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He TheTTTY EET TE me 6 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1995 THE PORT PERRY STAR CASH CROP FARM & RURAL LIFE Safety Ass'n issues silo gas alert posocus Rainfall, hail can generate excess nitrates The Farm Safety Associ- ation is urging farmers to be cautious this fall when filling silos. Heavy rainfall, damage from hail during severe St > . - Kg -- 5 3 : 3 <p 3 o » »* w g = oF £5 & 3 > &, & o Free Coffee Mug to the first 7° custom? tat o Pancake And Sausage - 11:00am 9:00am 1:0 o Free Balloons For The Kids 0 Beef On A Bun Lunch o Amateur Fev Show Ab 11:00am - Prizes encers Feeds 'N Needs Greenbank (905) 9865-3371 Open House and Customer Appreciation Day Saturday, Sept., 16 9:00am to 3:00pm Lucky Draw Prizes: Coleman Cooler, Dinner For Two At The Halibut House And Lots More thunderstorms and wind damage to crops in some areas of Ontario may have created a situation where silo gas may be more of a problem this year than SAVE on all sorts of products. Too many to mention! Come In And See Our Saturday Specials OAKWOOD ELEVATOR co-op DIVISION OF SUNDERLAND CO-OPERATIVE offers: e Complete Elevator Facilities (drying and conditioning) e Grain Marketing (including forward contracts) e Handling: Oats, Barley, Soybean, Corn & Canola e Agents for Ontario Wheat (red & white) e Off Farm Grain Marketing * Also Feed & Farm Supplies HARVEST HOURS AT HARVEST TIME! Before you buy - give us a try OAKWOOD 705-953-9660 SUNDERLAND 705-357-3491 1-800-668-2626 others. Silo gas has been reported from several counties in Southwestern Ontario. Climatic conditions play a large role in the forma- tion of deadly silo gas, and weather conditions this summer have caused some farm safety experts to is- sue warnings concerning the gas. Silo gas nitrogen diox- ide is produced as a by- product of the fermenta- tion process that takes place once plant material 1s put into a silo. A variety of climate stresses on the plant material during the growing season can dra- matically increase the pos- sibility of toxic gases form- ing. To avoid silo gas, farm- ers are advised not to har- vest crops immediately af- ter a rainfall. Conversely, crops damaged by hail or frost should be harvested as quickly as possible to avoid build-up of excess ni- 7ain in the plant materi- al. If weather or other fac- tors have increased the possibility of nitrate build- up, plant material should be cut higher than normal, as excess nitrates are stored in the lower portion of corn stalks. Silo gas may be visible within a few hours after silo filling and may be rec- ognized by a bleach-like odor and may be visible as a yellowish-brown haze. Dead flies or birds at the base of the silo may also be an indicator of the gas. Once a silo is filled, it should be sealed and de- clared off-limits for at least three weeks. Level- ling of silage should be done immediately after the last load is put in with blowers running. If gas is suspected, do not enter. During this period of time the silo should not be entered unless all rules for confined space entry are closely followed and a self- contained breathing appa- ratusis used. For more information on silo gas contact: Steve Zronik, Public Relations Co-Ordinator, Farm Safe- ty Association Inc., Guelph, Ontario. Tel.: 1- 800-361-8855; Fax: (519) 823-8880. EQUIPEMENTS DE Ferme Bodco FARM EQUIPMENT INC. J AARRAZR § Available through TX eS -- Authorized Dealer clo] ple) J Bee] {1 R.R. #1 Oshawa, Ont. - Phone 655-3177 AGRIMETAL °¢ BADGER ) 1) St. Lawrence Grains Stouffville, Ontario BB (905) 640-2260 We are buyers of Corn & Soybean. We are also an agent for Cook's for White Beans which we will receive, minimum of 6 MT per load. Corn storage starts January 1, 1996 Soybean storage starts December 1, 1995 We will be quoting prices on a daily basis. These prices will be delivered to St. Lawrence Grains, Stoufville. LOGI-TANK liquid manure spreader OPTION TRAC-O-MATIC . i" E + 24 Hour Service e SMALE ee RISSLER By Bob Brozina A monthly column on Financial Planning for Farmers PRIORITIES Have you ever noticed how many more places there are to put a dollar than there are dollars to be put? When you finally do manage to save a dollar to invest for yourself, where should it go? Your accountant advises buying RRSPs but your financial advisor recommends paying off destructive debt. The bank wants you to pay down the loan, but your eldest son wants you to invest in the farm. The neighbor across the road made a killing investing in sugar cane futures, but your estate plan says you need more insurance. When everybody is right, how do you choose? There are several time-tested decision making techniques from which to choose. Among them is the short straw method, the coin flip and the ever popular "Forget tomorrow let's party today," method. Far less popular but far more successful is something called the "Priority Pyramid." A Priority Pyramid is constructed simply by ranking all your financial opportunities by their importance and impact on the life of your family. Only the most important items go on the bottom or foundation level of the pyramid. Often the first priority is to keep enough liquid cash available to pay the next bill coming through the mail slot. Next is protection from events that could destroy your income. The most permanent threat to income is death. Lite insurance on yourself is a major priority. Possibly less permanent, but no less devastating is the loss of ability to earn income. Disability income protection on you and property and liability insurance on your farm and equipment are also high priorities. Once the disaster contingencies have been covered, it is safe to start on the second level by reducing what you owe. First, pay down destructive debt. This is non tax deductible debt that must be paid with after tax dollars. Follow by paying down mortgages and increasing your equity in your home and business. As debt is brought under control, start on an investment program. Start with a simple savings account to serve as a reservoir of quick emergency cash or as an opportunity fund. Next, consider the long range retirement planning and short term tax relief offered through RRSP investments and pension plans. Once income loss, retirement and debt obligations have been covered you can confidently go as far with your investments as your personal risk tolerance will allow. Always make sure that you have covered the conservative investments before you undertake the riskier ones. Start with government bonds, deferred annuities and guaranteed term investments. With these behind you, you may consider placing risk capital in professionally managed segregated funds or mutual funds. In order of safety, these normally range from money market funds to bond funds to diversified funds to the more aggressive equity funds. If you are someone who enjoys managing your money, and you have the time, knowledge and skill to do it successfully, consider investing through a self directed RRSP. If your skill (or luck) as an investor can justify relatively high fees for small transactions, perhaps individual bonds or stocks should be part of your portfolio. If high tax rates are a major problem, then dividend income or tax advantaged investments may be appropriate choices. Should your appetite for gain still outweigh your aversion to risk...and, if you can afford the loss, perhaps highly speculative investments such as commodity futures, precious metals, investment in art or foreign currencies may provide opportunity for you. Remember that those items that are most critical to your | tamily are given the highest priority at the bottom of your pyramid. Normally, as you go up the pyramid the possibility of investment return increases but, so does the possibility of loss. It is most likely, therefore that any losses will be suffered at the top of your pyramid. If you have been investing in order of priority, you should be reaping the highest level of return for your level of ability, resources and comfort level. The same strategy will allow you to survive losses with the investments most important to you and your family's lifestyle intact. If you have any specific questions or suggestions for future "CA$H CROP" topics, please send them to Bob Brozina, c/o The Port Perry Star, 188 Mary St., Port Perry, Ont. LOL 1B7. Bob Brozina is a practicing Insurance Agent with North American Life in Oshawa. He is a Chartered Life Underwriter, a Chartered Financial Consultant and Director of Training with NALACO for Central Ontario. olal wz dloM a F- ER WN" [| NNTo]\' R¥/eTV 3 [ Wo To] o][2] Cele MR EAU To R= Td - We ToTo Te WM '4Te K} We're looking for 12 of the best! The Port Perry Star in conjunction with the Ontario Community Newspaper Association work together to recognize the best of our youth and we are asking you to help us find those deserving young people. It you know someone who has shown o ONTARIO . initiative, dedication and commitment to i CJUNIOR CITIZEN our community please contact us today. )F THE YEAR AWARDS PORT PERRY STAR - (905) 985-7383 ----_--_--_----_------_""