The Rural Voice - September 2022 (Sample Issue)

See us at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show!

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot 4 Keith Roulston 6 Kate Procter 8

Jeffrey Carter 10 Mabel’s Grill 12 Viewpoint 14 Recipes 36 Gardening 38 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Woodlots 49 Agrilaw 52

Departments

SEPTEMBER 2022

• Cover Photo

Henry Densa of Waterloo

• Deadlines: Oct. Issue –Sept. 13 November Issue – Oct. 11

Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot Henk and Ellen Van Schaik celebrate with Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative on its 20th

21 More than Melons

Alex Chesney’s expands scope of Thames River Melons

26 The 86er

Mixer

Driving through Perth to Wellington and Waterloo Counties like visiting the land of milk and honey

33 Farm Photography Tips

Photographer Telfer Wegg shares tips and tricks for family photo sessions on the farm

Newsletters

National Farmers Union . . . . . . . . . .66

Perth County Pork 67

Grey County Federation . . . . . . . . . .68

Bruce County Federation 69

Perth County Federation . . . . . . . . . .70

Huron County Federation 72

43 Invest in Agriculture

Agriculture needs more public investment to be competitive

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.

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

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

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

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

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Advertising & editorial production: Dianne Josling

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Subscriptions: $25 (12 issues) $45 (24 issues), includes HST Back copies $2.75 each.

Artwork by Bruce Horak

SEPTEMBER 1 TO 24

Some say John Ware was one of the greatest ranchers to ever ride in the West, known for daring acts of horsemanship, heroism in the face of danger, and a deep commitment to community. There’s even a mountain and a ridge named after him. But while the legend of John Ware may have been largely obscured for over a hundred years, today Joni is telling his story anew. It’s time to sit back in your saddle and let a new perspective take the reins. Chock full of original folk tunes with a live band that will knock your socks off!

PRODUCTION SPONSOR Additional Support by

Twaine Ward (John Ware)

Warona Setshwaelo (Joni)

Germaine Konji (Mildred Ware)

Ruralite

Pulling Carrots

“How food is grown and where it comes from is a missing piece in health and nutrition.”

~ Alex Chesney, dietitian and owner of Thames River Melons on why the farm offers a pick-your-own vegetable garden and cooking classes Story on page 21

FARMING IN SEPTEMBER

“September shows us how beautiful it is to let things go...after the harvest!”

~anonymous

FUN WITH WORDS

• Acupuncture is a jab well done

• Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

• A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two tired

• What’s the definition of a will? It’s a dead give­away

• Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana

• Reading while sunbathing makes you well red

The Red Green Show

Colourful and sequential.

Pictured late in the day on Highway 4 near Kippen in late July.

~Photo by Bonnie Sitter

Stay Involved

“My generation was raised with parents who had witnessed what happens when democracy is absent, so they set a good example, yet we picked it up more sporadically.

Our children take democracy even more for granted and participate less as a result.”

~ Keith Roulston on the lack of participation in community and farm organizations and his urging to stay involved.

Comment on page 6

Seen on Road Signs

• For chemists, alcohol is not a problem. It’s a solution.

• Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.

• Remember — if the world didn’t suck, we’d all fall off.

Neil’s One-Liners

(Wisdom and humour from the McGavin files)

• I am always willing to learn, however I do not always like to be taught.

• In case of doubt, make it sound convincing

Behind the scenes

Lisa B. Pot

The smell of fries from the fry truck at Thames River Melons near Innerkip was too hard to resist. These two served up my order and asked for a photo...how could I resist? Affable young men, Shannon McMahon (left) and Scott Salmon (right) prove not all teens are lost to screens and social media. I have two daughters who also sling burgers and fries for summer jobs. It’s hot in those shacks and trucks but they smile and serve to pay for their expensive university educations. There is a tip jar but not everyone thinks to tip like they do in a restaurant. So, hey, next time you enjoy fresh cut fries from your local fast-food joint, slip them some change and smile back!

Iwas cleaning the living room when I looked up to see two little (or big?) brown bats staring down at me. Silly critters. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I watched them for a while and every time I passed by, four tiny eyes followed my every movement. It was creepy and cool.

I have a lot of experience growing up with bats (our house was full of them) so I carefully trapped them in a pail and released them outside. They flew away to live another day. All good. Or so I thought.

I have since learned that the little brown bats are endangered because of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a non-native bat fungal disease that is decimating our native bats. There are no cures for WNS. By listing little brown bats as endangered species, it provides immediate protection to their residences or dwelling. It is illegal to disturb, harass, injure or capture bats, or to disturb or destroy their residences. Individuals who plan to remove bats from homes, buildings or other structures should contact the Wildlife Division for a permit and further advice to limit impact on the bats.

Well! I definitely disturbed and captured this pair but I like to think it was for the greater good ... much better than being swatted with a tennis racket like my dad used to do when my sister screamed there was a bat in her room! Times change, our knowledge grows and we do the best we can.

Sutton Levi was born in July to my son Jesse and his partner Nicole. So many hearts are overflowing with the arrival of this little one and I finally get to be an Oma — a dream come true. Will he be a farmer like his dad? A business owner like his mom? A lover or a fighter? Content or curious? Or all of the above? What a privilege to become an Oma to watch, care for, and love this new human as he grows up.

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

New program offers tailored mental health support for farmers

Earlier this year, a new province-wide initiative was launched to deliver tailored mental health support and resources to all Ontario farmers and their families. Together, we can break the silence.

Funded by the governments of Canada and Ontario, the Farmer Wellness Initiative provides free counselling sessions with a mental health professional. Each mental health professional has received training to understand the unique needs of the farming community.

The Farmer Wellness Initiative is supported by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – Ontario Division, in partnership with OFA, and aims to protect and enhance the mental well-being of farmers and their families. Counselling services provided by LifeWorks.

This program will provide valuable support for the agricultural community by giving farmers easy access to a comprehensive network of mental health counselling and crisis services.

Accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, in English and French. Reach out and call anytime at 1-866-267-6255

Paid for in part by the governments of Canada and Ontario and through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

I was struck by the calls, in two of the township Federation newsletters last month, for people to run for the board of directors in upcoming elections. I’ve been around long enough to remember when you didn’t need to beg people to be involved in community leadership.

I covered my first meeting of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture way back in 1970. I had just taken over as editor of the Clinton News-Record and the meeting was to be held at the Clinton Town Hall so I went. It was something of an unusual meeting because the man who had been elected President had suffered a heart attack and the vice-president, John

Stafford, had to take over,

It was the beginning of a meaningful relationship. I began covering the monthly meetings of the HCFA directors, which in those days numbered 30 or 40 with directors from every township. Eventually the relationship that evolved into my company publishing the annual Federation Survey publication and The Rural Voice developed because in 1975 we offered to include the Federation’s newsletter (newly required by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture) in a new, monthly farm publication.

Later the Perth, Bruce and Grey Federations joined in. More recently the National Farmers Union –Ontario added its voice, and its membership to The Rural Voice circulation.

But back to the point of this column. All the farm meetings I attended, apart from that first one, had much larger participation than the meetings I attended toward the end of my long career. Farmers were much more involved in their communities and their farm

organizations in those days.

While the majority of Huron Federation meetings were in Clinton, periodic meetings were held in communities around the county. Depending on the hot topics of the day (such as the expropriation of a right-of-way for the building of the first power corridor from Douglas Point in the mid-70s), there might be 200 or more people at a meeting held in a school auditorium or community hall.

It wasn’t just a Huron County situation. As I covered more county federations, I found large crowds at every annual meeting.

It wasn’t only farm politics that stirred interest. At one time, when we had neighbourhood one-room schools, nearly every (male) parent served on the school board at one time or another. Participation was weeded down by township schools and boards, then the province’s imposition of county and two-county boards.

When there was a council in each township, there seemed to be more involvement of the grassroots in local politics, but then we had amalgamation enforced by the provincial government and interest seemed to wane.

My parents’ generation, who lived through a Depression and World War II, saw what happened when democracy failed, as it did in Germany, or never existed, as Japan demonstrated. They felt a duty to be involved in decision-making.

My generation was raised by parents who had witnessed what can happen when democracy is absent, so they set a good example, yet we picked it up more sporadically. Our children take democracy even more for granted and participate less as a result.

My years of covering farm organizations range from the early years, when an annual meeting saw a vote for every position from president on down because there was competition, to acclamations when desire to participate weakened, to positions being left open in later years because nobody wanted to take on the responsibility.

Democracy only works when we care enough to participate.◊

Keith Roulston

T T rr a a v v e e llllii n n g g L L o o c c a a ll

We live in an increasingly complex world, and it seems humans have never-ending expectations. While technology has vastly improved our lives in many ways, it has also led to some down sides –everyone is an expert in everything now thanks to Google, and since we are all experts in everything, we find it so easy to criticize and condemn what everyone else is doing.

As a farmer, I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the sheer amount of stuff we need to know and keep on top of as things evolve and change. Never mind the evolving and

changing… I can get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff we need to remember. Even if you just take one aspect of farming – cropping –there is a lot to know.

We need to be experts in highly technical equipment like sprayers, planters, and combines –understanding the mechanics, maintenance, and technical pieces that all need to work together properly. Usually I just get feeling good about all of that when it is time to put that machine away for another year and haul out the next piece of equipment. God help you if you forget one little setting on the monitor when switching between crops. I try to take good notes from year to year and pictures of the tricky things I can’t remember, but it is still a challenge and every year seems to bring new problems. Wait – let me reframe that – new things to learn! There is never any shortage of learning. Or new mistakes to make.

We also have to be knowledgeable about varieties of seed, weeds, insects, plant diseases, soil, fertility,

international politics and weather, marketing… you get the idea. Of course, farms raising animals have the list multiplied many times. Add in the human factor – few of us farm completely alone – we also have to be experts in human behavior to keep the whole thing running smoothly in order to get things done in our increasingly small weather windows of opportunity. Speaking of weather, we can do all the planning and implementation of those plans perfectly, but the biggest impact on our outcome is something completely out of our control.

Yet to the average consumer, who makes up more than 99 per cent of the population, we are still chewing on a piece of grass in our denim overalls watching the clouds roll by. I know a few brave farmers who are dedicated to engaging with our consumers, presenting a more positive side of the farming story that often gets lost in the negative headlines and basic disconnect between farmers and consumers.

In spite of the ambassadors and outreach to help consumers and farmers connect in a positive way, the critics are still out there and they have loud voices. As farmers, we are impacted by this as people demand more and more food safety, environmental protection, and a voice in how we do our business.

This is not all bad. When we only talk to like-minded people, it is easy to get working away and too focused on the details without seeing the bigger picture. It is good to have other viewpoints and observations –as long as everyone is able to engage in a productive way. The conflict between the higher costs associated with things like minimum wage, higher standards for production and testing of new products compared with the prices people are willing to pay in the grocery store is not new –we’ve been talking about that for at least my entire farming career. That conversation is not new.

I raise all of these points as a reminder, to myself included, that things are always much simpler from the outside looking in. People who know nothing about most jobs find it

easy to point and criticize. I always find it easier to edit than to write. However, this is something that I hear more of us doing about everyone. I get cranky when the logistics branch of the company picking up our grain can’t seem to tell me within half a day, or worse, when the trucks will be arriving to be loaded. My kids seem to be able to track me to the minute using basic apps that come with their phones – is this really so hard? What I can’t see from my little farm in Huron County is all the downstream pieces of the puzzle that have to work to move one load of corn.

I hear people harp on and on about all professions — police, teachers and even nurses! Having nurses in the family, and having personally watched nurses work — I have a tiny bit of understanding of the complexity of their jobs. I know that they don’t get breaks, and often have to stay overtime to make sure the nurses coming in on the next shift know what went on the shift before. They work double time as social workers, and even need protection from the violence directed towards them by the very people they are caring for. Then we wonder why our emergency rooms are closing due to lack of staff.

If there is one thing we should have learned from the past few years, it is that there is a lot more beyond our control than within it. Working together with more understanding and having a little more compassion for each other will go a long way toward moving forward in our new normal. ◊

Dahlia’s brother

Moonless midnight winter in Canada’s north isn’t necessarily about darkness. There are pockets where the artificial light is reflected upwards and then down again, a kind of deeper twilight to which your eyes adjust.

For a week I’d been making the trek, from the mobile home that we rented, Dahlia, Geena and I, skirting main street, and then over the highway to an empty, snow-dusted field, the lights of the highway motel a few hundred yards ahead.

I don’t know how long they’d been following me, the three of them, Dahlia’s brother in the lead, the others trailing to either side. A party of young hunters, and I the prey; our exhalations rising as one and

transformed, sharp diamonds lingering in our wake.

Running wasn’t an option, not being particularly fleet of foot, and so I simply saved my breath and broadened my stride by what I hoped was an imperceptible degree and maintained that pace, eyes forward as the distance narrowed, listening to the footsteps behind.

Dahlia’s brother – I don’t recall ever hearing his name – was smaller than I, compact, well proportioned, born to a land of muskeg and boreal forest, meandering watercourses and occasional low stony outcrops; all scarred by the extraction of fossil fuels; the ancient ways broken.

At the town bar there were two games that were played with a dollar bill. One was harmless enough, the object of which was to have the good fortune of having a winning combination of letters and numbers to form a poker hand.

I played it with an old man there, knowing full well the eventual outcome. I’d win a round. He’d win the next. Dollars exchanged hands and then the finale a final wager.

From some inside pocket, a small square would be produced, carefully unfolded and smoothed, a straight flush, ace high, unbeatable.

Dahlia’s brother would play the other game. He’d take a dollar bill offered to him, wrap it tight around one forearm or the other, and with a lit cigarette burn a hole through the bill and, having accomplished this, keep the bill. No trick or subterfuge. Just lines of scars.

The girls I met sometime prior to leaving my position as sole reporter for a string of community weekly newspapers. Even a job as the night clerk paid more though it was a tedious position, seated in a small office during the wee hours.

“Indians,” I was told, were not allowed though on one occasion a couple came out of the cold, a ragged pair of indeterminant age – perhaps much younger than they looked. The man when I stepped up to him bent his head and a long line of spittle fell to the toe of my boot.

At the time I wondered at their appearance, not realizing the existence of a third reserve, just on the edge of town. The others were further away, the largest an hour to the west along a broad road where the arrival of John Munro, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, had been anticipated some weeks before.

It seemed the entire community was gathered in the gymnasium of the school. They waited ’till morning, I heard, but I left at in the wee hours. The minister never did arrive but a sizeable grant intended for development and to address societal ills of the people did, money that would later find its way to some offshore account.

There was an expression used in that place. It was even painted upon a tin shed wall on the way out of town: “Fck-a-round,” the emphasis being equally placed on a first two syllables.

The job at the motel was a mistake, the most excruciatingly boring position I’ve ever held. One night when I wandered away from my lonely post, influenced by a certain a hallucinogen Dahlia had procured, and returned to the trailer

10 The Rural Voice

Jeff is a freelance journalist based in Dresden, Ontario.

Jeff Carter

where a party was in full flight.

“What are you doing here. Get back to work!” she said.

The girls both held day jobs at the highway restaurant, Dahlia cooking and Geena serving but that’s not where we met. Some fellows in my acquaintance brought them by the trailer one day. I needed paying roommates and for them, it seemed, I represent perhaps the best opportunity.

* * * * *

“Besides, Pinkie, they were beautiful.”

(Pinkie is my dear friend, and like most women I’ve come to know, so much quicker on the uptake than I. )

“We had fun together, the three of us, playing drinking games at which, they would inevitably cheat. Once when taking a shower, they took my clothes. I retrieved them, naked. Dahlia remarked upon my dignity and the relative shortness of my legs compared to the rest of me, a conformation not all so different from hers.

“The first sign of trouble came in a few weeks. I returned home from work to find a Brothers Hildebrandt calendar portraying Hobbits of J.R.R. Tolkien fame that I had hung the previous day torn into small pieces.”

“Conflicting mythologies, perhaps?” Pinkie suggests.

“Something like that. There was anger in that tearing. The people, by their own account, have a most spiritual nature. The depiction Hobbits was an afront, it seemed.

“The far greater afront, a most grave misjudgment, Pinkie, was my suggestion to Dahlia that her little brother not hang out around the trailer so much.” * * * * *

Dahlia’s brother and his two friends scattered with the approach of a certain pickup known to them. In it were two fellows with certain reputation; something about gunplay along main street some years before.

I quit the motel job. Later I heard some well-heeled persons Edmontonway, from the Four Bands perhaps, were turned away which led to a hullabaloo of sorts. I suspect real change would be years in coming.

To be continued... ◊

Mabel’s Grill

“Great,” grumbled George, “Putin invades Ukraine so Ken at the print shop gets more money for printing Mabel’s new menus! And we get poorer paying for them!”

“Oh stop your grumbling,” scolded Molly. “Looking at your belt sizes, I suspect you guys have a little time before you starve to death.”

pound it’s big news!”

“Well, well” said Cliff Murray as Molly Whiteside distributed menus for breakfast at Mabel’s Grill the other morning, “things must be looking up. Mabel has new menus.”

“Looks like she can afford them,” grumbled George Mackenzie. “My ham and eggs just went up 50 cents!”

“Mabel’s had a tough time lately,” Molly said sympathetically. “First she got hurt by having the close and cut back because of COVID-19, then the prices of nearly every food went up.”

“Well the cost of feeding my pigs went up too so don’t blame me if ham is more expensive,” said Dave Winston. “If you want to blame somebody, blame Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine and keeping so much of their grain trapped in so there was a world grain shortage.”

“I don’t go shopping with my wife anymore,” said Dave after Molly took their orders back to Mabel in the kitchen (the same orders as usual even if the guys did grumble about prices). “I try not to look at the cashregister slip when she gets home, either. I hate to see a grown man cry – especially if he’s me.”

“I know,” said Cliff. “Seems like you couldn’t watch the news on TV for weeks there without there being a story about the higher cost of food or gas. Funny, they don’t talk nearly as loudly if the price falls.”

“Or we don’t get rain for weeks for our hay and pasture,” said George.

“Or if the price of feed for my hogs goes up it gets left off the news completely,” said Dave. “But if the cost of meat goes up five cents a

“And it’s always our fault,” grumbled Cliff. “I mean people know so little about growing foods these days that if they think the price of strawberries is too high in September, they blame Canadian farmers when the strawberries probably came from someplace like California or Mexico.”

“Well I’ve tried to cut food costs for the kids by growing a bit of a garden,” said Molly as she delivered their meals. “They actually thought working in the garden was kind of fun, until about 10 minutes into the first hot day, when suddenly television got really attractive.”

“My grandmother used to grow a huge garden,” said George. “She used to preserve jars and jars of pickles and peaches and strawberries. I mean she brought home about half as much from the store on a winter shopping trip as we do these days.”

“Yeah, I said something like that to my wife when she came home from shopping after work the other day,” said Cliff. “She looked me straight in the eye and said I was welcome to grow a garden and blanche all the vegetables and put them in the freezer if I was so inclined but don’t expect her to work 12 hours at the hospital, then come home and act like a wife from 1952 who stayed at home all day!”

“I’ll bet you found an excuse to be needed badly in the barn after that one,” chuckled Dave.

“Oh well, it’ll be winter before we know it and all this talk about growing gardens will disappear,” said Molly, as she headed back to the kitchen.

“And people in December will complain about the price of strawberries and kumquats and blame the prices on Canadians farmers like us,” sighed Cliff.

Molly arrived back to clean the table as they left and glanced at the paltry tips besides the plates.

“Aren’t you guys forgetting something?” she asked pointedly.

“Sorry about that,” said Dave with a shrug, “but I only brought enough money for the old prices plus a tip. “

“Wonderful!” grumbled Molly. “So now it’s up to waitresses to make up for inflation!◊

Viewpoint

Fertilizer reductions are possible

The 4R principles promoted by Fertilizer Canada are increasingly accepted and practiced by farmers across Canada. It makes sense to apply nutrients from the Right source, at the Right time, in the Right place and at the Right rate.

However, recent Fertilizer Canada lobbying has morphed the fourth principle from Right rates to holding the line at rates without “a mandatory reduction in the use of fertilizers.” These are 3R and STIR (same to increased rates) principles. Is this right?

The stewardship section on the Fertilizer Canada website has many commendable points about optimizing nutrient management, better crop and soil management, improving fertilizer efficiency, reducing energy use per harvested unit of farm production and improving net farm profit. Nevertheless, these assertions, and especially the last one, can be contradicted with their proviso, “without sacrificing yield potential.”

Highest yields may not be the most profitable yields depending on fertilizer and other input costs and weather conditions, which often constrain nutrient availability. Applying more fertilizer than can be used by a crop leads to inefficient nutrient management, leakage of nutrients from soil and wasted energy of fertilizer manufacturing, transportation and on-farm application.

It’s not hard to imagine why Fertilizer Canada advocates for maintaining current or higher

amounts of fertilizer on Canadian farms, given the correlation of fertilizer amounts with sales revenue. Their stated rationale in a press release in Sept. 2021 is that if the government of Canada enforces its 30 per cent fertilizer emissions reduction target by 2030 then Canadian farmers will lose $48 billion. Daniel Schuurmann and Alfons Weersink, University of Guelph, in their brief and potent analysis, “Is Fertilizer Canada Crying Wolf?,” deftly refute the $48 billion claim.

Fertilizer Canada also warns that a reduced overall amount of fertilizer in Canada “risks Canada’s contribution to the global supply of food,” the putative slam-dunk argument for not sacrificing yield potential. Yields of what? For example, a recent Guardian report affirms that the EU uses 3.3 million tonnes of wheat and 6.4 million tonnes of corn for biofuels. Sara Menker of Gro Intelligence calculates that global biofuel crops diverted from food could have provided 2000 calories per person per day to 1.9 billion people.

Furthermore, Will Steffen and his colleagues published a paper in Science in 2015 indicating that we have crossed the planetary boundary into the high-risk zone of excess reactive nitrogen (N) and phosphorus in our biosphere, and correlated with synthetic fertilizer applications. The 4R principles, especially right rates, might prevent excess leakage of nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas (GHG) 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide) into air and nitrates into water. However, insistence on 3R and STIR thwarts efforts to lower such pollution.

In our current moment of planetary history, we use prime farmland to grow more feed than needed and give food grade grain to livestock. In an Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems paper, Sara Wyngaarden, Kyra Lightburn and I outlined that by optimizing food processing by-products and forages for livestock, Ontario could reduce arable land for feed production by 40 per cent while

Ralph C. Martin is an author and a retired professor from the University of Guelph

maintaining sufficient animal protein in an adequate diet. Farmers could choose to grow food crops on that 40 per cent of land now used for feed.

I recommend that farmers be incentivized to reduce fertilizer rates. Let’s suppose that on average corn farmers apply 180 lbs of nitrogen fertilizer/acre for a yield of 180 bushels corn/acre, a ratio of 1.0 (180/180). For those who reduce the ratio to less than 1.0, payments could be proportional to the reduction.

For example, by employing genuine 4R principles a fertilizer rate of 150 lbs nitrogen fertilizer/acre might result in 170 bushels corn/acre, a ratio of 0.88 (150/170). Others may use genuine 4R principles by applying manure to support corn growth and then limit nitrogen fertilizer to 90 lbs/acre. If the manure supplies enough nitrogen, the corn will yield 180 bushels/acre and the ratio will be 0.5 (90/180). Organic farmers, who do not apply synthetic fertilizer, would have a ratio of 0 (0/150). Organic systems can still achieve average yields of about 150 bushels corn/acre.

Similar incentive payments could be calibrated to average fertilizer to yield ratios for each crop, in each region. Payments should be contingent on submission of a nutrient management plan to ensure that manure or other organic amendments are not applied in excess.

N fertilizer when manufactured is an energy hog and accounts for more than 50 per cent of total energy use in commercial agriculture (https://royal societypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rst b.2010.0172 ). The fossil fuels, especially natural gas, to manufacture N fertilizer result in concomitant GHG emissions.

For Canadian agriculture to meet its 30 per cent fertilizer emissions reduction target by 2030, it is critical to reduce the overall amount of N fertilizer used in Canada and not default to 3R and STIR. This target and beyond is necessary and possible, so let’s get on with it. ◊

Dairy Goat

Raising kids and kids a natural fit

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

The early mornings are getting harder to appreciate for long-time dairy goat producers, Henk and Ellen Van Schaik of Blyth.

With three daughters off on their own exciting careers, and a fourth helping part-time, Henk and Ellen are now the only full-time help to milk almost 600 goats, something they’ve been doing for over 20 years. The pair were founding members of the Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative (ODGC) which recently celebrated the anniversary with a family event at their Teeswater facility. The Van Schaiks, along with three other founding members, were presented with awards for their longevity – Jim and Sylvia Parish; Candy Zisterer and Lloyd and Arlene Metzger.

Family and farming go hand in hand and Ellen says there was nothing better when the girls were small. “We all enjoyed it and the girls all had chores when they came back from school.”

“For a family farm, it was great,” says Henk.

When the oldest daughter Laura became a nurse, then second daughter Melissa chose to become a veterinary technician while third daughter Chantal went into hotel management, there were high hopes for 21-year-old Marielle. She went to Ridgetown College with thoughts of potentially taking over the farm. But it’s a big farm with a lot of goats and at 21, the thought of managing an entire farm was too much. She is now training to be an esthetician, which leaves Henk and Ellen, in their 50s, thinking it might be time to slow down.

Henk and Ellen Van Schaik of Blyth were honoured for being original members of the Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative which celebrated its 20th anniversary in July. The pair milk 600 dairy goats and say despite the ups and downs, becoming dairy goat milk producers was the right decision for their family.

the heat. “Then after two or three years, there were processor problems and we had to start dumping milk. That’s when a couple of us got together and started the cooperative.”

“We currently milk 600 goats and we’d like to slow down to 450,” says Henk. The next stage is to set up a plan to sell the goats within two years, either in groups as breeding stock or as a herd for another family to get their start in dairy goats.

It’s been quite a ride for the Van Schaiks.

“When we started dairy goat farming, it was really good,” remembers Henk as the pair take a break on their deck, serving coffee and chocolate cookies slowly melting in

The founding members had a vision to broker their goats’ milk across North America, rather than be at the mercy of one or two processors. The cooperative grew to almost 100 members but struggled with milk volume between 2010 and 2014. There were some hard years.

On their farm, the Van Schaiks decided to clear their herd of Caprine arthritis and encephalitis (CAE) which is a persistent lentiviral infection of goats. They wanted to maximize their breeding stock sale potential. All kids were

Henk and Ellen Van Schaik were founding members of the Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative but morning milkers are getting tougher

separated from the herd and tested, with only goats negative for CAE kept in the herd. By 2016, they were milking goats again. The couple also tweaked their management and got serious about duration milking, only rebreeding doelings on their natural cycle. The nannies were kept in a barn with lighting left on for 20 hours a day until February and March. The lights were then turned off and this older flock was bred in April and May for kidding in the fall to increase winter milk volume and reduce summer milk volume (when there is too much milk on the market). This year, using the same process, 210 of 250 goats caught, which is considered very successful.

The Van Schaiks are also very conscious of costs. They renovated old pig barns to house their goats, later adding an addition. “Fixing the barn cost $10 per square foot which was cheaper than building new,” he said.

Meanwhile, ODGC was also experiencing successful years with potential new markets. There was a buzz in the dairy goat industry, with many young families eager to join the cooperative.

Then, “boom” says Henk. In 2017, the goat milk market crashed again with cutbacks of 40 per cent in milk volume. “We were still in a bubble that the sky was the limit, it was not.”

Having been in the industry for many years by then, and with breeding stock sales and crop acreage to support the farm, the Van Schaiks could weather those tough years but Henk admits “that was the tightest period for us.” They shipped 160,000 litres to be used for goat milk powder, but never got paid. “The goat powder was a disaster.”

However, after bad times come good times and the last two years have been profitable and filled with potential for new dairy goat milk markets, even though feed costs have risen dramatically. “There’s always something,” laughs Henk.

Speaking about the cooperative, Henk says he is very proud of what farmers can accomplish when they band together. Growing from a dozen members to almost 100 allowed them to develop new markets, purchase

their own trucking fleet and “put the goat industry on the map.”

The cooperative has experimented with chocolate goat milk and fluid milk, both of which did not gain the traction they hoped, but Van Schaik has no regrets. “At least we tried.” He hopes the cooperative will continue to push the boundaries and strive for new markets. It can be risky, but for the dairy goat industry to grow, it needs to take risks, he believes. He thinks a drinkable yogurt would be a viable product option and has high hopes for what the Canada Royal Milk ULC plant in Kingston could mean for dairy goat producers.

However, the focus for the Van Schaiks has moved from expansion to reduction. Milking 600 goats with 68 milkers keeps them hopping. They milk together and in fact, do most things together.

“We knew we had to be a team,” says Henk. “It would be so hard if your wife was not in it 100 per cent. You need support when it gets hard.”

Ellen agrees. “We are together 24-7 and it’s a give and take. You have to pull together.”

“We don’t always agree,” Henk interjects. “But we respect each other and we try to listen to each other. That’s the hardest part!” he laughs.

Both agree milking goats was the right choice for their family but with only Marielle still helping, they admit to being a little tired. “At 5:30 a.m. that alarm goes off and we have to be in the barn at 6 a.m.” says Henk. “Then if we visit our daughter, we see it is three in the afternoon on our watch and we have to go back home to milk the goats.”

It takes its toll and without a new generation to take over, the couple feels at peace with their career as they begin the process of leaving the industry. They look forward to continuing cropping, raising some beef cattle and having more time for family. ◊

Henk

of Blyth repurposed old pigs barns into their dairy goat barn over 20 years ago and added an addition for doelings and kids later. They were recently honoured at Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperatives 20th anniversary with a Founding Member award.

and Ellen Van Schaik (above)

For a farm that once grew tobacco, then switched to melons, Thames River Melons has sure “come a long way, baby” (Virginia Slims advertisement).

With customers letting blueberries fall into their hands in the blueberry field, to kids pulling carrots in the “pickyour-own” vegetable patch to customers eating fries while watching free-range chickens, there is a lot going on in the dusty fields near Innerkip.

I’ve jumped in the truck with Alex Chesney, eldest daughter of Rob Chesney who has been farming this land since 1984. When tobacco went bust, he experimented with a field of cantaloupes and watermelons.

“The idea was that with our sandy soil and hotter summers, we had a climate similar to that of California,” explains Alex as we bounce along in a farm truck, headed for a field of cantaloupe where temporary farm workers are harvesting the thick-skinned melons.

The family started selling the melons and other produce on-farm and at farmers’ markets and slowly began building a 500-acre empire of produce including asparagus, blueberry fields, garden vegetables and of course, melons.

The farm was veering toward the farmers’ market and wholesale scene but when registered dietitian Alex came home to farm, the thinking changed. COVID-19 happened and there was a resurgence in interest in farm fresh foods and on-farm education. Being a dietitian, Alex was all for the public’s eagerness to learn.

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

“I think that how food is grown and where it comes from is a missing piece in health and nutrition,” she says. That truth was evidenced when we met the DiMarco family from Woodstock. The mother and father duo of Shauna and Dan, regularly bring their kids – Fiona and Felix – to the vegetable garden at Thames River to pick their own produce. “We want to teach the kids the importance of growing food,” says Shauna. Dan agrees, adding “We also like to support local and you can’t beat the taste!”

It’s the direction Alex is keen on taking the business. There is an on-farm store and they also

added a french fry

Dan and Shauna Di Marco of Woodstock are regulars at Thames River Melons pick‐your‐own vegetable patch to teach their children, Fiona and Felix, how fresh food is grown. Plus, they love the taste, says Dan.

truck so that customers can pick in the morning and stay for lunch, watching the chickens from the outdoor picnic tables.

“I want to create a space where people can experience and see for themselves how and where food comes from,” she says. Added to that, the business has begun offering workshops. The Harvest Brunch workshop is a three-hour experience where people pick vegetables in the field, collect eggs from the chickens, then prepare a meal to eat. So far, Alex has offered 12 sessions with two to six people taking part

in each event.

“When it comes to nutrition, we talk a lot about macro and micro nutrients and then we discuss how to cook and prepare food to preserve those macro and micro nutrients,” explains Alex. “We teach practical day-to-day things you can do with food.” She believes that when people enjoy and understand healthy food, the more they want to eat it.

“We really want people to eat more fruits and vegetables but it’s been a struggle to figure out how to do that,” adds Alex. Classes are one way. Starting your own garden is

another. If you have space, grow a big garden, if you have little space grow tomatoes in pots. Her best advice is to work with the space you have and grow what you like.

So many people have never picked their own vegetables, says Alex, something that seems unbelievable to someone who grew up on a farm. Recently Alex witnessed a 60-year-old woman digging up potatoes for the first time in her life. “She was so excited.”

Alex also manages the delivery of market boxes to clients who buy a membership. She sends out a weekly

Pablo Kepron and his mother, Anna, made good progress in the pick‐your‐own blueberry patch at Thames River Melons near Innerkip. Pick‐your‐own fruits and vegetables are half the price of picked produce sold in the farm store. Ripe blueberries do not need to be tugged — they will fall right into your hand when gently pulled.

newsletter with recipes and prepares educational resources as well.

Her skill set coincides very well with that of her father Rob, who is the farmer planning crop rotations, ordering seeds and making planting schedules. He doesn’t particularly like journalists taking his picture but on the farm, Alex says “he is enthusiastic and up for any challenge.” Whenever she comes up with new ideas, her dad is encouraging. “Nothing seems to scare him off. When I have a new idea he is on board which makes it easy to be innovative and have fun!”

Alex’s husband, Nathan, is also involved in the business. He runs the apiary of around 80 hives which is needed to pollinate the fruit and vegetable crops. He is also in charge of food safety and routing for the delivery trucks.

Alex’s mom, Maria, is a teacher

Alex Chesney (above) is an owner of Thames River Melons, a family business near Innerkip which has grown to 500 acres, an on‐farm store, market boxes and bakery. Vistitors come for the pick‐your‐own vegetables and blueberries as well. Melons are still a mainstay and get harvested with the help of temporary agricultural workers from Mexico and Jamaica (above). The business hires local staff as well, including Jenna Harper (above, right) of Innerkip who works in the farm store.

Thames River Melons is a family business which includes (left ro right) Grant Chesney, Nathan Tebokkel, Alex Chesney and Rob Chesney.

who helps with marketing and paperwork in the summer. She also has three siblings – Grant and Ella –who are still in high school while older brother Luke is an engineer in Windsor yet still helps the farm with IT and online marketing.

It’s very much a family affair that includes part-time student help and approximately 40 seasonal workers who come from Jamaica and Mexico. With new regulations on housing for seasonal farm workers, Alex says the farm is now limited in how many workers can come. It has made it difficult to keep up with perennial crops, which is part of the reason the farm is looking to centre the business on-farm, rather than market wholesale.

For Alex, coming home to help run the family farm wasn’t a hard decision. “I love food. I love watching seeds turn to plants, then to flowers then to fruit. I know it sounds weird but I think plants are kind of magical and watching families experience it is very rewarding.” ◊

The 86er Mixer:

Perth, Wellington and Waterloo

Roadside stands and markets filled with summer vegetables make traveling to Wellington County a rich and colourful day trip

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Traveling to Wellington County for a day trip from Huron County and through Perth County is like passing through the land of milk honey.

The Amish and Mennonite communities and other entrepreneurial spirits offered flowers, eggs, vegetables and other goods as we travelled to St. Jacobs to load up on beans and experience the hustle and bustle of a large market.

St. Jacob’s

Market

We headed straight for the market, enjoying the revitalization of the crops from the recent rain up Huron 25 into Perth County on Line 55 before turning in Wellesley (a great pit stop if there was time) and reaching the market. The parking lots were packed full on a Tuesday and we headed into the first building to admire artisan’s work.

Behind the building was a busker, making the kids laugh with his charismatic personality. Simon Zenker was his name and he performs his balancing and juggling act three days a week, earning $1,000 a day to pay for college. “I earned $1,500 one day!” he says. Wow!

Wandering through the stalls, I found a bushel of beans from Henry Densa at Voisin’s Family Produce. He is retired from being a program manager for an electronic design company and likes to keep busy so he works here three days a week. “It’s great…I meet all sorts of new people while working in the sunshine. People are happy when they come here!” His smile made me happy so I put him on this month’s Rural Voice cover.

It’s a bustling place and we followed the laughter to the little zoo where Nick Jamieson believes he has the best summer job, ever. He gets to feed and guide children to see the pigs, cows and goats. Jamieson had just tossed a pail of discarded vegetables into the pen and the pigs were intensely focussed on their treats. Jamieson is from Toronto but a love of animals lured him to the University of Guelph where he is studying agriculture business. “There is a great vibe here,” he says. “I love it. It’s a lot of fun.”

He was born in Toronto but a love of animals has Nick Jamieson studying agriculture business at the University of Guelph while he works summers caring for the livestock at the St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market petting zoo.

To finish our time at the market, we enjoyed freshly made quesadillas from a food truck, chatted with a couple we shared a picnic table with (turns out her family was from Huron County), enjoyed a sample or two from the TWB Cooperative Brewing stall and sat in the massage chairs at another stall, fiercely debating whether we should buy one or not. In the end, we opted not but I can’t stop thinking about it so it might be a future purchase.

Woolwich Dam and Reservoir

We could have spent much more time at the St. Jacob’s market browsing and chatting to people but

we had an itinerary to follow so off we drove to Reid Woods Drive to visit the Woolwich Dam and Reservoir. It was a peaceful stop after the busyness of the market, and we decided to come back another time with kayaks and explore the farreaching lake within the Grand River Conservation Authority.

Block Three Brewing Company

It was a quick drive down 86 to stop in Elmira, a town you could spend the whole day in. We like to visit craft breweries and we chose the Block Three Brewing Company located right off the main street. Graham Spence is one of the owners who drew our beer and said they’ve been in operation for about nine years now.

I ordered a Hollinger Hellis and sat down to be visited by a very friendly golden retriever who laid his head in my lap, friendliness flowing from her yellow coat. She enjoyed her pat and when I was finished, used her limpid eyes to beg a pat from another customer.

The highlight of this visit was the Bimini Ring game. We read the directions but despite over 200 attempts, I could not get that darn ring on the hook! As I was leaving, another bartender gave me a tip. “Show me how,” I said. In six tries, he had hooked the ring. So I tried his technique and score!! I looked around for my partner but he was in the bathroom. Since he couldn’t get the ring on the hook either, he denied my achievement but the crowd stood by me and confirmed that of the two of us at least, I was the Bimini champ.

I’ve never been one to sit in a bar and brewery but this place was relaxed and fun, with games on the tables and I thought if I lived in Elmira, I might visit this place more than once.

Country Sisters

We were getting hungry and my parents had raved about the Country Sisters restaurant near Dorking and Moorefield. This took us down Highway 86, a road I’ve traveled much and enjoy every time. I love seeing what is being sold on the roadside stands and August is such a

bounteous month. There were ripe vegetables and beautiful flowers everywhere. Corn was in tassel and we admired the Mennonite gardens we passed.

One could stop at the Wallenstein General Store “Where Friendly Neighbours Meet” or admire the new steeple at St. Joseph’s Church in Macton. Conestogo Lake is near Dorking en route but hunger drove us closer to Moorefield to the new building housing Country Sisters. It’s rather unexpected, really, this new glassy build surrounded by pavement in a field. It could use some trees or shade but inside is cool and the older gentleman behind the counter was welcoming as could be as he took our order for sandwiches. He said the business is run by his two unmarried daughters, who politely declined to have their photos taken.

The fruit was ripe and delicious at the Romagnoli farm stand at the St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market. Owner Irene (not pictured) said the family has been at the market since 1975. Helping Irene were employees (above) Brendan Cruickshank of Beamsville and Dennis Boronka of Romania. At right, juggler Simon Zenker of Elmira keeps the children entertained with his juggling act that earns him up to $1,000 a day.

Pierre Lemieux of Kitchener was handing out free samples of TWB Cooperative Brewing beer at the St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market in August while outside, pigs in the petting zoo got a treat of discarded fruit and vegetables which the crowd of children found highly entertaining.

The dining room closes at four so we ate our sandwiches beside a table with flower arrangements for sale and I bought one filled with yellow sunflowers to take home.

Millbank Hardware

We headed down Perth Road 121 towards Millbank. One could eat at

Anna Mae’s Bakery and Restaurant but we were still full. I wanted to explore something old and something new.

Something new was the Millbank Hardware, once located downtown in two separate buildings and now encompassed in one, giant, modern

building. It was actually their opening day! I’m not terribly handy with tools but one can admire progress, organization and good service and this store had all three. We helped ourselves to free coffee in the store and wandered the aisles, marveling at the choice.

The something old in Millbank was the Old Methodist Cemetery. Also known as: Millbank United Church Cemetery; Knox Wesley United Cemetery or the Millbank Methodist Church Cemetery. Tucked behind an abandoned church with trees and weeds growing where they should not be, it’s a place to be quiet. To wander. To contemplate and rest. To wonder why the church was abandoned because it’s really a beautiful old church. A quick search on the internet did not find much information.

The cemetary offered a sense of closure to the day, though there were so many other places we could have visited. The ride home was quiet as we admired all the productive farms and small towns. It was a good day. ◊

James Pate (top) checks progress in the vat at the Block 3 Brewing enterprise in Elmira, where friendly dogs and a game of crokinole await. Above, a walk in the woods at the Woolwich Dam and Reservoir added nature to the day. The last stop on 86er Mixer daytrip was to the Old Methodist cemetary to take a deep breath and just be.

Lifestyle Capture great photos on your farm

By Telfer Wegg

I

have a 24-inch photo enlargement supported on my fridge by magnets. It shows my father and grandfather baling straw on the York County farm where I grew up. Invaluable. Thanks to the technology that enables scanning of a 1955 Kodachrome slide and digital printing, I can cherish daily reminders of my past. Photography makes it possible.

Thoughts of this were in my mind when I had the recent opportunity to photograph the Aeberhard family. Andreas and Petra immigrated to Canada from Switzerland in 2002 to begin farming and raising four boys on Concession 14 of Normanby Township, Grey County. With Petra’s sister Erika and goddaughter Salome visiting from overseas it was a perfect time to take some family pictures. I couldn’t have asked for a more agreeable and co-operative group.

Petra and Andreas Aeberhard (top) took the time to get family photos one summer evening with photographer Telfer Wegg incorporating the farm cattle and fields for backdrops. Above, the Aeberhard family members include (left to right): Erika, Petra, Andreas, Tobias, Oliver, Florian, Sasha and Salome.

Lighting

After two hours and over 300 digital pictures on a recent sunny evening, they now have memories that will last forever. I also enjoyed the experience of pursuing a goal with such a cheerful group. It confirmed my view that something similar could and should be planned by other families. With this in mind, I offer the following suggestions for on location photo shoots.

Planning

I was fortunate. Petra had a ready list of locations and compositions. Thoughtful preparation makes everything go smoothly. Keeping everything moving prevents the photo subjects, especially any children, from getting bored and restless. Scout out potential settings in advance.

You may not have a choice, since scheduling depends on everyone being available at a given time. However, choose overcast when possible to avoid unflattering hard shadows and hot spots. On these dull days any angle will work. Then your only concern should be to keep grey skies out of the composition.

Sunny day? Don’t despair, but remember you need to be aware of how your subjects are illuminated. Your eye compensates for shadows, but the camera won’t. Work early or late to avoid harsh midday sun. Forbid hats midday. Take notice of how sunlight is striking the faces of your subjects. Slight turns of the head make a big difference. Don’t shoot toward the sun and be careful of

distracting backgrounds.

The worst lighting? Half and half…the dappled sunlight found under a shade tree. Avoid it at all costs. Make it either all sun or all shade.

Locations and settings

Choose locations that reflect the family’s lifestyle. With a farming family, emphasize the farm setting. Cows are perfect additions…always curious and patient. We had no trouble getting the Aeberhard’s inquisitive Charolais-cross cows to cooperate.

Horses and sheep will be less enthusiastic. Chickens don’t take direction well at all. Whatever the livestock, use your ingenuity to include them.

For cash croppers, scatter the family members over some machinery. Another good option is for subjects to stand in the corn, beans, wheat etc. For townies, it could be cars. Or gardens.

Clothing

Casual. No white shirts, particularly for men or when sunlight is harsh. Muted colours work best. Texture is desirable. No uniformity. On the other hand, nobody should be drawing the viewer’s attention because of a gaudy Hawaiian shirt. Discourage hats, especially in bright sun.

Pants? Black is not ideal since it often shows no detail (similar to photographing Angus cattle).

Indoors or outdoors

Outdoors, please. Moving indoors creates exposure challenges. Again, your eye compensates, but camera settings react to the lower light intensity. Vibration control lenses or tripods are likely required. Raising the camera’s “ISO” can compensate, but will decrease the quality of the image and add graininess. Most of all, don’t use flash, especially automatic flash. Results will be harsh and unnatural.

Yes, professional photographers can make it work with special lights, reflectors etc. You don’t need any of this. Do it outside.

Group poses

Take lots. Use a variety of casual shots along with more formal poses. Take some with everyone smiling at the photographer, then some where

family members interact and look at each other. Keep shooting. One image will surely catch somebody blinking, another might have mom looking down. In another, one of the boys is frowning. Delete these. You need lots of choices.

In the days of film, you would restrict the numbers because of expense and the nuisance of changing rolls of film. With digital, it costs no more to take hundreds of photos so keep shooting. Only keep the good ones and delete the rest.

While these few tips should help, don’t sweat the details. Even poor pictures are better than no pictures. There is no time like the present. Granny isn’t getting any younger and before you know it, Kayley will be away at University in Nova Scotia and Kevin could be working in Ottawa.

If you don’t record these memories now, you never will. Don’t hesitate. Do it now. Then get those priceless keepsakes up on your fridge. ◊

The

Recipes by Nancy Fisher

Money saving ideas in the kitchen

Ithink everyone has noticed the rising costs for food, and most other things, so like many people I’ve been on a mission to save a few pennies here and there.

There are a lot of things we can’t control that influence our food budget, but I think we can all find a few ways to make our dollars stretch a bit more.

Food waste is a huge issue and I am doing my best to make sure I use up as much as I can. Although the summer has been a hot one, I’m still preparing for a fall that includes a lot of soups. As I prepare, or clean up from meals I take the time to freeze small bits of food that I might otherwise have thrown out. A single portion of steamed vegetables left in the bowl? Toss them into a freezer bag and save to add to a later dish. Pasta or pizza sauce left over? Make sure to pop that into a plastic tub and save for the next big pot meal. A few cherry tomatoes starting to wrinkle? They can be frozen whole. I find that the most useful thing I can have for these items is a sharpie in my kitchen drawer. Making a note on the container of what the item is, and when it goes in the freezer, is a future blessing when you are rummaging around looking for items to use up.

I also find random bits of dry pasta in the cupboard and have started a jar of mixed pasta shapes. I do keep them together with other shapes of a similar size, so that the cooking times are similar. The randomness in a soup is kind of fun! Longer

pastas can be broken up and added to the soup too

I used to think all soups had to begin with a soup bone. Probably because that is how all my mother’s soups started, but my favourite soup is a good hearty minestrone with no bones involved.

Use It Up Minestrone Soup Ingredients:

1 large onion or leek cleaned and chopped (can use more)

2 or 3 cloves of garlic (optional if you’re not a fan)

2 or 3 carrots peeled and chopped 2 stalks of celery chopped

Small zucchini sliced or chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen green beans chopped

1 large or 2 small potatoes peeled and chopped

Various leftover frozen vegetables —clean out the freezer and find 1 - 2 cups or increase any of the vegetables above.

Canned chopped tomatoes, or frozen tomatoes - plus any bits of leftover tomato sauces - at least 4 cups

A half cup dried “soup mix” that includes barley, lentils, etc., or canned beans such as navy, kidney

Minestrone soup (below) is a great way to use up leftovers and aging boxes and cans of ingredients from the pantry to save money on your grocery bill. You can also add fresh or dried herbs such as an Italian blend. At left, a simple pudding can be made with flour, sugar, margarine and water for a dessert with a sweet butterscotch sauce.

or lentils

1 cup of random uncooked pasta

Fresh or dried herbs. An Italian blend works well. I like oregano, parsley, thyme, and chervil.

Four or five cups of broth — can be homemade or from a tetra pack. Use chicken or beef or a vegetable stock if you want to keep the soup vegan.

Water as much as you need to keep a good amount of broth.

Salt and pepper

A pinch of dried hot pepper (optional)

A good glug of oil Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in oil over a medium heat. The object is to soften them, but not to colour. Season with salt and pepper. When onions are translucent or leeks are soft add the rest of the vegetable and stir to coat. Add a little more oil if dry. Frozen vegetables can be added straight from the freezer.

Toss in tomatoes and any little bit of tomato sauces. The dried soup mix or dried lentils can go in without a lot of pre-soaking. Just rinse and check over the lentils (green or red). Or if you prefer, add a can of beans.

Approximately 1 tablespoon of dried herbs - or about ½ cup chopped fresh. Adjust this to your taste.

Add broth and simmer for at least an hour - preferably more. The long slow cooking allows the flavours to mingle. About ½ hour before serving, toss in some smaller dried pasta. This is a great way to use up the bits kicking around the cupboard.

Watch and stir often, adding more water as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. This is a lot of vegetables and they can take the salt, but depending on how much salt is in the leftovers you added you may not need to add any at all.

This soup will be completely different every time you make it, but delicious all the same. Leftovers can also be frozen but should be used up within a couple of months.

In the summer I grow a lot of herbs and I have them in all sorts of random spots around my garden. When they are at their peak is the

best time to cut them back and set to dry. Many herbs will re-grow after a good trim. Wash them thoroughly then spread them out on a tray covered with a clean tea towel or paper towels and allow to dry naturally for at least a couple of weeks. I often cover them with a light layer of paper towel (just make sure they can get air) and stick them on a high shelf out of the way. Check them every few days to make sure there is no dampness that can cause mold. When completely dry, spend a fragrant afternoon removing the leaves from the stems and storing in clean and dry glass jars. Tossing a big pinch of your own homegrown herbs can really perk up a dish and can save you lots of cash in the middle of winter, and you know how they were grown and harvested. Don’t forget that many herbs make great teas and tisanes as well, chamomile and mint are easy to grow and great for keeping you calm and your tummy happy.

Herbs also freeze well if you chop and place in ice cube trays then cover with melted butter or olive oil. Freeze until solid, then bag, and make sure to label the bags before storing for up to 6 months. There are many sizes of ice cube trays out there and the silicone ones work great for popping the cubes out. To use, just grab one from the bag and place in your pan to melt. Try mixing rosemary with some grated garlic, then thaw in a bowl of peeled potatoes and toss before roasting. Whether you grow or buy your herbs, you want to make sure you get to use them all.

I have some treasured old recipes from the depression era. They knew

how to make a little go a long way and there are some inventive desserts to add a bit of sweetness without costing a fortune. I do love this one bowl bake that is called Light Pudding. For a long time I puzzled over this name as it is a bit filling with all the cake and sauce. Then I realized the light meant the colour, as opposed to say a fudge pudding cake. If you are going to have the oven on anyway for something you can toss this together in a glass casserole and serve warm with some cream. You won’t feel like you are pinching any pennies at all.

Light Pudding

Use a 6 cup casserole or oven safe bowl. Preheat oven to 375 °F

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon margarine 1 cup brown sugar

2 cups very hot water (to melt the margarine and sugar)

Combine these ingredients in the 6 cup oven safe bowl and set aside for the margarine and sugar to melt.

Directions:

In a smaller bowl mix : 1 tablespoon margarine

1 ½ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ cup white sugar 1 egg ½ cup milk

When combined, drop by spoonfuls into the liquid mix in the bigger bowl. Do not stir, put into the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

When done you will have a lovely cake on top and a rich butterscotch sauce below. Dish up into bowls when still warm and enjoy. Comfort food at its best! ◊

Gardening

some errant squash seeds that must have come with the ground cover.

Squash and pumpkins crosspollinate

The garden harvest starts in June for those of us lucky to be quick off the mark in the spring. Early harvesting of lettuce, radish and peas is a wonderful pick me up — almost spiritual. Come September the harvest is in full swing. The tomatoes are in their glory, beans are almost done and maybe a second planting is blooming away. But it is the pumpkins and squash that I so love to see. Great round and angular mounds in the garden, glowing in shades of orange, green and hints of blue with some decked out in stripes.

Squash vines take up a lot of room in a garden, which is why I purchase my squash from local growers. I can enjoy a number of varieties that I would never be able to grow in my wee garden.

Last spring we were creating a Native/European garden below the kitchen window; a blend of my favourite peony and phlox mixed with healthy numbers of coneflower, obedient plant and vervain. We loaded up the composted manure and brought in some landscape mulch, much finer than the chewed bark kind, closer looking to compost. We spaced out the plants knowing they would grow strong and fill out. In the spaces I put a few cucumber seeds. I was not counting on many sprouting as I had the seed for some time, but you just never know.

Not long after I saw little pairs of seeds sprouting and then the next set. They did not look too much like the cucumber leaves I remember, a bit prickly and jagged edges. These were more serrated and not as rough to the touch. So we let the vines grow and once I saw the flowers I knew we had

Never one to shy from a new planting we let the vines grow and boy did they take over. Winding and leaping over others, like an invasive on boosted fertilizer, through the garden, riding rough shod over everything else to the point where they were starting to smother out the new patches of plants that were intended to be there.

Our grandkids were fascinated and we learned a bit about squash or what we thought were going to be pumpkins. The first blossoms are males and signal to pollinators to get ready for the big show. Male blossoms continue to bloom along side the females. They have a wee bulbous base that develops into a squash when fertilized. Once the fruit started setting we were still guessing as to what was growing off into the lawn now. It looked a lot like pumpkins but still not conclusive.

By September I was concerned for the rest of the garden and started

nipping off shortening some of the vines. I learned since then that vine tips should be trimmed three weeks before first frost as the newly pollinated fruit will not mature in time. It forces the plant to put more energy into the ripening squash.

In the end, after consultation with fellow gardeners who grow both pumpkin and squash, we concluded we had what I call a “star-crossed” variety. They were green until the last moment and quickly turned orange seemingly overnight.

We harvested our crop of squash/pumpkin in October and set them in the garage to wait for Halloween. A couple were also set out for Halloween, uncarved, so we could eat them later. While none of them got huge, the grandkids still managed to carve theirs and were delighted that it was pumpkins they saw grow themselves.

For those hoping to save seeds from their pumpkin or squash for next year here are a few tips to keep in mind. Mind you too late for this

The first blossoms on squash plants are males which signal pollinators that it is time to pay attention. They continue to blossom even as the female blooms come along. They have a bulbuous base that develops into a squash when fertilized. Pollinators can cross‐pollinate squash and pumpkins so next year’s seeds could be a curious mix of both.

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

year but we are already planning for next spring, right?

Summer squash, winter squash and pumpkin all cross-pollinate readily with any member of the same species growing within 100 feet. In preparation to collecting seeds you would have to plant your squash where you can ensure that hand pollination takes place. Or you could grow no more than one selection from any of the following species of cucurbita: maxima-buttercup, hubbard, delicious, banana; moschata-butternut, sweet potato squash; pepo (all common summer squashes) acorn, pumpkin, Delicata, Lady Godiva or spaghetti squash.

Seeds are ready to harvest when the fruits are mature. Like cucumbers, summer squash must be left on the vine past their normal harvesting date. The skin will be as hard as that of a winter squash and may change colour. Squash for seed may be left on the vine past the first frost. Scoop out the seeds, wash them and spread them on a cookie sheet or screen to dry for about a week in a warm, dry place indoors.

We did not let any of the “wild” squash linger in the garden. I will share with you a quick story about tomatoes that I think most gardeners already know.

We talk about invasives and how strong they are to survive. Tomatoes fall into that category! We had a bumper crop of Midnight Snacks, a very attractive grape tomato with purple shoulders. We also had Sunshine Gold, a sweet, small, pear tomato. Not all the fruit got harvested and some made it to the composter.

My composter gets things breaking down but I don’t think I get the temperatures to kill off weed seeds and in this case tomato seeds. You guessed it. Everywhere we topdressed with our compost yielded a wonderful flourish of tomato plants. The ones that were cleaned up in the spring, left seeds behind in the garden and in the paths. I could not find Midnight Snack plants this spring but they sprang up from last year and we are enjoying them again. The will to survive is strong.

Happy harvesting! ◊

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• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

Advocating for agriculture, the new and old

Alanna

Koch of the Global Food Institute champions regenerative agriculture along with new technologies

Farmers have been using regenerative agriculture since the beginning of time when our ancestors thought of how to do the best they could with the resources they had. Farming isn’t much different today except that technology is the new “resource”.

Alanna Koch, who served as Saskatchewan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture for nine years and is now the Board Chair of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan, is a huge advisor for agriculture, old and new. She is excited about technology, passionate about soil health, and an advocate for farmers, while farming herself.

“We run a sustainable farm with available technologies because we need to use it all,” said Koch at the Sustainable Agriculture conference hosted virtually by the Globe and Mail on June 8. “We use GPS and auto-steer to reduce overlap when planting and we also use Climate FieldView software to ensure product accuracy and traceability.”

While not at the analytics stage, Koch said they use vegetative maps to monitor vegetative growth, disease and insect pressure so they know where to scout. They make use of a weather station and have a hand wind monitor to reveal wind speed and moisture conditions to make wise decisions on spraying. Soil testing, the use of polymer-coated fertilizer for timed release and precision seeding equipment are practices on the farm.

“In western Canada we use a lot of zero tillage which allows less disturbance of the soil and has resulted in increased yield every year because of increased soil health,” said Koch. “It’s been a game changer for us because it allows us to better utilize the soil and moisture we have by keeping moisture in the soil. Harvesting only the seed and leaving

the plant and roots in the soil improves organic matter as well.” Adding crop rotation to the mix is a natural defence against pests and disease.

Being a smaller producer of grains, oilseeds and pulse crops, Koch and husband Gerry Hertz cannot afford the latest technologies. Also, technologies they would choose come on different platforms and cannot “talk to one another.” She believes there needs to be improvement in terms of communication and affordability to help smaller producers be able to adopt technology on the farm

Being a small farmer also has limitations in terms of labour. “Human resources and labour are a problem in every sector. On smaller farms, we do not have full-time employees and some of the technologies are really complex (to learn for part-time employees) and these are limiting factors.”

Koch spoke to a number of issues facing agriculture, including: Public Trust

“Public trust is really key and we all have a role to play,” said Koch. It’s important that farmers realize they, and consumers, have a mutual interest. That being an interest in safe, affordable food. “Instead of getting defensive, let’s have a conversation about how I produce food on my own farm.”

Food safety is a core Canadian value. “We have a great system in Canada that provides food that is affordable and nutritious.” The weak area is communication, she believes.

The Role of GIFS

Described as a connection and innovation catalyst, GIFS is developing strategic partnerships to drive policy change. With over 90 scientists from around the world working at the institute, the goal is to create more globally sustainable food. One research project involves

Koch Board Chair, Global Institute for Food Security

boosting photosynthesis in plants because it allows for more carbon sequestration.

GIFS invests in relevant technology platforms that provide scale and transform scientific competencies and capabilities into capacities for stakeholders.

Sustainability

People often equate sustainability with the environment but there are two other main components — social sustainability and economic sustainability. “We cannot prioritize one component over the other. They need to move in step together because an advancement in only one makes a decision unviable.”

The unintended consequences of regulations, believes Koch, is that setting environmental sustainable goals can put people out of business. “We cannot take technologies and tools away from a farmer, such as fertilizer. The conversation needs to be how to reduce fertilizer, not take it away.” Koch said this is a real concern for her as a farmer because when the government takes tools away, it does not allow farmers to provide food for a hungry world. ◊

Alanna

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

Be bold and invest in Canadian agriculture

Transportation and access to more cooperative banking systems stymies Canadian agriculture’s growth in value-added goods but it could all change if Canada identified itself as an agricultural nation and had more investment.

So says Alison Sunstrum, Founder and CEO of CNRSV-X Inc. (Conserv X) and a venture partner at Builders VC, a San Francisco/Calgary based venture capital fund. She spoke on Investing in the Future at the Arrell Food Summit held virtually in June.

Canada is the fifth largest producer of agricultural goods in the world but the eighth largest producer of value-added goods.

“The second largest exporter of value-added goods is the Netherlands and why I find this challenging is that Holland is the size of Banff National Park,” said Sunstrum. “We have to change the dynamic for Canada.”

The Netherlands has some advantages, according to Sunstrum: they have an excellent transportation network and infrastructure. They have access to RABO bank which started as a cooperative and is focused on agriculture investment.

Holland is an entrepreneurial nation which supports business infrastructure, of which food and farming businesses are very strong. They view themselves as an agriculture nation

In comparison, Canadian agriculture has low levels of public sector investment.

Sunstrum referred to Israel, where investment in innovation reaches almost six per cent while Canada sits at 1.6 per cent. “We have been flatlined since the 1970s,” she said. “Our businesses are not investing in advanced manufacturing or tools that will make them more profitable.”

How can Canada create a mentality that encourages the public and private sector to invest in Canadian agriculture?

Sunstrum said as a business person herself, she learned about venture capital. “It’s what drives innovation,” she said. “We should also be separating invention from innovation and start ups from scale ups. Invention is our patents but the way we translate that invention into innovation is so important and that is done via venture capital.”

Part of the way to attract investment is to be confident and not be afraid to stick your head out from the crowd, suggested Sunstrum. “Canadians are said to be nice. We are not nice. We are risk averse. We need to become risk aware. We need to shift some financial levers.”

It’s why she became a member of The51 General Partner Advisory which leverages a network of highly skilled and influential women to guide investment decisions, network and share their knowledge via The51

programs.

“We called it The51 because women are 51 per cent of the population of Canada,” explained Sunstrum. “By 2030, females will hold 65 per cent of the wealth” The51 was founded in 2019 and their first fund raised $700 million and activated capital from 104 women who had never invested before. A food and agriculture technology fund is part of The51 which raised $50 million for women and marginalized people.

“We are on a journey and we are on a mission,” said Sunstruom.

Part of the mission is to disrupt the educational system. “Sometimes we are educated for the past when we need to educate for the future that is coming,” said Sunstruom.

Lastly, Sunstrum advised entrepreneurs to be bold in their plans, dreams, education and confidence to pursue their ideas, make use of innovation and attract investors willing to fund agriculture technologies to feed the world. ◊

Venture capital drives innovation and Canadian agriculture needs a large input of it to remain competitive says Alison Sunstrum, Founder and CEO of CNSRV‐X Inc. She spoke on investment at the Arrell Food Summit held in June.

Venture capitalist Alison Sunstrum says the public needs to invest in agriculture to make it competitive

Application process still open for New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program

Applications are now open for CFO’s New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program, which continues to help qualified new farmers enter the growing chicken business. The deadline to apply is October 28, 2022.

“The Ontario chicken industry is strong, vibrant, and continues to grow,” said Murray Opsteen, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario. “CFO continues to provide a variety of opportunities for farm families looking to enter Ontario’s chicken industry, including through the CFO New Entrant Chicken Farmer program.”

Since the program began in 2012, thirty-four farm families have joined the industry through the New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program. New farmers accepted into the program benefit from a wide range of support services, including educational resources and an on-farm orientation program. New Entrant farmers also benefit from a 15-year period involving quota holdings, all in support of the successful transition into Ontario’s chicken farming business.

“The New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program is designed to guide a successful transition into the chicken industry for successful applicants,” said Denise Hockaday, CEO of Chicken Farmers of Ontario. “CFO looks forward to welcoming new farmfamilies into the growing chicken industry.”

~Source: Chicken Farmers of Ontario

Remote water systems can improve lifestock production

What if cattle producers could adopt a single practice that would improve livestock production, help conserve water and improve the environment? Developing an off-site or remote water system may achieve that.

Water is an essential nutrient for cattle, accounting for between 50 and 80 per cent of an animal’s live weight. For optimum health, cattle need a consistent source and adequate supply of water each day.

Access to fresh, clean water increases animals’ water intake, which in turn, increases their feed intake and improves animal performance. On top of potential production benefits, producers often report improved animal health from reduced bacterial consumption. In addition, there are less instances of mastitis and foot rot when animals

are not regularly standing in water.

To promote cattle with a safe, reliable supply of good quality water, many producers are using remote water systems.

Remote or off-site water systems are set-ups that pump water from the source (such as dug-out, pond or dam) into a trough. This reduces the number of cattle directly accessing the water. And, if the source is fenced, it will remove the cattle from the water source entirely. Water can be pumped using solar or wind power, gravity or even animal power.

According to the Farm Management Survey 2017, 54 per cent of beef cattle operations where livestock had limited or no access to surface water used remote or off-site water systems.

~Source: Beef Cattle Research Council

Got a great story to tell about your role raising or caring for pigs? Ontario Pork’s new Hambassador program helps connect animal experts with curious consumers at events across Ontario.

Many city – and even rural — residents have questions about where their food comes from and want to hear from the people involved in raising animals for food. The Pig Mobile is Ontario Pork’s primary consumer outreach program. It’s a popular live-animal exhibit trailer allowing people to learn more about farming and see pigs up close, without leaving the city.

Ontario Pork Hambassadors greet Pig Mobile visitors with a friendly face and experienced voice representing the best of the province’s hog sector. Without support from producers and industry partners, this important educational program would not be able to continue.

Hambassadors connect the dots for individuals who want to learn about how pork goes from farm to fork. It’s the perfect opportunity to share your pork production story, answer questions and engage your fellow Ontarians about the care, quality and commitment that goes into raising food.

Ontario Pork has created a dedicated Hambassador webpage where individuals can sign up to cover specific shifts at Pig Mobile events, and find all necessary paperwork, additional resources, training and information about available Per Diem payments.

So, what does it take to become a Hambassador? You just need a connection to the pork industry and enthusiasm for sharing your story. Visit ontariopork.on.ca /hambassadors, select the event you want to help at and pick your shift. Even better…why not pick a couple of shifts?!

~Source: Ontario Pork

Do you have what it takes to be a Hammbassador?

Markets

Krakar

with LAC Inc., Hyde Park, 519‐473‐9333

Ontario has lots of wheat with low market demand

It was not surprising that grain prices rose sharply as Russia began its attack on Ukraine near the beginning of the year. At that time there were many questions about how much grain the two countries could export to world markets and a great uncertainty existed as to how much new crop planting would occur in the Ukraine with an ongoing military crisis – with fuel and fertilizer in short supply.

At that time also there was a dormant U.S. wheat crop that may not have been there to fill the void if worst case scenarios came true, as production fears existed with dryness through the U.S. plains. In the same manner that it should not have been surprising prices went up when this uncertainty existed, it should not be a surprise also, that as these uncertainties became clear, that prices would fall back again. The world that once feared being short grain is finding adequate supplies available on the world stage.

The long awaited and anticipated co-corridors for ships from the Ukraine was enacted, through the efforts of the United Nations, Turkey and of course the two combatant nations. Under this plan, Ukraine would guide ships through the mined waters of Odessa (and two other ports) through safe channels where they could load grain and then be escorted safely to exit. From leaving the Ukraine ports, they would then travel to a Turkish port for inspection, and then furtherance to nations who purchase the grain.

Similarly ships entering the Ukraine would also be inspected, to alleviate Russia’s concern that the ships would bring military supplies to the region. Turkey controls the straits that enter the Black sea and therefore has the ability to sequester ships coming and going from the region. The goal of this project would be to re-establish shipping volumes to were pre-invasion levels. An official spokesperson said of the deal, “The fact that two parties at war – and still very much at war – have been able to negotiate an agreement of this kind. I think that’s unprecedented.” Upon this news grain prices slid as market players recognized the volumes of grain that may have been able to come upon the market if the deal went as negotiated.

Shortly after the export deal was signed, Russia sent a missile strike into the port of Odesa, bringing questions as to whether Russia came to the agreement in good faith. There was speculation if either side would agree to maintain the agreement as the military went into action almost immediately after the deal was signed.

With this uncertainty grain prices pushed higher once more.

The Kremlin gave assurances that their target with this strike was purely military infrastructure only –and from there the market waited to see if loaded ships would leave the region after all. Finally, after many months of waiting in port, some vessels that were trapped in Ukraine were finally able to leave with cargo heading to destinations that were expecting shipments long ago.

The first ship to leave Ukraine, was a vessel named the Razoni. This ship loaded with 26,527 mt of corn was destined to Lebanon, finally on route after a five-month delay. As the ship was destined to arrive at its destination, the ship was refused and rejected from unloading due to the delayed timing of the vessel. The vessel then had to look for alternative unloading as the original buyer refused the cargo in accordance with contract terms. From here many vessels that were stuck in Ukraine got loaded and more and more grain came to market. Since the beginning of the

Scott

is a Grain Merchandiser

Markets

conflict, about 70 ships that were stranded in Ukraine wanted to be loaded and exit the territory as soon as possible. As this grain came to market, world prices began to fall and world buyers had less demand for grain as they started receiving cargos. They were less willing to pay the high prices that the market once demanded. Ukraine is in a position that now makes them the world’s low cost seller of grain, with millions of tonnes in port awaiting shipment to bring in new crop grain from farms that need to move product off the field. With this situation at hand, U.S. and Canadian shipments are simply not price-competitive.

This conversation brings us to Ontario, in the midst of our wheat harvest. We have sound harvest quality here in the province. This is a great relief to all participants in the market after last year’s challenges with falling numbers. We have much better yields in the province than was generally expected in most areas of the province. In the southern regions, where wheat acres were quite low due to the wet fall, harvest yields surprised many by being about average. Sentiment seemed to be that yields would be poorer than average. In the more Northern and Eastern regions of the province, where planted acres were more in line with average planting, yields have been stellar. This too has been a surprise as the dryness in the region led to thoughts that the yields in this area would also be average.

So here we are in Ontario, with a great quality crop, a large abundance of exportable supplies, and a world market that has wheat readily available. That leaves us with little market demand. ◊

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Woodlots

Donna Lacey is a forester with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

Thinning forests increases healthy diversity

In my last column I wrote about the first thinning of a coniferous plantation and did my best to ensure that it painted a proper picture of what to expect. I maintain that most plantations were planted at a spacing and of species that require a thinning to ensure optimum health and growth and should therefore be thinned.

However, it is sometimes more than a forest owner can handle, picturing their forest being harvested, and the forest is therefore left without a thinning. Other times, the forest owner may not be aware of the need for thinning and that it was planned for at the time of planting.

So what happens to plantations that are “orphaned”? Yes, orphaned is the term used in forestry for those forested areas that are abandoned. There are many possible outcomes for abandoned plantations and most of them will still result in a healthy forest in the distant future.

As I previously mentioned, plantations that aren’t thinned will likely be under stress and that stress causes the trees to release chemicals that may attract insects. These insects, that are attracted to the forest, will feed on the trees and therefore aid in the decline of the tree’s health. As the health of the tree declines and insects create holes in the bark there is a greater chance of disease pressure.

Plantations that are not thinned will not grow as quickly, as all the trees are forced to share the rain and sun, competing with neighbouring trees. As these trees are so crowded and the upper branches are plenty, there is not much sunlight reaching the forest floor. These dense forests

lack vegetation, wildlife, and tree diversity.

Trees dying within a plantation is not such a bad thing in some ways. Yes, I know that I advise removing all dead trees from a plantation, I still maintain that stance. However, a hole in the canopy is created when a tree dies. When a group of trees die, a larger hole is created. This larger hole in the canopy will provide the opportunity for sunlight and seeds to reach the forest floor. As vegetation moves into the area, habitat

opportunities are created for wildlife species. As more of the plantation trees continue to succumb to their stresses, more openings are created, or openings are expanding in size. Diversity will increase.

In some locations there are plantations that require a thinning but no contractor will come in and do the work affordably because the acreage is too small. The simplest solution to this problem is for neighbours to work together in marketing their materials which allows for a greater

A thinned forest creates diversity and produces strong, healthy, trees that aren’t stressed from overcrowding, such as the trees in the top picture. The green growth in a thinned forest is called the carpet of regeneration (above).

total area, therefore making the work profitable for both the contractor and the forest owner.

The difference between a thinned forest and a forest that is not thinned in finding a healthy diversity is time. A thinned forest will start to see plant growth in patches throughout the stand, usually in the area in which the row was removed shortly after its first thinning, this would usually be before 40 years of age. A forest that has not been thinned will take much longer than that. I suspect that it would be at an age greater than 60 years. I don’t have any studies to quote on this, but my personal observations have led me to predict that diversity will not be increased greatly within 80 years of age. There may be a small number of limited species of vegetation present, but not to a great degree.

It is very hard for those of us that practice forest management to watch a plantation go unmanaged or without thinning. We know that there is sound science guiding our tree planting plans, the spacing and species that we choose are all selected for the optimum forest creation. We know that there was a plan in place for the trees that were planted in the plantation we are facing. We know that the trees would benefit from a thinning. We know that the future forest will become a diverse mixed forest more quickly following a proper thinning schedule. We know that forest products are created through the thinnings. We also know that each person will have their own perspective on forest harvesting.

We need to remember the saying in nature, only the strong will survive. The weak trees will die first, the moderately strong trees will slow their growth, to something close to immeasurable, the strong trees will be the most likely to survive for many more years.

In the end, many years into the future, the outcome will hopefully be the same, a great area for nature. This area may be a diverse forest or a meadow with scattered trees. Either way, a great ecosystem provides benefits to all.

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Adverse

Agrilaw

between the two systems of registration is the important difference in the treatment of claims for adverse possession and prescriptive easements (whereby rights are acquired over lands owned by someone else through possession or use of those lands for specified periods of time). Section 51(1) of the Land Titles Act precludes the establishment of a claim for adverse possession or prescriptive easement within the Land Titles system:

In Ontario, lands may be registered in one of two systems of land registration: the Registry system pursuant to the Registry Act or the Land Titles system pursuant to the Land Titles Act. Most lands are now registered in the Land Titles system, but many started in the Registry system and were later converted to the Land Titles system in an administrative process that has extended over the past several decades. Among the many differences

Despite any provision of this Act, the Real Property Limitations Act or any other Act, no title to and no right or interest in land registered under this Act that is adverse to or in derogation of the title of the registered owner shall be acquired hereafter or be deemed to have been acquired heretofore by any length of possession or by prescription.

Lands still registered in the Registry system remain at risk of new claims for adverse possession (possessory title to lands, often referred to as “squatter’s rights”) or prescriptive easements (a right to use

lands). In contrast, a registered owner’s title to lands registered in the Land Titles system will not be affected by occupation or use by another person that has occurred while the Land Titles system has applied to the lands. Within the Land Titles system, for instance, registered owners of lands need not worry that the clock is ticking toward an encroaching neighbour taking over ownership of the area of the encroachment. The Land Titles Act stands in the way.

However, lands that were converted from the Registry system to the Land Titles system may still be subject to claims for adverse possession or prescriptive easements that had already “matured” prior to the date of conversion. Section 51(2) of the Land Titles Act limits the application of the prohibition in Section 51(1):

This section does not prejudice, as against any person registered as first owner of land with a possessory title only, any adverse claim in respect of length of possession of any other person who was in possession of the land at the time when the registration of the first owner took place.

The “time when registration of the first owner took place” described in Section 51(2) of the Act is the date of conversion to the Land Titles system in the case of lands previously subject to the Registry system. Therefore, using the example above about an encroaching neighbour, it may be that the neighbour already has a “possessory title” to the area of the encroachment. It all depends on what happened prior to the conversion to the Land Titles system, and the encroaching neighbour can rely on the actions of his or her predecessors-intitle in support of a claim.

By operation of Sections 4 and 15 of the Real Property Limitation Act, a person who has been in legal possession of another’s land for a period of ten years while the land has been registered under the Registry Act – adverse possession – can obtain possessory title to the land; the ownership interest of the registered titleholder will be extinguished. The claimant for possessory title must meet three requirements: 1) the

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

Possession can still happen, but not everywhere

Agrilaw

claimant (or his or her predecessorsin-title) must have had actual possession of the land being claimed, which means “open, notorious, peaceful, adverse, exclusive, actual, and continuous having regard to the nature of the disputed property”; 2) the claimant must have had the intention to exclude the registered owner and other persons entitled to possession of the disputed land (an “ animus possidendi ”); and, 3) the registered owner and any other persons entitled to possession must have been excluded for the 10-year statutory period. Where the three requirements are met, the claimant can seek a declaration from the Court that the claimant is the true owner of the disputed lands and an order requiring that the Land Register be amended to reflect that ownership (i.e. making the claimant the “new” registered owner).

Not all claimants who meet the three requirements will be successful, though. In a recent decision out of Toronto, Justice Donohue of the Superior Court declined to award possessory title over lands owned by the City of Toronto even where the City acknowledged that the claimants’ evidence satisfied the traditional test for adverse possession: the disputed public lands had been fenced off to the exclusion of the public for over 50 years. Justice Donohue nevertheless considered “whether it is appropriate for the City’s property rights to be extinguished when they discovered only of late that they had been excluded and the lands would be of particular public value.” He concluded:

The City is simply unable to patrol all its lands against such adverse possessors. The courts cannot demand the same vigilance of a private landowner to watch its borders of a public entity. I find that a private individual must not be able to acquire title by encroaching on public lands and fencing off portions for their private use in the manner of two private property owners. These lands, as originally acquired, were for a “very high public interest”. In these circumstances, the private landowner may not proceed to fence off public lands and exclude

the public and succeed in a claim for adverse possession. As a matter of public policy, this would be a dangerous precedent if allowed. ◊

John D. Goudy’s law practice includes real property and environmental litigation, expropriation law, energy regulation, and regulatory offences. Agrilaw provides information of interest to the farming community, not legal advice. Readers should consult a legal professional about their particular circumstance.

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

Huron-Bruce Matters

• By Gary West •

Bells grow from one truck to a whole fleet

Bell is a name that has been synonymous in the Shakespeare and Stratford areas for many years for supplying sand and gravel.

Joe Bell and family started their business many years ago in North Easthope Township of Perth County. It’s a story that starts with one small truck and growing into a fleet of 11 trucks and trailers that transports aggregates of all kinds.

Joe Bell purchased his first dump truck in 1970. It was a 1969 International 190. Now, 52 years later, he has a fleet of 11 trucks and two sons helping run the business. They took advantage of new opportunities as they presented themselves, including starting their own sand pit to offer sand to dairy farmers.

In the early 1970s, Joe Bell purchased his first dump truck, a 1969 International 190. His father and grandfather were in the aggregate and snow ploughing business before him and he recognized there was plenty of work. A couple of years later, they installed sewers in Seaforth and his cousin Gord (who lived near Seaforth) offered to drive. So Joe bought a 1973 Ford tandem, and the company business began to flourish.

Besides trucking, Joe and his wife Cathie, purchased the family farm from his father and mother — Bill and Emm — and raised beef cattle along with a few horses.

As Cathie will tell you, life evolved and their three kids — Dave, Dan and Dinah — grew up and always helped with the workload on the farm. Eldest son Dave, became a diesel mechanic and has handled the mechanical end of the business and younger son Dan, took more interest in the farms and expanded in the custom work business. Their daughter Dinah always helped when needed in the house or the barn and is now married to a farmer. Dinah is also an X-Ray technician at Stratford General.

In 2005, the Bells took a big step and purchased their first brand new Sterling truck. By 2008 they had four new Sterling trucks and as it turned out it was a good move for them. The work was there and they continued to grow. Over the years they have increased their fleet of trucks which also includes different trailers. The local construction and farming

community hired them and supported them in growth to the stage they are at now.

Joe Bell has seen a lot of changes. He feels the trucking industry has complicated itself by trying to get rid of older experienced drivers but not doing enough to encourage young men and women to get their licenses to drive trucks. “This has caused a terrible gap in driver shortages for their business.”

Agriculture in the area has also changed and has been an advantage to the Bell trucking business. With the building of new freestyle dairy barns, farmers started using screened sand for bedding. The Bell family have a sand pit on one of their farms so they began screening the sand for bedding and now have customers from Kincardine to Cambridge. They also screen topsoil.

Today the family owns three farms and have approximately 10 employees in their business. As a family operation Joe’s brother Brian (Bim) operates a pay loader in the pit taking care of daily operations. Dave is replacing the Sterling trucks with new Western Stars and Dan has purchased farm equipment that makes what they had in previous years look small. He continues farming the land and does hundreds of acres of custom work.

Cathie, who manages the books for the trucking business and the farms, is quoted as saying “all their family-daughter, brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren have supported them every day and that is why they have been able to remain a family business for so many years”. She states that their success can be attributed to the local community, the farmers and businesses that have trusted them with their aggregate and trucking needs. They hope to continue providing their services for many years into the future, as the next generation takes over. ◊

Community

Seaforth fall fair offers $1,000 for top tomatoe trio

extensive at the Seaforth Fall Fair and includes all sorts of vegetables, baking, canning, quilting, crafts, woodworking, metal and antiques.

The fair also offers amusement rides, a wrestling show on the Saturday. A refreshment tent with performances by local talent are some of the exciting new features being added to Seaforth Fall Fair this year. A penny sale, parade and petting zoo are favourites making a triumphant return after the pandemic kept them at bay. Plans are in full swing for the full return of the Seaforth Fall Fair this September.

If you grow great tomatoes, you could win $1,000 at the Seaforth Fall Fair if yours win first prize for the best trio of slicing tomatoes. The contest is one of many exciting things happening at this year’s fall fair.

If you have some ripe, red tomatos in your garden, you could win $1,000 at the Seaforth Fall Fair to be held September 15-18

As part of their homecraft division, Seaforth fall fair organizers are awarding $1,000 for the three

best slicing tomatoes. They must be grown by the exhibitor, with stems, but not attached to each other. The tomatoes should not be washed and maximum size is 10 centimetres in diameter.

The homecraft division is quite

This is exciting news as a committee had been formed in 2020 to celebrate the large 175th celebration for one of the longest running local fairs but plans were put on hold when COVID-19 hit. In 2021 there was a smaller than usual in-person fair with the addition of virtual online events held. Thus the 2022 edition of the Seaforth Fall Fair will bring to light the hard work of that committee formed over two years ago. This includes a broader Ambassador program that is in the process of recruiting participants. There will be a quarter horse show, a foam party for youth and a Sunday morning ecumenical church service along with a breakfast.

“We have added some fun, amazing activities that we really want everyone in the community to come out to or come home for,” states Warren Small, president of the Seaforth Agricultural Society.

This year’s theme is “Pick of the Patch”. All the entry categories are on the fair’s website at www. seaforthagriculturalsociety.on.ca. The website is also where participants and fair attendees can find a complete listing of the events, including virtual components of the fair such as the photo contest, online auction and pet show.

“I really love how the fair brings the community together and can’t wait to see everyone out enjoying everything we have planned FINALLY!” says Crystal Whyte, cochair of the organizing committee. ◊

take

sick

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yourself and others:

Plastic Tile Installed, GPS Surveying, Excavator, Backhoe, Dozer Work, Weeping Beds Installed

FAMILY BUSINESS SINCE 1949

Mark Cook Main 519-393-5656 Cell 519-276-7402

4283 Line 42, Sebringville, ON N0K 1X0

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

EASY-SIMPLE-EFFECTIVE

TRIPLE “P’ CONSULTING

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

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AUCTION

FARM SERVICES

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.

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.

• 3x3 Bales Automatic Acid Applications, Roto Cutter. Individual Bale Wrapping 6' bales Call Fritz: 519-292-0138

FARMERS’ MARKETS

Flesherton and District Farmers’ Market – a “true farmers’ market”. Locally grown, produced and handmade, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturdays until Thanksgiving, 101 Highland Drive, Flesherton. 519924-0777.

FOR SALE

best results.

FOR SALE

Available certified fall wheat varieties and fall rye. For pricing contact Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-395-2972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

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

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.

FOR SALE

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

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.

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.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

Bodmin Shorthorn Herd Dispersal. Cow Calf Pairs, Cows Rebred. Call 519-887-6804.

For sale - sheep, Tunis breeding stock, yearlings or one-year-olds with lambs. Pieter Biemond, Eastern Ontario. Text or call 613802-8062.

Limousin bulls, open and bred females available. Smart Limousin, Meaford 519-372-7459. smartlimo@bmts.com www.smartlimousin.com

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

McKague Charolais Bulls, registered purebred yearlings and two year olds, semen tested, polled or dehorned. Wingham 519-3573808.

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.

DONALD A ANDREW

UPCOMING EVENTS

Fall Classes at FACTS in Blyth: Creating Your Style Tuesday nights in September. Common Threads, a social night of handwork Thursday nights. Natural Dye Weekend September 17 and 18. Threadheads Tween and Teen Sewing Club starts September 21. Clothing Exchange October 14. Watercolour With Wool Workshop October 22. Sew a Skirt Saturday mornings starting October 29. Go to www.factsblyth.ca for more information.

UPCOMING SALE

WANTED

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

Looking for pasture for summer 2022 in North Huron/South Bruce areas. Fence repairs ok. Contact Justin at 519-357-8272.

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 to buy: 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.

Ontario Antique Trucks presents 2022 Seaforth Show at Seaforth Ag Hall, 130 Duke St., Seaforth. Hosted on Saturday, September 10 starting at 10:00 am. Everyone welcome! Free admission, food booth, camping available, displays. For information contact Verdun Zurbrigg, 519-444-8551; Dave Dettmer, 519-808-0965 or Dan Davison, 519-999-4706. --------------------------------------------

UPCOMING SALE

Fall Sale: large variety of fabrics, quilting supplies and quilts at Retail Dry Goods September sale –September 19 to October 1, 10 kms. north of Kinloss to Sideroad 30, Brockton, turn right, first farm on left. Fire #418.

AGRI-SKILLS ABROAD

Farmers Helping Farmers

In the 1970s a committee was set up at the annual meeting of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture to raise money to help farmers in developing countries. This slim volume tells of the group’s work since. $10.00 Proceeds to help the cause.

FARM TO CHEF - Cooking

Through

The Seasons

Chef Lynn Crawford celebrates the bounty of the seasons with over 140 recipes featuring farm-fresh produce for every occasion. $40.00

THE COMPLETE ROOT CELLAR BOOK

UNFORGETTABLE CANADA

KNITTING STASHBUSTERS

This book has 25 projects specially chosen to use up your yarn. Some can be made with one ball, others use up smaller amounts of several different shades, but all of them are chosen to save you from wasting what you already have in store. $19.95

THE PRUNING ANSWER BOOK

This handy, take-it-with-you book provides solutions to every problem you’ll ever face and answers to every question you’ll ever ask about pruning. Information on planting, tools, pruning roses, fruit trees, and decorative pruning. $19.95

There’s no better or more natural way to store food than in a root cellar. This book gives plans and instructions for how to build a root cellar and tips on the selection and storage of foods, even tips on controlling pests. $27.95 Canada

Explore your country, if only in print with this beautifully illustrated tour to 100 destinations across the country from Signal Hill, Newfoundland to the killer whales off the west coast to the Yukon’s Top of the World highway. $29.95

SCARECROWS

Whether for practical purposes or for decoration, this book gives plenty of ideas on how to make a scarecrow, and how to be creative in giving it charm and personality. More than 100 large pages, colourfully illustrated. $25.95

RUSTY RAILS

A photographic record of the branch-line railways in Midwestern Ontario from 19611996. Many of these rail lines are gone now, but their memory lingers, as does their effect on our history. (softcover) $34.95

National Farmers Union – Ontario NEWSLETTER

Strong Communities. Sound Policies. Sustainable Farms.

Phone: 1-888-832-9638

E-mail: office@nfuontario.ca Website: www.nfuontario.ca

Jennifer Osborn, artist and farmer joins NFU-O Council

When you find out that All Sorts Acres Farm and Gallery offers sheep products like kefir, cheese, and gelato along with original artworks, handmade wool products, and elderberry inks, then it’s no surprise when owner, Jennifer Osborn, refers to her farm as a: “living art installation.”

All Sorts Acres Farm and Gallery, now a 50-acre regenerative farm in Grey County, started in the early 2000’s as a small art-farm plan by Jennifer and her partner, Tim. What began in their front yard slowly expanded as they added acreage, new plants, and sheep. Thanks to her “insatiable curiosity”, tenacity, and love for experimenting, Jennifer worked hard to bring her vision to life. She uses her skills as an artist as well as her formal education in animal husbandry to harnesses the sweet spot of beauty and functionality on the farm.

As a young girl, Jennifer always loved to draw animals. She went to school for scientific illustration but quickly became dissatisfied, because rather than being in situ measuring and drawing things, she was drawing from pictures of things. So, she switched to animal husbandry, discovered permaculture, and continued art as a hobby. Presently, it is clear how art serves her well as a

farmer. Jennifer says that her art practice taught her how to “fail well.” “Messing up a canvas is pretty low stakes,” she said, “so I got used to it.” And her advice to farmers? Learn how to fail.

“Don’t be afraid to fail,” encourages Jennifer, “because if you do, it’s not really failing, it’s just data.” This is important, because the way Jennifer takes concepts and contextualizes them for her farm depends on experimentation, and thus, willingness to fail. Jennifer says she uses her failures as a guidance, and because every farm has a different climate, ecosystem, and soil capacity, farmers must observe, be patient, and be willing to try new things.

The sheep at All Sorts Acres Farm and Gallery are a great example of this. Jennifer has learned a lot about different breeds through trial and error, because she only gets one shot at lambing each year. Despite the slow learning process, she is innovative with her discoveries. Most of the wool their sheep produce is unsuitable for fine fibres and clothing so Jennifer and Tim are discovering semi-industrial uses for their stronger, coarser wool. One of their ideas is to produce wool garden felt, which would be naturally breathable and could act as a slow-release fertilizer.

Their new carding mill means they can continue to experiment and work on tying the ends of the near circular loop on their farm.

It is no doubt that all of her experience will serve the NFU-O council well. Jennifer says, “It’s exciting to see people still really interested in starting their own farm.”

The NFU-O council welcomes Jennifer on board as a National Board Member, and certain that All Sorts Acres Farm and Gallery ethos: “Inspired by nature, informed by agriculture, educated by experience” weaves well with NFU-O’s policies and mission.

Local News/Events

Local 340 (Waterloo/Wellington): Join Local 340 for a film screening under the stars! Local President, Caitlin Hall (Reroot Farm) invites you to her farm in Harriston on Saturday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. to meet with fellow farmers and food lovers and watch a farm-related documentary screened on the side of the newlyrestored heritage barn. All are welcome for an enjoyable evening! Contact us with any questions at nfu.local340@gmail.com.

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

Perth County

Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

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

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

Doug Ahrens exit interview continued

Doug Ahrens is a Perth County pork producer who has served on the board of Ontario Pork for the past 12 years. Here is the second part of our interview.

What is the most frustrating part of serving on the Ontario Pork Board?

The frustrating part of serving on the Ontario Pork (OP) board is the inherent social demands on how society interprets the pork industry. Setting policy is difficult and also, deciding what long-term direction to give staff the direction that will best serve the pork industry.

OP used to be very focused on the market hogs and is still somewhat today. Over the past decade, they have taken a more holistic approach to serving producers. This has become necessary as farm operations have specialised into farrowing, nursery, and finishing operations.

Ahrens says that it is a challenge for the OP board to know the current structure of the industry, and what it requires. He feels that sometimes the board is hesitant to take a bold stance on issues for fear of blow-back from producers. He thinks that the grass roots structure of OP should be able to overcome this if they choose to get engaged. When there is open dialogue between the counties and the board members, there should be no surprises when OP makes policy.

For instance, the shortage of packing capacity in the province, and the lack of a price discovery that is fair to producers and processors in the industry are two major issues that threaten the future of Ontario’s pork industry. While OP has the social capital, resources, and knowledge to lead on these files, there is debate about whether or not they have the mandate to address them at all. Dealing with sensitive files, like these, emphasizes the importance of having experienced producers as board members who are invested in the pork industry for the long term. The perspective of producers who have substantial longterm capital and assets invested in pork

production is essential to making good policy.

What are some of the lessons you learned?

“Don’t burn a bridge on a sunny day, because it won’t be there on a rainy day,” said Ahrens. During his time serving OP and the Canadian Pork Council, Ahrens has learned a lot about the different realities that affect pork production in the different regions across Canada. Everything from the availability of feedstuffs, construction labour, barn labour, and hook space. Even price discovery and environmental regulations vary from region to region. These varied production environments make it difficult to make policy from a national level that suits the different pork production regions across Ontario and Canada. Ahrens has appreciated having OP staff, who have an unbiased point of view, help him overcome his own regional biases to discern what the best policy option might be.

Do you want to take a guess at what the future of Ontario’s Pork Industry might be?

“In the past five years we have seen pork production that is integrated with a processor in one way or another become the majority of production. There seems to be no end in sight for this trend and having two camps in Ontario even make more complicated. So far as an industry we have failed to come up with a way for independent producers to get a fair return on their investment. We don’t have a partnership with the greater agri-food industry and we don’t see a good partnership with processors on price transparency and fairness between producer’s contracts. I can get the same price for a ton of corn within a few dollars, no matter where I sell it, or how many tonnes I’m delivering. That is not the case in the pork industry.

The difference can be as much as $50/hog depending on the relationship you are lucky to hold. The partnership between producers and processors has broken down faster over the past 8-10

years than before. Some board members question our success. It is disheartening to see independent producers sacrificed and taken for granted. This same issue continues into the future but have come along from the past as we continue to better the industry. It is a slow process.”

Ontario Pork can and does provide value to the producers. Ontario Pork and staff have only the producers and the industry’s best interest at heart. They truly have no conflict of interest or personal gains to be made. Their work is done in a professional manner with respect for value to the producers. There is a lot of work that goes on at OP that producers have no idea about (issues that producers never see), but that does not mean it is not providing value. “Ontario Pork does a massive amount of co-ordination for our industry, and that part of it’s job is often underappreciated and unacknowledged from the greater at large producer base,” concluded Ahrens. ◊

I have always had a lot of respect for the producers who choose to serve our industry on the board of Ontario Pork. They seem to be a few notches above average, and among those who can still make a living raising hogs, that is a very good average. I’m not sure if they are board members because they are above average, or if serving on the board raises them to that level, but I hope you get a sense of what I mean reading Doug’s answers. As Doug mentions in this article, our industry still faces a lot of challenges. Challenges that can only be solved by pork producers working together. If you raise hogs, and would like to contribute to the future prosperity of our industry, I would encourage you to attend a meeting of the Perth County Pork Producers. It is a great place to hear what is happening at the OP board, solve our industry’s issues, and network with others in our industry. Our contact information is at the top of the page.

– Submitted by Craig Hulshof

Summer/Fall months bring an influx of travellers into our area, this can be viewed as both a blessing and a curse. Travellers who have less knowledge of agriculture, standards and safety, have questions about proper care for livestock and animal companions. Their concerns come from compassion but may be misguided for different reasons. Boundaries and guidance need to be enforced and farmers, crops, animals, and way of living respected. We as farmers do the utmost to care for our farms and should take steps to educate

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

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

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others to protect ourselves in the process. Producing safe and nutritious products for our consumers while being diligent in preserving a healthy environment is what we do.

Due to this interest, provided are some informational fact sheets to help with and answer questions that may arise. This can create a positive learning experience when interacting with these visitors.

As we are less than two per cent of the population, we need to reach out and educate to promote positive agricultural experiences for our urban friends. ◊

~ Save the date! ~ BCFA AGM October 28 7:00 p.m. Klages Mill, Chesley, On

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The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020

THE ISSUE

The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020 protects Ontario farm animals, farms, farmers and their families, agri-food employees, and the safety of the entire food supply by addressing the ongoing threat of unwanted trespassing and from unauthorized interactions with farm animals. The Act strikes an important balance, respecting the right to peaceful public protest, while giving the justice system the tools it needs to help protect farmers, agri-food workers and businesses, and the food supply from trespassing and harassment.

ANIMAL PROTECTION ZONES

The Act establishes animal protection zones: Animal protection zone: with respect to a farm, animal processing facility or prescribed premises, means an area on the farm, facility or premises on which farm animals may be kept or located and that is, a) An enclosure for farm animals, whether or not it is marked as an animal protection zone, b) An area that meets prescribed requirements and is marked as an animal protection zone by the owner or occupier using signs in accordance with the regulations, c) An area prescribed by the regulations as an animal protection zone for the purposes of this Act.

Persons are also prohibited from stopping, hindering, obstructing or otherwise interfering with a motor vehicle transporting farm animals.

NO IMPLIED CONSENT

Persons are prohibited from interfering or interacting

with farm animals in or on the animal protection zones or from carrying out prescribed activities in or on the animal protection zones without the prior consent of the owner or occupier of the farm, facility or premises.

Persons are also prohibited from interfering with a motor vehicle that is transporting farm animals and from interfering or interacting with the farm animals in the motor vehicle without the prior consent of the driver. This applies even if the trespasser has not been told orally, or in writing, to keep out or if no signs have been posted which restrict or prohibit entry.

FALSE PRETENCES

Consent to entry in or on an animal protection zone, or other prescribed activities which has been given to a person is considered invalid if it is obtained using duress or under false pretences. If consent was obtained under these conditions, the consent will be deemed to not have been given.

OFFENCES & PENALTIES

Offences under the Act carry higher penalties; up to $15,000 for the first offence, and up to $25,000 for subsequent offences. Higher penalties are introduced to serve as a deterrent from trespassing and breaching biosecurity protocols. Persons found guilty of an offence can be held responsible, and may receive a restitution order for any injury, losses or damages occurred as a result of the contravention.

LIMITATION PERIOD

The Act introduces a two-year limitation period for the commencement of proceeding for an offence under the Act. The two-year period begins on the later of the day the offence was committed, or the day on which evidence of the offence first came to the attention of a police officer.

O. Reg. 701/20: General

REGULATIONS

O. Reg. 701/20: General, under the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act includes definitions and provisions which support the Act.

SIGNAGE

Animal protection zones that require signage can only be marked if they meet the requirements listed in the regulations. The sign serves as a warning to any person that is about to enter the animal protection zone that entry is prohibited unless the person has consent, is exercising treaty rights, or enforcement powers, or meets exemption requirements.

Signs must be a minimum of 30cm x 30cm, and be orange in colour. Signs must be erected at each ordinary point of access to the animal protection zone being signed, and must be clearly visible in daylight. The area marked will only be considered an animal protection zone when farm animals are present.

PRESCRIBED PREMISES

The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act allows for the regulations to prescribe certain premises as animal protection zones. Currently, the following are considered prescribed premises:

1. Premises at which farm animals are ordinarily bought or sold and in respect of which a licence has been issued under the Livestock Community Sales Act.

2. Premises at which farm animals are displayed for public viewing.

3. Premises at which fam animals lawfully compete against one another.

INTERFERENCE INTERACTION

Acts which are considered prohibited interferences and interactions with farm animals are listed in the regulations. They include:

1. Directly or indirectly having physical contact with a farm animal, whether the farm animal is dead or alive, 2. Providing any substance to a farm animal, including spraying or throwing any substance on or at a farm animal, 3. Releasing a farm animal from an animal protection zone or transport motor vehicle, 4. Creating conditions in which a farm animal could escape from an animal protection zone or transport motor vehicle, 5. Any activity that causes or is likely to cause harm to a farm animal or harm with respect to food safety.

FALSE PRETENCES DURESS

The regulations outline the situations where false statements result in contravention of the Act, including false statements regarding employment qualifications. Certain exemptions exist for journalists and whistleblowers. Similar conditions exist for when consent is obtained under duress.

INCREASED PENALTIES

The regulations list certain circumstances which increase the gravity of an offence, including whether any farm animals were harmed, killed, or whether any human harm occurred. Penalties can be increased for a person who is found guilty of committing an offence under these listed circumstances.

For more information, please visit: www.AboutBill156.com

Perth County Federation of Agriculture

Email: perthcountyfedofag@gmail.com Website: www.perthcountyfarmers.ca Office: 1-833-229-6834

Julie Danen, President: 519-801-9200

A challenge for the two per cent

In 1931, nearly 3.3 million people, or roughly 32 per cent of the Canadian population were living on a farm. By 2016 this figure dropped to just 1.7 per cent. Today, less than one in five Canadians now call rural Canada home.

While this trend is nothing new, it presents an ever-increasing challenge of having our best interests represented at all levels of government. From urban development to taxation and international trade to the environment, it doesn’t matter the topic, it seems agriculture and the rural voice are all too often drowned out in a sea of bureaucratic noise.

Policies that may be popular among special interest groups and the general public have the potential to be devastating to the average farmer. We are seeing the effects of this take place both at home and abroad. Just look at the Netherlands, the second largest food exporter in the world to see how this is currently playing out.

It is often said though that ‘if you want to know what’s going to happen next, look to Europe and we will be there in 10 years’. “There is a war on farmers”, one farmer I was recently speaking with touted, as they went on to say that, “We have reached the point of no return”.

When it comes to government pressures on our industry, I find it difficult to know what to think or believe most days. From variable markets to fuel prices, fertilizer costs and rising interest rates, it is daunting enough to try to remain in the black by year end, let alone be well informed on what our governments are up to.

Don’t get me wrong, beyond the headlines and the clickbait of the daily news, I have plenty of doubts and fears for the future of agriculture. Having said that, I also have hope and faith in a better world that agriculture can not only be a part of, but can lead; a world where agriculture is respected and able to hold our elected officials accountable so that our food chain can thrive. How do we get there?

If anything has become apparent over the past couple years, it’s that there is comfort in working in isolation at home on the farm. Here, it is both easy and tempting to seclude oneself while carrying on with everyday life, unaware

of the ills of the world around us. What’s become more apparent to me though, is that remaining in that bubble while feeding both the world and our own ignorance is never going to help solve those same problems.

Most farmers pay a levy or check-off fee on their products sold which goes to their respective commodity group, under the assumption that (among other things) they will advocate for them with the producer’s best interests in mind. For many, the cost of this levy is a small price to pay so that they can focus on producing food, and leave the lobbying efforts to those receiving this levy.

What if choosing to completely allocate advocacy efforts to someone else actually costs you more in the long run, though? Somewhere between putting your head in the sand, and being so caught up in the politics of today that your brother-in law will no longer talk to you because of your last political “debate”, exists a balance.

And so as being part of the two per cent of farmers in this country, or the greater 18 per cent of rural residents, I want to challenge you to do a few things if you have any interest in leaving a brighter future for future generations in agriculture:

1. Be informed. You won’t be able to make agriculture or our rural life any better (or at least preserve it) if you don’t know the issues surrounding and within it. It could be as simple as reading your favourite farm newspaper, or following a commentator online. Most commodity groups are very active and release statements regularly on certain issues. Be aware of issues that you face personally and reflect on how they could be solved. Look for opposing viewpoints to better understand the issue and obtain a balanced perspective when possible.

2. Discuss with those around you. Gather differing perspectives on what people think/how they feel about the issues. Sometimes they can be difficult conversations to have, but often vital to hear and appreciate. Be slow to form your own opinions on subjects, and be patient with those who hold differing ones than your own.

3. Know your facts. Everybody knows someone who loves to hear

themselves talk, but never seems to know what they are talking about. If you wish to have any credibility, you will need to know the facts surrounding an issue. When comfortable and appropriate, challenge those who hold a certain position on an issue. You will have the facts in order to back up your views and even if you don’t change someone’s mind, at the very least you will give the other person something to think about.

4. Get involved. Is there a public meeting or hearing where you can carry out #1-3 and/or express your viewpoints at? Is there a board of directors, a club, commodity group, or government position open that you feel you could represent well? Is there a peaceful protest or a petition effort that would send a positive message for a cause you support? Not much will come to fruition if you choose to sit on the sidelines and let others dictate the direction that an issue will proceed.

5. Vote. Regardless of whether it’s for a position on a board of directors you have ties to or for an elected government official at any level, be sure to vote for or even help campaign for individuals who share your views and are going to best represent agriculture. For those who may find it difficult to express themselves in a public or even a private setting, this may be a less intimidating way to have your voice heard, without saying too much.

With fewer farmers, we need to ensure our voice is strong, focussed and resonates with those who hear it. While this is not an exhaustive list, as you can see, we do not need to jump straight to spreading manure on our government buildings or torching bales on our highways in order to be heard (or smelled). Hopefully by being proactive, nobody will ever be pressured to a point that they feel that is necessary.

And so, even though we may only make up two per cent of the population, we have more than just food to provide our country. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, there will be new challenges waiting to be faced. I hope you consider rising to the occasion when the opportunity knocks at your door!

–

Submitted by Derek Van De Walle Vice-President, Perth County Federation of Agriculture

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

Index

100.1 FM The Ranch 18

A.G. Hayter Contracting Ltd 30

Apples 13

Argyle Marine & Small Engines 60

Artisanal Chicken Program 22

Bau-tec Industries Inc 46

Bayer Crop Science ..........Cover 4

Belore Trailers 60

Bernie McGlynn/SB Flooring 48

Bervie Supply Energy Ltd 20

Bester Wood Products 48

Bio-Ag 32

Blue Water Angus Sale 61

Blyth Festival 2

Boonstoppel, Dave & Elly 34

Bushell’s Auto Sales ..................47

Canadian Co-op Wool Growers 35

CG Farms 8

Chalmers Fuels 35

Chatsworth Ag Society 63

Clean Fix North America Cover 3

Crafter’s Corner 71

Crop Quest Inc 55

DJ Henry Homes & Renovation 60

DL Distributing 59

Easy Lift Doors 12

Egger Farms 61

Elementary School Fair 63

Fall Harvest..................................44

Farm to Table 27,28

Fieldwalker Agronomy 59

Gerber’s Workwear 65

Greenville Liquid Plant Food 14

Grey-Bruce Construction 50

GRK Products 58

Hanover Honda 56

Harold Jones Enterprises 60

Hayden Water Wells ......................6

Hill & Hill Farms Cover 2

Hunter Steel Sales Cover 6

Huron Perth Public Health 10,50,58

Huron Ridge Greenhouses 39

Huron-Perth Woodlot Assoc. 48

JA Porter Holdings 22

Kingwood Bins 54

KMM Farm Drainage 18

Kraemer Concrete Ltd ................59

Kuepfer Farm Drainage 60

Lakeside Shelving & Racking 53

Lambton Heritage Museum 56

Lesperance, Adam 25

Lisa Thompson MPP 53

Live Landscape 39

Lucknow Auto Parts 59

Mapleview Agri 16

Mark Cook Drainage Inc ..............61

Marquardt Farm Drainage 25

Martin Farm Wagons 9

Marvin L Smith 48

Matthew Rae MPP 55

Michael’s Stabling Dev. 40

Mike Boven Carpentry 60

MNP LLP 40

Moore Hemsworth 28

Morris Sachs Silo Construction ..48

Nature’s Wave Inc 65

North Huron Carpentry Inc 58

Nuclear Waste Management 22

Nuhn Forage 52

Nutrient Management 30

OFA- Farmer Wellness Initiative 5

Ontario Mutual Insurance Cover 5

Ontario Plowmen’s Association 32

Parker & Parker Cover 7

Pine River Tree Farm 61

Preserve & Store..........................15

Raynbow Signs 60

RBC Ag West 20

Ridgeway Metals 59

Royal LePage - Steacy DenHaan 9

Rural Voice Books 64

Sauble Beach Motorsports 18,34,50,55

Schmidt’s Farm Drainage 56

Schweiss Doors 53

Seifried Farm Equipment ............40

Sew & Save Centre 39

Sharp’s Creek Forge 58

Steffen Well Drilling 59

Stihl 42

Stratford Agri Analysis 57

Superior Barn Painting Cover 6

SWO Diesel ........................Cover 3

Townsley Barn Painting 62

Travelling Local 7,11

Tree Planting & Maintenance 51

Triple P Consulting 61

Trouw Nutrition Back Cover

Usborne & Hibbert Mutual 37

Waddell Engineering 28

WD Hopper & Sons Ltd 34

Wehrmann Grain & Seeds Ltd ....60

HURON

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

New information signs in Huron County

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

Upcoming Events

September 5 - Labour Day

September 9-11 - Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion, Blyth. For details visit: blythsteamshow.com

September 13-15 - Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock. For details visit: www.outdoorfarmshow.com

September 13-14 - Brussels Fall Fair. Visit: www.brusselsfallfair.ca

September 15-18 - Seaforth Fall Fair. Visit: www.seaforthagricultural society.on.ca

September 21 - Elementary School Fair, Belgrave Community Centre.

September 23-24 - Howick Turnberry Fall Fair.

These signs identify field crops, and end uses and are focused on: Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Barley, Oats, Hay/Pasture, Edible Beans, and Cover Crops. This project highlights the various field crops grown to our fellow community members and the purpose in growing various crops. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture supported this project and we were pleased to collaborate with the Huron County Grain Farmers for distribution of the signs.

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.

HCFA Director profile:

Matt Denys

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

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

Huron County Federation of Agriculture BOARD MEETING

Monday, September 26 8:00 p.m. Vanastra office

Send in your nominations!

Matt Denys joined the HCFA board as a representative for the Huron County Egg producers in 2021.

Matt grew up on a farrow-to-finish hog farm and still lives there today and became an egg producer in 2017. Matt and his family also grow edible beans, soybeans, corn and wheat. Matt likes to keep busy and does custom spraying. Matt lives with his wife and three sons in the Kippen area where he is involved as a volunteer firefighter.

We are collecting nominations for the yearly Huron County Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture Award. Please include in the nomination the name, address, phone number of your nominee. Your nomination should include an explanation for the nomination such as the person’s or group’s contribution(s) to agriculture and rural life in Huron County. The nomination must be signed by the nominator.

Send nominations to the HCFA office

Deadline is September 19

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

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