The Rural Voice - October 2022

Rural Voice

The

October 2022

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

OJIBWE HORSE CARETAKERS Caring for the Takona family of Ojibwe horses is a connective experience

GREENER PASTURES The Van Rooyens share beef farm with campers to promote ecological agriculture

GUARDIAN NETWORK Mental health services for farmers grows with creation of Guardian Support network

Providing a Complete Package

Farm Location

Varna Location

IP Soybeans 2023 programs are available for: • SQWH • S03-W4 • S07-M8 • S12-J7 • P11A10 • OAC Bruton • B088Y1 (RR) • & other varieties hillhill@tcc.on.ca

519-233-3218

Marketing • Buy & Sell Grain Commodities throughout Ontario • On-farm marketing & merchandising

Grain Services • Transportation • Handling & Storage • Receiving • Packaging

RR #1 Varna, Ontario N0M 2R0 www.varnagrain.com

519-233-7908 1-877-433-7908

Discover The Mutual Difference We were built by and for our policyholders over 160 years ago. Our customers come first, and that neighbour-helpingneighbour mentality still holds true today.

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

Find your local mutual at

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

|

@ontariomutuals

A AXIOM Hay Mutual and To 7i >Ài Ì i Ã> i «i

v ÀÜ>À` Ì }iÌ iÀ Ü Ì 7i >Ài iÀi Ì ÃiÀÛi Þ V Ì i Ì Ì >Ì

ÕÌÕ Look for AXIOM X Õ Ì ià v ÕÀ ]

It’s strong. It’s

CO ONTACT A US TODAY

ZU ST TRAT in

ax

Suppl ying the a g ricultur al industr y needs since 1977!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Angle Channel Hot and cold rolled bars Tool steel Beams Rebar Concrete reinforcing mesh Mechanical tubes Black pipe Galvanized pipe Sheet and Plate Bar grating Welded wire mesh Grip strut Precision ground shafting

* NEW * Now Stocking • Hog & Cattle Panels • Various livestock penning sizes available Services offered: • Saw cutting • Punching • Rebar cutting and bending • Custom welded columns and beams • Priming • Galvanizing OPEN: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

www.huntersteel.ca 519-273-3151 500 Lorne Ave. E., Stratford

Contents

26

Departments Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Newsletters

National Farmers Union . . . . . . . . . .50 Perth County Pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Grey County Federation . . . . . . . . . .52 Bruce County Federation . . . . . . . .53 Perth County Federation . . . . . . . . . .54 Huron County Federation . . . . . . . . .56

THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

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

22 Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Rural Voice

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

16

Columns

The

OCTOBER 2022 • Cover Photo Dale & Sallianne Patch, Gads Hill Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

Contributing writers: Keith Roulston, Kate Procter, Jeffrey Carter, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Arnold Mathers, Donna Lacey, Melisa Luymes, Anne Mann, Nancy Fisher, Carolyn Crawford, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe, Amanda Brodhagen and Hetty Stuart

• Deadlines: Nov. Issue – Oct. 11

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

14 The Guardian Network

Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell

December Issue – Nov. 8

The Farmer Wellness Initiative launches training to create supportive team for farmers

16 Greener Pastures Beef farm offers a farm-based experience for campers

22 Ojibwe Spirit Horses

Dale and Sallianne are caretakers of a herd of Ojibwe horses as they forge bonds with Indigenous peoples

26 Squeaky Curds Coming Soon Pine River Cheese reopens to offer famous curds along with a market and pizzeria

Advertising & editorial production:

Dianne Josling

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

Make cheques payable to: NORTH HURON PUBLISHING CO.

30 Tractor Trouble

Young farmer survives tractor rollover with serious injuries to jaw

34 Composting Recipe

Composters require green and brown materials in order to heat up and kill weed seeds

All manuscripts submitted for consideration should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Editorial content may be reproduced only by permission of the publisher. The Rural Voice makes every effort to see that advertising copy is correct. However, should an error occur, please notify The Rural Voice office within 30 days of invoicing in order to obtain a billing adjustment.

NH

ORTH URON

PUBLISHING COMPANY INC.

A division of North Huron Publishing Company Inc.

Best wishes for a safe and prosperous Harvest Season

WE WANT YOUR GRAIN!

- Licensed grain elevator/ storage/trucking - Custom spraying and custom farming - Competitive rates for renting agricultural land

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

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

CALL BRYAN MCKAGUE

519-392-8187 rkmgrain@gmail.com

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

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

2 The Rural Voice

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

Walton Location 10 Patrick Street, Walton

519-523-9624 • 1-800-663-3653

Call us for Soil Testing this fall

Ruralite

•

Saving Ojibwe Horses “It is going to take First Nations people and settlers working

Mental Health Break

together to ensure the future of these very special horses, and we feel very privileged to be part of that journey.”

“I go for a mental

~ Sallianne Patch on being caretakers of Ojibwe horses. See page 22

health walk every day whether I am on the

JOKES ● What farm animal keeps the best time? A watch dog ● What did the mama cow say to the baby calf? It’s pasture bedtime. ● What do you call a cow with no calf? Decaffeinated

farm or off the farm.” ~Bethany Parkinson, social worker and farmer. See page 14.

Word Play ● A cow stumbles into a pot field ... the steaks have never been higher. ● Crushing soda cans is soda pressing ● In search of fresh vegetable puns ... lettuce know ● He who laughs last ... didn’t get it. ● Big shout out to my fingers ... I can always count on them.

FARMING IN OCTOBER “It is impossible to have a healthy and sound society without a proper respect for the soil.” ~ Peter Maurin

•

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

• If the going gets easy you are probably going downhill

Meet Dodge

• Patience is the counting down without

Farmers like to have a little fun as Bonnie Sitter noticed when she asked the name of this ram at the farm of Raimund Eisert who lives on Babylon Line in South Huron.

Photo by Bonnie Sitter

•

blasting off

October 2022 3

2022 FALL STOCKER & CALF SALES Blue Water Angus Sale October 15, 2022 Viewing 9:00 am Sale Time 1:00 pm Cargill Auction Barn - Cargill, ON

If you wish to consignee contact Sale Manager Cam Hill 519-373-6993

Grey-Bruce Livestock Co-op WIARTON SALES BARN

ANNUAL CALF SALE

Thursday, October 27th 10:00 am Terry Moser, Pres. 519-375-7957 For further details visit the website greybrucelivestockcoop.ca 4 The Rural Voice

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

Royals and servants I got up early to watch the Queen’s funeral to pay respects for her stoic life of service. I respect the monarchy and the role they play in public office.

It was a somber, grand ceremony and I reflected on the Queen after I left the telly to don my wellies and fork out horse manure in the barn.

Quite different, my life is, from that of a royal. I come from a long line of farmers and truthfully, I prefer barn boots to high heels. I am proud to carry on the tradition of being stewards of the land and caretakers of creatures, as my parents, grandparents and great grandparents did before me. It’s a role that is being passed down to my own children and in its own right, there is honour in feeding families and taking care of a tiny piece of the planet.

I rarely think of status, other than in-your-face juxtapositions such as watching a royal event before mucking stalls.

Recently, though, I was made keenly aware of how “less than” one can be made to feel when your role is considerably lower on the traditional ladder of success.

I clean cottages as a side hustle, a job I took on after I realized how hard it was to find cleaners for my own cottage Airbnb. I decided to offer the service myself, charge a hefty wage and make some extra money. It was a good fit with my career as I can do it after hours and the work is physical, compared to long hours sitting as a writer and editor.

I was cleaning one cottage when the new guests arrived before checkin time. They were apologetic about their early arrival but also curt, bossy and demanding about tasks that still needed to be done. They did not look

me in the eye and it took me a minute to realize they saw me as a person who cleans toilets and mops floors, which I totally was!

I have no shame about that, nor have I ever felt embarrassed by the work until that moment when I was looked upon as “less than.”

Part of me wanted to say, “Hey, I am a farmer and business owner, thank you very much.” But this was not my place and I was representing the owners of the cottage. So I was courteous and respectful and continued my work while they waited outside.

It was a very humbling experience, to be honest. I haven’t been treated in such a supercilious manner since I served chicken at Dixie Lee back in high school.

While I was a little affronted by the situation, I decided to embrace it and learn from it.

Leaving the cottage spic and span for the guests, I wondered how many times I have been less than friendly or perhaps even dismissive to those who serve in what is perceived as low-skilled and lay-paying jobs.

Have I even made someone feel “less than” because of my expectations, assumptions, internal rankings or because I was in a hurry and wrapped up in my own self?

It gave me pause, because I’m sure I have. That felt very humbling too.

Life never stops teaching us lessons, does it? I hope it will remind me to honour everyone I meet for their humanity as much as I honour Queen Elizabeth for her lifetime of service.

In the end, I think it is more shameful for anyone to look down on another for their job or “status” in life than to work on your hands and knees. Cleaning cottage sure isn’t glamourous but it’s honest work.

We all have our roles in this life.

Some were born to be princes and princesses and as we’ve seen with Prince Harry, being at the top of the totem pole isn’t a happy place for some either.

Whether we be Queens or chambermaids, all work can be considered honourable when done well. ◊

APPLES

APPLES

SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER plus cider, apple butter, jams, honey, pumpkins, squash.

Vail’s Orchards

205654 Hwy. #26 W., Meaford 519-538-4928

After Hours: 519-538-4474

Wholesale & Retail Sales We do custom canning!

Ask for details

• Custom pressing • Custom Apple butter cooking • Cider • Applesauce Laverne & Christina Bauman 6927 Nicklin St., Millbank, ON 519-595-3398 • lavbapplevalley@mwpol.ca

Wholesome goodness - grown & made here!

77697 Orchard Line, Bayfield 519-482-1666

Crunican Orchards 23778 Richmond St. N., Hwy. 4, London OPEN ALL YEAR

• Ambrosia • Cortland • Empire • Fuji • Honeycrisp • Idared • Golden Delicious • Mutsu • McIntosh • Jonagold • Royal Gala • Red Delicious • Spy • Russet • Also: Pumpkins, squash and so much more...

Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 6:00; Saturday: 9:00 - 5:00; Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00

www.crunicanorchards.com

Come visit our farm market.

Indulge in our seasonal products like fresh apples, apple cider, apple pies, apple butter, preserves, bag in box fruit ciders as well as baking.

Offering • fruit wine, hard ciders, fruit liqueurs & fruit spirits (Schnapps) • baking • preserves • sweet ciders & fruit juices • seasonal fruit & so much more

Farm Store is open for shopping & taking reservations for our Tasting room Email: berryfarm@tcc.on.ca

October 2022 5

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

Who decides what science is?

One of the things that adds to the serenity of my neighbourhood is that three of my closest neighbours have cattle quietly pasturing in the fields.Yet I read that this scene is really supposed to make me worry for the fate of the planet.

The most recent reminder that cattle are a danger to the future of hamanity was a piece by Globe and Mail columnist Konrad Yakbuski on French politician Sandrine Rousseau who complained that the habit of French men to grill a steak on the barbecue was dangerous. There was more hope for women who didn’t like beef so well, said the piece.

This article appeared only a month after a similar piece on the perils

6 The Rural Voice

eating beef drew a series of letters to the paper’s editor, three of the authors writing about the danger of eating beef and only one pointing out the fallacies involved in the view.

If ever the growing lack of firsthand knowledge about life on the farm was evident it’s in this sort of story. And it’s dangerous.

Meanwhile, getting very little attention was a published prediction that during the 2019 to 2046 time period Ontario’s population is projected to grow 35.6 per cent, or almost 5.2 million, over the next 27 years from an estimated 14.6 million on July 1, 2019 to almost 19.8 million on July 1, 2046.

Just last spring Premier Doug Ford proudly announced a number of new highways that would expand the growth of the Toronto area northward. This was just prior to his re-election campaign in which Ontario residents showed their approval of this and other promises.

All of the cars on these highways and all of the emissions from the resulting houses would increase urban emissions.

Ah, but I suppose they would help solve the real environmental problem because a lot of pasture land would no longer be available for grazing cattle which are the real threat to the planet’s climate.

I’ll buy the argument that the burping and farting of cattle after they eat grass creates methane, and I admit that previously farmers were unaware ether that cattle expelled methane or that methane was so destructive.

Yet in the “good old days” there were an estimated 50-75 million buffalo roaming the western plains, each one eating grass and expressing methane. We aren’t complaining about the environment or the methane they produced. Instead urban Canadians are likely to complain that modern farming (mostly of wheat or canola) has reduced the territory available to the remaining, sadly-diminished herds.

The rest of the farm I live on grows a rotation of soybeans and corn and from what I can see, the renter heeds environmental prerequisites (better than the previous mixed-farming owner whose farming practices saw us, at the bottom of a long hill, inherit inches of his topsoil).

Still, when I look at large areas of neighbouring beef farms covered by pasture that is fertilized by grazing cattle, (admittedly producing methane), and hay fields fertilized by manure produced by the cattle in winter, without the need to have large machinery tearing over the land to plant and harvest crops, I somehow fail to see the great disadvantage of cattle.

You won’t hear urban critics asking the question, but I wonder about the underlying prejudices of the scientists who claim cattle are dangerous to the planet. And on the same newscasts that promote the danger of beef and other meats, I see praiseworthy stories on food being grown hydoponically in multi-storey downtown buildings. Really? That’s more environmentally friendly than farmland?

Still, I realize I have one unmistakeable fault. At my age I’m just not hip with modern thinking.◊

 Bucket Truck Service  Stump Grinding

Tree Planting & Maintenance

 Tree Trimming/Removal  Free Estimates

Dave Bernard ~ CLINTON, ON 519-482-3976 ~ Established 1998

Fall is Planting Time Large supply of trees and evergreens Get a

25% rebate with native trees...check it out Quote of the month: To plant a Tree is to believe in Tomorrow

Jack & Diana Vos - Owners

519-638-2734

Hours - Open Wed - Fri 8 - 4; Sat 8 - 12 Closed Sunday Monday Tuesday

Check out these reads THE PRUNING ANSWER BOOK This handy, take-it-withyou 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. $19.95 + S&H

BUILDING WITH LOGS Log homes were among the earliest structures erected by settlers but they are still popular and oh so beautiful. This comprehensive book shows you how to build your own log structure with the latest advances in comfort and utility. $24.95 + S&H

Martin’s Nursery

7016 Wellington Rd. 109, Moorefield, Ont. (13 km west of Arthur - 5 km east of Teviotdale) www.pinecorner.ca

Hydrangea Shrubs & Trees

Honey

Shade & flowering trees, For Sale Large selection of Fruit trees (fruit bearing age) Spruce, pine, cedars, hedging & windbreaks, We sell a complete line of Bee Supplies; shrubs, grasses including Extracting Equipment, ORHBS Select & much more! jars, pails, Varroa mite treatments Queens (weekly) and Bees, Nucs, Queens. during season

BEE Supplies Etc.

c/o EMANUEL E.M. MARTIN 42661 Orangehill Road RR #1 Wroxeter, ON N0G 2X0 1 Concession North of Wroxeter on Belmore Line Mon. - Sat. 7 am - 6 pm

Call to order your copy today

The Rural Voice 519-523-4311

October 2022 7

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

Volunteer Fair leads to thankfulness In my mind, Thanksgiving always comes a bit too early here in our part of the world. We are usually just getting started at harvest, and while definitely thankful to have made it that far, there is still a lot of work to do to get past that harvest finish line.

This year, however, while the wheat is safely in the bin, the real part of the harvest has not started yet.

But thankfulness is on my mind as I watch the fall slowly creep across the land. The days are a little shorter, and the nights a little cooler, but during the day sometimes you can still convince yourself that it is still

summer. Until you close your eyes and take a whiff of that fall air – determining the seasons just by smell is one of the advantages of this job.

I was fortunate to be part of an event held recently in Wingham at the North Huron Wescast Community Complex. The Wingham Community Connectors hosted the first Volunteer Fair in conjunction with the Perth-Huron United Way Kickoff. The day reminded me of the great community we live in and how thankful I am to be part of it.

To start, the Wingham Community Connectors is a wonderful group that does just what the name suggests – connects community members with events and services that are going on within the community. Formed in 2018, their mission statement is as follows: “We provide the spark for community growth and development by building sustainable connections between people, community and resources in Wingham and area.” Their vision is of a community that is “vibrant, friendly, and

Liquid Mold Inhibitor for Baled Mixed Hay Reg. # 983454 Features and Benefits

• Consistent Results • Mold Control

• Bale hay at higher moisture for higher feed value • Higher leaf content = more protein per acre

GRK Products thanks customers for their business this year, and looks forward to serving you again!

GRK Products RR #1 Gorrie, ON N0G 1X0

1-519-335-6764 • 1-519-807-4406 cell email: grkproducts@wightman.ca Other dealers: Janholm Farms, Brunner - Larry Yantzi 519-502-6036; Dirksen Ag, Harriston - Scott Dirksen 519-321-9127 8 The Rural Voice

alive with opportunities.”

The group is largely accessible through their Facebook page and roughly encompasses the area bounded by Blyth, Teeswater, Lucknow, and Fordwich. Community members are invited to share and post relevant events including photos from events, job postings, volunteer opportunities, and things that might be of interest to community members. It is not a buy and sell page, nor a place that welcomes negativity. Rather, it is intended to provide a “respectful, uplifting, and safe space for everyone.”

The Volunteer Fair the group hosted was a great way to showcase and celebrate all the work that gets done by volunteers. People attending the event came away commenting on the positive energy and joyfulness that they felt in the room. About 30 organizations were represented at the fair and just seeing those groups made me realize how vibrant and alive our community is.

The groups represented helpers, various forms of recreation, events, and municipalities. Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Blyth Festival, Centre for Employment, Choices for Change, Elementary School Fair, Farmers Market, Friends of the Library, G2G Trail, Girl Guides and Scouts Canada, Horticultural Society, Hospital Auxiliary, Ladies Auxiliary Legion, Lighting of the Lights, Lions Club, Musical Muskrat Festival, North Huron Food Share, One Care, Parent Councils from F.E. Madill and Maitland Elementary School, Restore, Salvation Army, Township of North Huron, United Way Perth Huron, Wingham BIA, Wingham Community Garden and Orchard, Wingham Community Trail Committee, and Wingham Homecoming Committee 2024 were all represented.

I was volunteering as part of a group from the United Way. September is the month that United Way Perth-Huron kicks off their annual fundraising campaign across the region. The North Huron Community Committee, a part of United Way Perth-Huron, celebrated its first year of existence and

revealed the fundraising goal at the event, with money raised going toward supporting a new Connection Centre planned for Wingham.

United Way Perth-Huron Kickoff events were also held in Exeter, Goderich, Listowel, St. Marys, and Stratford. All the events included lots of food – with Stratford hosting pulled pork on a bun meal, St. Marys enjoying a town wide pizza night and bed races, Exeter holding a soup challenge among local restaurants, and Goderich hosting a picnic in the park.

Digging into these events shows how many groups and businesses also generously support the community by contributing. Eleven local restaurants from Wingham and Blyth donated prizes to the event including The Blyth Inn, Cornerstone Pizza and Subs, New Orleans Pizza, Great China House Restaurant, Riverview Local Eatery, Castings Public House, Frosty Queen, Sunnyside Grill, Cherrey’s Dog House, McDonald’s Wingham, and ThaiVille Restaurant.

Pick a Posie Vintage from Blyth and The Workshop from Wingham offered sponsorship while the Wingham Knights of Columbus Centre supported the event.

Wingham Air Cadets hosted Cherrey’s Dog House Truck and Beavertails food truck was also in attendance. On top of all that, four groups provided musical entertainment outside of the Complex, donating their time, talent, and energy. 101.7 The One and Julie B. also promoted and supported the event.

All of these groups, organizations, and businesses are made up of people and people form fabric that makes our communities strong and vibrant.

Coming together in this way brings out the best in us, reminding me of the quote from Mahatma Ghandi that “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Running through that list of people who step up in our community, I am thankful to see how many care enough to build organizations that help support our most vulnerable members, build people up, and bring us together. ◊

SEED DIRECTORY Locations ~ Blyth and Walton

Seed, Crop Protection, Fertilizer, Grain Elevators, Custom Application Contact us at 519-523-9624 1-800-663-3653

PH. 519-345-2941 • 800-363-9499 • FAX 519-345-2311 • www.hoegys.com

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

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

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

Lighthouse White Beans R.T. BOLTON & SON 519-525-6430 carl.bolton@tcc.on.ca October 2022 9

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

Just a little beadwork Strolling through the industrial park, I asked around, and took the first job offered.

Hank – his last name was of Swedish origin – ran a small fleet of truck-mounted, industrial steamers used to remove the stink of unrefined oil from equipment and buildings and thaw ice-choked culverts.

Tall, spare, with a shock of dark hair and skin that would surely darken to a leathery consistency when exposed to the sun; Hank reminded me in a small way of my father. He liked his sardines wrapped in a single slice of white bread, showed me how to trace back the wiring to enable brake lights on the

10 The Rural Voice

trucks – there were no actual brakes – and told me of being stranded miles from his oilpatch bunkhouse.

“My old pins, they sure were sore when I got back.”

I hitched my way there for the job.

Walking to the outskirts of town, an older indigenous fellow with an aging pickup appeared who seemed, now that I think about, to have been waiting for my arrival. I hopped in and he looked me over, then poured an ample amount of whisky into the mug sitting on the level dash and accelerated slowly to a sedate pace.

Few words for spoken until about 90 minutes into our journey.

He asked if I’d like to meet his nieces, offered me a meal and a roof for the night. I immediately thought of my friends in town, the wisdom of stopping in an unknown locale and offered what I hoped was a polite refusal though the thought of taking up the offer intrigued me.

He left me at the crossroads.

Dahlia told me she was born in a tent and was the first of the people to have completed Grade 12, travelling south to Edmonton for the

experience. She attempted to elaborate upon the subject but considering my initial incomprehension simply offered the words, “You don’t know what it was like.”

She said I was “old-fashioned” on more than one occasion and after having taken my clothes while I was showering – Geena was a willing accomplice in the caper – told me that my legs were too short for my body.

Geena, Dahlia informed me, had a four-year-old boy. Pregnant at 13, she would ride bareback on one of little horses that persisted in that place. She was regarded in a poor light for her mixed heritage, and unlike Dahlia, was most reserved in both word and demeanour.

It was a fall day when Geena and I walked to the bottle depot to claim the deposit. Our bottles, we were informed, needed to be emptied of butts and stale beer and we were told “not here” and the word “dirty” was applied.

I looked the pair of fellows over, a good fit for that place or any bottle depot in the country I thought, and I signaled to Geena that we would comply. On our way back, change in our pockets, I made an offer, “You can come with me if you want, when I go.”

It was Dahlia I admired though. It was sometime later that she asked if I would purchase, for only $20 dollars, a pair of deerskin boots with “just a little beadwork.” With thick pair of woolen socks, they’re keep my feet warm in the coldest of weather and could be accompanied by a pair of rubber overshoes if the weather grew sloppy. I would, of course, need to see her mother for the fitting.

I declined, a decision I’ve regretted on more than one occasion, though I wonder now, as I did then, where it might have led. *** “And what of Dahlia’s brother?”

Pinkie asks.

“I don’t remember seeing him since that midnight encounter in the field near the motel, Pinkie. With the job in the oilpatch, I left the girls to look after the trailer on their own. I’d return on the odd weekend, but

stayed in the hotel. I liked the quiet, the solitude, the opportunity to sleep in late.”

“So, you moved on?” Pinkie offers, as much a statement as a question.

“I didn’t mention this, Pinkie, but the trailer rental agreement was in my name. I sublet to others, the pressman at work and his girlfriend, the buxom Miss Brown who seemed interested in a relational change, given her penchant for dressing skimpily when I was alone with her.

They moved on. Next were a pair of brothers around my age who thought it appropriate and amusing to throw pennies at the young women who served drinks at the bar. It wasn’t long before I insisted that they find other accommodations.

“One more thing, Dahlia and Geena lost the trailer. It was a week later that I received an invoice, my name having been attached to the place. I paid the tab, the cost of a pair of deerskin boots.” ◊

HIGH CAPACITY ROLLER MILL RENTALS FOR SHELLED CORN • 3-3200 bu. (75 tonne)/hr. roller blowers - 1000 RPM • 2-3200 bu. (75 tonne)/hr. roller with auger discharge 1000 RPM • 4 MILLS with NEW ROLL/SPEED COMBO PRODUCING FINER CORN FOR DAIRY OPERATIONS RENTING Since 1982

CG FARMS

CARTER GINGERICH 5001 Rd. 104 Gads Hill N0K 1J0 Cell 226-929-1783 call/text email: CARTERGFARMS@gmail.com formerly Midwest Farm Systems

VITAMIN/MINERAL & SPECIALTY FEED PRODUCTS FOR LIVESTOCK

69819 London Rd., R.R. #1 Centralia, ON 1IPOF t t 'BY & .BJM LQBMFO!LFOQBM PO DB t XXX LFOQBM PO DB

HURON FEEDING SYSTEMS Your local authorized dealer for...

Brussels

www.howickmutual.com 1-800-265-3033 Farm • Home • Auto • Commercial

519-887-6289 www.huronfeedingsystems.com October 2022 11

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

George Mackenzie and Dave Winston were already sitting at a window table at Mabel’s Grill the other morning when the old pick-up pulled into the parking lot.

“Look at that!” said Dave. “I bet I could use my old music tapes if I had a truck that old.”

At that point, Cliff Murray got out and headed toward the restaurant door.

“Wouldn’t you know it!” muttered George, shaking his head.

“Morning all,” Cliff said, nodding to Molly Whiteside and Mabel as he made his way to his seat.

“You traded in your old beater, I see,” said Dave, suppressing a smile.

“And got a newer beater instead,” added George.

“No sense watching money fly out of my bank account with depreciation

like you guys with your new trucks,” said Cliff as he scanned the menu Molly had left for him.

“You know I’ll bet I could have got you more money for your old truck than you did,” said Dave. “I was at one of those antique car shows and saw a truck just like your old one.”

“That’s who I sold my truck to,” said Cliff. “Some guy saw my truck when I got out of it at the parking lot at the fall fair and offered a good price to buy it.”

“Even with the hole rusted in the floor boards?” George wondered.

“Yup. Paid me so much money that I had enough to get my new truck – with some left over,” said George. “Any of you guys had an offer like that when you traded in your fancy four-wheel-drive models after two or three years?” he smirked as Dave and George shared a look of wonder.

“Say, that’s an interesting old truck,” said Molly as she glanced out the window at Cliff’s old truck.

“That’s my new truck,” smiled Cliff.

ver 40 Years

ervice For O ing Reliable S

Provid

t' For You An 'Easy Lif r o o D y n A Of Making

SIN

4

97

1 CE

FA

CT

OR

YO

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

UT

LE

T

EASY LIFT DOORS LTD.

800 667-3845

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

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

AGRICULTURAL • RESIDENTIAL • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL 12 The Rural Voice

“He’ll be picking up the bill today,” smirked Dave, nodding toward Cliff. “He’s the one who’s in the money this morning.

“Sure, why not,” smiled Cliff.

Molly cocked a quizzical smile at them but things were busy enough that she just copied down their orders on and returned to the kitchen.

“Next year your buyer will probably have that antique truck in the parade at the fair,” Dave added, entering the conversation again.

“I doubt that,” snorted George.

“It’ll take longer than that to get the hole in the floor and the upholstery fixed and a new paint job on that old truck,.”

“That’s his problem, not mine,” shrugged Cliff. “At least it won’t be taking up space in some junkyard.”

“I thought I’d swing by the orchard and pick up a gallon of apple cider on the way home,” he added.

“It ought to be the fermented kind, so you can celebrate,” said Dave.

“Nah, I’ll stick with the oldfashioned kind,” Cliff said.

“I saw on the television the other night a story about a new place making alcoholic cider,” said George. “Seems like there’s a story every other day about some new place making booze – some new brewery or winery or distillery.”

“Funny thing,” Dave said, “people are always complaining that what we get for our crops is too much. Then they get our corn or barley or wheat or oats made into some alcoholic drink and they don’t complain about the price at all.”

“Unless it’s for the tax the government charges on alcohol,” Cliff added. “Then they complain plenty!”

“If my old grandfather wasn’t dead he’d probably keel over what with all the places making booze these days,” said George. “He remembered when there was a prohibition on making all alcohol.”

“Yeh, but those were the days when there was a big family on every 100-acre farm,” said Cliff. “People could get away with a few cows and a few pigs and a few acres of crops.”

“Of course they also had to get by with old trucks like the one you sold with no music but the radio,” chuckled Dave. ◊

Fall Savings

bg 50 GAS HANDHELD BLOWER 27.2 CC • 0.7 KW • 3.6 KG/7.9 LB ①

SAVE $30

19999

$

MSRP $229.99

bga 57 BATTERY BLOWER AK 20 • AL 101 • 118 WH • 2.3 KG/5.1 LB ②

SAVE $30

269

$

99

③

MSRP $299.99 Unit price without battery and charger $199.99 Dealers may sell for less. Pricing on all chain saws, power tools and accessories will remain in effect until November 25, 2022. Illustrations and descriptions are as accurate as known at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. STIHL Limited is not responsible for a printing error, the local STIHL Dealer has the final authority to set product pricing. Pricing valid at participating dealers only while supplies last. ① Weight without fuel. ② Weight without battery. ③ Unit priced with battery and charger.

FORMOSA

Lloyd Kuntz Sales & Service

519-367-2913 lloydkuntz@wightman.ca

LUCKNOW/MT. FOREST Robert’s Farm Equipment

36469 Amberley Rd/435 Sligo Rd. W. 519-529-7995/519-323-2755

GODERICH

Argyle Marine & Small Engines Inc. 3 kms. N. on Hwy. 21

11152_STIHL_Fall_AdMat_Blowers_EN_Final.indd 1

519-524-5361

MITCHELL

Wighty’s Repairs Inc. Highway 8 West

www.wightysrepairs.com 519-348-0404

DUNDALK

Highland Supply

519-923-2240 / 1-800-265-9154 www.highlandsupply.ca

MILVERTON

Albrecht’s Chain Saw Service

R.R. 1, Milverton (Line #67 Lane 4158) 519-595-2579

2022-06-29 10:29 AM

October 2022 13

Mental Health

Guardian Network supports farmers The Guardian Network trains volunteers to be aware of mental health changes among farmers and offer support • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot • The Guardian Network is offering monthly training sessions to help volunteers know what to look for and what to say if they are worried a farmer needs support for mental health. At right, Kristin Wheatcroft and Bethany Parkinson (holding lamb) work for the Canadian Mental Health Association which is teaching the program as part of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s Farmer Wellness Initiative.

S

eeking help for mental health is not a weakness, it’s a strength. Plus it’s a smart choice for your family and business, say professionals launching the new Guardian Network.

“Having people in your community normalize that we have ups and downs is so important. And having them encourages you to connect with someone in mental health because it is really smart of you, your family, your farm, our animals,” says Kristin Wheatcroft, team lead for farm mental health programs at the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The Guardian Network is a volunteer program which trains people who work in close contact with the agricultural community to observe changes in individuals which may indicate a developing mental health issue. A Guardian is a caring individual who has successfully completed The Guardian Network training program so they can provide acute support to producers who are presenting at risk for suicide.

With a pilot of the training completed, network leaders are now accepting applications for the monthly Guardian training sessions. The Guardian program is part of the Farmer Wellness Initiative (FWI) launched by the Ontario 14 The Rural Voice

Federation of Agriculture in response to concerns about mental health in the agricultural community.

“Right now is a stressful time for farmers,” says Wheatcroft. “This year has been particularly hard.” Along with the usual stressors of variable weather, farm family relationships and succession planning and financial issues, producers were dealing with livestock health issues such as avian influenza and exorbitant input costs due to geopolitical issues beyond farmers’ control. Plus, the weather has been extreme.

This can lead to stress, distress and suicidal thoughts in farmers who aren’t coping with all the demands of agricultural life.

Oftentimes, it’s difficult for those with mental health issues to recognize what is happening to them or talk about it. But peers, salespeople, veterinarians, agronomists, community-minded people and friends may notice signs of struggle.

“Guardians will be trained to recognize when something is off on the farm,” explained Wheatcroft.

“They might see that the barn looks different than it usually does or that someone isn’t on time or not where they were supposed to be when they used to be punctual.”

Guardians are encouraged to ask farmers how they are doing.

Wheatcroft said future Guardians practise these conversations in the training so they know what words to use and develop a comfort level. “A big part of the training is role playing and watching a facilitator who is a trained social worker do it,” she said The training also clears up the misconception that asking someone if they plan on hurting themselves will make them do it. “That is just not true. There is no research to support that. It is actually okay to ask someone how they are doing and express concern if you are worried,” says Wheatcroft.

Wheatcroft says having someone alongside when a farmer needs help, to get the support they need, is invaluable.

“It cannot be underestimated how powerful that can be,” she said. “It is hard to get help alone.” ethany Parkinson agrees. She is a registered social worker and the psychological support coordinator and trainer for The Guardian Network.

“Farming is a lifestyle with stress and uncertainty,” says Parkinson.

“One of the biggest supports outside of counselling relationship support, is knowing that they can have a conversation with a veterinarian or seed salesman or folks in their community. “ She also encourages farmers to develop their own coping strategies.

“I know it’s hard for farmers, but try to get a good night’s sleep. That is a huge factor for mental health.”

Parkinson also encourages them to eat regularly and get off the farm to do things that promote well-being and happiness.

Parkinson is holding Guardian sessions monthly and says if a group wants to join, she can set up a session just for that group. The sessions include role playing, practising

asking questions and identifying critical moments of stress.

“Guardians worry about asking questions but the way I frame it, it is better to ask the question than not. If you don’t ask, there is the worry that something will actually happen to that farmer,” says Parkinson.

Parkinson is a farmer herself, currently involved in succession planning to take over her parents’ farm alongside her brother. Farming is her lifestyle and social work is her nine to five job. Having lived with, and been a farmer her whole life, she is very aware of the need to take care of her own mental health.

“I go for a mental health walk every day whether I am on the farm or away from the farm,” shared Parkinson. “I take in deep breaths and I reach out to my own mental health supports.”

She is not ashamed to say she also goes to counseling. “I find that people are often shocked that a person who is a social worker needs her own support. But it is something I really value so I share that with people.”

B

Alongside the Guardian Network, the OFA launched a telehealth line as part of the FWI. The telehealth line that makes mental wellness support available to all Ontario farmers went live on September 13. The FWI is addressing growing mental health concerns in the agricultural sector by offering more accessible mental health and wellness support to farm families across the province.

“The mental health crisis in the agriculture community has been well documented in recent years and the FWI fills a critical gap for farmers and their families across Ontario,” says Peggy Brekvevd, farmer and President of the OFA. “Bottom line – if you are part of a farm family in Ontario and need mental support for any reason, this telehealth line is available to you.”

OFA partnered with the CMHA to launch this initiative. The confidential help line is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English and French and services up to 30 other languages.

The mental healthline for farmers can be reached at 1-866-267-6255. ◊

#1 Handi Quilter Dealer in Canada

Janome Top 10 Dealer

SEWING, QUILTING, EMBROIDERY & LONGARM QUILTING MACHINES SALES and SERVICE NEW policies - Please call to book Service appointments and/or Sales demonstrations. You may also shop online www.sewandsavecentre.com

149 Downie Street Stratford, ON

519-271-9660

IT’S WORTH THE DRIVE!

Authorized Dealer for Handi Quilter & Janome We service MOST makes and models We have been in business since 1969

www.sewandsavecentre.com October 2022 15

Rural Life

Campers head to Greener Pastures Carl and Andrew Van Rooyen welcome campers to their beef and hog farm to share their space and agricultural vision • By Jeff Tribe •

Using Harvest Host and Hipcamp online, the Van Rooyens of Oxford County offer campsites on their beef and hog farm to travellers such as the Bouchard family (right) who wanted an authentic rural experience for their summer vacation.

T

he Bouchard family had no problem with a photo in front of their travel trailer ... as long as we took one first with a panoramic view of Greener Pastures’ Eco Farm’s rotational grazing field in the background.

“This is why we’re here,” explained Yves Bouchard, indicating a classically bucolic vista with a sweep of his hand.

The emergence of organizations such as Hipcamp, Harvest Hosts and Terego combining camping or alternative accommodation with agricultural and other operations is opening up opportunity for a deeper dive into authentic and educational rural experiences.

And while the Bouchard’s spacious campsite had its own picnic table, fire ring flanked by a pair of comfy wooden recliners and a nightly opportunity for a beautiful sunset, it was the uniquely rural ambiance they were celebrating, roosters crowing at dawn, an on-farm tour, cattle lowing in the gathering dusk.

“Just lovely,” smiled Vicki Bouchard. “I could listen to cattle all day.”

Sharing their regenerative agricultural vision has always been a passion for Greener Pastures owner-operators Carl 16 The Rural Voice

and Andrea VanRooyen, whose 75-acre pasturebased/humanely raised/heritage breed operation is southeast of Woodstock along Oxford Road 14. Embracing the tenets of pasture-raised proponent Joel Salatin, the VanRooyens sequentially rotate their 40-member mostlyBelted Galloway herd through 45 acres of pasture. They are followed up a half-dozen days later with chickens, capitalizing on concentrated insects and by-products courtesy of the cattle’s passage.

The farm also hosts cold-hardy and disease and sunburn-resistant Tamworth swine, animals essentially living in their natural state. Utilizing or ‘layering’ the same ground in this complementary way effectively expands their acreage through productivity believes VanRooyen, natural processes regenerating rather than simply sustaining soil.

Greener Pastures is not certified organic, rather what Carl terms ‘selfcertified ecological’ — an open doors policy allowing consumers to both be educated on and personally view their approach before drawing their own conclusions. Any supplementary feed or minerals fed to cattle and chickens are certified organic, although the pigs are fed local byproducts which are not.

Pastured beef does take longer to prepare for slaughter than conventional counterparts, a minimum of 24 months and up to 30.

However, the extended growth period and added care and management required are offset through a premium based in part on purported elevated levels of vitamins A, D and E as well as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Starting out at a price point Carl describes as ‘middle to high end’, marketplace evolution compared to their consistency for the past seven or eight years has narrowed the gap considerably between their, for example, $8.50 per pound of ground beef, and that available at box stores.

Greener Pasture products are marketed through an onsite retail outlet also featuring Blue Cow Delivery and other local producer products (greenerpastures ecofarm.ca), and Saturday mornings at the Woodstock Farmer’s Market.

The camper hosting concept originated in Europe says Carl, brought to North America by a variety of organizations looking to replicate its success. Initially, he said, it may have been more breweries, golf courses, wineries and even restaurants.

“But farms are becoming more common now.”

His parents Francis and Connie introduced the idea, based on their own experience.

“His mom and dad said ‘You’ve got to do this, you’re already better set up than anyone we’ve been to,’” recalled Andrea.

Greener Pastures is located just off the confluence of Highways 401 and 403. Considerations to farm hosting included the potential for additional revenue from increased onsite retail sales and nightly fees, as

Farm to Table

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

$4.99 $4.79 $4.89 $4.49

*Freezer Pork

$/lb.

half or whole

$2.79

* Cutting, wrapping, freezing included in pricing

Meadowview Farm & Apiary Clare and Gwen Gerber

PURE ONTARIO HONEY •Beeswax • Beeswax candles • Nucleus colonies Grass-fed Beef

Chicken

Available to order by the side or mixed quarter.

At the farm store: Assorted cuts & patties

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

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

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

RR 2, 91104 Holmes Line, Wingham

519-262-3130

www.metzgermeats.com

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

Farm To Cup!

Shop online or stop in to see us 86252 Kintail Line, Goderich 519-671-4118

NEW Coffee Bean Market Stand is OPEN daily.

We hand roast in small batches, strictly fresh for order.

Our goal is to discover incredible coffees, build trusted relationships with coffee producers and bring you an unparalleled Coastal Coffee experience.

Check out www.coastalcoffee.ca for list of retailers and restaurants.

October 2022 17

well as, not inconsequentially, an opportunity to share their agricultural vision and develop new relationships.

In the end, Greener Pastures aligned with Hipcamp and Harvest Hosts (both North American-wide entities, the former based out of Toronto, the latter from the U.S.), which in generalized, broad terms, represent the two basic models Carl is aware of.

Harvest Hosts patrons pay an annual membership fee, which he believes is around $100.

“It’s not an incredible amount,” interjected Andrea.

Members essentially stay on location free of charge, for one night.

“But the expectation is you support the people you are staying at,” says Andrea.

Harvest Host patrons must be selfcontained in terms of plumbing, food and power and hosts are expected simply to provide a place to park.

“We try to provide a little more than that, but that’s all we have to do.”

Hipcamp is what Carl describes as a “more traditional” campground model, through which patrons pay a set site fee per evening, or as many evenings as is mutually agreed upon.

There is no requirement for hosts to book, should they be planning their own holiday, for example.

Both organizations carry insurance to cover hosts, and both offer online platforms featuring

18 The Rural Voice

The Van Rooyen kids help too.

Filling bags with wood (right) are Maiya, Jaedyn and Corryn. Below, Andrea Van Rooyen offers free‐ range pastured eggs from their farm’s onsite retail outlet. Bottom, a tourism and innovation grant helped with trail and site improvement, signage and picnic table construction. Bottom, left: Carl Van Rooyen holds up the needlepoint packages displaying images from Greener Pastures which were designed by an enthusiastic guest.

NATURAL ALTERNATIVE FOR SCOUR TREATMENT & PREVENTION

location and host descriptions, rules of conduct for both hosts and guests, booking and two-way communication portals, hosts receiving an emailed reminder on the day guests are scheduled to arrive.

“I still get the odd call, but really, everything is booked online,” says Andrea.

There are also reviews on the site, which the VanRooyens are aware of, but don’t specifically focus on. There is also a members-only portal where hosts are able to review campers prior to accepting bookings.

“Our experience has just been so positive,” says Andrea.

Greener Pastures features three dedicated sites: Cider Patch, Heart of the Forest, and The Fringe. The structured sites tend to be prioritized toward Hipcamp campers in case of conflicting bookings, due to the lesser requirements and expectations of self-sufficient Harvest Host patrons.

Through Hipcamp, their sites cost $40 per evening, which includes access to a port-a-potty. But there is a wide range of options available throughout the organization says Carl, ranging from a basic spot in a field or urban driveway, to glamping or permanent structures, ranging in price from $20 to $200 per evening.

“It’s kind of whatever you’re looking for.”

Their association with both organizations has provided a welcome additional revenue stream, along with additional administration Andrea has assumed responsibility for, and what could be termed shared customer service requirements. The huge majority of Harvest Hosts guests do support the on-site retail outlet, many to a point beyond a campsite fee, although there is a tiny, disappointing minority which take advantage of the relationship.

“The idea is you hope people will value it the same way you do,” says Andrea.

Conversely, many who have paid for a site through Hipcamp, also make food purchases.

“Because we have the store, they tend to shop anyway,” says Carl.

In conjunction with becoming farm hosts, the VanRooyens

New & Improved

WGS

A NATURAL ALTERNATIVE FOR SCOUR TREATMENT & PREVENTION WGS is a multi-vitamin, electrolyte, and polyphenol extract supplement for gut regulation in calves.

• Use it as a preventative tool for scours, or double dose for treatment • Use WGS on resistant scours that won’t go away • Can be mixed in milk, drenched or top-dressed • OVER 25,000 calves fed daily in Europe and Canada

EASY-SIMPLE-EFFECTIVE Please call for more information or to try this innovative product

E “P’ IPL TR

CONSUL

TIN G

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

October 2022 19

PROPANE - LUBRICANTS FUEL - CARDLOCK Now offering…

The One Sixteen Bush Buggies are now available through a dealer network. Available in both powdercoat and galvanized fnish. Heavy duty design for both work and play.

Get in touch with the nearest One Sixteen dealer to discuss what options and accessories are right for you.

• 42x56 or 44x72 Box Size • 22-11-8 Knobby Tires • 14 ga Sheet Metal • Removable Tail Gate • Walking Tandems

• 4 Tie Down Rings • 2in Coupler • Available in Painted or Galvanized • 3 Year Warranty • Hand winch for dump assist

Save fuel by up to 3% Manufactured by:

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

20 The Rural Voice

7278 Rd. 116 RR1, Linwood ON N0B 2A0

(519) 698-2085 | sales@onesixteentrailers.ca | www.onesixteentrailers.ca

successfully applied for a tourism and innovation grant offered through Oxford Tourism, Community Futures Oxford and the Rural Oxford Economic Development Corporation, a $3,000 contribution boosted with $7,000 of their own money providing enhanced trail and site enhancements, signage and picnic tables.

“That has been very helpful and appreciated,” credited Andrea.

People can investigate the farm on their own, but value-added opportunities including farm tours, their three daughters’ firewood shack, and picnics featuring Greener Pastures and other local products help contribute to a welcome revenue stream, which tends to be outside previously existing relationships.

“It’s not about the money, but it’s not not about the money,” explained Carl frankly.

Monetizing their agricultural operation through this manner dovetails nicely with their underlying goal of sharing their farm and farming journey, against a backdrop of Carl’s realization that while their names are on the title deed, they are white European settlers operating on historically Indigenous lands.

“I would use the word privileged, we are privileged to have this spot,” says Andrea. “It was always about bringing community into that. This is a way to do that and make it bigger than just ourselves.”

They also, as farmers who struggle to get away on their own vacations, are able to live vicariously through guest experiences.

“We get to meet a lot of wonderful people,” said Carl.

“Just as weird as us, it makes us feel a little more normal,” Andrea laughed.

Carl believes this style of camping lends itself to the more adventurous, and while many of their guests are from ‘concrete jungles looking to simply experience nature’, they’ve also had a Belgian couple closing out a five-month North American sabbatical with their three children, a 22-member intergenerational birthday party, five couples from Quebec who sourced Greener Pastures’ night skies for a star-gazing adventure, and a social media pair

Carl Van Rooyen (with wife Andrea) created a wagon ride option by repurposing a manure spreader while Andrea makes guests feel welcome with little touches such as fresh flowers on picnic tables.

who closed out a lengthy tour of Mexico, The United States and Canada with a semi-impromptu formalization of their relationship augmented by staged lighting, conditional on proper weather and setting.

“They were like all giddy,” Carl recalled. “It was like, ‘We might get engaged tomorrow.’

“We came out the next day and they showed us the ring.”

And while some might prefer keeping their private rural settings private, Carl and Andrea speak fondly of sharing their experiences and journey with like-minded individuals who appreciate the opportunity and teach them things in return.

“It brings to fruition exactly what we want to do with this space, share it and allow others to get joy in the way we do,” Andrea summed up.

The Bouchards were looking for all of that and more, after connecting with the VanRooyens at the local farmers market. A manager from a mental health agency highly stressed

through COVID, Vicki values the opportunity to relax, sit and embrace nature’s calming effects as their son Bastien rides his bike around the property, or connects with the VanRooyen sisters.

“I don’t sit well anywhere else,” she smiled.

Beyond that, they’re ‘pretty locally committed people’ who are financially able and choose to support that option, where possible.

“We’re showing Bastien where this all comes from,” says Vicki.

“We talk about it, but it is different from doing it.”

“There’s a face to a product, a story behind it,” Yves added. “And you know where your money is going.”

They do travel more extensively, including to his native Quebec, but also camp just north of Woodstock at Willow Lake.

“This is our community,” Yves summed up.

“And an investment in the place we live,” Vicki concluded. ◊ October 2022 21

Equines

Caretakers of the Spirit Horses The Takona family of Ojibwe horses found sanctuary at Aspens Horses and are now being used to educate school children about Indigenous culture

D

ale and Sallianne Patch have always been horse people but they’ve never had horses like the herd of Lac La Croix Indian Ponies, also known as Spirit or Ojibwe horses, at their horse farm near Gads Hill in Perth County called Aspens Ojibwe Horses.

“I’m not saying all Ojibwe horses are like this but this family is amazingly gentle with each other and with us as

human beings,” says Sallianne who stresses that she and Dale do not own these horses. Instead, they are caretakers of this historical breed which came to their farm, known as Aspens Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary, as a family.

The four horses arrived semi-feral, with the sire Takona, a dam and their two offspring. The youngest was 11 and the four had always lived together, under the care of another caretaker who was ready to pass on the responsibility to the Patches.

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot • While it took some time to earn their trust, the four with research by Sallianne Patch horses were always gentle. They do not fight for hay or are rammy at feeding or around people. “I have had horses all my life, but I have never come across this,” says Sallianne.

Becoming caretakers of the four Ojibwe horses has put the Patches on a journey concerning First Nations people, their horses, history and the realities of their lives today. They are members of the Ojibwe Horse Society and work with Indigenous teachers when they take the horses to schools and groups with the goal of promotion, preservation and protection of these horses and Indigenous culture.

“The Avon Maitland School Board allows us to visit elementary schools with the horses, where the story of colonization and ultimate survival is told,” says Sallianne. Indigenous educators use a program called ‘Finding the Ojibwe Horse’ by Ken MacDonald to share this story.

The Patches also host a monthly “open barn event” which is supported by Tourism Perth. Each month, an average of 50 visitors get to meet the horses and learn about Indigenous culture.

“Our goal as caretakers is to enable the local indigenous community to access and learn from the herd on the sanctuary, and ultimately to be able to reunite with the horses and care for them themselves,” says Sallianne.

It will take time. It’s expensive to take care of horses. The Patches estimate it costs $4,000 per horse per year for their keep. Indigenous communities already have many issues to deal with and preserving a horse breed is pretty minor to other concerns with the community. This is why caretakers are needed.

To earn their keep, the Takona family of horses Sallianne and Dale Patch have been horse people their entire lives are used with Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) but say the Ojibwe horses they have become caretakers of are not programs. Dale and Sallianne partner with family like other horses — they are friendlier, calmer and seem not to services and other agencies to help indigenous display any aggressive tendencies. families reconnect with their equine relatives and discover the special bond they share. Sallianne 22 The Rural Voice

C - 119 Pinebush Rd., Cambridge, ON Fax: 1-866-388-9659 Email: info@waddelleng.com Website: www.waddelleng.com Instagram: @waddell_engineering TikTok: waddell_engineering

Design your next project with our trusted team

W.D. Hopper & Sons Ltd. Seaforth, Ont. 1-888-522-1737 Water Well Drilling: Farms, Irrigation, Residential Grundfos Stainless Pumps Well Abandonments Down Hole Videos Geothermal Drilling Serving You For 100 Years+

Our Newest Addition

believes that because Ojibwe horses have been relatively isolated from colonialist society, they retain an “untamed spiritual connection” that other horses do not have. “They are particularly suitable to engage in connecting with Indigenous people,” she says.

During the EAL sessions, the horses are not ridden. Instead, participants learn to develop a relationship with the horses during groundwork sessions. The goal is for the student to develop a relationship with the horse and learn to communicate effectively. These communication and confidencebuilding skills are meant to carry over into everyday life. With the help of a facilitator, participants become much more aware of how their own body language and verbal skills are received or interpreted. Sallianne took a course to offer EAL and is a former therapeutic ride instructor, as well as a nurse.

Dale and Sallianne use the Ojibwe horses for EAL along with their own warmblood and Icelandic horses.

“It’s not only empowering and insightful but it’s a great deal of fun,” says Sallianne.

The farm also offers “date nights” for couples to spend time with the horses. “With all horses, there is trust.They are non-threatening and there is no judgment.”

The reason Ojibwe horses are also called “Spirit Horses” by the Indigenous people is that, historically, the horses were understood to be “a gift from the Creator that serves as a spiritual companion and an amplifier for powerful healing energy” as stated in a research article by Angela Snowshoe and Noel V, Starblanket.

The Patches have witnessed it.

Stepping into their enclosure does seem to be a calming experience, with the friendly horses eager for a pat and calmly accepting apple treats from Dale and Sallianne.

They explain that Ojibwe horses have many desirable traits that make them perfect “all around” horses.

They characteristics include: – intelligence, with a broad forehead and bright, kind eyes – tolerant of human ineptitude, making them particularly suitable for

wdhopperwaterwells.com E-mail: wdhopper@tcc.on.ca Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment

47 702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH (519) 422-ATVS (2887) sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca

October 2022 23

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage

Deadline for the November

Rural Voice

1990 Ltd. Harriston

is October 11

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

GPS Grade Control

702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH (519) 422-ATVS (2887)

519-338-3484 • Cell 519-323-6335

sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca

Licensed Plumber Are Hard Winters or on Staff High Fuel Prices Draining The ECO Store your Bottom Line?

559 Bervie Sideroad RR #4 Here is the Answer!

Kincardine N2Z 2X5 Way More Affordable then you Think

Commercial 4 Million BTU Gassifier

• 1800 Gallons of Water • Green Houses • Dryers • Farms • Resorts • Gassifier • Wood or Wood Chips • Like Buying Propane at 8¢ a Litre!

Various Units

rvie Supply Be Energy Unlimited

CG Blast • 450,000 BTU approx.

• Green House • Economical • No Plumbing!

• Indoor/ Outdoor • CSA • High Efficiency

Boilers

Installation • Energy Audits Feasibility Studies • Training

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

Solar Panels

?

• Many Sizes • Home RV DC Well and Pool Pumps

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

24 The Rural Voice

• energy independence?

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

Sun-Mar Composting Toilets

• Batteries • AGM • Flooded • Surrete • Solar

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

beginner handlers – common sense – strong animal full of spirit – an average height of 13 hh at maturity (six years) Ojibwe horses are predominantly varieties of dun, bay, black, or grulla and red but can be any colour except white, creams or a variant. All Ojibwe horses have a dorsal stripe. White markings are permitted on the face providing they do extend from eye to eye or are classified as white face. Their action is clean, straight, smooth and flowing.

Dale and Sallianne were actually retired when the opportunity to be caretakers of the Ojibwe horses presented itself. They took on the responsibility to, in a small way, have a part in putting things to rights between settlers and Indigenous peoples.

Also, to protect the Takona family and grow the Ojibwe horse herd. Two of the horses are pregnant.

“It is going to take First Nations people and settlers working together to ensure the future of these very special horses, and we feel very privileged to be part of that journey,” conclude Dale and Sallianne. ◊

Dale and Sallianne Patch (above) of Aspens Horses near Gads Hill in Perth County are caretakers of a herd of Ojibwe “Spirit” horses, a historical breed of horses used by Indigenous peoples.

The Takona family of Ojibwe horses (left) has lived together their entire lives, with the youngest being 11.

They are hardy, “all‐ around’ horses. Two Ojibwe horse mares are pregnant so the herd will increase in size soon.

October 2022 25

Food

Pine River Cheese was days away from opening when this photo was taken in September, with new and former employees donning white coats and head coverings in the packing facility. Eager to revamp the Pine River label are (front row, left to right) Kristy Mostrey, plant administrator; Mary Duden, plant manager; Darlene Richards, packaging supervisor; Kristen VanGent, production supervisor and (back row, left to right) Saager Mogon, quality lead; Ty Henry, maintenance manager and millwright; Paul Bedard, dairy processing specialist; Andrew Scott, millwright apprentice and Paul McDonald, dairy procession specialist. Missing from the photo was Kelly Hanniman, general labourer.

Squeaky curds coming back to Pine River

I

f you’ve been missing the squeaky curds which rolled off the Pine River Cheese assembly line for decades before the plant closed, be ready … they will soon be available again.

“Everyone wants the curds. And they have to squeak,” says Mary Duden, the new plant manager at Pine River Cheese which is now owned by Lucknow District Cooperative and the TG Group headed by Joe Gervasi.

Pine River Cheese was in business for over 130 years before it closed in 2019. The plant had a fire in 2009 and was closed for a year, with managers saying they were never really able to recover from the loss. Lucknow and District Co-op bought the plant in March of 2021 and this new partnership with TG Group is revitalizing the cheese plant and creating the Pine River Mercator Pizzeria featuring top pizza chef, Rodolfo Santo, named Chef of the Year by Canadian Pizza magazine.

During this interview in September, there are still signs by the building asking people not to enter because it seems the community just cannot wait. “People are stopping in all the time,” says Duden, whose background is in quality control with both dairy and cannabis plants. She ran her own food safety consulting business and is a certified Safe 26 The Rural Voice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

With a history of over 130 years, Pine River Cheese is back in business with new owners and a new vision which includes a pizzeria and market

Quality Food (SQF) auditor.

She said when Pine River closed three years ago, all the equipment was left in the building. With a major cleaning and some repairs, the plant is ready to go once the final certification from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAFRA) comes in. She expects to be making cheese in October along with 10 employees, three of which were original Pine River employees.

One of those is Darlene Richards, who is the packing supervisor. She had been working in the cannabis industry since the plant closed but once she found out Pine River was opening, she was keen to come back.

“I thought it would be a unique venture to get it going again because it was so missed in the community.”

Kristin VanGent agrees. She is the production supervisor and was one of the last employees to walk off the floor in 2019. “My heart was here for almost 10 years so it’s good to come back.”

The new Pine River Cheese will offer the same cheddars and flavoured cheeses it was known for which will be for sale in the Mercato (the Italian word for market). Curds will also be offered, of course.

However, the former museum is being repurposed meaning customers can no longer watch the process from the upper viewing area.

Instead, they can choose to sample fresh baked goods, sandwiches and pizza in the restaurant which will be open for breakfast, lunch and supper.

Chef Santo was in house during this interview and never stopped trying to feed me. In fact, I left with a giant pala pizza baked with cheese and porcini mushrooms in a thick, airy crust and topped with tomatoes, arugula, prosciutto and other good things. The pizzeria will offer three pizza bases – pala, teglia (thin, with a crispy bottom and soft inside) and Detroit (thicker, but light with caramelized cheese on the edges.

Santo said it takes 72 hours to create his signature pizza doughs, a process he learned while working in L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele Napoli. He remembers as a boy, his uncle declaring they were going for pizza. Driving a Fiat at crazy speeds from Rome to Naples, they arrived at

his cousin’s pizza store where 80-90 people were waiting outside.

“The pizza I had that day was not just a pizza. It was a memory I will never forget because it was so damn good,” remembers Santo.

Though he went on to earn a Masters in science, and was schooled in both Canada and Italy, pizza was always his passion.

He would return to his cousin’s pizzeria with his uncle, now driving a Mercedes equally as fast, and learned they only made two kinds of pizza – marina and margherita pizza. But they made 3,000 of them per day.

Santo went on to have a career as executive chef for many locations including Excelsior Hotels. He’s not totally sure how he ended up living in Kincardine and

Rodolfo Santo was named Chef of the Year by Canadian Pizza magazine and will be bringing his Italian pizza recipes to the new pizzeria at Pine River Cheese.

October 2022 27

PACKERS: WE BUILD

RUBBER TIRE PACKER SPECIALISTS

Order Now

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

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

MORRIS SACHS SILO CONSTRUCTION New stave silos now available SILO ACCESSORIES SILOS DISMANTLED, REBUILT AND REPAIRS

519-363-3900

Cell # (519) 372-5375 R.R. #2 Elmwood, Ont. N0G 1S0

Liquid Vitamin & Trace Mineral Supplement for Ruminants BioCharge is a mix of lactobacillus fermentation product and barley plant extracts.

Its vitamin and trace mineral blend ensures a quality product for your animals.

T: 1-800-363-5278 Try BioCharge and see for yourself!

F: 519-656-2534 orders@bio-ag.com www.bio-ag.com

28 The Rural Voice

Scan to order now!

helping launch a pizzeria five years into his retirement except that he is good friends with Joe Gervasi and he loves a new project. He also loves the science of making a good dough.

“Over here, dough is not taken very seriously. It is just used as a vessel to put ingredients on,” says Santo. His doughs require water with a lower ph and high hydration so they stay moist for days. Plus, they are filled with air pockets. “It’s a very digestible dough because you do not want to feel bloated after eating a pizza.”

The dough takes 72 hours to make because he uses less yeast, and slows it down to let the enzymes in the flour catch up to reach full maturity and flavour.

Santo is an interesting man and an excellent storyteller besides making pizzas and could probably hold court all day. However, time is needed to tour the plant. Inside, I meet the 10 employees in required white coats and hair nets.

Besides Mary, Darlene and Kristen, the plant has hired: Kristy Mostrey as plant administrator, Saagar Mogon as quality lead, Ty Henry as the maintenance manager and millwright, Paul Bedard and Paul McDonald as the dairy processing specialists, Andrew Scott as a millwright apprentice and Kelly

Hanniman as a general labourer.

Once the cheese plant is up and running, work will continue on creating an environmentally-friendly space outside the plant. Pine River Cheese sits on 60 acres of land, of which some is farmed and some is protected with a conservation easement. Wildflowers are being planted to increase biodiversity.

In the meantime, Duden is keen to start making cheese and bring squeaky curds back to Bruce County.◊

Neustadt and District Lions Club

Annual Pork ’n Kraut Supper Sunday, November 6, 2022 at the Neustadt Arena 4:00 to 7:00 pm

519-367-5868

General Manager Mary Duden (top right) walks alongside production supervisor Kristen Van Gent (above, right) in the newly cleaned and updated cheese plant and shares fresh packaged cheese with packaging supervisor Darlene Richards (top). Before opening in October, Pine River was having cheese made by another plant and packaging it on site.

October 2022 29

Farm Safety

Tractor rollover remembered • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

“My chin was parallel with my right ear,” remembers Tyler Harper after tractor accident Tyler Harper (top left) holds his youngest son Vincent in a family photo taken when the antique tractor club the family belongs to visited the Neeb farm in August. In the picture are (left to right) Tyler, Vincent, Vanessa with daughter Brooklyn, Pauline and Paul Neeb, and Floyd Neeb. Tyler and Vanessa’s son, Noah, is sitting on the refurbished 1939 W‐30 McCormick‐Deering, which was involved in the rollover accident

T

yler Harper was on his way to a tractor show when the tractor he was driving rolled over in a ditch.

Now, a year later, tractor enthusiasts met at his farm to show support and make a donation to cover costs associated with the accident.

“It has been a year since the tractor rollover accident that sent Tyler to London hospital in serious condition, with a broken jaw and head injuries. After operations to wire his jaw and keep him stable, the young farmer is again taking on chores and farm work. He will say he was very lucky to survive the accident the way he did,” says Gary West of Perth County, who is also a member of the antique tractor club.

“The members of the antique tractor club wanted to show their support for the young family by donating funds to help cover dental expenses that came after the tractor roll-over accident. Over 50 members with their tractors showed up on the Neeb farm last week to enjoy breakfast together and admire the new sheep and beef barn the Neebs and Harpers had recently built and moved into,” added West.

Taylor is part of four generations of the Neeb family in North Easthope Township of Perth County which hosted the club in August. Tyler Harper farms with his wife 30 The Rural Voice

(Vanessa Neeb) and three children along with father-in-law Paul Neeb and grandfather Floyd Neeb.

It was grandfather Neeb who was keen to take a few antique tractors to a club breakfast last August, at a farm just two and half miles from the Neeb farm. Tyler was driving a McCormick W30 down the road, behind all the other tractors. He had stopped to take a phone call and was back driving when he saw a car coming down the centre of the road.

“I went to move over but there was nowhere to go and it ended up rolling over in the ditch,” recalls Taylor. “That tractor doesn’t go fast but it sure toppled over pretty fast.”

When it was over, Taylor was able to get up and he thought he managed to escape unscathed. So he shut the tractor off and tried to talk to himself but the sound that came out his mouth did not sound like his voice. “I learned later that I had broken both of my jawbones and my chin was parallel with my right ear. It was not in the centre of my face where it was supposed to be.”

A lady stopped and asked if she could call an ambulance. Tyler declined and was brought to the hospital

by his fellow tractor drivers. They drove him to Stratford where he was quickly assessed before being transported to London.

“They didn’t like what they saw and worried that potentially I had chest and brain damage. They told me to lie down on the bed and I do not remember my head hitting the pillow,” recalls Harper. That was Thursday. He awoke Monday morning.

“I had wires, tubes and what not to monitor me,” says Tyler. The breathing tubes were taken out that day and continued monitoring revealed no chest damage or brain damage. Doctors were convinced he had a concussion but Tyler didn’t exhibit any concussive symptoms either.

His face, however, was a mess. “I broke my left upper and lower jawbone and split the centre of my jaw. I also smashed my eye socket on the left side and lost a bunch of teeth.

All the damage was on the left side from the eye socket to the bottom of my chin.”

Doctors fixed him up with steel plates in his jaws and screws through the eye socket bones. Dental care was required to replace 10 lost teeth, which was costly.

A year later, Tyler is back at work with a retainer and very few scars.

He is fully functioning and extremely grateful his injuries were not worse.

He is willing to talk about the accident for this interview but admits he doesn’t think of it often. “It’s just unfortunate how it happened. I don’t typically move over (on the road) as much as I used to because of what happened. The ditches in these parts are not very forgiving.”

The accident was very stressful for his family, who worried about him while he was in the hospital. Just as he worried about them. “It happened just before Labour Day weekend and I have three young kids and school was starting and I was not there for any of that.” Being away from them for a week was “frustrating”.

When Tyler came home from the hospital, the beard he always wore had been shaved off for the surgery he required. “For a couple of days,

my youngest son (who was under one) did not know who I was.”

Taylor is thankful to the antique tractor club for their support. The group had breakfast, toured the barns and socialized. The support of family

6.49%

friends means everything to Taylor.

They even had the McCormick tractor up and running. It was damaged in the accident too, but was operational immediately afterwards.◊

FINANCING FOR 96 MONTHS

3-4 Year Warranty You're free to go explore any direction on Earth with an ARGO XTV ­ the world's more successful amphibious Xtreme Terrain Vehicle. We continue to push the boundaries with the latest innovation and technology to conquer the most challenging terrain.

Go north. Go south. Go east or west.

GO ANYWHERE.

702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH (519) 422-ATVS (2887) sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca

Steve Cronsberry (Owner) 5483 Fifth Line Minto, Palmerston 1­888­534­0393 marquardtfarmdrainage.com

519­343­3233

of providing professionally designed and installed drainage systems.

October 2022 31

Recipes by Carolyn Crawford

Pies, turkey and some green beans

T

hanksgiving is just around the corner, and I thought you would enjoy recipes that you could try for your family feast. Our family serves up the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings but we’re not above trying some different things on occasion. Some things were planned, and others turned out the way they did “by accident”. I’ve included some of our favourites in this column.

Cauliflower & Green Beans This side came from my Aunt Joan, it is quick to put together or can be made ahead and reheated in a warm oven. I adjust the amounts of butter, bread crumbs, and almonds to suit the quantity of veggies I need to serve. If you don’t have fresh beans, this dish will still look attractive with frozen French-style green beans. I have also substituted ground almonds when serving to children or seniors.

You could also add chopped onions and shredded carrot, or, at Christmas time, red, yellow, or green peppers, chopped or thinly sliced. Either way, it’s become a family favourite with us just as it is.

Ingredients: 2 lbs (roughly one large head) cauliflower florets 1 lb fresh green beans, cut in 2” lengths ½ cup butter 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs ½ cup sliced almonds Directions: Cook the vegetables separately until they are crisp-tender. Drain and put in a large bowl. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet (I use my cast iron frying pan) over medium heat about 2 minutes until slightly golden brown. Stir in bread crumbs and almonds. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until nuts are lightly toasted.

Add to hot vegetables; toss to coat.

Rutabaga Casserole Another favourite for us is called turnip casserole, but it really uses rutabagas. There are many variations for this recipe but ours often gets modified with a little more brown sugar and butter and a lot less salt 32 The Rural Voice

than the recipe calls for. If I have sweetened apple sauce, I use less sugar. You can also make this ahead and freeze it. For a large crowd you could put it in greased pie plates to hold in the oven and replace on the table. I must tell you, though, more than once we have forgotten the turnip in the oven!

Ingredients: 2-3 medium sized rutabaga 1 cup apple sauce 6+ tbsp. butter 4 tsp brown sugar (I use ¼ cup) 3 tsp salt (I use only one)

2 eggs, beaten 1 ¾ cup soft bread crumbs 2+ tbsp. melted butter Directions: Cook and mash rutabaga.

Combine ½ the crumbs with remaining ingredients, except a smaller amount of butter. Add mixture to a greased 2-quart casserole or 9x13 pan. Top with remaining crumbs and drizzle melted butter. Heat uncovered at 350F for 30 minutes.

Bacon, Onion & Cabbage I made this one time while hosting When the soft Yellow Transparent apples (below) are ready, the family gets together to make 10 pies for Thanksgiving. Other Thanksgiving favourites include cauliflower and green beans (bottom, left) and a bacon, onion and cabbage dish (bottom) to go with the turkey.

friends at the cottage and it was delicious. Friends have told me that they do something similar and change up the seasonings. A dash of cayenne, smoked paprika, or mixed veggie seasoning blends would be nice to try. I have also used pancetta for the bacon for a nice flavour, too.

Ingredients: 1 lb package of sliced bacon 3-5 cooking onions, coarsely chopped 1 medium sized cabbage, cored, sliced thick, and cut into chunks Salt, pepper, or seasonings to taste Fresh minced garlic (I like lots). One bulb works well but you can use as little or as much as you like.

Directions: Cut bacon crosswise into squares and place in a wok-style skillet that you can put a lid on. When bacon is just cooked (not crisp) transfer to a large plate. In the bacon grease, fry coarsely chopped onion just until tender-crisp. Remove onion and add to the plate of bacon. To remaining grease, add the cabbage and heat, covered, until just cooked. Remove lid; return the bacon and onion to the pan, tossing and heating thoroughly.

Add garlic and any other seasonings.

Zucchini Vegetable Dish Who doesn’t have tomatoes or zucchini at this time of year? My mother-in-law made this zucchini vegetable dish that is perfect for using up the garden bounty. You could add garlic and other seasonings to your preferred taste.

2 tbsp oil 3 tbsp brown sugar 2 tsp prepared mustard 1 cup water ½ cup vinegar 1+ onion, chopped (I like lots of onion) 1 cup celery, sliced thin 2 tomatoes, chopped (substitute ketchup or tomato paste) 4 cups zucchini, chopped or sliced thin Salt & pepper Directions: Put oil, brown sugar, mustard, water, vinegar, and ketchup, if using, in a skillet, stirring to mix. Add onion, celery, and after a few minutes, zucchini, and tomato. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 15

minutes or until zucchini is just cooked. Thicken, if necessary, with tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Carrot Casserole Glazed carrots can be made many ways and many flavourings could be added to this recipe: 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey, orange or pineapple juice, lemon or lime zest, any herbs, and spices you like, ginger, parsley etc. The sky’s the limit! ¼ cup butter 3 medium onions, sliced 2 tbsp flour, or more 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 tbsp sugar (brown, white or maple) 1 chicken bouillon cube or packet ½ cup hot water 1 2 lb bag of baby carrot or carrots cut into coins or sticks Directions: Prepare and cook carrots. Melt butter and cook onions to a tender crisp in a skillet. Mix flour, salt, pepper (plus any other seasonings) and sugar together and add to onion mixture. Heat through. Combine chicken bouillon and hot water with onion mixture. Stir until thick. Place cooked carrots in a casserole dish and pour over the onion mixture. Bake in the oven at 350°F until heated through.

Turkey Dressing Dressing or stuffing, whatever you name it, is often designed by a family’s specific preferences or even by the ingredients available in the area in which they live.

There are so many variations of dressing for turkey that truly there is no way you could mess it up! My mother recalls when her mother assigned dinner-making tasks to her daughters for larger meals such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. One would break up the bread, one chop onions and celery for the dressing, and the other might prepare a salad or other vegetable. One year my aunt was in charge of shredding cabbage.

When she completed her task, she dumped the cabbage in the dressing.

When the meal was cooked and served my grandma asked my aunt, “Where was the cabbage salad you made?” The family had a big laugh

when they learned the cabbage was in the dressing! Mum said the dressing that year tasted great and was especially moist! Now we add apple sauce and use less butter for our dressing. I’ve added more spice than my family likes; they just like ginger, pepper, salt, and poultry seasoning. This is enough for a large 25-30 lb bird.

Ingredients: 3-4 loaves of white bread, ground in a food processor or blender 5 onions, chopped 1 full head of celery (esp. with leaves), chopped ½ cup melted butter ½ cup apple sauce or more depending on moistness of mixture 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp dried sage 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp celery salt 1 tbsp poultry seasoning Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Mix all ingredients together and firmly stuff the turkey.

Harvest Apple Pie We like to have pumpkin pie for dessert, of course, but my sister, Cathy, makes it in a 9x13” glass pan without the pastry and serves it with whipped cream.

Another favourite of ours is apple pie made with Yellow Transparent apples on our farm. They are a soft apple that when picked need to be processed as soon as possible. The closest variety to it is the Mutsu which is more firm than the Yellow Transparents. As the apples are harvested in late July, or early August, we make apple sauce and freeze the pies for later. Our family gets together and we usually make about 10 pies a day (a bushel’s worth of apples) Ingredients: 6-10 yellow transparent apples ½ cup white sugar 2 tbsp flour 2 tbsp butter My family doesn’t like any spice in the pie, but I like to use the Apple Pie Spice blend from Epicure (which I think has cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom) or at the very least put in cinnamon. ◊ October 2022 33

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

Compost — a natural process Compost is elixir for the garden. If I had my way every household, where possible, would have a composter and a wee garden too. We had several composters at the farm. I say that loosely as each one had a different structure and time for dispersal of results. One might say several were not composters but simply piles of brush.

Composting is nature’s way of continuing the cycle of life. Bacteria breaking down materials to return as essential elements and humus to the

soil, in a way that plants can take up the nutrient matter and prosper.

We had several brush piles that over time sank and mouldered but offered a wonderful haven for assorted songbirds, toads and the occasional rabbit family. Another pile located discreetly behind a few overgrown shrubs was for weeds and garden trimmings and was cleaned up every five years or so. It was not a speedy process but it worked and the soil created underneath was wonderful. The last two were on the edge of the vegetable garden and we deposited household waste into them.

The green cone was a bit of a nuisance and we rarely opened it.

The basket in the bottom was sunk into the garden and the nearby pussy willow kept it cleaned out.

The black one was the more traditional one for households. A black cube, it was 36 by 36 by 36 inches complete with a trapdoor at the bottom of one side for easy access to finished compost.

For the most part it worked well and the compost was emptied out twice a season and distributed around the garden. Never enough!

I kept a couple of bags or bins of leaves to add to it every time a pail of

household waste was tossed in.

While it got warm it never really heated up like proper compost can/should.

A composter was one of the first items we purchased when we moved to town. I had always wanted one of those tumbler ones. It sits on a stand and every time you add something you give it a few rolls. I add my leaves, give it a few spins and empty it about three times between March and October. Again, there is never enough of it and sometimes it is a bit coarse as you can make out the white egg shells. We seem to go through a lot of eggs! It is moist but smells fine. I check each time I pop in my household waste and add extra leaves if it appears either too wet or not pleasant smelling. Neither I nor our neighbours want to be plagued with improper composting odours.

So I was delighted to meet John Meyers who is experimenting with composting and has a wonderful setup. We met through Green Goderich, a local organization that advocates for the environment and educates the public on environmental issues, plastic pollution and climate change.

John decided to explore the composting process in hopes that one day the town would undertake a community compost.

Compost expert John Meyers uses a chimney pipe to maintain air circulation in the compost pile (above) and layers with green and brown materials so it will “cook” and kill pathogens and weed seeds.

He made his composter out of pine boards (above, left) but black tumbling composters (left) can be effective as well.

34 The Rural Voice

does not get nearly that hot as we have tomato plants popping up everywhere we used our compost! In fact few home composters will get as hot as that.

John is a detail man and with a very long thermometer he checks the internal temperature of the bins. You stick your arm down the chimney of a pile slowly cooling and feel the heat being generated. Once the microbes have done their job the temperature begins to drop. You can mix the materials and get a second generation of heat.

Once cooled you may think it is ready to spread but allowing it to mature a bit more allows any ammonia to convert to nitrate, any volatile compounds can dissipate or stabilize and accumulated salts can leach away. This is also a time to allow specific microorganisms to colonize the compost.

I am off to dump some household treats into the composter and dream of a lush garden. Happy composting! ◊

CORNER

CRAFTER’S

Unlike me, he does his research before he starts and made three large composters, roughly one metre cubed of rough-cut wood (pine) boards. He drilled large holes for air ventilation.

John literally builds his compost.

To start with he has a piece of chimney pipe about six inches in diameter that he sets in the centre of the composter. As the layers of material are laid in and settle, he gently pulls the pipe out so that when the composter is full there is a natural chimney in the centre for air circulation.

Now the contents! I think any of us who have set up a compost in the backyard will appreciate the balance needed to have a composter work well.

There has to be a ratio of air, water, carbon and nitrogen. Bacteria and other micro organisms break down the materials and to do it properly they need air and moisture.

If you are not prepared to turn your pile then the holes and the simple chimney will do the trick.

The carbon portion comes from materials that are dry and brown, such as wood chips, leaves, bark and clippings from mature plants. John has used shredded household paper that works quite well too. The nitrogen portion comes from materials that are green like grass clippings and vegetable waste.

Partially rotted manure is considered nitrogen material. I am thinking of my friend’s rotted manure we haul into town in the fall.

John has access to vegetable waste from friends who don’t have a composter and for his brown material he uses mostly sawdust from a local sawmill.

He also adds a bit of old horse manure, which I think looks more like soil.

If he finds there is a lot of acidic waste going in like lemons from lemonade he adds a dusting of calcium carbonate, available at your local farm co-op.

But here is the magical part — the piles heat up to 142 degrees fahrenheit and that is a sure sign that the pathogens and weed seeds are being killed off. I know my compost

Stop living with it, Start living in it!

Let us transform your patio & outdoor space

Now Booking Fall Tree Plantings!

• Hedges • Windbreaks • Landscaping Trees

OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

www.livelandscape.ca

Lisa Van Bakel 519-949-3444 Email: lisa@livelandscape.ca

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

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

519-887-9456

www.countryquilting.ca

Fabrics, Quilts & Much More 519-392-6046 3855 Bruce Rd. 4, 5 kms. N. of Teeswater

Fabric, Quilting Supplies, Ready & Custom Made Quilts

October 28th ~ Fabulous Friday - “D” Day 20% off - Darks, dinosaurs, etc.

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

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

3991 Perth Rd. 107, Shakespeare, ON

October 2022 35

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

Speculators leave market place due to wild swings Grain markets continue to be greatly impacted by the geopolitical events that have been occurring around the world.

Headline news can swing the market significantly, and as seemingly ever-changing news and worries come to the market, prices can change significantly. With this

36 The Rural Voice

dynamic market situation, many speculators have left the marketplace and are therefore not trading the market currently. This has occurred with many speculators, especially small speculators, as the cost of being on the wrong side of market moves is just too high for them to participate.

This lack of participation in the market is evident by the open interest (number of outstanding contracts) in many exchange-traded futures contracts – including grain and soy futures. The result of this declining open interest is that volatility and potential swings in price can be exaggerated because there are fewer participants to fade (trade against) market movements. The result is the majority of speculators active in the market are the big money players with deep pockets.

When the Ukraine began shipping grain via vessel, market prices began to fade lower. Buyers became cautious purchasers. Buyers were careful that they weren’t buying too much early, so that they weren’t limiting their options to buy low cost,

distressed grain from the Ukraine at a bargain if and when it came available. These buyers were also cautious as to not buy too much Ukraine grain no matter how cheap it was, for risk that they might not receive shipment if it was never able to sail due to a potential escalation in war measures. At the end of the day, the buyer is looking for the cheapest grain they can get, but it isn’t cheap if it never arrives. As a consequence of this market view, grain futures drifted lower, along with this decreased demand from reluctant buyers.

This cheap grain scenario can only last so long in this geopolitical environment. As Ukrainian grain shipments jumped, Russian president Putin voiced concern that Ukraine wasn’t holding up the terms of the agreement. Putin maintains that the agreement was in place for humanitarian reasons – as Ukraine is a major supplier to many poor nations of the world. The concern that Russia brought forward was that much of the grain shipped was not heading to poor nations, but rather to rich countries that are not in need of humanitarian relief.

Turkey, who is an intermediary in the shipping deal, is seeking to balance relations through the war, agreed with Russia’s analysis.

Turkish President Erdogan was quoted with saying, “The fact that grain shipments are going to the countries that implement these sanctions (against Russia) disturbs Mr. Putin.”

From these statements of discontent amongst two key players in the agreement, market prices began to price in war risk once again, with concerns growing that Russia could cancel the agreement because of their view that the agreement isn’t being held to its terms. Contrary to the statements of the Russian and Turkish governments, the U.S. administration maintains that shipments from Ukraine have been in keeping with the agreement. The Ukraine shipping deal was origially brokered for a 120-day term. Even if Russia doesn’t try to cancel the current deal, there is no guarantee that they would look for an extension

Markets if they have a discontent.

Russian grain shipments are at a five-year low-export pace. In August of this year, they had a 34 per cent decrease in exports from last year.

Amid these low-export sales, Russia is forecast to have a record wheat harvest this season. The Russian crop is reported to be 85 per cent harvested – with yields 30 per cent higher than last year’s subpar crop.

Local analysts are expecting the crop to approach or exceed 100 million metric tonnes, which, if realized, is their largest crop ever. Of this harvest very little is of high protein, with the majority meeting a grade 3-4 Russian grade and 20 per cent grading feed. With a crop this large thoughts lead one to speculate whether Russia has any incentive to extend the Ukraine shipping deal.

Ukraine competes directly with Russia for export sales, and Russia has a large volume to move.

From this, it is not surprising that Russia has made plans to meet with Turkey to specifically talk about the Ukraine shipping deal. Not only are talks with Turkey in the works, but Russia is also meeting with China to talk about the issue. In these Russia/China talks other topics reported to be discussed include Taiwan and what they term illegal western sanctions.

The markets face risks from these political situations. Not only politics but we also have high levels of inflation and high interest rates.

Housing prices are falling with the cost of borrowing up sharply. Energy prices are strong in North America and worse in Europe to potentially desperate. U.S. soy and corn production look to be lower than once expected and recession fears are growing due to central bank tightening. I’m hesitant to think of more economic risks for fear of easily finding them. ◊

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

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

Lisa Thompson MPP Huron-Bruce

CONSTITUENCY OFFICES Blyth Office:

408 Queen Street, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 Phone: 519-523-4251 Toll Free: 1-800-668-9320

Kincardine Office:

807 Queen Street, Unit 3 Kincardine, ON N2Z 2Y2 Phone: 519-396-3007 Toll Free: 1-866-396-3007

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

Huron-Bruce Matters

TrickorTreat

During this time of unprecedented inflation, De Dell Seeds will hold their pricing and discounts until Halloween, and then it is TRICK OR TREAT!

De Dell Seeds

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

October 2022 37

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

Beware the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid We have seen a lot of changes within our native trees over the last 50-60 years. I think the first and most notable major pest to hit our native trees was Dutch Elm Disease. I think many will remember, or at least remember hearing, about the devastation caused by the loss of all the elm trees. I am almost too young to remember what the effects were, but just old enough to remember seeing acres of large stumps with trees regenerating around them. I am aware that many acres of former elm forests were cleared of stumps and converted to agriculture. I have listened in awe to those that worked tirelessly to remove the elms.

Over the last 20 years we have seen the arrival of an unprecedented number of new tree pests in Ontario.

Now we have seen the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer and the loss of our ash trees. The devastation caused by this insect will be permanently etched in the minds of those that have witnessed it. While I have only ever walked in one elm forest, I have walked in many forests dominated by ash trees. Ash has long been the first to inhabit a site, but it is also a tree that is quite variable on its site requirements depending on species.

We are now seeing the harm caused by Beech Bark Disease.

Beech is also being attacked by Beech Leaf Disease. The loss of beech may not affect the financial value of the forest as not too many people search out beech for lumber, woodworking, or firewood, but it certainly will have a distinguishable effect on the species that rely on it for food and shelter.

Now, new on the scene in parts of 38 The Rural Voice

Ontario is the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. In most of the forests that I have walked through, hemlock is a minor species, similar to that of beech in numbers. While populations of this pest were threatening our borders from areas of the United States for many years, it has now arrived in both the Niagara and Grafton areas. These populations could be considered the next wave of the attack of these pests. Previous infestations were eradicated. There are many methods by which this little bug may have been transported into Ontario. As it is a fuzzy egg sac, it attaches or sticks to furry and feathered creatures. The insect or egg sac may also be spread by wind, logging, and the relocation of nursery stock.

The best description of methods to locate this pest is looking for the appearance of little bits of cotton at the base of hemlock needles. These cottony bits are the egg sacs of tiny insects that survive by attaching to the branch and feeding on sap. The insect’s tiny mouth parts extract sap

right at the base of the needle and use the nutrients to continue with their life cycle. While it is always nice to blame disasters on the opposite sex, in this case I can’t. All these little sap-sucking bugs are female and it doesn’t take two to make more. In fact, these adelgids have two generations each year. This could mean hundreds of hatchlings each year. Given the super small size of these adelgids, even in high numbers, it seems impossible to believe that they could kill a large tree. In fact, these nasty bugs can kill a hemlock in four to 15 years.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has placed quarantines on the

A population of Hemlock Woolly Adelgi is evident by the appearance of little bits of “cotton” on the base of hemlock needles which is actually the egg sacs of this destructive insect which is attacking Hemlock trees. Top photo by Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org. Bottom photo by Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

areas of known infestations but are asking for help in spotting new populations of hemlock woolly adelgid. If populations are controlled when just getting established, the pest may be poised for eradication from that area, or a quarantine may be put in place to stop the spread to other areas. When walking in your forest, please take the time to look at your hemlock trees. Look for the tiny bits of cottony egg sacs on the branches at the base of the needles, or white fluff on the forest floor. If you find something that you think resembles hemlock woolly adelgid, please reach out to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency immediately.

There is a woolly aphid that feeds on beech trees that is also fluffy. The differences between the two insects are huge. The woolly aphid is actually fluffy, it isn’t the egg sac that is fluffy. The beech aphid is pretty cool to find as they tend to move a lot on the branches, sort of dancing or swaying. The big similarity between the two insects is that you may notice an abundance of fluff on the ground under the canopy of the trees that are infested.

While there aren’t many large stands of hemlock, there are many scattered and small groupings of hemlock. In many of our stands these trees are classified as solitary conifers which offer unique habitat opportunities for many types of wildlife. Coniferous trees moderate our climate, in times of hot weather it is cooler under the canopy and the opposite occurs in cold weather.

Hemlock is not currently a valuable tree financially. Historically, hemlock was held in much greater demand for its tannins and lumber.

At that time, hemlock was much more abundant, its lower numbers at present may be the result of overharvesting. The benefits of these solitary conifers are numerous and therefore it is important that we monitor their health.

If you would like more information on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, please reach out to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Invasive Species Centre. ◊

Lakeside Shelving & Racking Marvin L. Smith

B.Sc.F. (Forestry), R.P.F. Farm Woodland Specialist 570 Riverview Dr. Listowel, Ontario N4W 3T7 Telephone: (519) 291-2236

• Pallet Racking • Store Shelving • Warehouse Equip. & more Industrial, Farm & Retail

519-524-1740 www.lakesideshelving.com

We Provide:

•Tree •Tree Marking Marking using using

Good Good Forestry Forestry Practices Practices

Create long-term, sustainable returns from your woodlands and enhance the ecological value of your forests.

Free woodlot assessments in Grey, Bruce, Simcoe and Huron Counties 519-364-8733 www.LANDSANDFORESTS.com

•Woodlot •Woodlot Improvement Improvement •Forest •Forest Management Management Plans Plans •Managed •Managed Forest Forest Tax Tax Incentives Incentives •Harvest •Harvest Advice Advice and and Marketing Marketing Timber Timber •Tree •Tree Planting Planting •• Prescribed Prescribed Burn Burn Specialists Specialists •• Emerald Emerald Ash Ash Borer Borer Protection Protection •• Aggregate Aggregate Pit Pit Reports Reports •• Trail Trail Creation Creation & & Maintenance Maintenance •• Peace Peace of of Mind Mind

1563 Hwy#9 Mildmay, ON N0G 2J0 Ph: 519-367-3215 Fax: 519-367-3214 www.southbruceflooring.com

BERNIE McGLYNN LUMBER LTD. BUYER OF HARDWOOD BUSHLOTS Wholesaler • Hardwood Lumber 1563 Hwy#9, Mildmay, ON N0G 2J0

Ph: 519-367-5789 • Cell: 519-357-6621 sawmill@wightman.ca

October 2022 39

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

Chief Animal Welfare Inspector takes bath on costs In January, 2020, Ontario instituted a new animal welfare enforcement system under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 (the “PAWS Act”). The PAWS Act created “Animal Welfare Services” within the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which features a specialized team of animal welfare inspectors led by the Chief Animal Welfare Inspector (the “Chief

40 The Rural Voice

Inspector”) and subject to Ministry oversight. Under previous legislation found to be in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“OPSCA”), a private not-for-profit organization, had acted in a policing role on behalf of the Province.

The PAWS Act calls upon every person who owns or has custody or care of an animal to comply “with the standards of care and the administrative requirements with respect to every animal that the person owns or has custody or care of”, and the Act sets out specific standards of care that apply to the treatment of animals. For instance, Section 15 deals with distress of animals: (1) No person shall cause an animal to be in distress; (2) No owner or custodian of an animal shall permit the animal to be in distress; and, (3) No person shall knowingly or recklessly cause an animal to be exposed to an undue risk of distress.

The standards of care in the PAWS Act do not apply to agricultural activities except where

expressly stated to apply. An exception is made for “an activity regarding animal care, management or husbandry carried on in accordance with the reasonable and generally accepted practices of agricultural animal care, management or husbandry”, meaning that generally accepted agricultural practices are the standard to which agricultural operations involving animals must adhere.

Animal welfare inspectors have the power to enter and inspect any place for the purpose of determining compliance with the applicable standards of care, including “the reasonable and generally accepted practices of agricultural animal care, management or husbandry” if the animals are kept for commercial purposes. In certain circumstances, where an inspector has reasonable grounds to believe that an animal is in distress, the inspector may remove an animal and take possession of it for the purpose of “providing it with necessaries to relieve its distress”.

This includes circumstances where a veterinarian has advised the inspector in writing “that alleviating the animal’s distress necessitates its removal.” Where an inspector has provided an animal with necessaries to relieve its distress or where the Chief Inspector has taken an animal into care, the Chief Inspector may serve a statement of account on the owner of the animal charging back the cost of “the necessaries”.

The chargeback of costs was the subject of a recent Animal Care Review Board decision in a case involving the removal of cattle from a beef operation. In November, 2021, an inspector received a dispatch call about a downed cow at a farm property. The inspector attended and issued an order for the cow to be seen by a veterinarian. A veterinarian attended that day and euthanized the cow. The inspector also determined that the remainder of the approximately 200-animal herd was in distress and that various deficiencies needed to be addressed: herd health, provision of food and water, provision of bedding, addressing mud and feces preventing access to water troughs, and debris on the ground.

Agrilaw The inspector visited the property five times over the course of a month and eventually determined that removal was necessary to alleviate the distress of the cattle. Animal Welfare Services removed 101 animals from the herd and later returned to remove the remaining cattle, but only the original 101 animals were removed. Four animals were euthanized, the farm owner sold 73 cattle by agreement with Animal Welfare Services, and about 30 animals were left on the farm as of the time of the hearing before the Board. The Chief Inspector eventually issued three Statements of Account to the operator for transportation, animal boarding and veterinary costs. The first account was for over $82,000. The second account was for just under $54,000.

The third account was for nearly $249,000.

The farm owner appealed the compliance orders made by the inspector, the Notice of Removal for removal of the animals, and the three Statements of Account. In the end, the only matters considered by the Animal Care Review Board were the Statements of Account, as the appeals of the other orders were not commenced within the legislated time limits for appeals.

For the appeal of the Statements of Account, the initial burden was on the Chief Inspector to prove on a balance of probabilities (more likely than not) “that the charges reflected on the SOAs reflect the actual cost of necessaries provided to alleviate the distress of the animals and/or the costs of keeping the animals … and that these costs are reasonable such that the SOAs should be confirmed.”

The Board examined the costs charged back to the farm owner by the Chief Inspector and concluded

Deadline for the November issue of The Rural Voice is October 11, 2022

that the bulk of the costs were not reasonably incurred. Put another way, the costs were not necessary to relieve the animals of distress. For example, the Board found that it was not necessary to remove the animals from the farm to relieve distress: “There was little evidence that any of the cattle were in active distress – no cases of dehydration, and only two where the body condition score (of 200 cattle) (a measurement of nourishment) was below optimal, and one calf requiring medical care (but never described for what).” Given that finding, the Board disallowed most of the boarding costs and all of

the transportation costs.

Of the nearly $400,000 in costs charged back to the farm owner by the Chief Inspector, the Animal Care Review Board confirmed less than $14,000 in costs as being properly payable by the owner. ◊ ______________________________ John D. Goudy’s law practice includes real property and environmental litigation, expropriation law, energy regulation, and regulatory offences.

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

REBUILD YOUR NATURAL CAPITAL  Nutrient Management Plans  NASM Plans

 Feasibility Studies & MDS  Soil Health

702 MAIN ST. SAUBLE BEACH (519) 422-ATVS (2887) sales.atvdepot@bellnet.ca

October 2022 41

People

• By Gary West •

Seeds get cleaned to prepare for planting

A

number of crop farmers in Perth County are busy no matter what day of the week, and on this day seed cleaning and treating was taking place on a farm near Shakespeare.

Doug Snyders from Bornholm along with helper Jim Baker were cleaning wheat seed and treating the seed for Dietview farms for planting later in the fall once beans are harvested. Snyders said they are kept busy with their mobile seed cleaning business this time of year to clean wheat seed that was harvested this summer to be ready for fall planting.

He said they also treat and clean beans in the spring for bean growers who prefer using their own home grown seed.

Decades ago many farmers will remember how most operations had their own small “fanning mills”, up in the barn and how chaff and weed seeds were separated from the small

42 The Rural Voice

grain seed that would be bagged and used for planting in the spring of the year. The Snyder operation makes

quick work cleaning and treating tons of wheat without having to handle bags as in the past.◊

Doug Snyders with Jim Baker cleaning and treating wheat seed for Dietview farms, south of Shakespeare, as they get ready for fall planting once the beans are harvested.

INFO@TRUVITAL.CA

226-747-8356

Truvitalyte AN INNOVATIVE ELECTROLYTE FOR CALVES, LAMBS, & GOAT KIDS

Truvitalyte is a scientifically formulated electrolyte powder with a validated blend of buffers, amino acids, and energy sources, that effectively support sodium and water absorption in dehydrated ated calves.

AVAILABLE FROM

Now with new flavouring for improved palatability!

WWW.TRUVITAL.CA TruVital ANIMAL HEALTH

Ltd.

Give your calves a Sure Start in life.

INFO@MAPLEVIEWAGRI.CA

519-638-3769

WWW.MAPLEVIEWAGRI.CA

October 2022 43

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

BUSHELL’S AUTO SALES WINGHAM 519-357-6731

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

FINAL PAYMENTS ARE BEING ISSUED We apologize for any inconvenience.

For more information contact:

WINGHAM WOOL DEPOT

John Farrell R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario

Phone/Fax

519-357-1058

farfieldfarm@gmail.com

TRUCKS 2020 F150XL ext. cab, 4x4, 61,000 km ......................................$34,500 2018 Chev Silverado crew cab, 4x4, 155,000 km ..................$29,950 2017 Chev Silverado crew cab, 4x4, 165,000 km....................$32,500 2017 Chev Silverado crew, High Country, 4x4, 217,000 km ....$31,500 2017 GMC Sierra crew, 4x4, 100,000 km..................................$29,995 2016 Dodge Ram quad cab, 4x4, diesel, 208,000 km ..............$22,500 2016 Dodge Ram Big Horn 4x4, 138,000 km ........................$23,995 2016 Chev Colorado 160,000 km ............................................$16,500 2016 Dodge Ram Big Horn 4x4, 138,000 km ........................$23,995 1995 F450 diesel, 4x4, 144,000 km ............................................$14,500

SUVS, CARS, VANS 2018 Jeep Cherokee LTD 4x4, 60,000 km ............................$29,995 2018 Jeep Cherokee Compass 4x4, 95,000 km ..................$27,995 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 135,000 km ....................$21,500 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 95,000 km ..........................$21,500 2016 Hyundai Sante Fe Sport AWD, 99,000 km ..................$22,995 2015 Escape AWD, 117,000 km ................................................$16,995 2009 Toyota Matrix 162,000 km ................................................$6,995

Is your car in the Body Shop?

We have rentals available for most major insurance companies.

Give us a call today!

We have a good selection of used tires 12" to 20" RR 2 GODERICH, ON N7A 3X8 Tel.: 519-524-8096 Website: www.sharpscreekforge.ca Email: jim@sharpscreekforge.ca

44 The Rural Voice

Financing and Extended Warranty Available On All Units Plus 13% Tax ~ UCDA - Buy With Confidence

The

Rural Voice

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

QUALITY METAL ROOFING, SIDING & TRIMS

519-363-3757

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

The Better Choice, Plain and Simple

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING 519-531-0355

Profitable, Actionable, Advice Crop Planning SWAT Maps/Soil Sampling Variable Mapping/Scripts Cropwalker Newsletter Jonathan Zettler CCA-ON, 4R NMS 519-323-7505 jz@fieldwalker.ca fieldwalker.ca

DL Distributing

C E N T R E

Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

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

KRAEMER CONCRETE LTD.

SALES & SERVICE INSTALLATION & PARTS

Two Locations to Serve You!

5595 Road 130 Brunner N0K 1C0

220 Industrial Park Dr., Brussels N0G 1H0

Fax: 595-4903

Fax: 887-8764

519-595-2343

519-887-8763

Toll Free at 1-888-RING-KCL

B U S I N E S S

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

October 2022 45

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

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

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

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

Leadership in energy and environmental design

Devon Henry 519-505-2473 84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels

devonjhenry@hotmail.com

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

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

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

AUCTION --------------------------------------------

CUSTOM WORK -------------------------------------------Janmaat Custom Bale Wrapping.

In-line wrapping any size round bale and any size square bale up to 6 1/2 feet long. Also individual round bale wrapping. Call Cody 519-955-3384.

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

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

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

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

Blue Water Angus Sale October 15, 2022 Viewing 9:00 am Sale Time 1:00 pm Cargill Auction Barn - Cargill, ON

If you wish to consignee contact Sale Manager Cam Hill 519-373-6993

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

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

46 The Rural Voice

• Tree Seedlings • Nursery Stock • Shade Trees • Native Species Now taking Fall orders

888-226-6344

www.hrichardsonfarms.com

www.wehrmanngrainandseed.ca

CLASSIFIED FOR SALE -------------------------------------------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 2023. We now sell select Queen Bees raised under ORHBS program on a weekly basis. Order by Monday evening for Wednesday pick-up – during season. 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.

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

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

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

LOCAL FOOD -------------------------------------------The Market Shoppe – Your source for local since 2013, 7 Toronto Street South, Markdale 519-9864144. Find us on Instagram and Facebook.

-------------------------------------------PUPPIES FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Australian Blue Heeler pups for sale, dewormed and vet checked, ready to go, parents are excellent with children and livestock. 519-9010787.

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

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

Cell 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------INCOME TAX FILING FOR CORPORATIONS and late filers – for farms, small business, truckers and individuals. Will make house calls in the North Huron, Perth and surrounding area. Call Shirley in Wingham – cell No. 1-705-434-8187.

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

DS Stoves & Heco

No Hydro Needed

Canadian

vie Supply Ber

Booking

Energy Unlimited

Save across the Board Extended by Customer Demand!

Extreme efficency Heat & Cook plus heat your water!

Boilers Burn Wood Coal NG LG Model DS 4200 pictured G w LG N

Ne Boilers

Model Heco 520 pictured

Distributers & Dealers

Bervie Supply: Showroom, Distribution & Installs 559 Bervie Sideroad RR #4 Kincardine, Ont. N2Z 2X5

Carl’s Small Engine Repair 1-519-595-3002 Milverton Railside General Store Iroquois Falls

www.dsofpa.com -------------------------------------------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.

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

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

www.hecostoves.com -------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Suffolks - purebred yearling rams and ram lambs. British bloodlines M-V negative, closed flock, GenOvis tested. Several bloodlines available. 519-233-7896.

-------------------------------------------Rabbit breeding stock. High quality genetics available in Ontario. Order your PS40 bucks and PS19 does today. CuniON@tcc.on.ca -------------------------------------------Red Angus/Simmental, Simmental and Red Angus heifers bred to calving ease Red Angus bull for Spring 2023 calving. James and Joan McKinlay 519-599-6236.

-------------------------------------------40 Dorset cross open ewes, various ages; closed flock. South Bruce, 519368-5581 or leave a message.

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

Deadline for the November issue of The Rural Voice is October 11, 2022

DANNY’S

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

October 2022 47

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------Huron Tract Spinners and Weavers and Goderich Quilters’ Guild Show and Sale, Saturday, November 5, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 6, 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. Huron County Museum, 110 North St., Goderich. Free Admission. Betty, 519-524-4695.

-------------------------------------------Walkerton Little Royal Fair October 14-16 at the Agricultural Buildings. Welcome Back! We are pleased to announce our return!

Join us for a midway, chuck wagon and chariot races, saddle club show, touch a tractor, Mojo Magic show, field to fork display and pet show, along with numerous other displays, demonstrations, exhibits, children’s entertainment, food booth, breakfast and so much more! For upcoming events and more information follow our social media pages or visit our newlyupdated website. Facebook Walkerton Agricultural Society.

Instagram - @walkertonagsociety. www.walkertonagriculturalsociety. com. 519-881-1251.

-------------------------------------------Harvest Fest at Grey Roots, Saturday, October 1, noon to 4:00 p.m. Live music, traditional food, heritage games, history and more, all included with regular admission! Free for members and kids under 5! This all-ages outdoor event is held in beautiful Moreston Village. greyroots.com/harvestfest.

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

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

-------------------------------------------Wanted - R6 Gleaner combine, running or not. Phone 519-3953320, leave message.

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

Call Riley Gorman 519-321-1012.

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

Short and long term. 519-200-7845 or hundt.chris@outlook.com -------------------------------------------Scrap Cars Wanted – 20, 30, 40 yd. scrap metal bins available. We sell quality used auto parts. Wanted to buy – scrap cars, trucks, farm machinery, heavy equipment.

Kenilworth Auto Recyclers. 519323-1113.

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

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

Neustadt and District Lions Club

Annual Pork ’n Kraut Supper Sunday, November 6, 2022 at the Neustadt Arena 4:00 to 7:00 pm

519-367-5868

48 The Rural Voice

Enjoy the Country Lifestyle!

THE RURAL VOICE MAGAZINE Don't Delay – Subscribe Today The Rural Voice Produced by people with farming in their blood. Serving more than 11,000 readers in the region.

One year for $25; two years for $45 (HST included)

The Rural Voice

Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

519-523-4311

TILE DRAINAGE PAYS! Let a good drainage system work for you to help improve: • Soil erosion • Aeration • Crop yields • Soil warm up 43479 Blyth Road • Crop rotation • Harvest length (R.R. #1) Walton, ON N0K 1Z0 • Land values • Soil conditions • Fertilizer efficiency E-Mail: kmmfarmdrainage@outlook.com • Plant growth

CALL THE EXPERTS! Business: 519-887-6428 Ron McCallum 519-524-3543

Chad McCallum 519-955-1588

GPS Grade Control & Mapping

Deadline for the November issue of

The Rural Voice is October 11

Wishing everyone a safe and happy harvest

We’re scientists, engineers, safety experts.

And PROUD CANADIANS. At the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, we’re responsible for Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

• Georgian Bay Whitefish • Pizza • Wings • Wraps • Burgers & Fries • Beer Battered Haddock • Liver & Onions • All Day Breakfast • Homemade Pies • Famous Butter Tarts Now Licensed 8 AM - 8 PM 7 DAYS A WEEK 2837 Highway 6 Lion’s Head (519)793-3555

Canada’s plan involves safely containing and isolating used nuclear fuel in an area with suitable geology and informed, willing hosts.

Every day, we are conscious of our duty to be accountable to Canadians—to work and learn together, and to protect our safety, our environment and this beautiful land.

Dig deeper, learn more by visiting nwmo.ca

@NWMOCanada

Bear Tracks Gift Shop (on location)

October 2022 49

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

Strong Communities.

Sound Policies.

Sustainable Farms.

Meet Claire Poulton: Your NFU-O Women’s Advisor As NFU-O’s Women’s Advisor, Claire Poulton says it will be “exciting to have a voice” in policy decisions. Her previous educational, professional, and personal experiences lend exceptionally well to this. Despite a non-farming background, Claire runs Little Fields Farm: a small-scale, diversified farm in Bright that provides a 115-person C S A plus flowers, laying hens, broiler chickens, turkey, and pork.

Without any exposure to farms growing up, or any farmer familial relations to guide her, Claire gathered her practical farming skills by completing multiple internships. Her background in environmental studies directs her desire to have a low impact on the environment and advocate for new and existing farmers to do the same thing. Little Fields Farm is now in its eighth year as a productive farm, and Claire says: “even when I’m tired, I wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.”

Considering farming her passion project, Claire enjoys running a business. Grateful for the advice she received early in her journey: “don’t expand too quickly,” she embraces a steady and mindful farm development. And she encourages new farmers to do the same thing.

Claire notes that because getting on land can be so exciting it’s important to remain realistic about available time, energy, and resources. She recommends finding a reasonable balance of work and leisure by structuring working hours to avoid burnout. Because with a proper balance, one remains fresh and ready to interact with their community.

And Claire considers interactions with her community one of the most rewarding parts of her job. As a response to the pandemic, Little Fields Farm pivoted from farmers markets and began to run a CSA. Claire says she loves the CSA model because of the relationships she gets

to build with people who are committed to supporting her business.

Considering community, not only with buyers but with other farmers, essential, she says that when you begin farming, “it can be overwhelming, and you can’t possibly know all the answers.” Interfarmer relationships are vital for knowledge sharing, resources, tool swaps, and support.

Claire has established her community and says that she knows quite a few other farmers who are women. “A lot of young ecological farmers are women. I’m not really sure why that is exactly but it’s definitely something notable, that a lot of women are drawn to this field.”

And Claire is right. According to the 2021 Agriculture Census, 30.4 per cent of farm operators in Canada are female, a rise from 28.7 per cent in 2016. It is exciting to see more women step into self-directed roles as farmers, businesswomen, and leaders.

Barriers still exist, however. Claire

notes how in such a physically demanding job, being a woman in farming is especially difficult if one hopes to start a family.

Claire hopes for an Ontario where rural communities are thriving hubs.

Her steadfast commitment to farming sustainably contributes to this goal and aligns with NFU-O’s vision of vibrant and contextualized food systems throughout Ontario. The NFU-O is so excited to have Claire and her wealth of knowledge on regional council! Welcome, Claire!

EFAO Conference returns to in-person programming in 2022 In the winter of 2022, for the first time in three years, the EFAO Conference and will be holding in-person events. That’s a big deal.

This year’s EFAO Conference theme, Regrowth, is a reflection on how EFAO, its members, and farmers across the province have grown and changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also an homage to the many ways ecological farmers seek to work within natural cycles. From the necessity of pruning to the beauty of compost, farmers understand that aligning with natural cycles of life and death is paramount to addressing our planet’s ecological crises.

EFAO hopes to foster new ways to connect, build community, and share learning, and that out of these strange times come many opportunities to experience lifegiving regrowth.

Save the date! The EFAO Conference will be offered in a dual format this year, with regional gatherings across the province, and an online program to allow for wider access to the educational components of the conference.

Regional Gatherings: • Southwestern | Nov. 12, Waterdown • Eastern | Nov. 27, Batawa

• Northeastern | Nov. 26 & 27, Sudbury • Online Program | Dec. 6-9 via Zoom

More details to be shared in the weeks to come!

To learn more visit: https://efao.ca/

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

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER The silo is a simple invention used to store feed for winter. According to the folks at Ontario Barn Preservation, the first vertical silo in North America was built in Illinois in 1873, with the first Ontario silos built not long after.

The first models were built of wood, with the tongue and grove design helping to create the seal needed for fermentation. Improvements were made, moving from wood to clay and concrete tiles with ribbing, and later the towering sealed concrete silos of the 1970s and 1980s. Silos built a lot of prosperity in Southwestern Ontario over the years, but they are falling out of vogue, in large part because they can only do one thing and that one thing can only be done at one speed.

How many times have we heard the belittlement of an arts degree while showering praise on an engineering degree? Why are we so fixated on guiding kids to find a silo in which they will spend their entire career?

Throughout my schooling in the 1990s, there seemed to be a clear message about “success” – get out of Listowel, go to University, get a white collar occupation, and so on. It took a couple special teachers to instill in me a love of learning that was not limited to the narrow lens of “Will this learning aid me financially down the road?”

Knowledge is a beautiful thing and the more varied, the cooler tapestry we can weave. Why do we build proverbial silos around ourselves? Why praise the specialist but raise an eyebrow at the generalist? This overarching belief is now shaping the skillset of our population and the well-rounded generalist – a person whose knowledge or skills are far-reaching – is becoming scarce.

In an attempt for efficiency, we’ve tried to put so many things into silos that we’re learning the same hard lesson as the Harvestore salesperson’s favourite dairy farmer – you can only stack up so many silos beside each other before things get disorganized and muddy. We are stuck in silos, lacking creativity and daring at a time when we desperately need to be bold with our actions. Take the most recent interest rate hike from the Bank of

The Ivory Silo

Polly Hoekstra, President phoekstra@hotmail.ca / 226-580-0174

Canada. Within the silo, what can a Governor like Tiff Macklem do beyond monkey around with rates and quantitative easing? Those are the only two levers he has at his disposal. It is very clear that his silo is charged with the responsibility of managing inflation, yet we limit the tools available and as a result the range of solutions that could be brought forward for a complex problem.

One significant issue with this recent rate increase (and the couple more that analysts expect before the end of 2022) is that it is dubitable how much impact they are going to have on inflationary price pressure. A case can be made that they will actually exacerbate non-housing price inflation moving into 2023 due to chronic supply side issues.

Housing price, the place where everyday Canadians have the most interest rate exposure, has already begun its descent. Canadian financial institution Desjardin predicts Canadian average home values will decrease by over 25 per cent before the end of 2023.

When the latest interest rate increase hits mortgage auto-withdrawals in October, people are going to feel it. So while rates may be helping to cool a market that needed an icebath, we are forgetting there is a lot more to inflation than the roof over our heads and for many, household discretionary income is getting stretched.

Michael Spence, a Canadian Economist and former Dean of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business has studied labour and job markets over an impressive career, including a Nobel prize in Economics in 2001. He recently published an essay outlining the folly of focusing on interest rates in this current inflationary environment.

While rates cannot be ignored, job vacancy rates, supply chain interruptions, and most importantly, lagging productivity are issues we cannot afford to ignore.

I imagine that you’ve seen your grocery bill steadily rise month over month for the last year. I’d love to tell you it will get better, but I predict it will continue to get worse in 2023. The Canadian agri-food industry, one of

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

Canada’s largest employers and contributor to export activity, is currently short over 200,000 workers.

Average job vacancy rate in the industry is over 25 per cent and supply chains are starting to bend and break.

Have you noticed the increasing price on your ham for Sunday dinner?

Unfortunately, this trend is likely to continue until Canada admits that the economy is crippled by labour shortages and is willing to take drastic action to correct it.

Canada is so short workers that we are selling unprocessed hams into the global market at a discount and purchasing back boneless hams at a premium. All because there are not enough people showing up every day to turn pigs into ham to meet Canadian demand. Higher interest rates don’t help us make stuff faster. Instead of turning our focus on rapidly fixing the workforce issue, we have made it more expensive for capital investments in labour-saving technologies that could help businesses weather this issue today and in the future. Spence points out in the aforementioned essay that over 75 per cent of the world’s GDP is created in countries that have declining and aging populations. Supply side constraints have a number of natural phenomenons to be overcome and we are not even talking about it as an issue here in Canada.

A silo is a great tool. Yet it is a very simple tool with limited functionality that really only allows it do do one thing well. Once it has served its useful life preserving forages the only hope it has is a benevolent owner who decides to beautify the landscape with a new mural. Tools with only one use are great…until their limitation becomes a barrier to their efficient deployment and they are discarded. When it comes to empowerment of people, the power of the human brain, and looking ahead, we should start blowing up some silos so that we can harness the creativity of an unencumbered populace. The beautiful thing about learning is you never know what solutions you may discover until you actually ask yourself a new question. ◊ Submitted by Stewart Skinner

October 2022 51

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

GCFA has SMV signs available to members Farm safety is always in season and even though harvest is nearing its end for 2022 we want to remind our members that GCFA has SMV signs available to members for your equipment if needed. Please reach out to the office if you are interested.

As we roll into autumn and become busy with all the fall harvest, it is always good to take a few moments and to be thankful for our families, friends and neighbours that are supporting us as we work through break downs, untimely weather and of course those days where everything works out perfectly as planned.

Below is a poem found online, that I feel speaks of the Grey County Farmers and the dedication they have for their livestock and land as we continue to work through these changing times.

Giving Thanks for Farmers

by Aaron Putze They don’t seek attention or verses that rhyme; Nor features or spotlights, none of any kind.

For farmers it’s not a headline to rise each new day; Often before sunrise as they get on their way.

They say it’s part of the job to get soaked by rain; To plow through snow and work through pain.

To move augers and wagons and make quick repairs; To volunteer their time at local churches, schools and fairs.

They don’t mind working alone, some prefer it that way; But don’t be mistaken for they have plenty to say.

About markets and weather, soil types and fields; The status of regulations and a neighbor’s yields.

About rainfall, the stock market and global ag trade; Barge transportation and the way stuff is made.

They’re focused and driven to get their work done; Unless a neighbor needs help and then off they’ll run.

They don’t admit perfection because things can go wrong; Accidents will happen but they make the will strong.

To put in a good day’s work before there is rest; Continually improving and doing one’s best, Like innovative ways that protect the water, soil and air; Being a good neighbor and raising livestock with care.

Of providing more food using less energy, water and land; And offering choices to meet customer demand.

For these things and more we recognize this Thanksgiving; All of our farmers and what they bring to living.

Like thousands of food items, many easy to prepare; Fuel to power vehicles and clothing to wear.

Then there are life-saving medicines, tires and blue jeans; The sheets on our beds and soaps to keep us clean.

In fact, about everything we need to live, work and play; Is derived from the work that farmers will do today.

With that in mind, we pause, take stock and remember; What farmers bring to life as we gather to give thanks this October.

GCFA 2022 MEETINGS • October 13 - AGM • November 10

GCFA Student Online Trivia Weekly Challenge Weekly prizes and year-end grand prize Questions can be found at: greyfederation.ca

Grey County Federation of Agriculture

AGM October 13 The Falls Inn, Walters Falls Tickets: $25

(available by calling GCFA office)

Entertainment: Baker Magic Shows

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

52 The Rural Voice

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

NEWSLETTER

446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551 * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA

Bruce Federation is looking for new directors The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture is looking for new directors in all areas of Bruce County.

It’s a very active federation with lots of projects on the go that would interest new board members. New ideas and projects help keep the board members and the rest of the members involved and interested in what we do. The BCFA board meets 10 times a year, usually the fourth Monday of the month, except July and October when we don’t have a monthly meeting. We also usually have a couple social meetings a year.

Our board meetings are in the County of Bruce Building in Walkerton, and start at 7:00 p.m., and are finished at 10:00 p.m., no exceptions, unless you count the trip to Tim’s for coffee after.

BCFA pays a per diem of $50 for each meeting and $0.58 per km for BCFA-related mileage to help offset the costs involved in being a board member.

BCFA also has a comprehensive board and officers’ insurance policy and a part-time paid office administrator who works out of a shared office with Grey County Federation on 10th Street in Hanover.

Jackie, our Office Administrator, along with Joanne our OFA member service representative work hard to keep board projects on track and provide support to board members.

If you would like to be a part of an active, progressive group of friends working for Bruce County agriculture, please consider joining

our board. Just call the office or speak to a director and we would be happy to welcome you and put your knowledge and ideas to work. ◊

Join us for a night out!

Dinner and light entertainment - $10 per person (followed by the BCFA Annual General Meeting)

October 28 – 7:00 p.m.

Klages Mill, Chesley, ON Call the office or any BCFA Director for tickets!

Bruce County Federation of Agriculture

2022 MEETINGS • October 28 - AGM • November 14 * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Bruce County by the BCFA.

October 2022 53

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

Homegrown: Protecting Ontario’s Farmland Have you heard of the Homegrown Protecting Ontario’s Farmland initiative? This initiative was put out by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture to focus on protecting Ontario farmland. It was brought to prospective after the latest census.

Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland every day to developing communities and commercial buildings. Once the farmland is turned into subdivisions, shopping centers or warehouses and paved over it can never go back into productive farmland. Yes, we get that cities need to grow.

As farmers we need to encourage planners to look at the vacant land within the city and to look up before they look out. It’s not just farmland that is at stake with urban sprawl, it also includes forests, wetlands and

shorelines. We need to maintain the highest level of protection for our water and landscapes before it is lost. The biggest problem with the loss of these acres is the government issuing Municipal Zoning Orders for urban development on agricultural land.

As the population increases we see that urban development matters, we also need to think about where our food is coming from. We are already competing globally for vaccines and PPE, do we really want to be competing for our food as well?

If you go to the Homegrown website, there are many facts about protecting Ontario’s farmland. Some of these facts include there are 200 vegetables, livestock and grains produced in Ontario that are used for

food fuel and fibers. It also shows what the 319 acres looks like for someone in the city. Examples include 58 city blocks or 797 hockey rinks. It really is astounding.

In the summer, the OFA released a few news articles encouraging the public to shop local. These were released around when strawberries and cherries were in season to increase support for Ontario fruit. The OFA is trying to spark the conversation about how big policy changes can have an impact on the food that is on your plate.

By visiting the website https://homegrown.ofa.on.ca/ you can add your name to take action to help protect fresh, local, food that is grown here in Ontario.

– Submitted by Eric McLagan, PCFA Director

The Century Farm Show Episode 8: Avonhill Farms

By Jeanette Schramm (Huron Perth Junior Farmers)

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

In the eighth episode of The Century Farm Show, we have the opportunity to meet three generations of the Murray family of Avonhill Farms, a Century Farm that has been in the family since 1841. Junior Farmers alumni David and Linda Murray took over the farm from his father in 1965 and ran a dairy and cash crop operation. David was one of the first dairy farmers in the area to buy milk quota when the supply management system began. Today their son Darren and his wife Julie, along with their son Dan, work 1,000 acres, run a custom combining business and raise veal calves. As the fourth, fifth, and sixth generations of their family on the farm, David, Darren, and Dan acknowledge the physical challenges of farm life (including some close calls over the years), however they also recognize and take pride in the history of hard work that came before them. To hear more about the Murray family and the history of Avonhill Farms, check out this episode on the Huron Perth Junior Farmers’ Facebook page. The episode aired August 25.

– Thank you to all our sponsors for your support of The Century Farm Show – * The Rural Voice is provided to OFA Members in Perth County by the PCFA.

54 The Rural Voice

Index Apples ............................................5 Argyle Marine & Small Engines..46 Artisanal Chicken Program ........29 Axiom Mutual Ins ..............Cover 4 Bau-Tech Industries Inc..............20 Bear Tracks Inn & Rest ..............49 Belore Trailers ............................46 Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring ....39 Bervie Supply Energy Ltd ....24, 47 Bio-Ag..........................................28 Blue Water Angus Sale............4,46 Bushell’s Auto Sales ..................44 Canadian Co-op Wool Growers..44 CG Farms ......................................11 Chalmers Fuels............................20 Crafter’s Corner ..........................35 Crop Quest Inc ............................41 DeDell Seeds ..............................37 DJ Henry Homes & Renovation..46 DL Distributing ............................45 Easy Lift Doors ............................12 Fall Harvest....................................2 Fall Stocker & Calf Sales ..............4 Farm to Table ..............................17 Fieldwalker Agronomy ................45 Gerber’s Workwear ....................42 Green Valley Heating Inc ............39 Greenville Liquid Plant Food ........6 GRK Products................................8 Harold Jones Enterprises ..........28 Hill & Hill Farms ..................Cover 2

Hunter Steel Sales..............Cover 4 Huron Perth Public Health ..........28 Keith Siemon Farm Systems ......45 Kingwood Bins ............................10 KMM Farm Drainage ..................49 Kraemer Concrete Ltd ................45 Lakeside Shelving & Racking ....39 Lands & Forests Consulting ......39 Lesperance, Adam ......................55 Lisa Thompson MPP ..................37 Live Landscape ..........................35 Mapleview Agri............................43 Marquardt Farm Drainage ..........31 Martin Farm Wagons ..................19 Marvin L Smith ............................39 Morris Sachs Silo Construction ..28 Nature’s Wave Inc ......................36 Neustadt & Dist Lions Club..29, 48 Nuclear Waste Management ......49 Ontario Agriculture Week ............11 Ontario Mutual Insurance ..Cover 3 RBC Ag West ..............................20 Ridgeway Metals ........................45 Rural Voice Books ..............Cover 6 Sauble Beach Motorsports ..23,24,31,41 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage............24 Schweiss Doors ..........................27 Seed Directory ..............................9 Sew & Save Centre......................15 Sharp’s Creek Forge ..................44 Steffen Well Drilling ....................45

185 KINGS CRESCENT 197165 CONCESSION RD 5A South Bruce Peninsula, ON Chatsworth (Twp), ON Call 519.378.7171 for more MLS# 40309940 | $1,250,000 375 acres with road access. infomation | $675,000 26 acres with established gravel pit Prime location for a maple syrup operation.

The FREE Farm Evaluation System Every Seller Needs To Know-CALL NOW!

Top Luxury Expert Reveals How To Sell Now!

POTENTIAL 779500 CONCESSION 2 NCD 181 BARTLEY DRIVE MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCTION Georgian Blu昀s, ON Miller Lake, ON South Bruce Peninsula, ON MLS# 40319428 | $800,000 MLS# 40318516 | $730,000 MLS# 40274995 | $250,000 48 acres perfect for additional 18 acres with a large cleared area MLS# 40275047 | $400,000 SOLD farmland or a Hobby farm . that is ideal for a hobby farm.

Ready for logging, lots of mature trees.

for the November issue of The Rural Voice is October 11

Happy Thanksgiving

697 ELSINORE ROAD Georgian Blu昀s, ON South Bruce Peninsula, ON MLS# 40321970 | $1,900,000 MLS# 40317529 | $999,000 59 acre farm with large barn and 79 acres with a variety of mature trees and with kilometers of trails two detached garages - 27 x 26 throughout it. Ideal for a hobby and 27 x 30. farm.

52 MEADOWLAND ROAD South Bruce Peninsula, ON MLS# 40272350 | $1,825,000 122 acres. Approx 65 acres of workable land.

19949 HIGHWAY 6 Georgian Blu昀s, ON MLS# 40273017 25 acre property with approximately 22 workable acres.

ADAM LESPERANCE

Sales Representative

@alexamillerrealtor

Deadline

482464 COLPOYS RANGE RD

ALEXA MILLER 519.378.8689 alexa@terrihastings.ca terrihastings.ca

Stihl ..............................................13 Stratford Agri Analysis................40 Stops Along The Way ........Cover 6 Superior Barn Painting ......Cover 7 SWO Diesel ........................Cover 7 Townsley Barn Painting ..............48 Tree Planting & Maintenance ......7 Triple P Consulting ......................19 Trouw Nutrition ............Back Cover Waddell Engineering ..................23 WD Hopper & Sons Ltd ..............23 Wehrmann Grain & Seeds Ltd....46

Broker/ Team Lead

*Not intended to solicit anyone already under contract

alexamillerrealestate

@AdamlesperanceKW

519.378.7171 adamsellsproperty@gmail.com terrihastings.ca adamlesperance.realestate

October 2022 55

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

HCFA sponsors Century Farm Show – Episode 9

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

Upcoming Events October 3-9 - Ontario Agriculture Week. We are proud to celebrate the abundance of food our farmers produce and the economy we support.

October 10 - Happy Thanksgiving!

October 31 - Happy Halloween!

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

BOARD MEETING Monday, October 24 8:00 p.m.

Vanastra office

The Century Farm Show Episode 9: Hallahan Farms By: Jeanette Schramm (Huron Perth Junior Farmers) The Century Farm Show is a docuseries created by Huron Perth Junior Farmers in partnership with the Huron Heritage Fund, Lake Affect Media and The Staysh. Our goal is to highlight the enduring legacy of the Century Farms of Huron and Perth Counties; the series consists of 12 videos that each feature a different family, their farm, and their history. Catch a new episode at the end of each month in 2022 by visiting the Huron Perth Junior Farmers’ Facebook page @huronperthjf.

The ninth episode in our Century Farm Show series features Hallahan Farms, run by Frank and Steve Hallahan. Originally purchased by their family in 1856, it was run as a mixed farm for much of its history. Frank took over from his parents in 1972 and today he and Steve work 150 acres and milk around 50 cows with room to expand.

The father-son duo share their favourite memories of growing up on the farm,

Ontario Young Farmers Forum November 20-21 RBC Place London, ON To register and further details: oyff@jfao.on.ca

learning how to work together as a family. Both reflect fondly on the unique learning experiences they were also able to access through 4-H, gaining dairy knowledge through reading OMAF fact sheets and showing their own calves. Having recently built a new barn with a robot, the Hallahans embarked on even more learning experiences in the last few years as they incorporated more modern technologies and worked to improve the efficiency of their dairy operation. To hear more from Frank and Steve about the past and future of Hallahan Farms, check out this episode on the Huron Perth Junior Farmers’ Facebook page - episode to air on September 29.

– Thanks to McDonald Lumber and the Huron Heritage Fund for generously sponsoring this episode.

Municipal Election 2022 October 24 This election we need all agricultural stakeholders to be informed and vote for candidates you feel will do the best for our community. Agriculture drives the economy in Huron County. To maintain productive and profitable farms we need to consider the importance of a farm voice on our municipal councils. It is important to have well informed councilors representing our area.

When speaking to municipal candidates ask them if they are aware of the importance of agriculture to this region. Ask questions of your candidates and ensure that services to farmers, farm families and farm businesses are considered in local elections.

Save the date!

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

ANNUAL/REGIONAL MEETING October 27, 2022

Holmesville Community Centre Guest Speaker: The Hon. Rob Black, Senator for Ontario Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee

Tickets available at the office $30 per person

Congratulations! to Luanne McGregor, the new Huron County Queen of the Furrow and to Jillian Shortreed, the new Huron County Princess of the Furrow.

HCFA “Ag Review” coming in October The HCFA publishes its Annual Paper, The Huron County Ag Review in October and it will be delivered by Canada Post to all the farm mailboxes in Huron County. We anticipate the post offices in Huron will receive the papers for distribution on October 6.

If you do not receive a copy please contact us and we will send you a copy – but you should also contact Canada Post to confirm your address is classified as a farm in their system.

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

56 The Rural Voice

The Rural Reading Room Specializing in

Fall Reads

BEAUTIFUL BOARDS If you board it, they will come! make mealtimes, special occasions and holidays extra memorable with the 50 delicious, inspiring, family-friendly and easy-to-recreate snack boards found in Beautiful Boards. $32.99

BEST OF BRIDGE HOLIDAY CLASSICS 225 Recipes for Special Occasions This new collection will meet all of your holiday entertaining needs, from casual potluck get-togethers to festive brunches and buffets to elegant sit-down dinners and cocktail parties. $29.95

MUSHROOMS and Other Fungi of North America Over 1,000 full-colour photos make this the most comprehensive illustrated guide on mushrooms, and the essential resource for the amateur collector, expert mycologist and armchair naturalist. $29.95

WILD TURKEYS Whether you want to hunt the growing population of wild turkeys across southern Ontario or simply watch them, this 160-page book helps with tips on the bird’s habits and habitat, hunting equipment, and even field dressing instructions and recipes. $22.95

Rural Living & Local Authors

PRESERVING MADE EASY: Small Batches & Simple Techniques The perfect book for today’s busy cooks who want to enjoy the homemade goodness of fruits and vegetables all year round. Simple instructions plus recipes for jams, pickles and more. $9.99

TALES FROM THE TOWNSHIP The latest edition of humorous short stories by Arnold Mathers. This book contains 28 short stories as well as 2 plays. All are comedies with some deeper meaning. $20.00

LIVING WITHOUT PLASTIC Embrace a plastic-free lifestyle with more than 100 simple, stylish swaps for everything from pens and toothbrushes to disposable bottles and the 5 trillion plastic bags we use - and throw out every year. $26.95

HOW TO RAISE A READER This book shows you how to instill the joy and timestopping pleasure of reading.

Divided into four sections, from baby through teen.

Beautifully illustrated. $29.95

Total

Qty.

BEAUTIFUL BOARDS BEST OF BRIDGE HOLIDAY CLASSICS PRESERVING MADE EASY TALES FROM THE TOWNSHIP MUSHROOMS AND OTHER FUNGI WILD TURKEYS LIVING WITHOUT PLASTIC HOW TO RAISE A READER Check out huroncitizen.ca for more books

$32.99 $29.95 $9.99 $20.00 $29.95 $22.95 $26.95 $29.95 Total for Books Shipping & Handling Canada Post Fuel Surcharge Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

$9.00 $4.00

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

Hidden Gems

of Huron

County

Fall issue print version now available FREE at tourist information booths, town halls, retail outlets, accommodations, and restaurants throughout the county and beyond!

Online version available at

stopsalongtheway.ca

         

House & Barn Painting Pressure Washing Asphalt Coatings Sand & Air Blasting Roofs & Walls Elevator Legs Lightning Rod Systems Heavy Duty Seamless Eavestroughing Fully Insured Free Estimates

Liquid Rubber Sealant Uses:  Roof Maintenance & Restorations  Foundations  Bins We’re also certified applicators of Liquid Rubber

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

Liquid Rubber Features:    

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

www.barnpainting.ca DORCHESTER

Contact your local Shur-Gain dealer for more information

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

HOLSTEIN FEED MILL (2015) LTD.

MCBRAYNE FEEDS & NEEDS LTD.

Holstein 519-334-3424

Dresden 519-683-4439

THE HITCHING POST (2019) LTD.

TROUW NUTRITION CANADA INC.

St Marys 519-284-2360

Tavistock 519-655-2033

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