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economist suntribune agriculture thursday sept 12 2002 farmers grab reins to protect yorks water with financial help theyre working to avoid another walkerton disaster by joan ransberry staff writer york region farmers jim williams and dennis and dan ohara are one step ahead of the rule makers in a bid to prevent another walkertonstyle tragedy the provincial government has unveiled a plan to stop water sup plies from becoming contaminat ed by manure mr williams and the ohara brothers didnt need any arm twist ing to take care of business mr williams a beef farmer and the schomberg dairyfarming oharas lock up their manure in the winter ensuring it doesnt leak into nearby sources of drinking water one thing is for sure mr williams and the ohara brothers are not going be like the walkertonarea farmer who found himself linked to seven e coli deaths with walkerton as an example the province has adopted a never again approach and is putting new legislation in place a provincewide consultation process linked to the nutrient management act is about to begin in york region said oak ridges mpp frank klees im inviting the provincial minister of agriculture to a meet ing this fall said mr klees well explain whats in store for stake holders the farming community and the municipalities will play an important role in the discussions once the nutrient management act is in place queens park will not only be able to keep a sharper eye on what a farmer can do on his or her land it will lower the boom if the law is ignored where barns can be built how manure is to be handled and how wells are to be dug will all be part of the regulations mr klees stressed a penalty will be included he added when mr williams bought his 145acre farm in georgina three years ago he carried out an envi ronmental inventory concerned about the state of his well he took measures to bring it up to proper standards i repaired the well and then looked at the manure situation the ground on my farm sloped i knew there would be a problem with manure runoff with a 6000 grant from the landowner environmental assistance program leap staff photomike barrett georgina farmer jim williams has erected a manure storage area in background which helps protect the water table and preserve nutrients in his manure the structure isnt cheap but a 6000 grant from an arm of the lake simcoe region conservation authority eased the financial pain administered through the lake simcoe region conservation authority mr williams built a 35x80foot combination manure hay barn the structure holds manure from his 40 head of cattle in the winter and hay in the summer and fall because of runoff farmers are discouraged from spreading manure in the winter mr williams pointed out manurespreading in the winter is of little or no benefit to the next crop because much is lost to leach ing and whats left on the soil sur face is lost to the air as ammonia because of the sheer size of the oharas dairy operation 180 head of cattle including 75 holsteins the brothers knew they were dealing with a serious manure situation they also knew that in york region and surrounding areas they were in a position to take a leadership role in stopping con taminants from entering lake simcoe yes farmers are concerned about the cost mr klees agreed we don t want this to become a hardship situation to ensure their 100acre farm and 500 acres of rented land arent a threat to the environment the oharas installed a 64000 circu lar manure milkhouse waste stor age system at dandylane farms on the 11th concession in king township the cement structure is 1 15 feet across and 12 feet high and paid for with the help of a 15000 leap grant the decision for mr williams and the ohara brothers to invest in a waste storage system was born out of a sense of responsibility we all have to do our part mr williams said under the nutrient management act all farms across ontario would be bound by the same curbs on waste farmers are not strongly opposed to the regulations for the most part they see the need said mr klees farmers in york region are pos itive about the legislation he said but for those not interested in abiding by the new rules the province will notice but i think farmers want to do the right thing said mr klees aditional expenses created by the nutrient management act are however expected to be a priority with the farmers especially during the governments consultation period yes farmers are concerned about the cost- mr klees agreed we don t want this to become a hardship situation we have to look at whats avail able in terms of assistance im hoping for good practical advice from the agriculture community mr williams is welcoming the consultations the government definitely needs more input from farmers he said well take a close look at this these regulations might be too restrictive tiality collision centre inc wk get the quality and care your car deserves foreign domestic repairs workmanship guaranteed t free accident 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