The Rural Voice - April 2023

April 2023

Rural Voice

The

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

THE HEN HOUSE

The female-driven farmer’s market store was born out of a city-to-farm life change

COURAGE IN AGRICULTURE Dairy farmers need a cohesive vision and courage to invest says industry analyst

THEREFORE, CHOOSE LIFE Growing native plants and restoring a tired farm is one couple’s life-affirming purpose

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Contents The

Rural Voice THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE

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

16

24 Columns

Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Keith Roulston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Kate Procter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Jeffrey Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Mabel’s Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Woodlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Agrilaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Departments Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Ruralite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Business Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

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

20 APRIL 2023 • Cover Photo Charlotte Campbell, The Hen House Photo by Jeff Tribe

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, Carolyn Crawford, Bonnie Sitter, Jeff Tribe, Amanda Brodhagen and Hetty Stuart

• Deadlines: May Issue – April 11

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

16 The Hen House

Production co-ordinator & Telemarketing: Joan Caldwell

June Issue – May 9

City girl embraces rural life and creates community with fellow female entrepreneurs

20 The Manure Tour Farmers investigate manure spreading equipment on tour

24 Choosing Life

Starting and planting native plants is hope in action say founders of The Ark natives near Tiverton

28 Strive to Create One Voice

Michael Barrett urges dairy farmers to solidarity to speak with one voice and create a vision for the industry

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

Make cheques payable to: NORTH HURON PUBLISHING CO.

30 More Vegetables

Creating vegetarian meals once a week is easier with these recipes

39 Fighting with Phragmites

This invasive weed is still crowding out species in waterways and needs to be eradicated

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

NH

ORTH URON

PUBLISHING COMPANY INC.

A division of North Huron Publishing Company Inc.

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

Don’t fall for a brand of moralism masked as ideology The Editor, I am writing you on Gary Kenny’s recent piece on Indigenous reconciliation (March 2023 issue of The Rural Voice) and I am left with questions — questions I believe that perhaps should have been answered as part of the piece.

My main question is, and it should be obvious, is how do we achieve meaningful reconciliation without having to resort to leftist Marxist socialist and identity ideology?

Your piece emphasises myths on merit, work ethic and identity and grievances against settlers, long since passed on. Are we reasonable to assume that any immigrant who has chosen a better life for their family in the past centuries, one of any creed, sex or colour to abandon the values that have made their life so much better be pasted with a mark that what they’ve done is terrible in the name of privilege and imperialism? Does this all apply equally to western European immigrants of the 20th century as it would to the Vietnamese refugees of the 1970s, the Indian refugees from Uganda in the 1980s, Syrian refugees of the 2010s and the white Ukrainian refugees of the past year? Are they all culpable in white settler colonialism in search of a better life under western values?

We all understand that native populations may have different values than western values. I will emphasize that presently, so does Russia and China.

We can reconcile. It will not be perfect, it won’t be.

2 The Rural Voice

Be wary of other outcomes that could have happened, past, present and future, in other words, everyone needs to be careful what they wish for.

Perhaps in your piece you could have rounded out the conversation.

Asking this, I am keenly aware that recently, in the name of a social justice utopia, many journalists are being made to believe that objectivity should be abandoned if other “truths’”get in the way.

Please don’t allow yourself or The Rural Voice to also fall victim to a brand of moralism masked as ideology. Your readers aren’t that stupid. ◊ Thank you.

– Rob Nyenhuis, loyal reader St. Pauls, ON

Check out the Natural Burial Association The Editor, Heartfelt thanks for Kate Proctor’s engaging and informative article “Take time to talk about and plan for your death” (February 2023, The Rural Voice). Discussing death openly and planning ahead with professionals, friends and family has provided my husband and me with

warm reassurance as we age.

We are also comforted by having the option of a natural burial in The Blue Mountains where we live. Our municipality, in response to the desire of many residents, is now working with consultants to create a natural burial site in our local cemetery.

For us, this is a way to express our respect and gratitude for the earth that has nourished us through our lives.

Our unembalmed bodies, in a biodegradable casket or shroud, will directly replenish the soil in this most eco-friendly form of caring for our dead.

For your readers wishing to learn more, the Natural Burial Association has an excellent website: www.naturalburialassociation.ca. Or contact The Blue Mountains Climate Action Now Network at: CANNTBM@gmail.com.

Again, our thanks to The Rural Voice and Kate Proctor for opening the door to talking about death… a process as natural as being born and breathing. ◊ With appreciation, – Rosemary and Roland Gosselin The Blue Mountains, Grey County

Deadline for the May issue of The Rural Voice is April 11

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April 2023 3

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124817 (04/2020)

Ruralite

“

Manure is biological and

complex, so there isn’t a silver bullet to management.

”

•

Seasonality “The idea that greenhouses

~ Melisa Luymes on new methodologies and equipment

represent a pathway to food

investigated during The Manure Tour. Story on page 20

security is akin to the idea that more air conditioning

Aphorisms

units will resolve climate

(a short, pointed sentence that expresses a wise or clever observation)

change.”

● Money will buy a fine dog but only kindness will make him wag his tail ● A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you are in deep water

April Inspiration “A farmer is a magician who produces money from the mud.” ~Amit Kalantri

~ Columnist Jeffrey Carter on making a pitch to return to seasonality See page 12

Humour • TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction • TOMORROW One of the greatest laboursaving devices of today • YAWN An honest opinion openly expressed

•

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

• A winner never quits

Heading to the Theatre

Former Farmerettes are being asked to share their experiences as Alison Lawrence develops a play based on Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz, the book by Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English. Join in person at the Kitchener Public Library on April 15 or virtually via Eventbrite.~Photo supplied by Bonnie Sitter

and a quitter never wins • Volunteers are not paid because they are priceless

•

April 2023 5

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

Retirement isn’t for the lazy It was so cozy, sitting there, being served coffee and biscotti in front of the woodstove. I could see birds flying around outside and two trays of seedlings were reaching up from the soil by an east window. It was interview time for a story on native plants and the subjects were Art Wiebe and Janice McKean.

As I age, I get so excited meeting retired people who have launched late-in-life careers using new skills and existing resources. Art is a

Bird watching at The Ark near Tiverton

former doctor and Janice a teacher, so there’s no lack of smarts.

Knowledge is something they keep accumulating. Rather than watch television, they read and visit and ingest wisdom.

Art and Janice combine brain and brawn, and have some interesting approaches to life. Something they do which is both shocking and sensible, is pick up roadkill on their travels. They bring the dead animals to their farm pasture to attract carrion eaters such as turkey vultures, hawks, eagles, crows and ravens. They see the benefits as two-fold: it protects these majestic birds from getting dinged on the road and it provides an opportunity to watch and photograph the birds on their farm.

The thought of placing a dead animal in my vehicle had honestly never occurred to me, though I’ve watched the Huron County road crew do it often enough. It’s just so smart. And so gross! I love this active commitment to wildlife and I suspect I may have to do it myself now that the idea has taken hold.

Art and Janice collect their seeds from nature, rarely purchasing seed packets.

Their glove box is full of paper bags and inspired again, I have now tucked some in my van. They start these seeds on their porch

REBUILD YOUR NATURAL CAPITAL  Nutrient Management Plans  NASM Plans

6 The Rural Voice

and move them to a greenhouse.

Nothing here is new or wasted. Pots are collected from businesses discarding old perennials and the contents are composted for their own use.

As the interview ended, I asked if I might have the freedom to experiment with a new lens and take pictures of all the birds at their feeders. I tucked myself into the woodpile and spent a happy half hour watching, learning and snapping, hoping to get a great shot. It requires much time and patience, this new hobby, and sometimes I wish I was retired so I had more time for it.

Ultimately, what really inspired me was how much there is to DO and LEARN and BE once you can retire.

In this issue I also wrote a story on Michael Barrett who just retired from his position as CEO of Gay Lea. He has transitioned from over 300 emails a day to three and has been struggling with all the extra time. He was thrilled to be out of the house and speaking at the event, though with a farm and eight grandchildren, I’m sure he has lots to do. Yet he is using his experience as a lens to project ideas for change and growth in agriculture.

Thinking about activity in aging, I recall meeting a couple from Holland while we were taking a Dignity Therapy (writing life stories for the dying) course. They were pursuing university degrees in their 70s, on top of maintaining their own professional careers. Amazing!

Retirement is a bit off for me yet, but meeting people like Art, Janice and Michael literally sows the seeds of what is possible when that time comes. ◊

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April 2023 7

Keith Roulston Keith is former publisher of The Rural Voice.

He lives near Blyth, ON.

Global warming is more than cows One of the problems facing our modern world is that too much of the media is controlled by the hands of people living in urban areas. As such, important issues are being shaped in ways that are in the short-term interest, but long-term disadvantage of urbanites.

Last fall, for instance, 30,000 climate leaders and politicians met in Egypt for the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) to discuss climate change.

One of the hot topics at the meeting was that cows are the new coal, that cattle are the biggest contribution to climate change. This from thousands of people who attended the meeting

by flying on hundreds of flights from around the world.

But cattle are a tidy answer for urbanites when it comes to the reasons for climate change, even if the livestock numbers were not changing dramatically. As of January 1, 2021, Canadian farmers held 11.1 million cattle and calves on their farms. Meanwhile Canadians owned 26.2 million cars and trucks in 2021, up 1.9 per cent over 2020.

Now even as our car and truck numbers have grown, their efficiency has increased as far as the use of fuel in vehicles:1.7 per cent per year between 2010 and 2020 reduced CO2.

Governments are also promoting use of electrical vehicles to reduce pollution from transportation, but the move is still years from making a significant difference. It’s far easier to blame cattle for its effect on climate change. One reporter covering COP27 said cattle are responsible for 16.5 to 28 per cent of greenhouse gases (GHG) while another story claimed the number was 33 per cent.

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The real numbers, according to Prof. Claudia Wagner-Riddle at the University of Guelph, indicates that agriculture accounts for eight per cent of GHGs with livestock accounting for about four per cent.

For that, we eat and prosper.

Yes, ruminants emit methane as they eat grass and digest it, and methane is a gas more dangerous to causing climate change than carbondioxide — about 28 times as bad by some estimates. But that grass is inedible by humans, and further, cattle improve the soil that grass is growing on, helping it to absorb more carbon dioxide long term.

But the urban viewpoint is not steady. People deplore the hunting of elephants for the ivory in their tusks (as do I), yet if we care only about the generation of methane, we should be happy if elephants are eliminated.

Some scientists say the methane an elephant emits in one day would be enough to power a car for 32 km.

About the time COP 27 was held, it was deer hunting season in our county. I suspect most urbanites would not be thrilled as dozens of white-tailed deer were shot over a two-week period. Yet these deer generate methane, just like cattle.

Some estimates are that up to 75 million of wild buffalo roamed the North America’s plains before Europeans’ arrival, all of them eating grass, all of them creating methane.

Around 40 percent of the world’s methane emissions come from natural sources. Three quarters of these natural emissions are created in wetlands, where the water-logged soils and the plant and animal species that have evolved to live in them create an oxygen-poor environment that encourages methane production.

Of course urbanites are getting rid of huge amounts of lowlands through housing development.

So, solving the global warming issue is far more complicated than just reducing the number of cattle, or all livestock on farms. Getting rid of cattle doesn’t solve the problem that we continue to pave over Ontario’s best food-producing land and leave people to wonder from where their children will get food. We need to really think about solving global warming.◊

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

The importance of “Important Please Read” notices The Federal Government’s new Underused Housing Tax is something everyone needs to be aware of – and a lot of us must take action on. The deadline to file is the end of April and failure to file carries big penalties. Make sure you talk to your accountant and meet this deadline.

A few months ago, I got the first email from our accountant about something called the “Underused Housing Tax” (UHT). I did read the

10 The Rural Voice

email, but quickly concluded it didn’t pertain to us and moved on to the next thing on my list. A little while later, I got another notice. I read it again, but still, wondered why our accountant kept sending these things.

The tax is aimed at people who are not permanent residents or citizens of Canada who have vacant residential properties. We do have houses on farms, but we are Canadian, and they are always full.

I gave a sigh… just what we want ... another tax… and gave our accountant a call. That conversation quickly brought me to attention and then I watched a webinar on the subject. Our governments have clearly been paying attention to the lack of affordable housing problem in Canada and are going after it at all levels. This is not a completely new thing… a google search will quickly take you down a rabbit hole of taxes and cancelled rebates aimed at stopping people from leaving homes and businesses vacant. For this year’s end, the Ontario government has a new tax, and municipalities are

starting to implement vacant home taxes, but what is really going to affect us in rural areas is the Federal Government’s new UHT. This tax received Royal Assent in June 2022 and became effective on January 1, 2022, making 2022 the first tax year that requires a return filed. Why should you care? Even if you don’t owe taxes for this, the penalty for not filing is $10,000 per property per year, with the added penalty of possibly losing your tax exemption.

Kurt Oelschlagel, National Tax Leader for BDO writes “If you operate your farm through a Canadian corporation or Canadian partnership and it owns a residential property, you will be required to file a UHT return even if no UHT is owed. If you do not file, the late filing penalty will apply.” While most of us as Canadian citizens will be exempt from actually paying the tax, we are still required to file.

Okay. So I have been convinced that we have to take action on this.

Our accountant delicately explained that for me to just dump this on her was probably not going to fly.

Accountants are in their busiest season and this new tax has some wrinkles that need to be smoothed out while everyone figures out the details. Filing online isn’t even possible as I write this because the government does not have their website to register and file up and running. The four-page form is not that complicated, once you figure it out. Really.

I would suggest not leaving this to the last minute, although that is quickly approaching. The May 1 deadline for this year, due to April 30 falling on a Sunday, is also one of a farmer’s busy times of year. So digging into this as soon as you can is something you probably want to do. The first thing I learned is that you have to fill out the form for each property. The second is that you need to use the roll number, but also the Property Identification Number (PIN) for each property. The PIN is not on your tax form, but you can find it using the Ontario land registry access website, Onland, at https://www.onland.ca/.

So, the UHT is actually a good news story for me. Our accountant assured me that I do not have to complete a UHT form for houses that do not actually exist. And I had a lesson on the importance of not

ignoring “IMPORTANT PLEASE READ” notices, as well as making sure to read MPAC forms much more carefully. So we should hopefully save some tax money in the future. I think. ◊

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While this site is technically free to use, the properties I tried to search did not have a recognizable address in the system, leading me to search using a map, then pay to access the PINs on the map. Maybe there is a better way, but I don’t know of it.

Once you go this far, you can also dig up the history of your land transfers, for a $32 fee per property.

This will give you the purchase price and date, which you will also need to fill out your UHT form.

So far, so good. Then I pulled out my Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) assessments.

Full confession – I have these forms, I have a file for these forms, but I have never really read them that carefully. I discovered that this was a huge mistake. MPAC has two websites – https://www.mpac.ca/en/ and their property tool, About My Property, https://www.about myproperty.ca/. I registered each property on “About my Property” and quickly discovered a whole raft of information - including values and condition scores for houses that had been gone 20 years or more. Some municipalities list different tax rates on your bill, some don’t.

I called MPAC to sort this out. I was informed that in order to remove houses that had been demolished decades ago, or maybe never even existed, I would have to fill out a “request for reconsideration”. I should probably also include pictures and any supporting documents to back up my claim that a non-existent house did not exist. Confused, I asked them if the “assessment date” on my MPAC statement meant that the house was not actually assessed?

They informed me that a demolition permit should have triggered removal of a residence, but this clearly had never happened. My mind-picture of an MPAC person running around with a clipboard and camera actually assessing all these properties with an assessed date, listed value, and condition score, quickly evaporated.

Next steps – follow up with the municipality and then Agricorp to sort out the non-existent tenant farmer also listed in the MPAC information.

Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment

April 2023 11

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

The return to seasonality

I

’ve been following the greenhouse vegetable industry for years, from the time most space under glass and poly was located in and around Leamington. There were around 500 acres of grow space back then, compared to roughly 4,000 today (not including cannabis).

I’ve always had a great deal of respect for the growers, though there was one occasion when I managed annoy one of the larger industry participants.

That occurred during a tour of his facility just north of Leamington. I arrived to the site with my ’75 Chevrolet, the kind of vehicle which fills with dust when traversing a dry gravel road.

The grower, perhaps looking to impress me, drove me around to the other end of the operation with his European sports car. During the ride I foolishly observed that the greenhouse industry had become industrialized with operations essentially being agricultural factories rather than family farms.

He and the fellow with him walked ahead and closed the door behind them. To my chagrin, I found it locked and so had to make the trip back to my car by foot.

Change may be coming to the industry, as evidenced by the spectacular bankruptcy of one of North America’s mega greenhouse marketing operations earlier this year. The Leamington-based business with assets in the United States had liabilities totaling $188 million but assets of only $3.5 million, not including property and other equipment, according to news reports.

Back in 2021, the federal government saw fit to offer more than a million dollars in aid to the

12 The Rural Voice

company, according to a Windsor Star report, which suggests the financial problems were not purely internal but connected to wider issues facing the industry.

Apart from the question of labour, there appears to be two big challenges for the greenhouse industry.

One, according to the now retired executive director of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, Joe Sbrocchi, is that prices at the retail level have not risen to reflect the higher costs faced by growers.

The second is related — the higher energy-related costs for growing all those tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other vegetables Canadian consumers have grown to expect at an affordable price throughout the year. The price of natural gas, fertilizers and electricity have risen to unprecedented levels.

It’s not just in North America.

There have been similar reports of energy-related setbacks in Holland going back to at least 2019. Among the most recent is the closure of vegetable and ornamental producer Plantise, putting 400 people out of work.

A Reuters release last fall notes that 40 per cent of the members of Glastuinbouw Nederland, the organization representing 75 per cent of greenhouse horticultural crops in Holland, reported being in financial distress.

I’ve long maintained, though I’ve largely kept the opinion to myself until now, that industrial greenhouse vegetable production is a poor way to produce the nutritional requirements of the population in terms of energy efficiency and its contribution to climate change. Not only are fossil fuels central to greenhouse food production, they’re burnt to transport that food hither and thither across the North American landscape.

Yet media reports in Canada tout indoor production as a panacea for food security issues related to climate change. Even some members of agricultural academia have added level of credence to this notion, notably nationally-recognized food guru Sylvan Charlebois with

Dalhousie University.

Yet the idea that greenhouses represent a pathway to food security is akin to the idea more airconditioning units will resolve climate change.

The greenhouse industry has reached a pinnacle in terms of size and scope but will it keep growing?

Unless the underlying fundamentals change and a new affordable source of energy is developed, a more likely scenario is gradual decline. It will be smaller, certainly, and perhaps more focused in the area of seasonal extension rather than year-round production.

There are alternatives to greenhouses for fresh produce.

Imports are an obvious candidate but so too is a more traditional food system in which food is accumulated as the growing season progresses and stored for later use until the return of the spring season. It’s an approach that could conceivably be combined with a more limited amount of greenhouse production – especially in locations where it makes greatest sense.

In our household, a certain amount of greenhouse produce is on the menu, and we occasionally

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purchase imported greens, such as spinach. However, as gardeners or micro-farmers, we’ve been able to stretch our food dollar by both preserving what we grow ourselves and purchasing, in the fall, vegetables like cabbage and squash for long-term storage.

I’ve also had success with inground storage of vegetables.

I’ve been growing Egyptian or walking onions, the underground portion of which can be consumed over the winter months or in early spring as long as the ground is not frozen. They’re similar to green onions purchased at the grocery store though far less convenient in terms of preparation.

I’ve also had luck for the first time with parsnips, managing to grow several jumbo specimens for longterm inground storage, the last of which yielded five cups once a peeled and diced.

Looking out to the garden today, I see our chives have emerged and the sorrel, a lemony-flavoured green, will not be far behind. ◊

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

“I can hardly wait to get home so I can get the equipment ready for seeding,” said Dave Winston the other morning at Mabel’s Grill, “You’ve been saying that for weeks!” offered Cliff Murray as he sat down and opened the menu.

“Yeah, well, a guy can get tired of working inside a pig barn,” Dave replied. “Getting out in the sun and fresh air is a real break.”

Molly Whiteside heard the last of this when she arrived at the table to take their orders. “I know what you mean. It’s nice to know we won’t have anybody clearing snow off our parking lot when we arrive at work in the morning.”

“I can hardly wait for the grass to grow enough for me to get the cattle outside,” said George Mackenzie.

“I’m getting sick of cleaning manure

out of the barn.”

“If you think you’re sick of the cattle being in the barn, imagine what they feel like,” said Molly. “Now, what can I get you guys?”

“I don’t see anything with a Chinese influence on the menu,” said Cliff with a hidden smile. “I see the Chinese government hasn’t been showing Mabel special attention.”

“Hurray for that!” repled Molly.

“I’m not up to serving wontons and dumplings at this hour.”

“Humph, bad enough the Chinese influencing the federal government with who they help getting elected without them controlling something really important like Mabel’s menu,” grumbled George.

The door opened and six more guys walked in.“You guys figured out what you want?” Molly said. “It’s getting busy in here.”

The guys ordered their usual favourites and Molly mumbled, “I could have figured that from the kitchen,” as she headed back to hand in their orders.

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next month,” Dave said with a smirk to George. “You’re such a fan of royalty I thought you might have booked a trip to be there in person.”

“It’s King Charles now!” George said sternly.

“Sorry, I forgot,” said Dave. “All these years of calling him Prince sort of stuck with me.”

“May 6 is not a good time for a farmer to find time, even if I could afford the trip,” said George.

“You’d think Charles should have known that by now,” said Dave “He’s had enough time to plan it over so many years.”

“I can’t say I’m all that thrilled about seeing Camilla as Queen,” said Cliff. “My wife got me watching The Crown on TV and when the marriage with Diana fell apart, Camilla did not come off so well.”

“Yeah, well they made up a lot of that stuff didn’t they?” grumbled George. “I mean the writers of that show were not there to hear what really happened so they made a whole lot of stuff up.”

“And got well rewarded for it,” Dave said. “I mean imagine being able to imagine conversations between Justin Trudeau and Sophie and put it on TV.” “Except nobody cares what they say anyway,” scoffed George.

“Anyway, most Canadians don’t seem to care much of Prince . . . I mean King Charles’ coronation,” said Cliff.

Molly was approaching with their orders just in time to pick up the end of that comment. “Oh, I wish I could afford to go over, and take the kids, too,” she said. “It’d be nice to be part of all that ceremony. I’ll bet the kids would remember it forever.”

“See,” said George to the others.

“Well, it will be a few days getting the attention off Donald Trump, anyway,” sighed Dave.

“That’s got to seem like a break.”

“Pllllease!” muttered George. “To mention King Charles and Trump in the same conversation is an insult.”

“That might be one thing we can all agree on,” said Molly.

“Here’s hoping they never make a series about Trump,” sighed Cliff.

“What would it be called — The Frown?” Molly wondered? “It’d probably be on Fox.”◊

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Turnco, Bearcat, Bissell Packer wheels, 2 inch shaft................. ea. $30.

Schulter Harrow, 16 ft., 8 ft. sections for back of seed drill................$475.

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SOLD New Holland 679, 680 Manure Spreader Sides, new, stored inside ..pair $1,650.

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Corn Vegetable Scuffler, 4 row, 5 tines rolling shields ...................$1,850.

Grass Seed Broad Caster, 3PH, PTO spinner, used last season......$475.

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Hagedorn Snowblower, heavy gear box, 7 ft. manual hood...........$1,450.

Chisel Plow IH, 10 shank, trail model, new tires, high clearance....$3,850.

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Cultivator JD 1000, hyd. wings, 22 ft., tandem, needs paint...........$2,600.

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MF 18 ft. Flex Head, quick attach, on cart, aluminum reel ..............$3,600.

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Grain Aerator, 120V, screw in type, 12 inch fan, 2.4 amp..................$375.

Bale Elevator, 36 ft., with motor, gear type drive, tube type............$1,250.

Gehl 880 Haybine, 9 ft., steel rubber rolls, used last season..........$2,650.

New Holland Hay Conditioner, trail model, steel rubber rolls ........$1,650.

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Cattle & Chickens

Creating community at The Hen House Selling eggs and access to her Highland Cattle, Charlotte Campbell loves her new farming life and the opportunities to connect with other farm women and creators Charlotte Campbell had one condition for moving to the country, the addition of Scottish Highland Cattle honouring her heritage. They earn their keep as featured guests for photographers and videographers.

C

harlotte Campbell traded in her GTA (Greater Toronto Area) condo for a RR (Rural Route) Hen House and couldn’t be happier for it.

“I miss nothing about the city,” she said from her and husband Mike Rattan’s Norwich-area farm. “Nothing, nothing, nothing.”

The Pickering, Ontario native was on her first date with the former national-level equestrian (currently employed as a heavy equipment operator), when Mike announced he wanted to be a farmer some day.

“I was like, ‘OK, yup, red flag,’” she laughed.

Having been around horses, Mike knew enough to lead her incrementally toward his goal, letting her drink in the concept gradually. After moving to Woodstock in 2018 he built a rabbit hutch in their backyard, painting it red and white to look like a barn.

“It was really cute,” Campbell conceded. “Really cute.”

Responding to a ‘Facebook sad ad’, she found herself in possession of Oreo, a black and white goat, subsequently housed in a garden shed. Being a ‘city girl’, Charlotte didn’t realize goats were herd animals.

“She cried every night, so I had to get her a friend.”

Enter companion goat Oatmeal, along with the couple’s first daughter Nova. Despite forgiving neighbours, their growing brood relocated to a rural property west of Norwich, adding a pre-fabricated 12-by-24 barn and flock of chickens. Nova’s penchant for falling asleep best in a moving vehicle led to weekly crop tours, the first revealing a “For Sale” sign on a 14-acre property north of Norwich

16 The Rural Voice

• By Jeff Tribe •

along Oxford Road 59.

“It was a disaster,” Campbell recalled.

In Mike’s view it was beautiful despite a ramshackle house, overgrown foliage and a barn in serious disrepair.

“I thought that was the stupidest idea he’d ever had,” she confessed after he declared his intention to purchase it.

They drove past every week for 11, during which the house was torn down and cleaned up, trees trimmed and bins full of garbage removed.

“My argument kept getting weaker and weaker.”

To finally put paid to her husband’s obsession Charlotte called the listed real estate agent for a price check. As expected, the land was expensive, however a builder owned the property and even her frugal Scottish background considered a package deal requiring construction of a custom-built home advantageous.

On the vintage CBS sitcom Green Acres, Eddie Albert punctuates the final two musical notes of the opening sequence with hay fork taps. Charlotte’s welcome to their green acreage featured four shared days inside the barn, tackling a two-and-a-half-foot deep pile of manure with tined implements.

“When we finally hit concrete, that was amazing,” she smiled. “That was a transition moment for sure.”

The barn was re-roofed by an Amish construction team, re-sided and repainted by Charlotte with a rented sprayer.

A braws Scots lassie both genetically and by nature (their second daughter is named Alba, Gaelic for Scotland), Campbell laid down a non-negotiable condition for farm

life – acquisition of Scottish Highland Cattle. Mike conceded, countering they had to earn their keep.

“You can’t just have big, expensive pets.”

They discovered a fold (herd), “all named, friendly and adorable,” which Charlotte would not consider eating, proposing charging for photography and videography of them in conjunction with their scenic property. Despite Mike’s skepticism, the cattle have appeared in movies and numerous photo sessions including weddings, booked in 2022 from May 2-4 to Labour Day. “The odd weekday, but mostly Saturdays,” explained Campbell, who as of January, 2023 already had double-digit bookings. One neutered calf, little Johnny, has also been purchased as a form of scenic lawn care.

The couple has a half-dozen purebred Rideau ewes for meat production and a game bird license to breed and release pheasants, including 30 chicks for a Friendsgiving event.

Their chicken flock grew to between 30 and 45 chicks annually, “full-circle” birds who after two years of laying transition to meat.

“We sell a lot of eggs, actually,” said Charlotte, who built their shelter out of material from recycled skids, christening it The Hen House. The moniker was repurposed for what has become an annual tradition of hosting vendors to a form of farm market in their driveway, beginning in 2021.

“It looked like a giant garage sale,” said Campbell, a post-COVID event attracting 25 vendors and 1,000 customers. In 2022 the number of vendors doubled and a food truck and caterer were added, with the 2023 edition tentatively scheduled for August 12th. A companion September, 2021 fall event was well attended despite cold, rainy weather, however illustrated the advantages of permanent space.

“That’s how The Hen House started,” Charlotte explained of a repurposed former Sears pickup depot north of the stoplight in Norwich. “It's a permanent storefront

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that was once a, go-to-the-farmmarket gone to a permanent off-farm market.”

Roughly 25 vendors pay rent in basically a cost recovery business model covering facility rental and associated costs. “It covers its own expenses,” explained Campbell, whose modest financial incentive comes from the sale of her own items. “Keeps itself afloat.”

There is some small turnover, departures and new arrivals, which “keeps it fresh.”

Buoyed by positive response, Charlotte added a Hen’s Night Out at the Norwich Community Centre in December of last year. Seventy-five Charlotte Campbell’s genetic roots show up in the fold of Scottish Highland vendors were vetted for quality and Cattle on she and husband Mike Rattan’s 14‐acre Norwich‐area farm. hand-picked to present a balanced mosaic. Nervous about response, she was thrilled to see over 200 people lined up prior to opening for an event considered an unqualified success.

Each Hen House iteration remains true to what Campbell believes is a farming field-to-table equivalent, 95 per cent hand-made goods rather than a MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) approach with imported product.

“That’s not what The Hen House is all about,” she declared. Charlotte Campbell “In MLM there’s turned on‐farm sales to a some guy sitting on a Norwich storefront beach chair in Hawaii (right, centre) under The getting the money, not Hen House brand which the woman who made sells curated products it.

“With this, I know from small, female‐ where the money is owned businesses. The going, it’s going right Hen House Hen’s Night back into the Out in December 2022 at community.” the Norwich Community There are few mom Centre attracted and pop stores in hundreds as vendors Pickering where such as Karen Binnendyk, Campbell came from.

“It’s just huge owner/artisan of the brand names and big Bubbly Goat. box stores. You come here and there are so many stay-athome mothers, women with side hustles. It blew me away how many high quality products can come from someone’s kitchen table.”

Charlotte pointed to Alba’s teething toy as an example.

“I know the girl who put these beads on a string,” she said. “Her 18 The Rural Voice

name is Rose and I see her mom once a week walking around town. That just doesn’t happen in the city.”

Charlotte does miss urban-bound family members, but not the congested, grassless, treeless expanse of cold concrete she has come to view her former digs as, a place where odds of meeting someone she knows on the street are literally one in a million.

“In Norwich, I’m always going to see at least one person I know I can say ‘hi’ to.”

And painful as this may be, Campbell was even prepared to say her husband’s “crazy idea” wasn’t so bad after all, leading to a better life for both they and their children.

“Mike is right far more than I give him credit for,” she laughed. “He has vision and the courage to do a thing.

And when he jumps in, he knows I have the drive and determination to make it what I need it to be to feel comfortable.”

Their farm does not fit into a standard view of agriculture.

Charlotte has continued her job as a commercial insurance broker but is now equally comfortable in a boardroom or barnyard, and has happily made the metaphorical transition of trading her condo and Kia Rio for a Jeep Wrangler, tractor “and the 75 implements that go behind it.”

“You have to figure it out,” she concluded. “And if true farming is not the option you have, then you have to get creative, utilize the space you are given.”

“Redefine the definition of farming, put it that way,” she concludes. ◊

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Manure

Manure can be an asset or liability

Participants in the Manure Tour travelled to Stonecreek Farms outside of Woodham to see their bedding recovery system and Bedding Master composter along with their manure‐spreading equipment.

A

gricultural technology is always changing, and manure technology is no different. Building on a three-part video series on Manure Innovation, a “Manure Tour” went across Ontario and talked with 250 farmers about manure management and innovation. The tour ran in early February in Moorefield, Dashwood and Kemptville in a highly interactive discussion-based format.

In total, 16 people spoke on the four panels and the groups toured six farms.

The events were funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), coordinated by Farm & Food Care Ontario and delivered by a relatively new farm organization that works with a lot of manure – the Ontario Professional Agri-Contractors Association (OPACA).

Manure management is critical for successful farming in Ontario. Last year, the federal government set a target to reduce nitrogen emissions by 30 per cent and followed up with its On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) that set nitrogen management as one of its priorities, along with cover crops and rotational grazing.

Farmers know that manure application is important for improving soil health, resilience to both rain and drought stress, having great yields and saving on commercial fertilizer. It is an asset to the farm, but it can easily become a liability if nutrients are lost to the air or to water. Manure creates methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, nitrous oxide, and other gases as it sits in storage or is land applied.

While some of these are greenhouses gases, all these gases translate into lost nutrients for a farmer at the end of the

20 The Rural Voice

Innovations in manure handling and spreading were investigated by farmers on a Manure Tour • Melisa Luymes day. Similarly, nutrients can be lost to waterways depending on the rate, timing, and placement of manure application.

Manure is biological and complex, so there isn’t a silver bullet to management. It means taking a step back to see the big picture and all the incremental improvements that can be added to a manure system.

Manure considerations begin with feed and bedding.

Hog farmers on the Manure Tour noted that phytase in their feed has had a tremendous impact reducing the phosphorus content of the manure. The dairy farmers discussed how bedding impacted manure. In Eastern Ontario, straw bedding is popular but it creates a thick crust over the pit and takes a lot of work to agitate and apply. Sand bedding is more popular in Western Ontario but has created a whole new level of management. Sand has no nutrient value but drops to the bottom of the pit and

takes manure solids with it. Sand decreases storage capacity and there is an added cost for digging the pit out with a high hoe and spreading the (nutrient dense) sand solids. Sand pits can be agitated but contractors can have trouble agitating pits to get nutrient consistency, and their equipment takes a beating, which is why they charge farmers extra for sand.

On the Manure Tour, participants visited Stonecreek Farms outside of Woodham, and were able to see their bedding recovery system. Milking about 700 cows at that location, their 440’ x 265’ cross-vent flush barn was built in 2018 and includes a back room for their BeddingMaster composter. The manure is run through a press to remove the solids, which are composted in a large drum and spread back to the stalls to maintain four inches of bedding, continually re-used. The remaining liquid portion of the manure is much easier to handle as they have installed pipes underground to pump their manure to their fields.

In Europe, regulations have driven barn innovation to new levels to manage manure gases. When the urea in urine hits the urease enzyme in solid manure, it begins to create ammonia and nitrogen loss. That’s why both Lely and Hanskamp have designed ways to keep #1 and #2 separate from the outset. Lely’s Sphere unit has urine drop below the barn though small slats, while its signature red robots scoop up poop and vacuums collect any ammonia from the barn or storage to turn into liquid nitrogen. In a different design, Hanskamp has created the Cow Toilet, a robotic “urinal” which comes behind a cow in a feeding stall and keeps the urine stored separately.

It has also made a Bedding Cleaner barn system that acts like a kitty litter at-scale, clumping and removing manure from the bedding pack twice a day. While these technologies may not be practical for Ontario farms, it makes us consider how losses might be managed in the future.

After looking at feed and bedding inside the barn, the next step to manure management is storage.

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The Manure Tour travelled to The Whole Pig near Dashwood where the Van Raay family is having success with a dribble bar that applies hog manure at low pressure right at ground level (above). photos of his covered manure sheds and we estimated that a 60’ x 120’ shed can hold 1,700 tonnes of their turkey manure, which is at least $120,000 worth of just nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) at current fertilizer prices. As for dairy, it was estimated that a 160’ manure pit, 14’ deep would hold two million gallons and that would be at least $100,000 worth of NPK. However, manure is biological and begins to change immediately, depending on whether it has oxygen or not.

Without oxygen, like most liquid manure pits, the storage begins to produce methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) among other gases, and the hotter it gets, the faster it offgases carbon and nitrogen. As well, research is showing that the higher the pH, the faster gases leave.

There are a few solutions to slowing down nutrient loss in a pit.

Covering the storage not only keeps rainwater out of the manure and increases the nutrient concentration, but it can keep it cooler. There are a few options for both permeable and impermeable covers that can minimize off-gassing. One solution is to blow straw on top of the pit .

Many of the panelists and participants on the Manure Tour have tried various manure additives that may help or hinder the 22 The Rural Voice

microorganisms working in manure storages. Dr. Andrew VanderZaag, a researcher from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, has had success in trials to reduce the pH and offgassing using sulphuric acid. Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle (University of Guelph) has also found that emptying a manure pit before the weather turns hot reduces methane production by 25 per cent and that emptying multiple times a year can further reduce methane. Like a good yogurt or sourdough starter, previous year’s manure can inoculate the whole pit and so completely emptying the tank can also help to set back the biological process.

The other option is to make use of the methane lost in anaerobic conditions and this is what several farmers across the province have done with on-farm biodigesters. In Eastern Ontario, the Manure Tour stopped at Thurler Farms near South Mountain. There, one of the newest generations of these digesters will take their manure and that of neighbouring farms to capture the natural gas for sale and return the digestate to their neighbours for land application. This process increases the pH, reduces the carbon in the manure and makes a product that is a similar composition to finisher hog manure, with a higher proportion of

fast-release nitrogen. Digestate is great for application to a living crop that can utilize this N right away but can be easily lost to either air or water if not applied at the right time.

All these options are solutions for manure in anaerobic conditions, but other farmers are changing it up and creating aerobic conditions in their storages. The Manure Tour stopped at Sigview Farms, near Moorefield, where Simon and Kristina Signer designed their new dairy barn with a compost bedding pack that is aerated daily. At the headrails, manure is stored and aerated intermittently under the slatted floor with a Dairypower system. In aerobic conditions, methane and hydrogen sulphide are not produced and the air quality in the barn is much improved.

The added benefit of an aeration system is that the pit requires no further agitation before application.

In the manure pit, nutrients have their peak theoretical value, but how, when and where the manure is applied will determine the true value of manure. How soon the manure is incorporated will also make a big difference to the level of nutrients.

On hot and windy days, nitrogen blows away in ammonia form, and in cold, wet conditions, it leaches away in nitrate form or is lost as nitrous oxide to the air. Similarly, the phosphorus in manure is lost through water movement in or on the soil, which is why it is never a good idea to apply manure on snow. All that to say, timing matters.

So, when is the best time to apply manure to make the most of the nutrients? For solid manure (especially solid cattle manure) where the majority of nitrogen is a slow-release form of organic nitrogen, fall application will support the next year’s crop but for manure with fast-release nitrogen, like liquid hog manure, the best timing is on a living crop, even a cover crop. On the Manure Tour, the DeVries family (Zeldenrust Farms) have had success applying liquid hog manure to winter wheat in the spring, and many were interested in side-dressing corn with manure. Farmers had success with a drag lining manure into standing corn, so long as it was before four

leaf stage and the corn would stand custom manure applicator and vicewell, some producers are paying back up again. Cadman’s Continuous president of OPACA. He applies other farmers to take their manure.

Manure Application (CMA) would manure to living cover crops in the The main issue with manure is its allow for drag-line application much summer after wheat and sees the bulkiness and that makes it expensive later in the season and in Eastern added soil health benefits, and his to travel far. Some farmers took Ontario, the Fosters (North Gower hope is to band manure in strip-till advantage of the federal OFCAF Grains) have been applying their system once he can get the right funding to offset the costs of hauling liquid beef manure to a thousand equipment. Soil health is about manure to fields further away. At the acres of standing corn every year minimizing tillage but also reducing Dashwood stop of the Tour, Cliff with a tanker on tracks and an soil compaction and staying off wet Horst (Country Custom Ag) shared a injection toolbar. Hayter’s Farm fields in the spring as much as simple spreadsheet that calculated the have also applied solid turkey possible. He controls traffic on the value of manure based on real-time manure to standing corn in front of a field and runs on low tire pressures, fertilizer prices, along with the cost scuffler with some success. using an on-the-go inflation/deflation to haul and apply it, in order for Nutrients can also be lost when technology. Compacted soils don’t farmers to make their management broadcasting manure at high allow for the air and moisture levels decisions. This is a simplified version pressures, so injecting manure is a that soil microbiology needs to grow of the AgriSuite apps that OMAFRA great way to keep both nutrients and plants and extract nutrient from has designed at www.agrisuite. the soil structure intact. Near Alma, manure, so soil health matters along omafra.gov.on.ca.

Ron Bults (Pit King) showcased his with the nutrient levels.

There is no catch-all solution to manure application equipment, When soil nutrient levels are manure management. However, by discussing injection and how it is adequate, the best value to a farmer making more efficient use of the time-consuming. An alternative to would be to sell or trade the manure nutrients in manure, farmers reduce injection that the Van Raays (The off of the farm. Several farmers on their nitrogen and greenhouse gas Whole Pig, Dashwood) are having the Manure Tour had bought or sold emissions, but they can also save big success with is a dribble bar that manure, but it was difficult to decide money on fertilizer. applies their hog manure at low on the dollars and cents, because it is It is exciting to see how the pressures right at the ground level. a market that is more driven by industry continues to grow the With a flow meter, Phil Van Raay supply and demand so it will vary by technology and innovation for maps the application rates on their region. In areas where there is less manure management. Farm & Food fields and, along with frequent manure, farmers have paid half the Care’s Manure Innovation videos are manure analysis, can more accurately value of the P and K, others have now available online www.farmfood credit the manure in his cropping paid the full value of the P. In areas careon.org/timing-matters or at system. Near Ottawa, Wilfried Raats with more manure, and in Europe as opaca.net ◊ (Raats Custom Farming) has taken the next step and has installed John Deere’s HarvestLab 3000 onthe-go manure analysis to his rig, so he can give his customers an accurate look of the NPK values as applied on the field. With this technology he also sees the importance of proper pit agitation, as the nutrients can vary widely.

The value of manure also depends on whether the soil can use it. Manure is a critical part of a healthy soil and does well in a Simon and Kristina Signer of Sigview Farms near Moorefield was another stop on The Manure system that supports Tour. When the couple built a new barn, they created a compost bedding pack that is aerated soil health. Adrian daily. Manure from where the cattle eat is stored and aerated intermittently under a slatted barn Güntensperger is a dairy using Dairypower technology. This improves air quality in the barn by reducing the production of farmer near Seaforth, methane and hydrogen sulphide.

April 2023 23

Horticulture

Choosing life by growing native plants Transforming a tired farm into an ecosystem filled with native plants has been a calling and a business • By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Janice McKean and Art Wiebe grow native plants from seed collected in the wild, cold stratifying them on the front porch of their Tiverton‐area farm. Both retired, the couple has been growing natives for 25 years first to plant on the farm and then to sell at the Kincardine Farmer’s Market for gardeners eager to add natives to their gardens.

24 The Rural Voice

H

e is a retired doctor. She is a retired teacher.

Now they grow native plants, “preaching” the good news of restoration when they sell them at the Kincardine Farmers’ Market in conjunction with “choosing life” on what was once a heavily grazed farm.

Art Wiebe and Janice McKean and I sat in their Tiverton-area farmhouse, warmed by the woodstove and sipping coffee while birds feasted on the many feeders outside the window. Two trays of seedlings had sprouted under grow lights by the east window. This window faces into a large, covered verandah where trays of native plant seeds are resting in the soil to be coldstratified for 120 days in order to sprout in spring.

Cold-stratification is the process of simulating winter to spur seeds into action according to a gardener’s timetable. This pair had been doing it for many years when, after purchasing their farm in Tiverton, they realized most greenhouses and suppliers didn’t know a lot about native plants…much less have them.

“We wanted to restore our farm with native plants but 25 years ago, they were not really on the radar,” remembers Janice. “If we did find some labelled native, we couldn’t be sure they really were either.”

Both Art and Janice had farming roots without farming experience, but they both knew the outdoors would figure prominently in their retirement. So they started searching their property and learning about the existing vegetation. They expanded their exploratory jaunts into wider Bruce County, watching, learning and incorporating native plants onto their farm.

Janice says if you open their glove compartment, a stack of paper bags will spill out. They are always stopping on their travels to collect seed and, on a side note, the occasional roadkill. Moving carrion from the road to their pasture prevents bird kills on the road and attracts birds to their own property, allowing them to watch eagles and vultures at close range. It can be an odorous journey, at times.

The pair expanded their education by connecting with Martin Quinn, known for his ornamental grasses.

He taught them the basics of propagation and allowed them to use a portion of his greenhouse to start seeding native plants.

“We had no idea if anything would come up but everything came up!” remembers Art. “That fuelled our enthusiasm for growing native plants.”

Many of those plants were used to populate grasslands and meadows on their farm. Moist areas on the farm are filled with the stunning cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), bergamot and native hibiscus, also known as swamp rose mallow. Drier areas are filled with prairie plants such as hoary vervain, coreopsis,

goldenrods and asters. They grow compass plants (Silphium laciniatum) and cup plants (Silphium perfoliatum) near the house so they can watch pollinators and hummingbirds feed and drink from these tall, bold natives. Other favourite natives include wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), wild leek and bloodroot for woodland areas.

For gardeners getting into natives who like a colourful show, they recommend native lupines and the milkweed family, which has the added benefit of feeding monarch butterfly caterpillars.”You can choose butterfly milkweed, common milkweed or swamp milkweed,” advised Art. Gay-headed coneflowers, obedient plants, purple coneflowers, native columbines, turtlehead and blue vervain are also excellent, attractive natives.

Janice says she’s particularly fond of Prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), for its massive, architectural leaves. It is a unique towering plant with flowering stalks that arise from a large cluster of broad basal leaves. The sunflowerlike blooms last for a month or longer in mid-to-late summer. Once they've become established the plants are drought tolerant and long-lived.

The pair grow many of the plants named above and sell them at the Kincardine Farmers’ market in spring, summer and fall. They also grow native grasses for use by the Lake Huron Coastal Centre which use the plants to naturalize areas along the coastline. Plants like big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) are excellent for naturalizing and improving the soil with their deep, expansive roots.

“Cordgrass has a dense rhizome system that makes it an excellent replacement in areas where invasive phragmites have been taken out,” says Art. Growing native plants is a real passion, he adds. “We see where the world is headed and we want to save a little bit of it.” The couple has put a conservation easement onto their farm so the naturalized areas they have created will be protected in the future. “When we feel despair about

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the planet, we realize we are really only responsible for these 44 hectares and we get a great deal of comfort about what we are doing here. We are convinced in our hearts that everyone will someday realize how important it is to restore our native ecosystems.”

Janice agrees. “Doing this is our concrete way of showing hope,” she says.

Ultimately, they live by a message from Deuteronomy in the Bible that says, “Therefore, choose life.” Art says “this is us choosing life in a different way than the consumptive way.” Connecting with God as Creator via growing plants is an important part of their faith life as well, Art and Janice prefer to sell their plants at the Kincardine Farmers’ Market versus on-farm sales. They are founders of the market and find it an excellent place to connect with people who are interested in native plants. “It’s where Art gets to do his preaching,” jokes Janice. Their farm is alive with plants, birds and their horses but could be considered disorderly by those who prefer close-cropped lawns, straight lines and no weeds in sight. “Things grow everywhere here and you have to look at it through the right eyes.” I visited their farm in the fall and it was so ALIVE. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and indulged in some bird photography after the interview, photographing blue jays, woodpeckers, blackbirds, juncos, finches and a chatty red squirrel.

Their greenhouse is a lean-to on an old bank barn and they prefer to grow plants and share information, rather than busily market their hobby/business into a full-time enterprise. Retired from their professional careers , the pair have time and financial freedom to grow plants, reestablish native ecosystems and live the life they want to live. They make enough from the native plant passion to maintain their farm registration and that’s good enough for them.

Fascinating to talk to, with a palpable energy that fuels interest in native plant growing and gardening, you’ll want to say “hi” to Art and Janice when they return to the Kincardine Farmers’ Market and see what plants they brought along! ◊

Seedlings, native plants, wetlands, gardens and books are all part of a rich retirement for Janice McKean and Art Wiebe of The Ark native plants near Tiverton.

April 2023 27

Dairy

J

ust weeks into retirement, former Gay Lea CEO Michael Barrett says he is “looking in the mirror” and seeing so many issues in the dairy industry that need addressing including the need for one voice, the futility of chasing windmills and the need for investment in dryers.

He wasn’t shy about telling dairy farmers that now is a time for courage and action, as he let it all out at the Woodstock Dairy Symposium held in February.

“I am a cooperative evangelist and a governance geek… who is an unabashed supporter of supply management,” is how Barrett launched into his talk. “That does not mean it cannot be tweaked or changed, but I am a fan because I have been around the world and seen what it is like for dairy farmers without supply management.”

Barrett says he is “so frustrated” with messaging on social media saying supply management does not serve Canadians or the industry. “Well, we only need to look south of the border to see that dairy producers in the heartlands are pumping out their milk.” That is what happens when a country produces surplus milk and farmers are only getting paid $10 per hundredweight (cwt). He recalls a meeting of Dairy Farmers of America five years ago when the number one reason for death of American farmers was suicide. “People were losing their farms because the price of dairy was so low.” Yet when he asked other farmers what they were doing to do to survive, their goal was to produce more milk.

In Canada, the supply of milk and its price are regulated by supply management, a governed system of supply and demand.

“Supply management was not bought easily,” said

Barrett, who was the CEO of Gay Lea Foods for 24 years.

“You have to know what it means and why it came about.

Farmers were being held ransom by processors. We have to guard and protect this system and not get overwhelmed by social media and academics who do not know what they are talking about.”

Barrett says the dairy industry needs to apply the business principle of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to the dairy industry today.

Strengths: The Ontario dairy industry is growing, contributes to the economy, has a quality product and great reputation, believes Barrett.

Weaknesses: Trade deals, disjointed messaging and lack of vision are primary weaknesses, says Barrett.

“We have a lack of vision…we need to speak with one voice,” said Barrett. Until dairy farmers have a specific vision of environmental goals, marketplace goals and investment goals, they will never “sing from the same song sheet”. He suspects many dairy farmers equate having a vision with creating fences. He does not. “I believe creating a vision creates even more vision while a lack of one is like vacuuming without the hose being attached to the machine…you just can’t clean up the dirt.”

Dairy farmers spend too much time chasing windmills.

“There is a part of society that will never consume dairy,” said Barrett, “do not spend money on them.” Accept that some consumers will always want to be vegan or plantbased so put those windmills aside and focus on where marketing money can be invested to make a difference.

Government malaise is another weakness and effort needs to be made to help the government understand why they need to support the dairy industry.

Protect supply management and speak with one voice Former Gay Lea CEO, Michael Barrett, wasn’t shy about his opinions when talking to farmers at dairy symposium 28 The Rural Voice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Labour is also a weakness, as it is for all businesses, as is lack of processing capacity.

Threats: Further trade concessions, division between provinces and producers and processors, as well as “the next crisis” are all threats to the dairy industry, says Barrett.

“We all know there is going to be another crisis. Palm oil and animal activists have already happened and the only way to deal with the next one is to have commonality,” said Barrett.

Social media continues to be an issue as well. It is so important that dairy farmers respond but not in a way that detracts from the messaging the dairy industry wants to put out.

“Do not do any name calling but do use good, hard, facts. Make sure what we do is representative of who and what we really are in the industry,” said Barrett.

Opportunities: Having one voice, creating farmer-owned partnerships in processing and investing in dryers are huge opportunities for the dairy industry, said Barrett.

Dairy farmers are known for their resiliency and generational commitment. It’s this commitment that needs to fund the building of dryers to transform milk into powdered form which makes it far easier to transport. “We need considerable investment in Canada in dryers for processing capacity to process all the milk you can produce,” said Barrett. “If just one dryer goes down in Canada, you will need a home for 150-400 million litres of milk.” Atlantic Canada is “desperate” for one but in reality, Quebec, Ontario and western Canada need dryers as well. To build just four dryers across Canada would require an investment of at least $2.5 billion.

“People may see dryers as oldfashioned but they are not,” explained Barrett. “Milk transports across the globe in a dry capacity.

You do not ship fluid.”

Dairy farmers also need to encourage the formation of a Grocery Code of Conduct to ensure retailers aren’t gouging customers on the price of dairy products. “This is

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Recipes by Anne Mann

So many recipes to try for meatless mondays

W

hether you decide to prepare a meatless meal for your beliefs, your health, your pocketbook, or to be a friend to the world, there is no shortage of vegetarian choices for us in Canada.

It makes sense on so many levels to expand our repertoire of plant-based dishes.

In a vegetarian meal, proteins can come from many foods and your body is able to use the essential amino acids from different sources to manufacture the proteins we need to stay healthy. To accomplish this, it is important to include a complete protein which is one that contains all the essential amino acids. Or, you can combine your choices to complement one another, like beans and rice, to provide all the building blocks.

Devilled Eggs Devilled eggs — or simply a hardboiled egg or cheese — will provide an excellent source of protein alongside a fresh green salad. They are also a great addition to a buffet, served with sweet, orange and red cherry tomatoes and chopped green onion or chives to brighten up the plate.

You do not need a recipe for devilled eggs but if you are not sure where to start, here is a guideline: Ingredients: 6 eggs, hard boiled (see below) 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, optional 3 tbsp mayonnaise 1/4 -1/2 tsp white sugar 1/2 - 1 tsp onion, grated or minced 1 tsp fresh chives, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Paprika for garnish Directions: Peel eggs, wipe off and cut in half lengthwise.

Take yolks out and mash in a bowl.

Add mustard, mayonnaise, sugar and chives and mix thoroughly.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide yolk mixture evenly between egg white halves.

Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

30 The Rural Voice

Tips for Hard Boiled Eggs: It is almost impossible to peel a freshly laid egg without taking half the white with the shell. You can scrape the egg out with a spoon if it is for egg salad but they do not look nearly as nice when being served whole. It is best to use eggs that are around a week old. They have developed enough of an air space to make peeling easy, yet are fresh enough to minimize the reaction between the Devilled eggs (right) pair wonderfully with salads while Sweet Sesame Rapini (below) is delicious served with pasta. Cauliflower pasta sauce (below, right) adds flavour when poured over pasta or vegetables. At bottom, a plate of Indonesian Stir Fry is spiced with ginger and garlic spice instead of soy sauce.

sulfur in the white and the iron in the yolk which produces the greenishgrey ring. As the egg ages this reaction happens more easily.

Cooking the eggs on a lower heat and releasing the pressure immediately after cooking also slows the reaction so I crack the shells as soon as they are cooked and cool them quickly with cold water and ice.

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring

to a boil, uncovered, on medium heat, reducing heat as soon as they boil. Continue to cook on medium, low heat, barely simmering for about 20 minutes. If you forget to set the timer you can check for doneness by lifting an egg out of the water. If the water begins to evaporate off the shell it is cooked.

Cool quickly and peel while warm if using immediately. Hard-boiled eggs will keep in the shell for several days in the refrigerator.

Sweet Sesame Rapini When we were visiting Japan, we had several different dishes with fresh, spring, bitter greens blanched and dressed as a side dish and I loved them. Once home, I found rapini was the closest match I could find in the grocery store. Even that is seldom available so I make it with broccolini whenever I see it. I may eventually find something to grow in the garden that will make these greens readily available. I have picked fresh stems of kale and that was also good but difficult to get enough for a meal.

You prepare this dish when you are getting dinner ready, but serve it at room temperature so that it is one less thing to worry about at the final moment. The bright green colour is a statement on the plate. It contrasts beautifully with a squash side and the cauliflower or other cheese pasta.

Ingredients: 1 bunch rapini or broccolini 3 tbsp white sesame seeds 1 1/4 tbsp white sugar 1 tbsp soy sauce Directions: Add salt to boiling water and blanch trimmed rapini for one to two minutes after coming back to a boil.

Cool immediately in cold water.

Squeeze out excess water and cut into one-inch pieces.

Toast sesame seeds in a pan without oil, stirring constantly until the colour begins to change.

Grind sesame seeds and add sugar and soy sauce then stir in with room temperature rapini and serve.

Serves 4.

Cauliflower Pasta Sauce My sister, Marie, sent me the link to this recipe from the Food Network’s Katie Lee Biegel and I adapted it somewhat for the

ingredients I keep on hand. I enjoyed this recipe so much I plant to try her Zucchini Spaghetti recipe in the summer (https://www.food network. com/recipes/katie-lee/spaghetti-withzucchini-3363831). If it is half as good as this, it will be a regular during the zucchini harvest!

My sister says she would serve this sauce over a pasta made with lentils to improve the protein content and I made it with egg noodles for the same reason.

Ingredients: 1 lb pasta of choice 2 cups cauliflower florets 1 cup milk, mixed with a little cream if you like 3 tbsp butter 1 tbsp pesto or one clove of garlic, lightly smashed 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 1/2 cups parmesan, grated Fresh parsley if you have it for garnish Directions: Boil cauliflower in a large pot of salted water until very tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove cauliflower with a slotted spoon, reserving the water to boil the pasta in.

Combine the cauliflower with the milk in a blender and purée until smooth.

Heat butter over medium low heat and add pesto or garlic. Stir in cauliflower purée and cook for two minutes then remove garlic if using.

Add salt and pepper and continue to cook for several minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package directions in the reserved cauliflower water while the sauce simmers.

When sauce is the desired consistency turn off heat and stir in parmesan.

Drain pasta, reserving a little water in case you want to add it to the sauce. Mix pasta into cream sauce, garnish with fresh parsley or grated pepper and enjoy!

Indonesian Stir Fry (Cap Cay) The ginger and garlic spice up this stir fry in a refreshingly different way than those flavoured with soy sauce.

The ingredient list is quite long but as the name literally means “mixed

vegetables” feel free to pick and choose from what you have.

However I would not leave out the bok choy. Lately, I have been leaving out the corn cobs because I do not prefer their canned taste with all the other fresh produce.

On any day but meatless Monday, we would serve this with some steamed or sautéed shrimp and rice.

For a plant-based meal, boiled edamame brightens the plate and is an excellent source of protein.

Ingredients: 8 oz mushrooms, cremini, shitake, button or mixed 1 tsp butter 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp sesame oil 1 sweet onion, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped or grated 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped 2 cups carrots, sliced 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup cauliflower, broken into small florets 1 cup green beans, cut 1 can (398 ml) baby corn (optional) 1 cup cabbage, chopped 2 cups bok choy, stems and leaves cut separately 1/2 cup chicken stock, homemade or low sodium 1 Tbsp corn starch 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Directions: In a wok or large frying pan cook mushrooms in butter and set aside until the end.

Add sesame and olive oils to wok and heat before adding onions.

Cook both onions until soft, then add garlic, ginger, carrots and celery and continue cooking.

When carrots are just starting to soften add cauliflower, beans, corn, cabbage and bok choy stems and cook for a few minutes. Mix chicken stock with cornstarch and stir into vegetables in wok along with cooked mushrooms.

Continue to cook until the sauce thickens and turns clear.

Just before serving add bok choy greens and stir until wilted.

Serve with rice.

Serves 8. ◊ April 2023 31

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

Time for a change in thinking It is hard to believe April is upon us. Every time the snow melted this winter I would walk around the yard checking on where the narcissi and daffodils were planted last fall, surveying any rabbit nibbles on the shrubs, and making sure the pots sunk in the ground with native plant seeds were secure and still had a light covering of dry leaves.

Our gardening habits over the last few years need to be reassessed in light of what we know about pollinators and native birds.

Gardeners used to be encouraged to clean up our leaves and branches in the fall. Also, to save work in the

spring by trimming back our perennials and yanking out the annuals in fall.

If you missed the fall cleanup then you started as soon as possible in the spring to start cleaning up. Whew, lots of work!

We need to take a more relaxed approach and let nature take its course. I can feel some of you twitching! We have evidence that fallen leaves provide valuable habitat for wintering butterflies and insects like bees, and ladybugs.

We know monarchs head south but many of our native butterflies seek shelter in the leaf litter either as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or adults. The same is true of Queen bumblebees. They hibernate just an inch or two deep underground and are protected ideally by a thick layer of leaves. Most of our native bees are solitary, meaning they don’t live in hives but burrow deep to survive the winter.

And don’t forget the spiders, toads and salamanders. If we can hold off our garden cleanup we can reap

benefits with more pollinators and food for our stressed songbirds. It is one of the most valuable things we can do.

In the spring they need to feel a warming trend before breaking hibernation. Hence the simple rule to leave the leaves until the night temperature is consistently 10 degrees Celsius. or 50 degrees Fahrenheit over three days.

Now I can hear some of you saying “there is more hiding in those leaves that I don’t want in my garden”. Yup. But a lot of those insects are what could be termed neutral to us and vital for our songbirds after their long flight home and for feeding their hatchlings.

From our kitchen window I can see robins, thrush and chickadees scratching and seeking out insects in the leaf litter.

If leaving leaves is still irksome, consider piling your leaves in a spot in the back of the garden or under your larger shrubs. They will provide much needed habitat and break down enriching the soil.

We left the massive amount of leaves under the Manitoba maple in the boulevard much to the neighbours’ chagrin. The fallen leaves provide valuable natural fertilizer and soil amendment for the tree; nature’s fertilizer. The hard packed soil and scant grass was a clear sign no leaves had been left here for years. I am excited to see how much they have decayed

Call Elam Weber 519-338-2660 5985 14th Line RR3 Clifford, ON 32 The Rural Voice

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after the winter.

There is still lots to do in the spring. I find cleaning up garden edges, a bit of pruning and getting the vegetable garden ready still take time.

Here are some new plants we are trying in the garden this year: ● Nodding Onion is a real treasure. First thing I thought of was those wee alliums that seed out and spread all over the garden becoming a nuisance. The Nodding Onion, Allium cernuum, will do well in sand, loam, and clay in sun or part sun. Not to worry about watering as it does well in average to dry conditions. It is described as a perfect border plant that doesn’t spread aggressively. ● I am looking forward to planting Spotted Geranium, geranium maculatum. It has showy pink fivepetalled flowers and lovely deeplylobed leaves. Simply a beautiful plant that spreads by thick rhizomes. It likes moist soil but I have planted in dry, semi shade conditions and it does quite well. I moved one large clump out of a construction zone last spring and was surprised how well the one-year-old patch had grown. I broke it into three smaller clumps and planted them in sun and part sun areas. ● One last plant to consider is for grass lovers. Prairie Dropseed, Sporobolus heterolegis, is a short, mound-forming native grass with lovely wispy seed heads. I saw native grasses in action in a meadow setting last summer. They are considered a structure plant as they fill in among other native perennials and act as support for the taller plants. They also act as a visual element when the breezes move through it. Prairie dropseed’s mounding habit makes it a nice addition to the perennial border.

All these suggestions are native and consider planting a minimum of three of each plant and group them to make them more attractive to pollinators.

Get your favourite chair out and enjoy the spring as it unfolds. See how many insects and birds drop by to visit. ◊

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April 2023 33

Advice

• By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot •

Bunk frequency increases trips to robotic milkers The more times you feed or push in feed, the more times dairy cattle visit automated milkers, research shows

R

obotic dairy farmers are on par with traditional farms in terms of milk production and cows have more behavioural freedom but robotic milking cannot fix lack of bunk space and poor nutritional management.

“Maintaining cow comfort with continual feed access and good nutrition is required across all dairies and no different for robot dairies,” stated Dr. Trevor DeVries, a professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph. Drawing from several studies on the Canadian dairy industry, he was at the Southwestern Ontario Dairy Symposium held in Woodstock in February to discuss improvements and challenges with automated milking systems (AMS).

“In terms of milk yield, robotic farms are on par with traditional farms,” said DeVries.

The benefits of AMS systems include greater milking frequency and yield, improved cow health and production, potential for greater herd management and less or more flexible use of labour.

Improved quality of life is something often mentioned and research indicates that on average, producers are very positive in terms of changes in the impact on their life, said DeVries. “They rated 4.5 out of 5 for improvement to quality of life.”

Improvement for dairy cattle was rated equally as high and DeVries said the cow’s ability to milk voluntarily and have more behavioural freedom is a keystone to that rating. Cows in AMS barns also have better health and production, which DeVries believes comes from managing cows on a more individual basis from a monitoring and nutrition standpoint.

However, not all potential benefits may be realized or actually 34 The Rural Voice

occurring. “This is a wake-up call because there are challenges to achieving these outcomes,” said DeVries. One is that perceived belief that somatic cell count numbers were down wasn’t always true. In fact, there is a lot of variation in SCC counts both up and down across AMS dairy farms.

DeVries and his team defined four areas that can be challenging to good health and production on AMS farms: Barn impediments Barn design and traffic can prevent dairy farms from realizing positive outcomes with AMS, said DeVries. As can stocking density, space at the feed bunk and animals per AMS unit. “We saw more success in free traffic barns. There were more milkings per day which equated to more milk produced,” he said. Guided flow barns have more gates and more metal, which tends to have a “negative impact” on the behaviour of the cattle.

Stocking density is rarely a concern in Ontario barns where the average is 45 cows per robot. “At that level, there are not a whole lot of issues,” said DeVries. However, when stocking densities reach the 5560 cow range, the impact on cow behaviour is noticeable.

Bunk space matters in robot barns as well. “We are told we can get away with less space in robot barns but studies show there is an association between how much bunk space is offered and milk yield,” said DeVries. Every 10 centimetres increase in bunk space per cow shows increases in milk yield.

Lameness Lameness is an issue in all barns and no less so in AMS barns. A lame cow is in pain and will not want to walk to the robotic milker, which means she gets milked less often.

Lameness is a huge issue in the dairy

Dr. Trevor DeVries industry. Studies reveal that over a quarter of dairy cows in most herds are not walking properly and that can range to two-thirds of cows in some herds. Of those, zero to 13 per cent are severely lame.

According to DeVries, for every five percent increase in lameness, there is a one kilogram decrease in milk production per cow. That can be the difference between a 40 kilogram and 30 kilogram milk per day average. “Ask your nutritionist how difficult it is to increase production by 10 kilograms and they will tell you how difficult it is, when just fixing lameness could do it,” said DeVries.

Udder Health Management When farmers adopt AMS systems for an existing herd, there is often a spike in SCC count during the first six months. “Some of that is stress related,” said DeVries.

However, as time goes on, studies indicate there is no difference in udder health between AMS and traditional systems.

Rather, it’s stalls and cow bedding that play a major role in udder health.

In terms of bedding, DeVries said “sand, sand, sand” is the ultimate choice for comfort and udder health.

Research is now investigating how changes in a cow’s feed settings can bring a cow down from very high levels of production to reduce engorgement when she is dried off.

“This creates less risk of infection,” said DeVries.

Nutritional Management What is unique about AMS

WINGHAM

systems is that nutrition is not only used to feed the cows, it is used to get cows into the robot. DeVries challenged that thought by saying most of the behaviour to get cows into a robot is driven by what happens at the feed bunk.

Spikes in feeding activity create spikes in milking frequencies, studies suggest. Larger spikes occur when Total Mixed Ration (TMR) is delivered to cows, and smaller spikes happen each time feed is pushed up.

“To maximize efficiency in the

robot milker, we need to maximize the frequency cows go to the bunk,” said DeVries. It doesn’t matter if the feed is pushed up by hand or by an automated pusher, it just needs to get done. The average push-up frequency was over 12 times a day and the majority of farmers were using an automatic feed pusher.

His take-home message was that cow health and productivity are optimized on robotic farms when farmers make sure cows have time and space to milk voluntarily. ◊

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April 2023 35

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

Argentina soybean crop suffers while Brazil’s crop flourishes Grain markets continue to focus on a few major themes. These major themes greatly influence price direction, not only daily, but also within longer term trends.

In the forefront of market concerns are the Ukraine war and south American production. While the majority of the U.S. and Canada are in the doldrums of winter, market

36 The Rural Voice

watchers are starting to consider the upcoming growing season. Yet planting expectations and summer weather forecasts seem too far away for the market to be overly concerned about these today.

The Black Sea grain shipping initiative, which was brokered between the United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia, has been very successful in shipping grain from the Ukraine. It was this deal that allowed vessel traffic from three Ukrainian ports to reach world markets. These ports include Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny. Originally this 120-day agreement began in July 2022 with a termination date in November 2022.

Prior to expiration, the deal was extended for another 120-day term and was set to expire last month (March). The extension of this agreement, and whether or not another extension is successful will be important to market sentiment and direction. Currently both sides have demands that they would like met before agreeing on extension; both sides reaching for an improvement in

their own favor.

Russia has stated that it would be inappropriate to extend the grain shipping deal unless sanctions are lifted against them. Most especially Russia dislikes banking sanctions against their key financial institutions which are needed to ease and facilitate trade.

For their part, Ukraine is proposing a one year agreement extension and would like to increase the ports within the deal, to allow another important port that is capable of shipping from deep in the core of the country. The port that Ukraine is suggesting adding to the agreement is the second largest grain terminal in the nation, called Mykolaiv. Prior to the invasion of Russia, the Mykolaiv region shipped 35 per cent of Ukraine grain exports. Adding this port to the agreement would greatly benefit and improve the shipping capacity of the nation and is understandable that they would like this port to have safe passage. While it is highly uncertain as to how the negotiations and the politics of this agreement will work out, at the time of this writing it appeared market sentiment expects that a deal will be struck that will allow Ukraine grain shipments to continue in some shape or form. The only certainty in respect to the current extension talks was well summarized recently by a Ukrainian official, who said “The situation with negotiations is rather complicated.”

South American weather has been a key driver to the soybean market.

Argentina continues to face extreme heat and drought, with temperatures reaching 100°F +. The Argentine crop is staged at the critical flowering period and is susceptible to large yield reductions, as this crucial stage of the crop is important in establishing yield. Not only have they experienced severe heat and dryness, but some of the major cropping regions of Argentina also experienced frost in mid February.

Parts of Cordoba and Buenos Aires dropped for a short period of time to a low of -2.8°C, in regions that saw temperatures in the 30°C range only days before. At this stage of the crop

cycle, this would be similar to our region receiving frost late July or early August – the most critical flowering time in the lifecycle of the crop. The Argentine crop estimates have been continually falling as the crop has progressed. Initially the region expected to produce 41mmt according to USDA estimates, which has been progressively dropped to 36mmt initially due to drought, then 34 mmt after the frost, to most recently as low as 30mmt as crop conditions continue to deteriorate.

While the Argentine crop continues to see production diminish, Brazil has seen the opposite soy crop condition. Brazil has seen ideal production and has grown a record soy crop this year. The soybean market has been well supported because of the Argentine crop problems and the exceptional Brazilian crop has gone a long way in an attempt to temper some of the production losses.

Unfortunately balancing this situation isn’t as easy as a simple Supply and Demand calculation.

Argentina is a large crusher of soybeans and therefore the nation is a large shipper of soy components – soyoil and soymeal. These soy components from Argentina, destined for the world marketplace, do not have an easy replacement as world crush capacity is heavily dependent on Argentine facilities. In order to meet the crush capacity the world needs, Argentine crushers need to be active. The shortfall in the country’s production will force Argentina to import Brazilian beans. On the surface this may sound like an easy solution, however, market dynamics do not have the capacity or logistics in place to meet this movement of Brazilian beans to Argentine crushers, at least in sufficient volume to satisfy the anticipated needs. The Argentine crushers bean sourcing capacity and logistics is key to meeting world soy product demand.

Having Brazilian beans in export position is no benefit to a buyer who doesn’t have demand for soybeans, but rather that relies on soy products purchases. Because of these circumstances soybean meal has pushed to new contract highs. ◊

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Huron­Perth Woodlot Association Annual Spring Tour, Luncheon & AGM Saturday, April 22nd, 2023, 9:30 am to 2 pm Guided tour of the Listowel Memorial Park project.

Silent auction, door prizes and luncheon for members and their guests.

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Network with and learn from fellow woodlot owners.

For lunch reservations or tour and membership information visit: hpcowa.huronstewardship.ca, e­mail hpwoodlot@gmail.com or phone Huron­Perth President Terry Hoover at 519­998­5712 For more information on the Ontario Woodlot Association visit www.ontariowoodlot.com 38 The Rural Voice

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

The war on phragmites — an invasive reed In February, I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Bruce Grey Woodlands Association to chat with like-minded people and to hear the guest speaker. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) shared what they have done to control phragmites (common reed) in northern Bruce and Grey Counties.

The presentation was given by Jacob Kloeze, who is the Invasive Species Program Coordinator on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula for the NCC. The work that they have completed is quite impressive. With funding from a three-year Grow Grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Conservancy, with help from many volunteers and the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre, was able to control phragmites in over 240 acres (100 hectares) of wetland. Work was also completed on other invasives including garlic mustard, buckthorn, and dogstrangling vine.

Jacob spoke of the methods that were used to remove this pesky plant, which included spading, cutting, spraying, and use of the mighty Truxor, an amphibious machine.

These methods have been used by many land managers and land owners in efforts to control phragmites for the last 10 years or more. A new arrival on scene is a herbicide that can be sprayed over water and onto phragmites. Previously, herbicides could only be used for phragmites infestations that were not on water.

The Truxor machine has many different attachments for various types of work. For phragmites control it can drive from land into the water, use its cutting attachment to cut the phragmites, use an attachment

that resembles a stone/rock bucket to gather the cut stalks, and then drive the accumulated stalks onto the shore. This tracked machine is manufactured in Sweden and is used globally to control vegetation in water bodies and wetlands.

Since I have seen numerous reports, presentations, and projects about phragmites over the past 10 years, I had assumed that everyone was well aware of the subject. Boy, was I wrong. Jacob’s presentation spawned a surprising number of questions from people seeking basic information on phragmites and other invasives.

Listening to the questions (which went on for over twenty minutes) I, and other natural resource professionals, realized there is a great need to help landowners become aware of invasive species.

We need to do better job on proper identification, the effects of their invasion, and control methods. Prior to the pandemic, we held workshops, spoke at engagements and posted on social media — it felt like people were growing tired of the subject and we had closed the knowledge gap.

We are currently trying to determine the best method to reach the most people with information on invasives.

I think one of my best opportunities may be this column. Therefore, in this and future columns I will write about various invasive species. This column will obviously focus on phragmites.

Phragmites is a native plant of Eurasia that was introduced into Ontario over 10 years ago. It is not known how the plant was introduced but it certainly was quick to establish in our wetlands, waterways, and

The removal of invasive phragmites from waterways requires many strategies including spading, cutting, spraying and using an amphibious machine called a Truxor to cut and haul away the debris.

April 2023 39

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40 The Rural Voice

waterbodies. If it weren’t for the displacement of native species, impacting recreational activities, and other negative impacts, I am certain that people would find this plant impressive.

Phragmites is a reed, which has an appearance similar to a grass. It is green in the growing season and golden in the fall. It can grow to be over 15 feet (5 meters) in height.

This giant plant has a large, rather pretty, feathery, seed head. That seed head is where the problem really comes to light because it produces a large amount of seed which is spread to new areas by both wind and carriers. One seed head may contain over 1,500 seeds. The next, probably greatest problem, is how successful this plant is in spreading by rhizomes or stolons. Rhizomes are best envisioned as underground root-like stems whereas stolons resemble rootlike stems above the ground. Both stolons and rhizomes have the ability to produce new plants many feet or meters away from the parent plant.

These new plants may start above the ground, below the ground, or even underwater.

An established phragmites stand is so dense that it is virtually impossible to walk through. It outcompetes every other species that is trying to inhabit the same space, even frogs and turtles.

This invasive plant also causes problems in the ecosystem with its slow decay. In the areas where the stems are cut underwater, the stems remain quite rigid for a couple of years and cannot be walked on in bare feet. Once these stems start to break down, a large amount of material that resembles sewage — by appearance and odor — occasionally gathers on shorelines, including beaches. There is also an enormous amount of biomass in the piles of cut stems that are hauled by dump truck to landfills.

In some countries, they have found uses for phragmites. These uses include: thatch for roofing, insulation, basket making, and fuel. It is hoped that Ontario will find a use for the cuttings rather than composting all of the stems. ◊

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April 2023 41

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

Seeking a GreatGreat-Great Windfall Until recently, there was a thin strip of laneway running behind a building not far from Downtown Toronto that still belonged – at least on paper – to the man who bought it in 1824. Although that owner died in 1870, he was still considered by the Land Registry in Ontario to be the registered owner of the strip, which is wide enough only for a car (or horse and cart) to pass along. On an application made to the Superior Court, the present-day corporate owner of the adjacent property has

now been declared the owner of the strip of laneway on the basis of adverse possession.

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 10 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 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

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42 The Rural Voice

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).

The claim for possessory title to the lands in this case was fairly straightforward – the Judge even said it was “not a close call”. The Applicant, the current corporate owner of the adjacent property, had purchased its land from a family who had held the land continuously since 1941. The son of the 1941 purchaser gave uncontested evidence in support of the application that his family had always believed that they owned the thin strip of laneway at the back of their property. They didn’t know that it was not part of their property. The 1941 purchaser ran a business and parked his car on the laneway every day. When he passed away, his son continued to park there. No one ever objected to that use or challenged the family’s control of the laneway. In fact, in the early 1970s, the family erected a chain across the entrance to the laneway to prevent any access to it without their permission.

What was noteworthy about this case, though, was the involvement of the great-great-great grandchildren of the 1824 purchaser. The Applicant had hired a genealogist to identify and locate the descendants of the registered owner of the laneway so that they could be given notice of the proceeding. Notice of the application was given so that anyone with rights of ownership in the property could assert their claim to the lands in opposition to the Applicant. However, as observed by the Judge: “some of the respondents seem to have misunderstood the purpose of the notice they received. They oppose the application as if they, as a group, have some residual right to share the property (or its monetary value). They do not have any such rights.”

None of the great-great-great grandchildren of the 1824 purchaser provided evidence to show that any of them had a right to the land in issue.

The fact that the respondents could “trace roots to an owner 200 years

Agrilaw ago” did not mean they owned the land. While the last will and testament of their ancestor was known, the possible history of the ownership of the land after that is unknown: “… no one knows the identity of any residual beneficiaries of [the owner’s] children, let alone his grandchild, great-grandchildren etc. Gifts could have been made to charity or to relatives by marriage, or to anyone.”

Ownership now of the laneway strip for the great-great-great grandchildren would have been a windfall – there was no evidence that any of them knew anything about the laneway before being given notice of the court application. However, taking a run at that windfall came with a cost. The Applicant incurred costs of more than $112,000; it sought indemnity for about $25,000 from those respondents who opposed the application. In response to the costs claim by the applicant, the respondents pleaded that any costs they are ordered to pay should be reduced because they were selfrepresented litigants: “Individuals cannot afford the legal costs that a large corporation can afford. Yet we feel we should be able to present our case at a Hearing without having to risk a huge (huge for us) legal bill. For access to justice to be fair, we think it is reasonable that the costs award to the applicant be substantially reduced from the amount requested.”

The Judge didn’t go for that argument, awarding the $25,000 requested by the Applicant. The Judge concluded: “Like all civil litigation, this case was about money. The opposing respondents wanted the developer to pay them for great-greatgreat grandfather’s laneway. … The opposing respondents felt a heavy responsibility to make a ‘large corporation’ building a ‘high rise development’ pay them money. They chose to see a refusal as an affront.” ◊ ______________________________ 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.

FOR SALE 181 Shuter St., Wingham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449,000 Turnberry Estates, 19 Riverside Dr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299,000 825 Bruce Road, Huron-Kinloss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349,000 50 Absalom St. W., Milday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449,000 3 George St, Saugeen Shores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5999,000 85263 London Rd., Belgrave .C . .ON . . .DI. .TI. ON . . . AL . . .LY . . .S. OL . . .D. . . .1,200,000 9 Rattenbury St., Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349,000 Pt. Lot 18 & 19 Belmore Line, Wroxeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,800,000

8): '*()5 5)& '03"(& #"55-& Let Mother Nature Solve The Problem With The Help Of SILO GUARD®II Forage Additive for Alfalfa, Corn Silages and Baled Hay POTENTIAL BENEFITS: t COOLER t GREENER t LEAFIER t .03& 1"-"5"#-& t 48&&5 4.&--*/( t -&44 %645: )BZ t Improves the conservation of dry matter in hay baled at 20-25% moisture.

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April 2023 43

The

Rural Voice

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

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

DL Distributing Dave Mustard 519-794-3334 Authorized Dealer

Full service to all boats and marine engines

ARGYLE

Tough on Winter, Easy on You

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

Marine & Small Engines Inc.

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

STEFFEN WELL DRILLING

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

519-531-0355

www.beloretrailers.ca

TEESWATER, ON

mike@steffenwelldrilling.ca

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

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

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44 The Rural Voice

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

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

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

REAL ESTATE

• Real Estate questions • Wishing a Market Value Analysis

(Free and convenient at your property)

• Buying or Selling?

“Welcome to connect with me anytime”

Gladys Munro Realtor®

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

Lucknow Auto Parts Supply

37452 Glen’s Hill Road, RR 2, Auburn, Ont. N0M 1E0

37521 Amberley Rd., Lucknow 519-528-2220

Tel. 519-529-7212

Spike’s Auto Parts

Snowblowers, Quick-attach Buckets, Sweepers, Woodsplitters, Crimper Rollers, Land Rollers, Stone Windrowers, etc.

252 Queen St., Kincardine 519-396-1515

smythwelding.com info@smythwelding.com

Email: lap@porters.ca

PACKERS: WE BUILD Order Now

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Formerly owned by Emanuel E. M. Martin of Martin’s Nursery

Now WIDEMANS BEE SUPPLY

RUBBER TIRE PACKER SPECIALISTS

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

Taking orders for 2023 ORHBS Queens and Nucs

Specializing in Local Canadian Woodenware & Assembled Frames

Warehouse Hours Monday: 9-5 Tues - Friday: By Appointment Sat: 9-5

sales@widemansbeesupply.ca www.widemansbeesupply.ca

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SALES & SERVICE INSTALLATION & PARTS

2 Mailbox Sizes Available • Stainless Steel • Steel (with powder coated paint) • CUSTOM FABRICATING • LASER CAPABILITIES • PUNCHING • SHEARING, BENDING • STEEL, STAINLESS • GALVANIZED, ALUMINUM

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Rissler KEITH SIEMON FARM SYSTEMS LTD.

81987 Perth Rd. 180, R.R. 4, Walton 519-345-2734 (anytime)

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

April 2023 45

C E N T R E

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

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VITAMIN/MINERAL & SPECIALTY FEED PRODUCTS FOR LIVESTOCK

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Toll Free at 1-888-RING-KCL

MORRIS SACHS SILO CONSTRUCTION

Non-GMO & Organic Seed sales, seed cleaning, drying & licensed truck scale

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

A complete line of nutritionally balanced Non-GMO feeds Roasted soybean sales and custom roasting

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

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

559 Bervie Sideroad RR #4 Here is the Answer!

Kincardine N2Z 2X5 Way More Affordable then you Think

Commercial 4 Million BTU Gassifier

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46 The Rural Voice

• energy independence?

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Sun-Mar Composting Toilets

• Batteries • AGM • Flooded • Surrete • Solar

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

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

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

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

Call Brendan Martin 519-503-1101. brendan.martin870@gmail.com 03-3W -------------------------------------------DAIRY -------------------------------------------Screened bedding sand, delivered.

Call 519-625-8242 or 519-2741490.

-------------------------------------------FARM EQUIPMENT -------------------------------------------New Idea no-till corn/bean planter 6-30" or 11-15" rows, liquid fertilizer, brush kit for soys and two sets of seed plates, options for edible beans and sunflowers. 519395-0889.

04-1W -------------------------------------------FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Rebuilt water pumping windmills Beatty, Aermotor, etc., parts, repairs and sales. Towers wanted.

519-357-3621.

04-2W -------------------------------------------Standing Hay - 48 acres hay available for 2023 harvest.

Dornoch/Welbeck/Grey Rd. 25 vicinity. 519-363-6325.

03-2W -------------------------------------------Rosco grain bins for sale – 19' and 14' diameter. Parts available. Used grain bins wanted for parts or reuse. Closed Sundays, 519-3383920.

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

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

-------------------------------------------Maple syrup sold in 1 Litre glass jars, $15 per litre or $160 per case of 12.

Don Morden, Rothsay, 519-6382525.

04-2W --------------------------------------------

FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Alfalfa hay mixtures, pasture mixtures, top dressing for pastures, and a selection of organic grass seeds. All mixed to your personal needs. Also red clover for plowdown. Available at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd., 225 Hwy. 21, RR 1, Ripley. Phone 519-3952972. Ask for Carmon or Mitch.

-------------------------------------------Soybean seed for sale – Altitude R2, Beliveau R2X and Ramage XF Roundup Ready varieties.

Treatments and inoculants available. Call Mitch at Courtney Grain & Seed (2015) Ltd. 519-4406712.

-------------------------------------------Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds – vegetable, herb and flower seeds, RR 3, 5961 5th Line, Palmerston, ON N0G 2P0. 519-343-3375, hawthornfarm.ca sales@hawthornfarm.ca -------------------------------------------Farm buildings, homes, cottages repaired, remodelled, restored and jacked up. Also roofing, siding, doors, windows, cement work, foundations, piers, framework, decks, doors, fencing, beams, eavestroughing repaired, replaced or installed. Brian McCurdy, 519375-0958/519-986-1781. 04-6W --------------------------------------------

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------LIMOUSIN breeding bulls, quiet, thick, semen tested, guaranteed breeders, delivery included. Select now for spring delivery.

OPEN HOUSE Saturday, April 8, 2023. Posthaven Limousin, John Post, 519-766-7178. www.posthavenlimousin.com -------------------------------------------Cuni-ON – Supplying Europe’s best breeding stock for the commercial rabit producer. Bucks and does available year-round. 519-4508308. CuniON@tcc.on.ca 03-3W -------------------------------------------McKague Charolais bulls, reg. purebred yearlings, polled and semen tested. Heifers available.

Wingham, 519-357-3808. 04-1W -------------------------------------------Suffolks Purebred yearling rams.

British bloodlines, Genovis-tested, from MVNegative closed flock.

Florence Pullen, Clinton, 519-2337896.

04-1W -------------------------------------------Red Angus, Red Angus-Simmental and Simmental bulls on test. Watch them grow by googling “Ontario Bull Evaluation” Silver Springs Farms. James, Joan and Robert McKinlay 519-599-6236 03-2W -------------------------------------------BLACK & RED SIMMENTAL BULLS, yearlings and two-year-olds for sale by private treaty. Performance, ultrasound and semen tested with BIO$ scores. Reports on Agsights website. Contact Dave Milliner, Dundalk, ON. 519923-9188 / 519-375-0122 or milliner.dg@gmail.com 03-3W --------------------------------------------

• Tree Seedlings • Nursery Stock • Shade Trees • Native Species Order for Spring 2023 Now

888-226-6344

www.hrichardsonfarms.com

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK BEDDING -------------------------------------------MIRACLE FIBRE Livestock Bedding.

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

Sittler Grinding Inc. Rick Sittler.

-------------------------------------------LIVESTOCK FOR SALE -------------------------------------------Group of open F1 Hereford/Shorthorn heifers, born April/May 2022.

Please call for pricing. Procter Farms Ltd., 519-887-6190. 04-1W --------------------------------------------

Limousin BULLS and Open and Bred FEMALES

For Sale By Private Treaty Please call to arrange a private viewing

25th Annual Open House - Sat. Apr. 1, 2023 At the farm 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Smart Limousin

137606 Grey Rd. 12 Meaford 519-372-7459

www.smartlimousin.com or Follow us on Facebook

-------------------------------------------RESTORATION -------------------------------------------The Olde Tyme Radio Centre – antique radios, clocks, gramophones, telephones; sold/restored. (vintage autoclock radio, speedometer, tachometer repaired). Belgrave 519-357-4304, www.oldtymeradio.ca --------------------------------------------

April 2023 47

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED

SERVICES -------------------------------------------Custom Clover Seeding with GPS, $2.50/acre or $3 for pasture. Seed available. Call Kurt Beuerman 519525-0538 or 519-523-9234 (home).

03-2W --------------------------------------------

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

UPCOMING EVENTS --------------------------------------------

DANNY’S

Custom Painting & Sandblasting

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

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

519-692-4232

www.sgspestmanagement.ca

48 The Rural Voice

& SUPPLY INC.

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Joseph Kirwin

Oxford Quilters’ Guild WHY[ VM [OL 0UNLYZVSS *YLH[P]L (Y[Z *LU[YL

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

Ph/Fax (519) 474-1365 Cell (519) 671-6599

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www.barnpaintingplus.com MIKE OBERMAYER, President

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

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

Heights of 8'-14' (1-pour). All jobs engineer specifications/inspections - guaranteed. Best firm quote in Ontario. Mark Cronin, 519-274-5000. www.croninpouredconcrete.ca -------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS -------------------------------------------25th Anniversary Barn Dance Jamboree/Campout, May 26, 27, 28, 2023 at the Blyth Community Centre Complex and Campground, Blyth, ON. Sponsored by the Barn Dance Historical Society. Details to follow on website early 2023. www.thebarndance.ca For more information call 519-357-6598.

03-2W -------------------------------------------IN SEARCH OF: Ontario Pork Congress is celebrating 50 years and looking for memorabilia related to the OPC and Ontario Pork industry in general to include in the June 2023 event.

Looking primarily for physical items – booklets and literature, promotional swag, small pig equipment, etc. Welcoming any and all things OPC. Contact Brent at brent.devries@hendrix-genetics.com or 519-501-3327.

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For further information contact: Gwen Tracey gwentracey@execulink.com, 519-495-6192 or visit our website www.oxfordquiltersguild.org

-------------------------------------------Ontario Belgian Horse Association Horse Pull April 21 at 5 p.m. Horse tack and horses sell April 22, 9 a.m.

West Niagara Fairgrounds. www.ontariobelgians.ca 705-8873350.

04-1W -------------------------------------------WANTED -------------------------------------------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 -------------------------------------------Looking to rent organic farmland or land to transition to organic cropping in Huron and Bruce Counties. Contact Trevor at Triple T Farms, 519-357-8350.

04-2W -------------------------------------------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.

04-6W -------------------------------------------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 03-6W -------------------------------------------Deadline for the May issue of The Rural Voice is

April 11, 2023 Call Joan at 519-523-4311 to place your classified ad

Corey Hoffarth

CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS Concrete Pumping • Circular Tanks • Bunker Silos Crane Rental • Excavation • Float Service • Stone Slinger R.R.#5, Mildmay, Ontario Office (519) 367-2372 Fax (519) 367-2172

Email: gbconoffice@gmail.com www.greybruceconstruction.ca

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April 2023 49

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

Strong Communities.

Sound Policies.

Sustainable Farms.

Genetic Modification: New developments a concern for farmers?

Farm papers are full of articles about possible new genetically modified (G M or genetically engineered) products from gene editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas9. Some of these ideas may never work, but it looks like gene editing could achieve more than genetic modification so far.

If every organism can now be genetically modified, it seems like every problem could now have a genetically modified solution.

The National Farmers Union Ontario – Local 320 (Bruce), in partnership with the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), will host a discussion on April 15 about GM seeds and foods with the question: “What’s next?”, followed by a talk on April 29 about the risks of genetically engineered trees. As the technology and regulation of genetic modification changes, join us to get up-to-date information and share your analysis.

More details about these events can be found on the banner below.

Soon: Unknown GM Seeds?

A federal government decision could soon make finding out whether seeds have been genetically modified more complicated, maybe even impossible. The livelihoods of organic farmers and farmers who sell into GM-sensitive markets could be at risk.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food could soon decide to allow some genetically engineered seeds onto the market with no government environmental safety assessments and no notification to farmers. This decision would allow companies to sell

some GM seeds without disclosing that they have been genetically engineered – seeds that have not gone through any government approval process.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (C F I A) is proposing that companies can voluntarily list these new G M seeds instead of being compelled to disclose them through regulation.

Specifically, this decision would remove government oversight of GMOs that have no foreign DNA, produced through gene editing techniques. Plant developers would determine the safety of their own products and decide whether farmers and the government will get a notification of these new GM seeds.

The N F U is asking farmers to contact the minister to demand transparency.

On March 9, SaskOrganics held a Day of Action asking organic farmers to send the message: “No Hidden GM Seeds.”

More information about this can be found at: www.cban.ca/NoExemptions Are GM insects next?

The new tool of C R I S P R-Cas9 makes more organisms accessible to genetic engineering, and makes the process faster. This means that GM insects are close.

One promise is to replace insecticides by genetically modifying pests, like fruit flies, to create sterile populations in the wild. This is not so far away. In November 2022, the federal government announced it’s considering approving a GM fruit fly – the “EntoEngine” - to be a “living

insect bioreactor” producing proteins for use in the process of making “cellular meat.”

In the case of G M insects, it’s Environment and Climate Change Canada that would conduct a risk assessment, without public participation. We may not know about the next G M insect under review because notifying the public is a voluntary decision left to the product developer.

Are GM trees coming to Ontario?

Very soon, the C F I A could be responsible for assessing a request to release the first genetically modified tree into the wild, in Ontario.

U.S. researchers are asking for approval in the U.S. to plant a GM blight-tolerant American chestnut tree, called the “Darling 58”, and say they will also seek approval to release it in Canada. They’re proposing to use this GE tree to replace or “restore” the endangered American chestnut species, decimated by a blight disease. They claim that this transgenic tree will be able to spread blight-tolerance to subsequent generations by crosspollinating with wild American chestnuts.

However, the release of this GM tree would come with great risks, and it could threaten the decades-long efforts of chestnut conservationists in Ontario who are working to recover the wild American chestnut using non-G M methods.

There have been many developments since the roll-out of the first herbicide-tolerant canola, and genetic engineering now seems poised to take off. But if we don’t even know which new seeds are GM, will farmers and consumers get a say?

Join us for these two events in Bruce County as we take up these important questions and discuss the reality and risks of GMOs. For more information, visit: https://cban.ca/events/ – Lucy Sharratt is the Coordinator for the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)

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

Perth County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER

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

Olymel cutbacks makes for uncertain future

For the past decade, Ontario pork producers have been sending up to 24 per cent of their pigs to Quebec to be processed. Ever since Quality Meats of Toronto went out of business, Ontario has not had the capacity to process all of its own hogs. Instead hogs were shipped down the 401 to Quebec where they were processed

by Olymel. This is a brief history of Olymel.

Olymel produces both pork and poultry. Parts of their pork production are fully integrated.

They own feed mills, barns, and pigs.

Olymel had the capacity to process 185,000 pigs per week, and 2,400,000 birds per week. For comparison, Ontario’s two federallyinspected plants each have the capacity to process about 40,000 hogs per week. Please note that Olymel’s processing plant in Alberta processes 45,000 hogs per week. The rest of their pork processing capacity is located in Quebec. Olymel’s 15,000 employees work to export pork to over 65 countries from 35 different production facilities and distribution centers. They also process chicken.

These facilities are spread across the country in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick.

Olymel was initiated in 1991 as a consolidation of the pork processing assets of La Coop Federee with Groupe Olympia. La Coop Federee, now Sollio, acquired control of Olymel in 1996. Many more acquisitions have happened since then.

1992: Acquired Tyson Foods Canada 1996: Partnered with Exceldor to create Unidindon, the largest turkey processor in Canada.

1998: Olymel became responsible for La Coop Federee's Flamingo chicken brand and processing assets.

2001: Acquired the hog processing

plant in Red Deer, Alberta 2002: Partnered with Groupe Brochu for bacon processing. A few years later, Olymel merged all of Brochu’s meat division into Olymel’s operations.

2008: Partnered with Westco for a chicken processing plant in New Brunswick.

2013: Acquired Big Sky Farms of Saskatchewan. It was the third largest hog producer in Canada with 42,000 sows.

2014: Olymel becomes responsible for La Coop’s technical swine consulting services including Alphagene.

2015: Olymel starts a joint venture with ATRAHAN Transformation and Groupe Robitaille to create Viandes Dunham and Lucyporc. These partners became a division of Olymel the next year. This partnership created a $100-million plant for further pork processing.

2016: Acquired La Fernandiere of Quebec and Pinnacle Farms of Alberta.

2018: Acquired Triomphe Foods and Pinty’s Delicious Foods.

2020: Acquired F Menard, a fullyintegrated pork processor in Quebec.

Olymel has faced significant

challenges over the past few years.

This includes having to pause production at plants due to labour disruptions and COVID quarantines.

A tough deal with Quebec’s pork producers left Olymel paying significantly more for pigs than its competitors. Canada’s arrest of Meng Wangzhou locked Olymel out of the chinese market. In October of 2021 Olymel lost its CEO to cancer.

Rejean Nadeau had been leading the company for 25 years.

2021: Olymel closes its Henryville plant. Announces $315 million in upgrades to existing plants. The government of Quebec invested $150 million in these upgrades.

2022: Olymel closes its St. Hyacinthe plant and eliminates 177 management positions.

2023: Olymel closes its Blainville and Laval Plants Olymel has cut shifts and is planning on processing one-million less hogs this year. If a family-scale farm is sending a truckload of pigs to market every week, quaint but viable, that means that 96 families who depend on Olymel to make a living, face an uncertain future this year. ◊ – Submitted by Craig Holshof

April 2023 51

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

GCFA Curling Bonspiel had 12 enthusiastic teams participate The Grey County Federation of Agriculture hosted their annual Curling Bonspiel on Saturday, February 11 at the Markdale Curling Club. This was the first held Bonspiel since the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t a full house, but we did have 12 enthusiastic teams participate. The stakes were high to win bragging rights, as well as the much-coveted GCFA toques.

Teams played two eight-end games and enjoyed a fabulous roast beef dinner between games. Participants received prizes supplied by J-Mar Meats in Holstein.

After two intense games, the winners of the 9:00 a.m. draw (trophy supplied by The Co-operators) were Bob Mason, Mike Goudy, Jonah Johnston and Warren Brown.

The 11:00 a.m. draw saw the team of Murray McNabb, Alex Wathke, Mark Klages and Garrett McNabb (trophy supplied by Midwest Co-op) rise to the occasion and win both their games.

The Federation wishes to extend a big thank you to all the teams that participated and look forward to seeing everyone again next year.

GCFA 2023 Events APRIL 12 - Directors’ Meeting Shed Talk - Mental Health JUNE 14 - Directors’ Meeting JULY 8 - Ag Night at the Races AUGUST 9 - Directors’ Meeting Member Day - Storybook Park SEPTEMBER 13 - Directors’ Meeting Concert Series OCTOBER 13 - GCFA AGM NOVEMBER 8 - Directors’ Meeting

There was a raffle draw held with items donated by local businesses which raised over $550 for local agricultural youth projects in Grey County.

Thank you to all our Curling Bonspiel sponsors: Homestead Resort, Golf and Snowmobiling; Jessica Fraser, Photography; Home Hardware, Dundalk; Midwest Co-op, Markdale; Kettles Back Home Cookin’, Chatsworth; Bayshore Feeds, Owen

Sound; Robert’s Farm Equipment, Chesley; MacDonald’s Fuels, Rockford; Variety Plus, Chatsworth; Huron Tractor, Chatsworth; Still Fields Brewery, Meaford; Princess Auto, Owen Sound; Markdale Golf and Country Club, Markdale; Farm Credit Canada, Owen Sound; Bread Depot, Owen Sound; Osprey Bluffs Honey and Maple Syrup, Singhampton; J-Mar Meats, Holstein, Hindles Home Hardware, Clarksburg and the OFA. ◊

Winners of the 9:00 a.m. draw of the Curling Bonspiel held February 11 at Markdale Curling Club were, from left: Bob Mason, Mike Goudy, Jonah Johnston and Warren Brown.

Winners of the 11:00 a.m. draw of the Curling Bonspiel held February 11 at Markdale Curling Club were, from left: Murray McNabb, Alex Wathke, Mark Klages and Garrett McNabb.

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

52 The Rural Voice

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

NEWSLETTER

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

BCFA 2023 UPCOMING MEETINGS April 24 May 23 June 26 August 28 September 25 October 27 November 13

Agri-Food Innovation Grant

GCFA President Dianne Booker and BCFA President Chris Cossitt present Elaina Hill with her prize for the Ag-ucation trivia contest.

Agriculture is one of Bruce County's key sectors.

By supporting the implementation of innovative and value-added processes, Agriculture operators can improve efficiencies, expand their markets, and increase profits.

Applications can be found at https://www.brucecounty.on. ca/business/agri-foodinnovation

If you're in need of support, please reach out and call us any time – from the tractor, from the barn, or from the house after the sun sets on another long day.

Accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.

The Farmer Wellness Initiative provides access to free counselling services and tailored mental health support and resources to all Ontario farmers and their families.

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

April 2023 53

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

Ministry of Transportation farm guide lays out rules for SMV As we come out of the snow days of winter and look to a safe and prosperous planting season, our urban and rural neighbours are eager to get to the coast or off to the cottage.

While we may be focused on preparing our fields and equipment, it’s a great opportunity to check for Slow Moving Vehicle signs on our machinery and ensure that they follow all of the regulations.

As you probably know, many of our tractors, harvesters and combines have the ability to go faster than they did only a few years ago. We need to remember that unless you are travelling under the speed of 40 km/hour on the road, you must cover or remove the Slow Moving Vehicle sign from the tractor or implement.

Once we get on the road, we are sharing it with all of the vehicles.

Many drivers have never had the opportunity to sit in our equipment, so they do not understand what we can and cannot see. Yes, the job does not rely 100 per cent on us, but we need to do our due diligence.

In 2022, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) embarked on a Slow Moving Vehicle billboard campaign. The objective of the

campaign was to build awareness of the Slow Moving Vehicle sign with a focus on highways leading to “cottage country”. While our neighbours may not understand what the sign means or how to pass safely we also need to remember the rules when behind a Slow Moving Vehicle.

This campaign saw billboards across the province with a few digital billboards. We also did short radio tags during busy traffic time. Local county federations helped to identify billboards in their area that could be used.

If you ever have questions with regards to the rules and regulations,

the Ministry of Transportation farm guide lays out information. It is a valuable resource and can be accessed on their website. The Slow Moving Vehicle does fall under the Highway Traffic Act, so another resource is the province’s e-law website. The OFA also has valuable resources, not only on their website, but through your member service representative.

Always remember, we share the road, but at the end of the day, getting home safe to our families is the number one priority. Safe planting! ◊ – Submitted by Sara Wood OFA and PCFA Director

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

54 The Rural Voice

Index Hayden Water Wells....................29 Hill&Hill Farms/Varna Grain ..Cover 2 Home & Garden ............................3 Huron Commodities ....................37 Huron County Immigration Cover 5 Huron Hauling & Excavating ........9 Huron Motor Products..................11 Huron Waves Music Fest....Cover 3 Huron-Perth Woodlot..................38 Invisible Fence ............................55 JA Porter Holdings ......................19 JJM Concrete Grooving ..............21 Keith Siemon Farm Systems ......45 Kenpal Farm Products Inc ....43,46 Kraemer Concrete Ltd ................46 LAC ..............................................26 Lakeside Shelving ......................38 Lisa Thompson MPP ..................25 Live Landscape ..........................33 Lucknow Auto Parts....................45 Maple Leaves Forever ........Cover 4 Mapleview Agri ............................41 Marquardt Farm Drainage Ltd ......4 Martin’s Nursery..................Cover 4 Marvin L Smith Forestry..............38 Meeting Place Organic Farm ......25 Michael’s Stabling ........................9 MNP LLP......................................42 Morris Sachs Silo Construction ..46 MRC Wireless ..............................10

Allied Associates ..........................6 Argyle Marine & Small Engines..44 Bau-Tec Industries Inc................49 Bear Tracks Inn & Restaurant ....13 Behrns Metal Fabricating Inc ....45 Belore Trailers ............................44 Bernie McGlynn Lumber Ltd ......40 Bervie Supply Energy Ltd ..........46 Bester Forest Products ..............40 Bio-Ag..........................................29 Boonstoppel, Dave & Elly ..........43 Bushell’s Auto Sales ..................35 Canadian Co-operative Wool ....33 Chalmers Fuels ..............................4 Crafters Corners..........................33 CropQuest Inc ..............................6 Crop Management ........................7 DL Distributing ............................44 Earth Day ....................................26 Easy Lift Doors Ltd ......................14 Farm to Table ..............................17 Fieldwalker Agronomy ................44 Five Star Seeds Limited..............46 Gerber’s Workwear ....................49 Gladys Munro ..............................45 Greenville Liquid Plant Food ........2 Grey-Bruce Construction ..........49 GRK Products................................8 Hardi ............................................19 Harold Jones Enterprises ..........45

Nature’s Wave Inc ......................40 NNZ Inc Canada ..........................19 Nuhn Forage................................37 Oxford Quilter’s Guild ................48 R&M Gorman Hay & Straw Inc ..45 RBC Ag West ................................4 Ridgeway Metals ........................44 Roth Drainage ............................45 Rural Voice Books ..............Cover 7 Saugeen Valley Conserv. Auth ..38 Schmidt’s Farm Drainage ..............9 Schweiss Doors ..........................25 Seifried Farm Equipment ............15 Sharp’s Creek Forge ..................26 Silver Creek Nursery ..................25 Smyth Welding ............................45 Steffen Well Drilling ....................44 Stephen Thompson Accounting ....9 Stoney Ridge Sheds ..................32 Stratford Agri Analysis................36 Stratford Crane Rental ................21 Superior Barn Painting ......Cover 6 SWO Diesel ........................Cover 6 Townsley Barn Painting ..............48 Tree Planting/Maintenance ..13,15 Triple P Consulting ......................13 Trouw Nutrition ............Back Cover Usborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire ..37 WD Hopper & Sons Ltd ................11 Waddell Engineering ..................17 Wideman’s Bee Supply ..............45

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April 2023 55

HURON

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

County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER

What is Home Grown?

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

Upcoming Events April 5 & 6 - Canadian Dairy Expo, Stratford. https://dairyxpo.ca/ April 9 - Happy Easter!

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

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

HCFA Office in Vanastra

We are losing productive farmland at a rapid rate in Ontario. According to the 2021 Census of Agriculture, Ontario is losing an average of 319 acres of productive farmland every day.

Home Grown is a public outreach campaign launched by the OFA that encourages Ontarians to support

farmland preservation and local food production.

To date more than 68,000 people have signed on to the OFA’s Home Grown campaign to show their support for preserving farmland in Ontario.

Visit homegrownofa.ca to learn more. ◊

Your Local Federation of Agriculture

ROOM FOR RENT The Huron County Federation of Agriculture has a board room available for rent $40 (HST included) Call the HCFA office at 519-482-9642 to check availability and to book your meetings

Farmer Wellness Initiative 24/7 counseling to farmers and farm family members, free all year round 1.866.267.6255 https://farmerwellnessinitiative.ca/; and frequently asked questions about FWI: https://farmerwellnessinitiative.ca/faq/

SAVE THE DATE! •

Lobby OFA

•

Work Collaboratively with Municipal Government

•

Monthly County Meetings

BOTH •

Represent Huron County Members

•

Advocate on issues, Legislation and Regulations

•

Lobby Provincial & Federal Governments

•

MP/MPP/Local Politician Meeting

•

Advocate for agriculture.

•

Information Meetings

•

Farmers working for farmers.

•

Host All Candidates Meetings.

•

Some of issues we work on:

•

Annual Ag Review Paper

•

Support agriculture education

Farmland preservation, Investment in rural natural gas, Competitive electricity rates, Food Literacy Climate Change Action Plan Invasive species

•

Represent Ontario Members

•

Grassroots Policy Development

•

Farm Business Registrations

•

Access to Experienced, knowledgeable Member Service Representatives

•

Exclusive discounts and promotions through OFA membership

•

Highly skilled farm policy research staff.

•

Educational opportunities province wide and webinars

•

Training opportunities

Huron County Federation of Agriculture

ANNUAL MEETING October 27, 2023 Watch for more details!

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

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/huronfedofag and Facebook at Huron County Federation of Agriculture

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

56 The Rural Voice

A smile is the same in every language.

It takes all of us to build a feeling of community.

Everyone deserves to feel included.

Together, let’s welcome every new neighbour.

Find resources to get started at welcomingweek.ca

 House & Barn Painting

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

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Happy

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

A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II - Commemorative Edition (19262022) The life and reign of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. When Princess Elizabeth of York was born, she was never expected to rule. Regardless, she went on to become the longestreigning British monarch.$22.99

Easter

The Rural Reading Room Specializing in Rural Living & Local Authors

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

HATCHING AND BROODING YOUR OWN CHICKS Hatching your own chicks is almost a lost art but it’s a fascinating and fruitful practice. This book offers more than 200 pages of instructions on hatching chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and guinea fowl. $37.95

A DOG TO GIVE AWAY Dr. Dave has become acquainted with many animals throughout the years, but not one has had as much impact on his practice, and his life, as Lug, the stray he invited to stay. This book will warm the hearts of anyone who has ever loved a dog. $12.95

HORSE GAMES & PUZZLES For the young person who loves all things horses, this book has 102 brain teasers, word games, jokes and riddles, picture puzzles, matches and logic tests in 130 pages of fun. $14.95

GROW FOR FLAVOR Home-grown fruits and vegetables have a flavour advantage over storebought foods that travel long distance.

This book offers tips and tricks to supercharge the flavour of everything from apples and grapes to mushrooms. Lots of drawings. $29.95

LOVE YOU FOREVER A book both children and adults will enjoy - over and over again. It’s about parents’ love and how it crosses many generations. $5.95

BEST OF BRIDGE HOLIDAY CLASSICS BEAUTIFUL BOARDS HATCHING & BROODING YOUR OWN CHICKS A DOG TO GIVE AWAY A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II HORSE GAMES & PUZZLES GROW FOR FLAVOR LOVE YOU FOREVER

Qty.

$29.95 $32.99 $37.95 $12.95 $22.99 $14.95 $29.95 $5.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling Canada Post Fuel Surcharge Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

Total

$9.00 $4.00

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

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

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See us at the Dairy XPO, Stratford April 5 & 6

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HENSALL CO-OP Londesborough 519-523-9606 | 800-265-9000 Zurich 519-236-7155 | 800-565-7155 Ripley 519-395-5955 | 800-895-5955