Editor: Re: ‘Poorly planned land development is directly to blame for high cost of hay’ (The Times, Feb. 10).
F. Steinfeld says animals are starving due to a shortage of hay and tries to blame it on the mayor and council.
Lashing out with specious arguments, looking to blame others, won’t provide a low-cost supply of hay. It has nothing to do with council.
The Township has never tried to tell people where they must locate their house on acreage or regulate its size, other than setbacks and percentage lot coverage.
So far, farming in Canada remains a private enterprise activity and hay is a free market commodity item.
Most farmers ensure they have an adequate supply of feed for their own animals and may sell off any extra.
Normally in the Ag sector, if a non-grower wants to ensure a supply of feed for their animals, they can make ‘futures contract’ arrangements at pre-agreed prices with growers.
She goes on to complain about development displacing trees but her own house and accessory buildings probably once had trees there.
Farmers had to clear the land to provide fields to grow hay and other products.
She complains about more C02 but greenhouses inject three to four times more C02 (than ambient 400 ppm in the atmosphere) to grow the plants healthier and people work inside the greenhouses for many years with no ill effects.
More C02 would grow hay faster and with less water.
Roland Seguin,
Fernridge