appears that the market doesn’t have a catalyst to push prices back to levels experienced during the height of the summer worries. Of course South American production could see weather challenges as the upcoming growing season progresses – but at this time production is thought to normalize.

The Ontario situation is similar to

Markets that of parts of the U.S., in that we look to have an extremely large crop coming at us. In fact it is very possible corn and soy yields could be record high. Not only is the crop coming expected to be very large, but currently we are seeing a flush of stored old crop hitting the market as farm bins look to empty prior to harvest. These extra bushels are coming to market at the same time as low falling number wheat looks to move similarly, further pushing down basis levels for grains. The wheat crop was also record high yielding, and with the quality generally not of milling specification, it has limited opportunities for movement at this time. With wheat backed up in the countryside, a lot of space that would ideally be open for soy and corn deliveries is occupied by wheat.

Further exaggerating the potential storage crunch is that soybeans and corn look to be rapidly maturing and harvest should be early this year. All of these factors combine to strain the grain handling system this fall. ◊

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

Cedars hedges need regular pruning There is a common saying regarding tree planting: plant the right tree in the right place. This saying was part of a large campaign with Hydro One. The goal of their campaign was to discourage people from planting trees too close to power lines. The importance of not planting trees in a location that will result in them growing to obstruct power lines cannot be overstated.

Often, people are surprised that I am unwilling to plant lower growing trees under power lines or other trees too close to the line. Obviously, I am not anti-tree. However, when I listen

to the goals and objectives of property owners, I must also take into account the next generations that will be inheriting a maintenance issue. While the present owner may be quick to promise that the trees will be pruned to ensure that height is controlled, what happens when the workload is too great, or the work is not completed? Also, a new owner may not be aware of the maintenance that is necessary and therefore fall behind.

Similar rules to planting the right tree also apply to drainage tiles, septic systems, or other infrastructure. Tree roots have often plugged tiles. Tree root blockages in field drainage have often been an issue for farmers. Less frequently spoken of is the blockage of drainage tiles around foundations. Sidewalks, roadways, foundations, and septic tanks have been ruptured by tree roots. Tree roots may extend laterally beyond the equivalent of the height of the tree. Therefore, when planting trees, we must ensure that they are at least the projected height of the tree

PH: (519) 364-1010 TF: (800) 461-1020 150 7th Avenue, Hanover, ON www.hanoverhonda.ca 42 The Rural Voice

species away from any items of concern. The expense of repairing the damage that can be caused by tree roots can be excessive.

One perspective that is not often thought of is that of the tree that is planted in the right place but does not receive the correct maintenance.

Over time, the right tree is no longer right for the place. I was recently asked to visit a property to offer solutions to a cedar hedge that did not receive the appropriate maintenance over the last 10 years.

This particular hedge was planted approximately 10 feet back from the driveway, positioned to hide an unmanicured or natural hillside. Over 25 years ago, the previous owners had planted the trees at an appropriate distance for the purpose if the trees were properly pruned.

When the present owners purchased the property, they were unaware of the need for pruning or that the trees were slowly enveloping their driveway.

An overgrown cedar hedge can be past the point of no return. The point at which I am referring to is when you can no longer prune the tree back to green growth to achieve the desired size or shape. If a coniferous tree is pruned too far into the branch, past green needles or leaves, the branch will no longer grow to fill in the space. There is a possibility that lateral branches may fill in the space with proper pruning.

The hedge that I was visiting had so many issues to contend with, pruning back to the driveway edge may be past the point of no return, historical pruning was only completed to a height of 10 feet for a portion, and there were numerous hardwood trees and shrubs that had penetrated the hedge.

The portion of the hedge that was not pruned above 10 feet had started to droop down to be at an unacceptable height. These higher branches had also obtained a fair diameter and were therefore beyond the point of no return.

The hardwoods and shrubs that had punched through the hedge were causing dieback within the cedars.

These areas of dieback could still be repaired or hidden through pruning,

Woodlots but likely only if corrective action is taken within the next couple of growing seasons.

Basically, this hedge owner has five options available to him. My recommendation is to prune the green growth back as close to the point of no return as possible without entering it. Once this pruning is done, evaluate the hedge for positioning along the driveway to determine satisfaction. This is my first choice as it still leaves all the other options available if it isn’t successful. Other options include: • Prune the hedge back to the desired location regardless of growth potential.

• Prune the entire hedge back to the trunk of the tree.

• Leave the hedge as it is and give up half of the driveway.

• Remove the overgrown trees and replant the hedge.

With the first three options I would prune the overhead branches that are drooping in-line with the remainder of the hedge.

Cedar hedges are great for many purposes but do require maintenance.

With patience and repeated pruning, hedges that have been neglected can become full and beautiful again.

Repeated pruning will encourage more lateral growth and fill in empty spaces.

As I end this column, I offer a friendly warning that the dense branching of cedars make ideal locations for cold blooded, slithery reptiles to rest their long, unappealing bodies and sun themselves. This warning is for both the human doing the pruning and the reptile as pruning tools should always be sharp. ◊

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October 2021 43

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

Divisional Court says Ontario agri-employment law still constitutional In 2002, Ontario’s legislature passed the Agricultural Employees Protection Act, 2002 (“AEPA”). This legislation excluded farm workers from the Labour Relations Act (“LRA”), but created a specialized and separate regime of labour relations for farm workers. The AEPA gives farm workers rights to form and belong to an employees’ association and to make representations about the terms and conditions of their employment to employers through the association. The AEPA also provides farm workers with a right to be protected against interference, coercion and discrimination in the exercise of their legislated rights, and employers must give an association the opportunity to make representations concerning terms and conditions of employment (and the employer must listen to those representations).

Farm workers in Ontario have been excluded from the general labour relations regime under the LRA almost continuously since 1943. The main consequences of the exclusion, arguably, have been that farm workers have not been represented by labour unions having the exclusive right to bargain on behalf of all employees in a given workplace (a “bargaining unit”) and have not had a right to strike. Section 2(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the “Charter”) guarantees the freedom of association. In the context of labour relations, this freedom has been found

Agrilaw to include the right to “good faith bargaining on important workplace issues”.

Ontario’s exclusion of farm workers from the LRA regime has previously been found to be constitutional. In 2011, on a challenge launched by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (“UFCW”), the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the AEPA as constitutional on the basis that a farm employer’s duty to listen to representations made by an employees’ association (specifically, a duty to listen to or read representations and then to give a written acknowledgement of having read the representations) is a duty to consider employee representations in good faith. The majority of the Justices of the court “read in” the good faith requirement – it does not appear in the wording of the AEPA: Section 2(d) of the Charter protects the right to associate to achieve collective goals. Laws or state actions that substantially interfere with the ability to achieve workplace goals through collective actions have the effect of negating the right of free association and therefore constitute a limit on the s.

2(d) right of free association, which renders the law or action unconstitutional unless it is justified under s. 1 of the Charter.

This requires a process of engagement that permits employee associations to make representations to employers, which employers must consider and discuss in good faith. [emphasis added] In a dissenting opinion, Justice Abella found that the AEPA violated the Section 2(d) freedom of association because the requirement to listen was not a requirement to respond. This was not, in Justice Abella’s view, good faith collective bargaining.

In 2015, the Supreme Court revisited Section 2(d) of the Charter in the context of essential public workers. In a case involving the RCMP, the majority of the court concluded that the alternative labour relations mechanism for RCMP officers violated the freedom of

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association because it did not provide “a meaningful process of collective bargaining that provides employees with a degree of choice and independence sufficient to enable them to determine and pursue their collective interests.” In another case involving essential services in Saskatchewan, the majority of the court went even further and held that the right to strike is an essential component of collective bargaining protected under Section 2(d): … a meaningful process of collective bargaining requires the ability of employees to participate in the collective withdrawal of services for the purpose of pursuing the terms and conditions of their employment through a collective agreement. Where good faith negotiations break down, the ability to engage in the collective withdrawal of services is a necessary component of the process through which works can continue to participate meaningfully in the pursuit of their collective workplace goals.

With those 2015 Supreme Court decisions in hand, the UFCW again challenged the constitutionality of the AEPA. Representing the employees of a medicinal marijuana operation, the UFCW asked the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal to rule that the AEPA is unconstitutional because it does not provide a right to strike and does not protect an employee’s right to return to work in the event of a strike. While the Tribunal did not have authority to make a general declaration that the AEPA is unconstitutional, it did have the authority to determine whether the AEPA regime violated the Section 2(d) rights of the specific farm workers represented in the case by the UFCW. In a decision made in June, 2020, the Tribunal found there was no violation. The Tribunal noted that it was bound by the 2011 Supreme Court ruling that the AEPA is constitutional, which was not overruled by the 2015 cases. The Tribunal noted that the AEPA doesn’t specifically prohibit a strike and that there is a common law (non-statutory) right to strike. Further, the Tribunal

Agrilaw ruled that the constitutional challenge was premature because this was not a situation where employees had actually sought to withdraw their labour.

The UFCW applied to the Ontario Divisional Court for judicial review of the Tribunal’s decision. In August, 2021, the Divisional Court released its decision dismissing the UFCW application. The Divisional Court, like the Tribunal, found that it is bound by the Supreme Court’s 2011 ruling that “the overall scheme of the Act, and particularly s. 5, sufficiently protected agricultural workers’ right to meaningful collective negotiations.”

Although the 2015 decisions of the Supreme Court made important changes to the interpretation of Section 2(d), “especially in recognizing that it included protection for the right to strike,” nothing in the 2015 cases, which included numerous references to the 2011 decision, indicated that the Supreme Court was calling into question the constitutionality of the AEPA. ◊ ______________________________ 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.

Enjoy the Country Lifestyle!

THE RURAL VOICE MAGAZINE

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October 2021 47

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Community

• By Gary West •

Dairy farming couple catches the “big one”

A

n enthusiastic couple from R.R. # 2 Tavistock were all smiles recently after they won the Sunday fishing derby off Lake Huron near Owen Sound.

Bob and Wyn Trachsel’s winning Salmon weighed in at 22.16 pounds and was 30 inches long. The dairy farming couple proved you can be good at milking cows and just as able at landing the “big one” that never got away!

The SouthEasthope couple have entered the derby for 33 years and this was the first time they ever won the top prize in what’s called the “Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular”.

In a recent interview, they said there were 3,500 people registered for the 2021 derby and proceeds support conservation efforts across Grey and Bruce counties.

Bob will be the first one to tell you that he bought his first boat many years ago just to be able to get away from the farm and relax and go fishing and be able to think of other things besides cows and farming. He says he has always fished for the fun of it, but it when it comes to reeling in a big fish like he did last week —

Wyn and Bob Trachsel stand beside a 20 foot canoe, one of the many prizes they won for snagging the largest fish at the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular held in August. it’s like icing on the cake.

Bob says his grandson Tyler also has the fishing bug and won ninth place in the 2016 derby. Bob and Wyn both say they consider the derby a festival where they meet and

enjoy the many friendships that they have made and continue to make.

They agree that there is nothing more relaxing than reading and fishing and just to be able to enjoy the quiet life on their boat called Rob-Wyn. ◊

Lebanese stone carvers thrilled to work in Perth County

W

Mohammad Alyounes of Kitchener is thrilled to be working in Canada as a stonemason at the farm of Roy, Marty and Derrick Lichti in NorthEasthope Twp.

hen most people think of art, they think of paintings or sculptures. This story is about four men who are “Stone Carvers” and have taken on the art of stone masonry through the knowledge they received in their home country.

The four men are all from the same family in Syria and developed and honed their craft while growing up in their native country. It’s on the NorthEasthope farm of Roy, Marty and Derrick Lichti that you notice the professional workmanship shown in constructing a stone retaining wall cut from original field stone. When you travel up and down the roads of this Scottish neighbourhood you will notice many stone houses that were built the same way as this wall is October 2021 49

NEW LISTING ~ AUBURN 3 bedroom century home, stunning 1.5 bath with main floor laundry. Large yard with board and batten shed.

Beautiful mature trees and gardens.

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage 1990 Ltd. Harriston

Call Elly or Dave for your private viewing Listed at

$359,000

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

and it isn’t just corn.

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

Local...Quality...Delicious Local Beef • Pork • Lamb • Poultry Specialty European Meat Products

Open Tues. - Fri. 9 am - 5 pm Sat. 9 am - 3 pm 1136 Bruce Road 86, LUCKNOW

50 The Rural Voice

180 Brock Avenue, Hensall

www.cliffsplumbing.com

519-262-3130

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

www.metzgermeats.com

Community being built. There are very few masons that will take on this work nowadays, as it requires brute strength and ability to cut and place the stones to end up with a masterpiece, like this wall is shaping up to be.

In talking with the four men (only one could speak fluent English) they could not say enough about how happy they were to be in Canada and contribute to society through their hard work. Mohammad Alyounes along with his cousins Khaled and Ahmed and Uncle Mohamed, fled Lebanon to Syria after the Lebanese civil war and ended up trying to get out of that country when a conflict and uprising began there also. After applying for and receiving landed immigrant status, the extended family made it to Canada. Some arrived five years ago and some two years ago.

They said they could not be happier to leave behind the constant conflict in their home country. They live in Kitchener with their families and said they will continue to work hard to make a living in Canada.

They smiled when this writer said, “you must be adopted Canadians’ when I noticed they were all drinking Tim Hortons Coffee! ◊

Winners earn $1,500 towards schooling

Winners of the Huron Tractor 2021 Scholarship program each received a $1500 cheque on August 26. The John Deere representatives on the left of the tractor, Brad Sheeler, Nick Studnicka and Cam Barton presented the cheques to (left to right, to the right of the tractor) Jessica Brock of Staffa who is enrolled in Food and Agricultural Business at University of Guelph (U of G); Mira Carter of Clinton who is enrolled in the Bachelor of Sciences in Agriculture ‐ Animal Science program at U of G; Dakota Dawdy of Iona Station earning her diploma in agriculture at Ridgetown College; Megan Fox of Exeter who is enrolled in Motive Power Fundamentals at Canadore College and Madison Saunders of Chatsworth who is earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Nipissing University. Also winners of a scholarship but absent for the photo were Emma Hilder of St. Thomas, Alexus Mardling of Chatham and Cole Snobelen of Ripley.

Gardeners win top prizes at Clinton Horticultural Society Jeannette Martin (far left) achieved first place with her entry of produce grown and displayed in the “Kitchen Garden” category at the Annual Clinton Horticultural Society Flower Show and Toonie Cafe held August 20 at the Clinton Legion.

Another first place winner was Isabel MacDonald (left) with her entry in the “Patio Pot’ category.The bright orange begonia in the centre with the lime green trailing vine made for a stunning combination. ~Photos by Bonnie Sitter October 2021 51

PACKERS: WE BUILD Deadline

RUBBER TIRE PACKER SPECIALISTS

for the

November Rural Voice is

October 12

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

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

20 Off Complete %

Chimney Pkgs.

6", 7" and 8" in stock

Sale ends November 27th, 2021

SENTINEL, a ULC listed to 2100° F chimney. Limited Lifetime Your best choice. Warranty

WELBECK SAWMILL LTD.

Tuesday to Saturday 8 am to 4 pm Closed Sunday & Monday

RR 2 Durham ON N0G 1R0

519-369-2144

Email: sk@bmts.com

52 The Rural Voice

The

Rural Voice

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

Organic Growers Wanted Long term production contracts available for HR Winter Wheat, Winter Barley, Winter Spelt and Winter Canola

Full service to all boats and marine engines

ARGYLE Marine & Small Engines Inc.

33973 Church Camp Rd., Goderich 519-524-5361 Email: argylemarine@cabletv.on.ca

STEVEN NIXON

Serving the area since 1999

Broker WILFRED MCINTEE & CO. LIMITED

Also available in 2022 : production contracts for Soybeans, Edible Beans, Sunflowers, Peas contact: Wehrmann Grain & Seed Ltd

RR 1 Ripley, Ontario N0G 2R0 Cell: 519.955.0386 • Office: 519.395.3126 • Fax: 519.395.2935

e-mail: ingasven@hurontel.on.ca

www.wehrmanngrainandseed.ca

C E N T R E

209 SHUTER ST., WINGHAM $449,900 MLS# 40151296

Well cared for 2 storey home with 2800 sq. ft., 5 + bedrooms, great room with hardwood flooring and in floor heat, house well maintained, 2 full baths, primary bedroom main floor, open staircase, 2nd level with 4 bedrooms, bath and office, concrete patio overlooking the huge beautifully treed back yard, roof 2016, gas furnace, paved laneway, 318 Josephine St., WINGHAM, ON N0G 2W0 2 separate garages, walking distance to schools and main street.

Bus: 519-357-2222 Cell: 519-531-0252 Email: nixon@execulink.com Web: www.stevennixon.com

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING

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

519-531-0355 TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

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

B U S I N E S S

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

October 2021 53

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

MANUFACTURING STEEL ROOFING SIDING & TRIMS

519-363-3757

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

Also Supplying Other Building Accessories

SALES & SERVICE INSTALLATION & PARTS

Rissler KEITH SIEMON FARM SYSTEMS LTD. 81987 Perth Rd. 180, R.R. 4, Walton 519-345-2734 (anytime)

www.keithsiemonfarmsystems.com email: keithsiemon@tcc.on.ca For Free Planning and Estimates

Best wishes for a safe and prosperous

WHEAT ~ BARLEY ~ CORN ~ SOYBEANS ~ 2 Delivery Locations to Better Serve You ~ Licensed Grain Elevator 519-366-2666 / 519-366-2749 www.lesyoungfarms.com lesyoungfarms@hurontel.on.ca

Harvest Season

Grain Elevators and Marketing, Seed, Crop Protection Products, Fertilizer, Custom Application Blyth Location 40605 Walton Road, Blyth

IP Soybean Contracts Available

• On-farm grain marketing & merchandising • Grain bought & sold throughout Ontario • Handling & storage • Commodity marketing hillhill@tcc.on.ca • 519-233-3218 RR #1 Varna, Ontario N0M 2R0 www.varnagrain.com

54 The Rural Voice

Walton Location 10 Patrick Street, Walton

519-523-9624 • 1-800-663-3653

Call us for Soil Testing this fall

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

AUCTION -------------------------------------------Elmira Produce Auction – Hay and Straw Sales every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Consignors and buyers welcome. Call Lloyd Martin 519664-3356, 7400 Reid Woods Drive, Elmira.

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

FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Reist, 3 point hitch, pto driven gear box pulley. 519-357-2509.

-------------------------------------------Augers, 3 - 10 ft sections, 6 inch diameter. 519-357-2509.

-------------------------------------------FARM FRESH -------------------------------------------Arranhill Garlic Farm, Table Garlic, Scapes and Shallots plus Garlic Seed for fall planting. 110-12 Conc.

East, Allenford. 519-270-0022.

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

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

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

FOR SALE --------------------------------------------

Blue Water Angus Sale October 16, 2021 Viewing 9:00 am Sale Time 1:00 pm Cargill Auction Barn - Cargill, ON If you wish to consignee contact Sale Manager Mike Early 519-661-8713

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

-------------------------------------------CUSTOM WORK -------------------------------------------Janmaat custom bale wrapping.

In-line wrapping any size round bale and any size square bale up to 6 1/2' long. Call Cody at 519-9553384.

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

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

-------------------------------------------FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Real Industries cattle chute, parallel squeeze, w/palpitation cage and upgraded Arrowquip head handler. 519-357-2509.

-------------------------------------------AC roto-baler circa 1950, stored inside, field ready, some spare parts. 519-357-2509.

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

Gerber Meats Ltd. 519-699-4441 2513 Greenwood Hill Rd., Millbank, ON N0K 1L0

• Custom Butchering • Freezer Beef & Pork for sale

*Freezer Beef

$/lb.

hind quarters front quarters side of beef whole beef

$4.79 $4.39 $4.59 $3.99

*Freezer Pork

$/lb.

half or whole

$2.59

* Cutting, wrapping, freezing included in pricing

Meadowview Farm & Apiary Grass-fed Beef

Chicken

Available to order by the side or mixed quarter.

At the farm store: Assorted cuts & patties

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

Clare and Gwen Gerber 91104 Holmes Line, Wingham 519-357-4347 or Cell: 519-357-8339 • Honey • Beeswax • Candles • Nucleus colonies

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

-------------------------------------------Martin’s Nursery & Bee Supplies Etc. Large selection of flowering trees, shade trees, fruit trees and hydrangeas and other shrubs. We have the plants you need to make a living “privacy hedge” or snow fence or windbreaks. Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, White Spruce, Pine and Cedars. Also… a Complete line of Bee Supplies for the commercial or hobby beekeepers. Order your (Nuc) Bees for spring 2022. We now sell select Queen Bees raised under ORHBS program on a weekly basis. Order by Monday evening for Wednesday pick-up – $40 each or buy 10+, $37.50 each. We stock all wooden-ware (bee-hives) foundation, assembled and unassembled frames, smokers, suits, jackets, gloves, mite treatments and some extracting equipment. Honey containers, jars, pails, custom built wooden-ware. Come visit our nursery and bee supplies store Monday to Saturday at 42661 Orangehill Rd., RR 1, Wroxeter, ON N0G 2X0, one concession north of Wroxeter.

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

Listowel. Phone Aden 519-5957775.

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

Advertising in The Rural Voice A Wise Choice!

Call Today! 519-523-4311

October 2021 55

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

LIVESTOCK BEDDING -------------------------------------------MIRACLE FIBER Livestock Bedding.

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

Sittler Grinding. Rick Sittler.

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Suffolks - purebred Ram lambs.

British bloodlines M-V negative, closed flock. Several bloodlines available. 519-233-7896.

-------------------------------------------Limousin bulls, open and bred females available. Smart Limousin, Meaford 519-372-7459. smartlimo @bmts.com www.smartlimousin.com -------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN – quality breeding bulls, open and bred heifers for sale.

Delivery included. Posthaven Limousin, John Post. 519-7667178. www.posthavenlimousin.com -------------------------------------------Red Angus/Simmental, Simmental and Red Angus heifers bred to calving ease Red Angus bull for Spring 22 calving. James and Joan McKinlay 519-599-6236.

-------------------------------------------Rabbit breeding stock. High quality genetics available in Ontario. Order your PS40 bucks and PS19 does today. CuniON@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK WANTED -------------------------------------------Hereford or Hereford Angus Cross, preferably with calves. Phone evenings 905-983-9331.

-------------------------------------------REAL ESTATE -------------------------------------------Selling or buying farmland, residential or commercial. All properties needed. Call Greg or Dwaine Nicholls, Brokers for GA Nicholls Realty Ltd. Greg 519-2910507, Dwaine 519-492-2002.

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

RESTORATION -------------------------------------------The Olde Tyme Radio Centre – antique radios, clocks, gramophones, telephones; sold/restored. (vintage autoclock radio, speedometer, tachometer repaired). Belgrave 519-357-4304, www.oldtymeradio.ca -------------------------------------------RETAIL & GIFTS -------------------------------------------Stitches with a Twist – 404 Queen St., Blyth, 519-523-9449. Yarns, needles, notions, patterns, books and lots more yarn.

-------------------------------------------SERVICES -------------------------------------------INCOME TAX FILING FOR CORPORATIONS and late filers – for farms, small business, truckers and individuals. Will make house calls in the North Huron, Perth and surrounding area. Call Shirley in Wingham – cell No. 1-705-4348187.

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

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

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

Cell 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------Firearms and hunting training.

PAL & HUNTER ED. Ongoing courses available. Certified instructors. Call Greg 519-8879622 or 519-291-0507.

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

Deadline for the November issue of The Rural Voice is October 12, 2021

56 The Rural Voice

DONALD A ANDREW ACCOUNTING

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

Ph. 519-528-3019

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

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

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

519-692-4232 www.sgspestmanagement.ca

-------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------Cropland, very competitive rates or share crop, long or short term. 519276-9405, rastorferfarm@gmail.com -------------------------------------------Scrap Cars Wanted – 20, 30, 40 yd. scrap metal bins available. We sell quality used auto parts. Wanted to buy – scrap cars, trucks, farm machinery, heavy equipment.

Kenilworth Auto Recyclers. 519323-1113.

-------------------------------------------Round bales of horse or cattle quality hay picked up. Call Riley Gorman 519-321-1012.

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

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

Short and long term. 519-2007845 or hundt.chris@outlook.com -------------------------------------------Seeking farmland for rent in Huron and Bruce Counties. Maximize financial return while improving your land. Call Caleb Ringgenberg 226-920-3147 cringgen@ gmail.com --------------------------------------------

Tell them you saw their ad in The Rural Voice!

CANADIAN CO-OPERATIVE WOOL GROWERS LIMITED

Service For iding Reliable

Prov

ift' For You r An 'Easy L o o D y n A g Of Makin 74

Serving Ont. Sheep Producers Since 1918

E INC

S

s

Over 40 Year

19

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

FA

CT

OR

YO

UT

800 667-3845

LE

T

EASY LIFT DOORS LTD.

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

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

FINAL PAYMENTS ON 2020 WOOL CLIP ARE BEING ISSUED We apologize for any inconvenience.

For more information contact:

WINGHAM WOOL DEPOT

John Farrell R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario Phone/Fax 519-357-1058 farfieldfarm@gmail.com

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

AGRICULTURAL • RESIDENTIAL • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL October 2021 57

National Farmers Union – Ontario NEWSLETTER Phone: 1-888-832-9638 E-mail: office@nfuontario.ca Website: www.nfuontario.ca

Strong Communities.

Sound Policies.

Sustainable Farms.

Local Food and Farm Co-ops: Bringing Benefits to the NFU-O Membership Small but mighty, Local Food and Farm Co-ops (LFFC) is a valued ally of the NFU-O and our relationship is only growing! Since 2009, LFFC has developed tangible resources to strengthen Ontario’s local food systems and support small- and midscale agricultural producers.

LFFC provides its direct members with a plethora of resources from educational programming and training events to bookkeeping and communications services. The Fair Finance Fund that offers loans and mentorship services to local food and farm enterprises came out of collaboration with the LFFC, the N F U-O, and agricultural sector interests. The annual L F F C Assembly is a hit for eaters, co-ops, and progressive farmers across the country. At the “Resilience” on-line Assembly in March 2021, the NFUO had a virtual table and joined a panel on the present and future of farm work.

The LFFC shares a commitment to succession planning. They are currently supporting NFU-O member farm, Zócalo Organics, as they seek a solution to their farm’s transition.

“I know that I have L F F C’s facilitation and support as we figure out what is next for our farm,” says Bethany Klapwyk of Zócalo Organics. “They’ve been awesome.”

LFFC is also tilling new ground in Northern Ontario where they are tackling the unique challenges of value-chain coordination, high-cost transportation needs, a lack of infrastructure, short growing seasons, and food access inequity in remote and rural communities.

Their Northern Food Distribution Network brings diverse, like-minded partners together, including NFU-O North members, to collaborate and overcome these challenges. In July, they helped launch the 807 Food CoOp in Dryden, Ontario, offering

eaters meat and produce from local farmers in flexible food subscription boxes.

Working with the Beef Farmers of Ontario, the L F F C initiated the Northwest Beef Co-Op to develop a regional brand, enhance consumer confidence, and collectively pursue wholesale contracts. This cooperative value chain initiative aims to lead to more local processing and leverage additional revenue to sustain critical local abattoirs.

LFFC’s Northern Ontario projects are funded by FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.

“We are guided by a collective vision to get more local food on Northern Ontario consumers’ plates,” says Jen Springett, L F F C’s Northwest Regional Coordinator.

But wait, there is more: From Farm to Co-Pharm: New NFU-O Drug Benefits!

This fall, NFU-O members will be the first in the province to have the opportunity to join Co-Pharm – a low-cost co-operative drug plan – to save on prescriptions, medications, and other healthcare products.

Many farmers are among the 30 per cent of Ontarians who do not have adequate health insurance coverage to pay for prescription medications.

The LFFC facilitated this new NFU-O member benefit via their connections with the Ontario Cooperative Association and Co-Pharm, a collaboration between the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council and Genrus Buying Group, Inc. “We are thrilled to share this opportunity with NFU-O farmers.

The recent federal election brought with it a reminder of the government’s unfulfilled promises on universal pharmacare,” says Shylah Wolfe, LFFC’s Project Manager.

“Once again, co-ops and unions are

stepping up to fill the needs of our communities!”

NFU-O members will have until November 5, 2021 to take advantage of an exclusive 3-month free trial offer. Co-Pharm members will benefit from a low $5.49/RX dispensing fee, lower prices on all medications, and discounts on healthcare items. Best of all, everything will be delivered to your home for free.* Track your savings.

If you save over $20 during your three-month free trial, this plan is for you. After the trial period, members will pay a subscription cost of just $79/year per individual.

“I’m excited that we are able to offer pharmaceutical savings to our membership,” says Brendan Grant, co-operator of Sleepy G Farm, NFUO North President and VicePresident of the NFU-O. “Not only will Co-Pharm help my family and other farmers’ families, I also plan to pay for individual plans for our farm staff as an employee benefit.” *Where next day delivery is available. Free delivery with a $50 health store order or 3+ prescriptions.

Otherwise, a delivery fee of $3.99 will apply.

Coming Events Our Land-Linking and Farmland Conservation series is back!

Join us for three consecutive Thursday night workshops on October 28, November 4 and November 11 for discussions on farm financing and business planning, BIPOC land access, and to hear from successful land partnerships!

For more information and to register, visit the NFU-O website or email office@nfuontario.ca!

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

Stewart Skinner, President stewart@stonaleenfarms.ca / 519-492-2990

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

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

Immigration – the forgotten issue While the major political parties have been busy trying to promise their way into government, sadly no one is talking about the most important economic issue facing Canada today, a severe shortage of labour. It does not matter what industry, white collar, blue collar, or jobs where you don’t need a collar; are all desperate for people to show up and work.

Contrary to what your crusty Uncle Bob says, there is no legion of lazy folk sitting on their couch collecting CERB that would be ready to work if the government just stopped the handouts. With the exception of April 2020 at the height of the first lockdown, labour force participation has stayed within historical seasonal trends as per Statistics Canada while unemployment rates have returned close to pre-pandemic levels. Local unemployment rates have dropped back below four per cent demonstrating acute labour shortages across the area.

While national childcare would be an excellent first step to boost labour force participation and provide an influx of new labour, it still does not solve the fact that fertility rates declined significantly from 19601975 before leveling out in the 1980s at levels similar to present day of 1.53. Considering that we are only now seeing the first significant wave of Baby Boomers, born prior to the decline in birth rates and now exiting the workforce, this is a problem that is about to get a lot worse. Over the coming decade, we are set to lose the bulk of a generation that currently makes up over 29 per cent of the Canadian population from the national workforce.

There are only two ways to increase the labour pool, drastically increase birth rates and wait 20 years or increased immigration efforts.

Considering it is unlikely that we buck the global trend of declining

birth rates and everyone starts cracking out four kids again, that leaves looking out into the world for solutions. Lucky for us, Canada is still a preferred destination for people outside our borders and we have a window of time to recruit the people we need before immigrants become scarce. Similar to Clifford Sifton and Wilfred Laurier over a century ago, Canada needs to capitalize on the fact that we have the natural resources to support a population more than three times our current one. The Sifton Plan (which at the time was criticized for not bringing “the right people” to the Prairies) is summed up well in this quote from Sifton which was from a statement to the House of Commons in 1899: “I do not care what language a man speaks, or what religion he professes, if he is honest and lawabiding, if he will go on that land and make a living for himself and his family, he is a desirable settler for the Dominion of Canada... If we can find people willing to obey the laws and pay taxes for the support of our institutions, we must open our doors

to these people and give them such encouragement as will overcome the initial difficulties of their change of situation”.

This quote, with a little modern modification dropping the he for they, still rings true today. We will need a legion of new people to replace retiring baby boomers in the coming decade and as long as they are willing to work and pay taxes, the door should be wide open. The baby boom was a phenomena across the western world and many countries are going to find themselves in a demographic time bomb. The developed countries that recognize this issue earliest will have the most success mitigating; those that wait for the problem to materialize will find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to handle increased public healthcare costs in a contracting economy. It’s time we tackle the problem and capitalize on the fact that Canada is a great country that many would drop everything just for the chance at making a better life for their family. ◊ – Submitted by Stewart Skinner

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

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

October 2021 59

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

GCFA supporters of the community Grey County Federation of Agriculture Directors have been long supporters of events in their communities. They take great pride in helping the youth by expanding their life skills through the opportunities offered by 4-H and supporting the efforts of our local junior farmers.

We also participate in events presented by local agricultural societies throughout the county.

One of our initiatives this year was to place field signs to identify crops on prominent roadways throughout the county. We offered volunteer hours to high school students who helped with the installation of these signs.

For more than 100 years, 4-H has been one of the most highlyrespected positive youth development organizations in Canada. They believe in nurturing responsible, caring and contributing leaders who are committed to positively impacting their communities. Grey County is lucky to have many (over 40) dedicated individuals leading these initiatives to more than 150 4-H members.

This year GCFA sponsored 4-H by covering $10 of the registration fee for each 4-H member in Grey County.

Grey County Junior Farmers hosted a Grey County Ag Adventure that promoted participants to travel through Grey County and collect Grey County Federation of Agriculture

2021 MEETINGS

• October 13 (AGM) • November 11 • December 9 DUE TO COVID-19 GCFA Board Meetings have become conference/video call format.

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

@ GreyFedAg

Grey County Federation of Agriculture President Dianne Booker seen here with The Honourable Robert Black, Senator for Canada who had booths beside each other at the Durham Agricultural Society “drive-thru” parade on September 4.

stamps at 30 different locations to learn about agriculture. GCFA supported this initiative by purchasing the t-shirts that were given to the first 100 people to complete the challenge. Participants were introduced to all corners of Grey County.

As restrictions begin to lessen from the COVID-19 pandemic, local agricultural societies begin to resume fall fair activities. While we are not able to have full exhibitions with midways, exhibits and livestock some agricultural societies are thinking “outside the box”.

On September 4, GCFA supported Durham Agricultural Society with their “drive thru” parade by setting up a booth and handing out candy and promotional items.

If these initiatives are of interest to you, we are always looking for more individuals who would like to become directors and join the GCFA board.

Our Annual General Meeting is coming up on October 13 and we would love to have you join our group. If you have any questions please contact our office at 519-3643050 Ext. 1 or grey@ofa.on.ca.

We’re connecting virtually for this year’s OFA Regional Meeting Once again due to the COVID­19 pandemic, the OFA is conducting this year’s regional meeting in a virtual format.

The virtual meeting will be hosted on October 13 at 7:00 p.m The OFA regional meetings offer the opportunity to support your local agricultural community.

This virtual format ensures we protect the health and safety of our staff, directors and members.

The event includes elections for delegates and alternates to the OFA’s annual General Meeting and Policy Advisory Council (PAC) members.

These positions will be representing Grey County at the OFA’s annual meeting on November 22, 2021. These opportunities allow members to bring concerns and suggestions to provincial OFA leadership.

The deadline for a member to submit their intention to run for one of these positions is October 6, or seven days prior to the meeting date.

The deadline to register for this year’s OFA Regional meeting is October 11.

Please contact your local Member Service Representative Joanne Hughes at: joanne.hughes@ofa.on.ca or 226­230­2359 to register and for more information.

Grey Federation of Agriculture

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

60 The Rural Voice

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

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

* The Rural Voice is provided to NEWSLETTER OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA Remember the rules of the road – put safety first!

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.

It’s the time of year when farm equipment hits the roadways again, and when slow-moving vehicles share the road with motorists. The OFA reminds everyone to remember the rules of the road and take the time to put safety first. When you see a slowmoving-vehicle (SMV) sign – remember to slow down and share the road.

Here are safety tips that might come in handy for motorists driving around the countryside this fall to a local market or fall fair. When you come across farm equipment on the roadways, we encourage all drivers to do the following: • Take a deep breath.

• When the path is clear, make sure the driver can see you before you pass.

• Don’t expect the vehicle to pull over on the shoulder – as this could be dangerous for a large piece of equipment.

• Slow down and share the road Tips for Farm Operators Agricultural producers also need to do their part as they share the roadways, ensuring they are moving in a safe manner. Whenever taking to the road with farm machinery, check equipment to reduce the risk of a roadway incident.

• Display a slow-moving-vehicle (SMV) sign that is attached to the rear end of the machine and is clearly visible to all traffic at the rear of the machine. Implements being towed must have their own slow-movingBCFA 2021 MEETINGS • October 27 AGM • November 8 DUE TO COVID-19 BCFA Board Meetings have become conference/video call format. Please contact the office if you are interested in taking part.

Photo by Glen Lowson, the grower

vehicle sign which is clearly visible at the rear of the implement. SMV signs are mandatory on equipment travelling less than 40 km/hr.

• A safety chain is required between a farm tractor and towed implement when operated on the road. If more than one implement is being towed, the second and subsequent implements are required to have a chain between the towing implement and the towed implement. A safety chain must be used between each implement and between the tractor and implement.

The chain may be attached directly to the draw bar of the tractor or

towing implement and the tongue of the towed implement.

• Lighting requirements apply to all farm equipment, regardless of size or shape. These requirements also apply to implements when towed with trucks. Night time means from onehalf hour before sunset to one-half hour after sunrise and at any other time when, due to insufficient light or unfavourable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 150 metres or less. When in use, lamps must be visible from a distance of 150 m (500 ft.). ◊

We’re connecting virtually for this year’s OFA Regional Meeting Once again due to the COVID­19 pandemic, the OFA is conducting this year’s regional meeting in a virtual format.

The virtual meeting will be hosted on October 27 at 7:00 p.m The OFA regional meetings offer the opportunity to support your local agricultural community.

This virtual format ensures we protect the health and safety of our staff, directors and members.

The event includes elections for delegates and alternates to the OFA’s Annual General Meeting and Policy Advisory Council (PAC) members.

These positions will be representing Bruce County at the OFA’s annual meeting on November 22, 2021. These opportunities allow members to bring concerns and suggestions to provincial OFA leadership.

The deadline for a member to submit their intention to run for one of these positions is October 20, or seven days prior to the meeting date.

The deadline to register for this year’s OFA Regional meeting is October 25.

Please contact your local Member Service Representative Joanne Hughes at: joanne.hughes@ofa.on.ca or 226­230­2359 to register and for more information.

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

October 2021 61

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

Farm 911: The Emily Project in Perth County Leaves are changing colour on the grand old maples up and down the roads and the air is crisp. All sure signs that fall is here. With fall comes soybean harvest followed closely by corn, meaning more time spent in the fields. Harvest is the culmination of a season’s hard work, but it can also be a time when we hear of unfortunate accidents requiring first responders to come to farmers’ fields.

Farm accidents can occur in the most remote of locations, making it difficult for first responders to easily locate the situation. Not all rural property entrances in Perth County have civic 911 number signage. In the event of an emergency, no one should have to wait helplessly to be found.

Time is everything, and a civic address at the entrance to a vacant farm field could mean the difference between life and death. Enter Farm 911: The Emily Project.

Farm 911: The Emily Project is named after Emily Trudeau, a sevenyear-old girl from Hastings County who died in a farm accident. First responders could not find the rural property where the accident occurred.

The goal of the Project is to have 911

signs in field entry ways to identify rural locations should a farm accident occur.

For several years, the Perth County Federation of Agriculture (PCFA) has been communicating with the local municipalities requesting that 911 signs be installed on vacant rural properties. Currently a farmer needs to call their municipality and ask for a sign to be installed. The goal would be to have them installed on all properties.

Back in 2017, during an Ag Advisory Committee meeting with County Council representatives, a plan for replacing municipal address signs was discussed.

Representatives from both the PCFA and Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario raised the importance of signage on vacant properties.

They used The Emily Project as a prime example and discussed the benefits for local emergency services responses. The topic has been raised in communications such as during delegations to County Council on farm property related matters.

Locally, we need to continue to

Harvest Gala

work together as farm property owners, with our local municipalities to make this project succeed in our area.

As of June 2021, over 50 municipalities are listed on the Emily Project website. The PCFA hopes that our lower-tier municipalities will be added to the list soon.

The Perth County Federation of Agriculture board of directors sincerely wishes you a safe and productive harvest season!

– Submitted by Julie McIntosh, PCFA Director Perth County Federation of Agriculture

DIRECTORS’ MEETING Thursday, October 21 8:00 p.m.

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

November 20, 2021

from home

PRESENTED BY THE PERTH COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE

$70 for a two-person Gala Box To purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/perth-county-harvest-gala-from-home-2021-tickets-163585521699 For more information: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com or 1-833-229-6834 * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Perth County by the PCFA.

62 The Rural Voice

Index 100.1 FM The Ranch ......................19 Apples ......................................44,47 Argyle Marine & Small Engines ....53 Artisanal Chicken Program............37 BDO ..................................................8 Belore Trailers ................................53 Ben Kuepfer Concrete ..................45 Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring ........43 Bio-Ag ............................................35 Blue Water Angus Sale ..................55 Boonstoppel Dave & Elly ..............50 Buddsteel Architectural Products..19 Canadian Co-op Wool Growers ....57 CG Farms........................................40 Chalmers Fuels ................................2 Cliff’s Plumbing & Heating ............50 De Dell Seeds..................................21 Design & Build..............................9,11 Easy Lift Doors Ltd ........................57 Fall Harvest ....................................54 Fall Stocker ......................................2 Fieldwalker/Agronomy Advantage 31 Gerber’s Workwear ........................53 Gerber Meats..................................55 Greenfield Global............................41 Greenville Liquid Plant Food............6 Hanover Honda ..............................42 Harold Jones Enterprises ..............52 Hayden Water Wells ......................46 Hill & Hill Farms....Inside Front Cover Hunter Steel Sales ................Cover 5 Huron Perth Public Health ............46 Huron Ridge ..................................39 Jennifer Cook & Associates Inc ....12 Keith Siemon Farm Systems ........54 Kingwood Bins ..............................57 KMM Farm Drainage ......................21 LAC ..................................................7 Lakeside Shelving & Racking........37 Lambton County Museum ............63 Lands & Forests Consulting ..........45 Lisa Thompson MPP ......................25 Live Landscape ..............................39 Mapleview Agri ..............................32 Marquardt Farm Drainage................7 Martin Farm Wagons......................52 Marvin L Smith ..............................43 McIntee Real Estate ......................53 Meadowview Farm & Apiary..........55 Metzger Meat Products ................50 Michael’s Stabling Developments 35 Nature’s Wave Inc ..........................23 Nuclear Waste Management Org ..13 Ontario Mutual Insurance......Cover 3

RBC Ag West ....................................7 Ridgeway Metals ............................54 Royal LePage - Steacy DenHaan ....4 Rural Living ....................................41 Rural Voice Books ................Cover 6 Rural Voice Subscriptions ....Cover 5 Sauble Beach Motorsports ..............10,25,29,38,43 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage ..............50 Schweiss Doors ..............................48 Seifrield Farm Equipment ..............48 Sew & Save Centre ........................39 Sharp’s Creek Forge ........................2 Steffen Well Drilling ......................53

Stihl Ltd ..........................................14 Stops Along The Way............Cover 7 Stratford Agri Analysis ..................48 Superior Barn Painting ..........Cover 4 SV Enterprises ................................31 SWO Diesel Inc ......................Cover 4 Townsley Barn Painting ................56 Trees ........................................26,28 Triple P Consulting ........................35 Trouw Nutrition................Back Cover WD Hopper & Sons Ltd..................25 Wehrmann Grain & Seeds Ltd ......53 Welbeck Sawmill Limited ..............52 Williams Drainage ..........................43

Deadline for the November issue of The Rural Voice is October 12, 2021 October 2021 63

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

All-Candidates meeting held virtually

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

Upcoming Events October 11

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

BOARD MEETING October 25 - 8:00 p.m.

The Huron County Federation of Agriculture (HCFA) held a joint All Candidates meeting for the 2021 Federal Election in conjunction with the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture on September 2. This meeting occurred over Zoom and was broadcast onto YouTube. Participating in the meeting were Chris Cossitt (President BCFA), Jan Johnstone (NDP), James Rice (Liberal), Justin Smith (Independent), Ben Lobb (Conservative) and Rob VandenHengel (President HCFA). Regrets were sent from Jack Stecho (Peoples Party). In the 10 days after the meeting there were 750 views of the meeting on YouTube.

From the history files ....

Please contact the office if you are interested in participating or have items you wish discussed at this meeting.

Notice of Potential Bylaw Change The HCFA Constitution Review Committee consists of Erica Murray, Rob VandenHengel, and Joan Vincent. This dedicated committee has reviewed all the HCFA Bylaws and Procedural Documents and has suggested a few updates. We are currently consulting Legal Council to ensure we are compliant with all relevant legislation. Please contact the HCFA office if you would like a copy of the proposed updates.

OFA’S NEXT PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR REPRESENTING HURON-PERTH Did you know in 2013 The Huron County Agriculture Hall of Fame was opened in the Huron county Museum in Goderich. A wall at the Huron County Museum in Goderich is dedicated to the visionaries who helped shape and develop the agricultural community in Huron County. Pictures and biographies of all the Huron County Hall of Fame inductees are displayed in the Huron County Museum in Goderich. This year we will recognize William Murray Mills posthumously.

Save the dates for Annual Meeting The Huron County Federation of Agriculture Annual Meeting will be held virtually on Friday, October 22 at 8:00 p.m.

Please contact the office if you are interested in joining this meeting.

This is an opportunity to discuss resolutions coming from Huron County to the OFA convention. Resolutions that are time sensitive can be submitted sooner.

We will also have elections for the HCFA board at this meeting.

Guest speaker will be Peggy Breckveld, President of the OFA.

OFA’s Zone 7 (Huron & Perth Counties) held an election in recent weeks to elect a director to the Provincial Board to fill the spot of Brent Royce who is retiring from his position after serving a term of nine years.

We are pleased to congratulate Ethan Wallace of Huron County on his election to the OFA Board of Directors. Ethan is the HCFA Past President and we look forward to working with him in his new role.

Please call before visiting the HCFA office to determine if the office is open.

Please be assured that we are still available to address your concerns by telephone: 519-482-9642 or email: ofahuron@tcc.on.ca

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

64 The Rural Voice

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“The Magazine of Agricultural Life”

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$35

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Already have a subscription?

Add a digital monthly copy for $10 a year!

Call 519-523-4311 to pay by credit card or mail a cheque made payable to: North Huron Publishing Inc. to Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

Enjoy the best of October!

The Rural Reading Room Specializing in Rural Living & Local Authors

THE PERFECT PUMPKIN Whether you want to grow a recordbreaking pumpkin or just one for the family’s jack ’o lantern or Thanksgiving pie this book will give you tips on choosing a variety, getting the seed started, growing, identifying diseases, and finally, cooking and carving. $22.95

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BREAD MAKING Crafting the Perfect Loaf from Crust to Crumb If you’ve never known the satisfaction of taking warm, fragrant bread from your oven, now is the time to start kneading.

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CIDER Steps for pressing, processing and storing cider as well as fermenting hard cider.

Recommendations for best varieties to use. $22.95

LOVING IT LOCAL Preparing delicious fresh local food This cookbook invites you to take a trip — real or imaginary. Head off into the countryside and get close to the land. Whether you buy fresh produce from a local farm or market, or grow your own this cookbook shares more than 200 recipes that are not only tasty and nutritious but easy and fast to prepare.

Discover the joy of preparing delicious, fresh, local food. $20.00

COMFORT ME WITH APPLES Stories, photos and drawings tell the story of apples, from Eve in the Garden of Eden, to Johnnie Appleseed. See how apples inspired art. Learn about the varieties. Learn how they’re cooked and processed. 60% off Only $11.99

THE PRUNING ANSWER BOOK This handy, take-it-with-you book provides solutions to every problem you’ll ever face and answers to every question you’ll ever ask about pruning.

Information on planting, tools, pruning roses, fruit trees, and decorative pruning. $22.95

PRESERVING THE SEASON 90 delicious recipes for jams, jellies, preserves, chutneys, pickles, curds, condiments, canning and dishes using them. $24.99

Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books Total

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$22.95 $19.95 $20.00 $22.95 $22.95 $22.95 $11.99 $24.99 Total for Books Shipping & Handling $9.00 Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

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

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

Hidden Gems of Huron County

FR FREE EE

Hiidddeenn G eem ms ooff Huur ron on Cou ount nty Fa Fallll 20 2021 21

Our print version is distributed FREE at tourist information booths, town halls, retail outlets, accommodations, and restaurants throughout the county and beyond!

Online version available at

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HENSALL CO-OP Londesboro 519-523-9606 800-265-9000 Zurich 519-236-7155 800-565-7155 Ripley 519-395-5955 855-895-5955 Mitchell 519-348-8752 800-669-3502 Alisa Craig 519-232-4449 Kurtzville 519-291-2220

DAUPHIN FEED & SUPPLY LTD. Dungannon 519-529-7951 800-665-5675

NIEUWLAND FEED & SUPPLY LTD. Listowel 519-291-5795 800-265-3229

Walton 519-887-6023

Drayton 519-638-3008 800-263-9819

THE HITCHING POST (2019) LTD. St. Marys 519-284-2360 HOLSTEIN FEED MILL (2015) LTD. Holstein 519-334-3424

Elora 519-846-5354 800-265-5354 TROUW NUTRITION (formerly Yantzi Feed & Seed) Tavistock 519-655-2033