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+ » |g BY ka or ~3 § x LA i 4 4 ® EI <5 Pho | [ | « | Lg | / | | r o "| | SE | PORT Pel GRIF SERNA SEAS "Ya 4 PERRY JILVAS SECOND Bed SECTION PORT PERRY, ONTARIO -- WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 1977 -- PAGE 17 Denis Boyd: Less waste on homeland farms Twelve miles north of Bel- fast, near the small village of .Straed, Denis Boyd and his father work a farm of about 110 acres. Denis is a long way from Northern Ireland this sum- mer, however. He is spend- ing three months visiting Ontario farms as a member of 'the young farmers ex- change program. Before returning home he will live on farms in Norfolk, Gren- ville and Durham Counties, and also in the Kenofa district. Last week he was staying with the Glenn Larmer family, R.R.1, Blackstock, and in an interview with the STAR he talked about farm- ing "back home", and his impressions of the farm operations he has seen so far in Ontario. . Denis, 24, and his, father. "work a mixed "farm with beef 'and dairy cattle, sheep and pigs, and he says that although there is some specialization, most farms in Northern Ireland have a variety of operations. DIFFERENCE The major difference he has noticed between, farms here and at home is the degree of intensity. With the i 8 Denis Bo yd of Northern Ireland stayed with the farms in Northern Ireland generally smaller in size, a heavier intensity is neces- sary to support the same number of animals. Some farmers there, he says, will work their dairy operations on a one-to-one ratio; that is one milking cow per acre. The longer growing season from. April to November, allows some farmers to take -up to six cuts of hay, as opposed to an average of © just two cuts in Canada. And. the use of nitrogen, phosphates and potash is "heavier than on most farms in this country. Vv Denis also says that there seems to be less wasted land on the farms in Northern . Ireland. 'Where there's a blade of grass to be cut, it's cut," he says. The fields as a rule are smaller, with hedges instead of fences. "Many farmers now are star- "ting to rip out the hedges for larger field which allows more efficient use of bigger machinery... SHEEP SHEARING The raising of sheep is widespread in Northern Ire- land, and Denis has become something of an expert in the art of sheep shearing. On a good day, for example, "Glenn Larmer family during his recent visit as a } _ Junior Farmer fo the Durham area. 'operation he can clip up to 220 sheep using electric shears. Be- fore he left for Canada, he had sheared about 3,000 sheep, and the shearing sea- son this year had just barely got underway. In 1976, he won the Northern Ireland Young Farmers competition, and has also taken part in com- petitions in Wales and Scot- land. But shearing contests for prize money is highly competitive in the United Kingdom, and Denis admits he has a way to go yet before he reaches tlie levels of the best U.K. shearers. Sheep shearing contests, by the way, are judged for such things as skill in hand- "ling the animal, skin cuts, the length of the wool left on the animal, as well as sheer speed. But sheep shearing has a practical side as well, as Denis does contract work to supplement the farm income. Denis recently visited a sheep raising operation in this area and was very sur- prised to find that the ani- mals were being fed at an inside feed lot. Sheep in Northern Ireland are very rarely kept inside, he says, and in fact will graze on pasture for almost the entire year, : _TEN FROM U.K. This year there are ten Young Farmers from Northern. Ireland, Scotland and England spending time on Ontario farms. And. the group hopes to be able to take about three weeks near the end of August and travel through western Canada to the Rockies. Denis is spon- sored partially by a farm in his home county of Antrim, but about $180 will come out of his own pocket for the air fare. His room and board in Canada is taken care of, as are travel expenses: around Ontario. He feels the oppor- tunity to travel and meet farmers in Canada is well worth the expense. It is providing him with the chance to observe farming methods in Canada, make evaluations, and apply some of what he learns to his back home. "And," he adds with a laugh, "I'm here to have myself a good time as well." Denis feels that the farm economy in Northern Ire- land is generally pretty healthy. Cash subsidies on beef and heifers help, as do tight restrictions on what farm products can be impor ted into the country. ces to the farmer seem to be about the same as they are (continued on page 21) Margaret Crawford (right) from Ayr, Scotland has been visiting Durham Region this week as part of the Junior Farmer Exchange Program. With Margaret is Louise Van Camp whose family has been host for part of her stay in this area. Margaret Crawford: Terrain reminds her of home At the mention of a 1500- acre farm, one tends to think of the vast tracts of flat grazing lands in Al- berta, Australia or Argen- tina, Scotland does not readily come to mind. But the family of Margaret Crawford, a Junior Farmer from Ayr, operates a farm this size on the western coast of Scot- land. Margaret, 22, is part of a delegation from the United Kingdom visiting farms in Ontario this summer and she is staying with the Richard VanCamp family. near Blackstock. In an interview with the Star last week she talked about her family's farm, and the impressions of the farming operations she has seen so far in Ontario. Margaret explained that 'while her family's 1500-acre farm is one of the largest, farms nearing this size are not unusual in Scotland. The farm is actually split into two sections: the 500 acre home farm for beef and crops, and the 1000-acre stock rearing farm for rough grazing, which is 18 miles from the home farm. The operation consists of 43 pedigree Herefords, 200 Blue-grey X Herefords and about 1000 sheep. Cash crops such as potatoes are grown in addition to hay for * livestock. As might be expected a farm this size requires con- siderable: work and Margaret's father employs six men year-round who live in houses on the farm. DIFFERENCES One of the big differences between Scottish and Canadian farms is in the method of baling and stor- ing hay. While farmers here bale hay while it is green, Margaret explained that Scottish farmers let the hay _get very dry, bale it when a golden brown colour. After cutting, it is raked or "Wuffled' five or six times before baling. This is nec- essary to prevent mouling which would occur in the wet climate if hay was bal- ed and stored when still green. She also said that the bales in Scotland seem much heavier, weighing up to 100 pounds. She noted as well that there is wasted space on Canadian farms. There are no tracks for machinery around the fields -in Scot- land as even this space is under cultivation. 'Canadian farmers don't seem to mind missing a few corners here and there," she said with a smile. From what she has seén so far of Ontario, Margaret said that the terrain and landscape reminded her very much of home. But the fericing is different, with those in Scotland being either dry-stone, or black- thorn hedges. And almost all the houses, barns and sheds are made from stone. With mild winters and very ' light snowfall, it is possible to work 'various crops almost year-round. It is most unusual, she ex- plained, to see more than an inch or two of snow on the ground. But the weather can create serious problems (continued on page 21) Hall appointed to Region Health Council , Howard Hall of Port Perry, Ray Newton and Dr. Ian Taylor of Uxbridge have been appointed to the 17-member Durham Region District - Health Council. The announcement of the appointments was made last week by the Ministry of . Health. The council, under the chairmanship of Henry Polak of Ajax, has been set up to advise the Ministry on health services planning in Durham Region. It will determine objectives and priorities for health services and make recommendations to the Health Minister. Technical assistance and consultants will be available to the Council. Members of the council were appointed after recom- mendations were made to the Ministry of Health by a steering committee chaired by Pickering councillor Ken Matheson. The other 14 members of the 'council are: Ruth Bestwick, Oshawa; Barbara Black, Pickering; John DeHart, Oshawa; Joyce Gabura, Ajax; Ken Harri- son, Sunderland; Joan Higgenson, Bowmanville; Stan Lovell, Oshawa; Rev. 'Roger Maggs, Oshawa; Ken Matheson, Pickering; Rev. Terry O'Connor, Oshawa; Marion O'Donnel, Whitby; Dr. Harry Sanderson, Oshawa; Gloria Tuck, Oshawa; and Henry Polak, Ajax. The members are health care professionals, local government officials and from the general public.