Nuffielders In The News!

William Cecil Cairns
Prince Edward Island

William Cairns has a history of service and leadership to the agriculture industry on Prince Edward Island. He was raised on the family farm in Lower Freetown and attended Lower Freetown school. After he completed Grade 10, William attended the Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown from 1943 to 1946. He finished at the top of his class each year. He was encouraged to enter the medical field but the call of the farm was too strong and he returned home.

Once farming, he became active in the farm organizations that existed at the time. He first joined the PEI Junior Farmers organization and was elected as the second president in the organization’s history. Through the Junior Farmers he became active in the PEI Federation of Agriculture, which, at the time, was a fledgling organization. He sat on the board of the Junior Farmers and the PEI Federation of Agriculture for many years, eventually becoming the first vice president of the Federation.

William also sat on the Board of the Dunk River Dairy Company, one of a number of small dairies that were in operation at the time. In the early 50s, William became heavily involved in discussions to set up a company to join these small dairies into Amalgamated Dairies Limited in 1952. William Cairns is the lone surviving member to have attended the meeting that pushed the formation ahead. In 2011, he received a plaque from ADL for his years of service to the company.

Nuffield Canada was established as an organization that is dedicated to fostering agriculture leadership and personal development through international study. In 1952, William Cairns became the first Prince Edward Islander to be accepted as a Nuffield Scholar. Only three Canadian scholars preceded him. His study of agriculture production systems and policy took him to Great Britain and Ireland as well as parts of Europe. His report on agriculture systems in Europe was shared with agriculture organizations on PEI and all over Canada and fostered many interesting discussions regarding agriculture policy.

William’s high achievements and scholarly aspirations led him to be involved in other agricultural studies. He was a pioneer in recommending and adopting innovations in the dairy industry. These included the need for updating ventilation systems, modernizing milking parlours, enhancing record keeping practices and utilizing artificial insemination to improve dairy genetics. William understood the importance of maintaining accurate production records and was a key proponent of the development of the milk recording system in PEI.

William and his son James continue to operate Willscott Farm Ltd. His son and daughter-in-law Janet are now the prime operators and 7th generation of Cairns to run the farm, which has been in the family since 1852.

Nominated by the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture and the Dairy Farmers of PEI for his lifelong dedicated to agriculture, his family and community, William Cecil Cairns is a worthy inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Induction Date: 2011

From The Guardian – Charlottetown, P.E.I.
January 12, 2012
Mary MacKay

Retired senator Archie Johnstone had a mission in mind.

This Kensington man wanted to capture the movers and shakers in P.E.I. who have had an impact on this province in one way or another.

And now this prolific self-published author has rounded up a plethora of information for his new book, Introductions, which showcases more than 100 well-known and sometimes lesser-known personalities.

“This is book seven since my 80th birthday,” says the 87-year-old Johnstone, who has previously tackled topics close to his heart, such as the Second World War in which he was a crew member with the Royal Canadian Air Force heavy bombing squadron, and Lucy Maud Montgomery, to whom he was related.

These two subjects resurface in Introductions, which is a stockpile of information, photographs, letters, newspaper clippings and documents pertaining to broad spectrum of Islanders.

Read more…

From the Guelph Mercury

By Rob O’Flanagan, Mercury staff
Fri Jun 17 2011

Biofuels are not the villain behind recent spikes in food prices, a new study funded by Grain Farmers of Ontario concludes.

Terry Daynard, a corn expert and retired University of Guelph crop science professor, presented the findings of his extensive report titled What are the Effects of Biofuels and Bioproducts on the Environment, Crop and Food Prices and World Hunger? on Thursday morning. The full report, co-authored by Karen Daynard, is available on the Grain Farmers of Ontario website.

Despite clear evidence that grain-based fuels like ethanol — made primarily from corn and wheat — have only a marginal impact on food prices, their production was widely blamed in 2008 and again this year for sharp increases in the cost of food in Ontario and globally.

In both years, Daynard said, one of the obvious culprits was the increased cost of oil and gasoline, which drove food transportation and production costs ups, and lead to food price increases.

“The biggest factor by far was high oil prices,” he told an audience of about 50 agricultural industry and science insiders during a Grain Farmers of Ontario breakfast gathering at the Victoria East Golf Course.

In 2007-2008, poor wheat crops in Australia and parts of Europe also contributed to spikes in grain prices, and commodity futures speculation also drove prices up. Strain on food grain supplies from biofuels, Daynard indicated, was a negligible factor. Basically the same global factors are at play this year, once again driving food prices up.

“There are so many other influencing factors involved,” said Barry Senft, CEO of Grain Farmers of Ontario. “Oil prices have significantly more effect on food prices than ethanol.”

He said in 2008, biofuels were an easy target for those looking for reasons for the increase in grain prices, which translated into increase food prices.

“The other interesting issue that few people talk about is the speculation in the grain market,” he added. “That hadn’t been there before, but it was there in 2008.” Similar market speculation is taking place now.

Historical trends show that grain prices are likely to come down in the not-too-distance future, Daynard predicts, as global factors like increasing agricultural production in the developing world impact the market.

Biofuel production helps stabilize grain prices, adding about 50 cents to the price of a bushel of corn in Ontario, Daynard said. That increase is offset at the gas pump where ethanol blends help depress the price of gasoline. Without ethanol, the price of gas would be six to 10 cents higher, he added.

“If we didn’t have ethanol we’d have corn at 50 cents a bushel less than current prices,” Daynard said, adding that without ethanol support, corn prices would drop by 15 per cent in North America. In addition, biofuels have the greatest impact on corn prices, but only a marginal affect on the price of other grains.

There is a great deal more capacity in North America to produce biofuels, he said. And as viable new farm lands open up in places like Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Canadian farmers may find that biofuel production offers a strong alternative market for their grain.

Canada produces about 1.8 billion litres of fuel ethanol and 110 million litres of biodiesel per year. Biodiesel is largely produced from used cooking oils and animal fats. These numbers will have to increase significantly to meet new Canadian biofuel use mandates, Daynard said. About 5.7 per cent of global grain production and 10 per cent of global vegetable oil production goes into the production of ethanol and biodiesel.

The study concludes that, when a host of factors are taken into account, a 10-per-cent ethanol blend in gasoline results in a 62-per-cent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions.

From Producer.com

By WILLIAM DEKAY, Saskatoon Newsroom
June 9, 2011

Lyndon Cote hops and hustles across the field like a jackrabbit.

The 11-year-old cradles a tray of sweet corn seedlings fresh from the greenhouse. Within minutes, the three-week-old hybrid corn plants are transplanted into neat rows in raised beds to soak up the sun and water.

Lyndon’s brother, two sisters and parents have a spring in their step and a satisfied smile on their faces as they plant.

The family has started building a high quality business called Tierra Del Sol (Land of the Sun), focusing this year on vegetable production….

Read the whole story…

From Producer.com (By Barb Glen, Lethbridge bureau – April 28, 2011)

Chris Perry calls it Grow the Energy Circle Ltd.

It’s Grow-tec, for short.

The fourth generation southern Alberta farmer is preparing to embark on a renewable energy project that will produce electricity, fertilizer and heat from cull potatoes and other biodegradable waste.

Material produced from this process will be returned to the land or used in other green projects.

<read the full article>

(This article appeared in “The Furrow” – March, 2011)

The sisters are going to be all right; their lives are back on track. Suzanne is pursuing a career in fashion in Edmonton, Alta. Jeanelle and Sarah are both enrolled in programs at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Sask. Lynn is operating the family farm near St. Vincent, Alta., and Leona is heading off on a three-continent agricultural research study through a Nuffield Canada Scholarship. The five sisters endured one of the most difficult tragedies a family can go through and despite everything, kept their family farm largely intact. If their parents, Jean and Joanne Dargis, were still alive they would be very proud…

Click here to download a PDF of this article

Click here to read the entire Furrow newsletter with the article.

(This article appeared in The Guardian, March 26, 2011)

Organic farmer Raymond Loo heavily praised as leader in producing healthy food with minimal impact to environment.

Raymond Loo recalls how an enraged farmer flew up his driveway years ago to let loose.

Loo (pronounced Low), 49, of Pleasant Valley was spreading sodium bicarbonate and corn oil over his potatoes to help control blight.

The incensed driver, a conventional potato farmer, thought Loo was spraying chemicals just like other farmers but trying to do so on the sly while passing himself off as an organic farmer.

When the fuming farmer finished his rant, Loo calmly explained how he could make biscuits with what he was using for spray.

<Read the rest of the story>

The following interview was published on Fresh Food Finder (http://www.greenbeltfresh.ca/)

Shane Eby is a Greenbelt farmer who has taken the concept of “local” beyond food. Under Ground organics, the farm in Milgrove where Eby is works, produces vegetables, herbs, and flowers, which you can find at Farmers’ Markets in Toronto, and in stores in Hamilton. Erin Charter spoke with Shane about starting a new farm, permaculture and the challenges of being a small farmer in Canada.

Click here to read the full interview…

The following is an excerpt from an article published on FarmForum.ca (Cover Story by Clare Stanfield) in the Winter 2011 Issue.

He lives the dream

You’ve heard the expression, “like a kid in a candy shop.” Well, that’s Steve Larocque in a wheat field, or canola field, or barley field … any field really. “I love farming,” he says, the enthusiasm crystal-clear in his voice. “It’s what I was meant to do.”

How Larocque morphed from southern Ontario acreage kid into full-time prairie agronomist and grain farmer is a combination of pure fate, clear focus, hard work and an unfailing positive attitude.

Larocque is a rarity on a number of fronts: he’s a first-generation farmer, embraces big ideas and huge change, and while not necessarily welcoming adversity, doesn’t shy away from it either. He prefers to see it as an opportunity to learn, improve and grow.

This attitude has carried him far already, and will continue to be his strongest asset as he lives out his dream of being a successful farmer.

Click here to read the whole article…