HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-02-09, Page 15THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012. PAGE 15.
Total receipts for Brussels
Livestock for the week ending Feb. 3
were 2,012 cattle, 525 lambs and
goats. On Tuesday fed steers and
heifers traded slightly under
pressure from last week’s prices.
Choice steers and heifers sold $120
to $123 with sales to $129.75.
Second cut sold $115 to $119. Cows
sold on a strong active trade. On
Thursday holstein veal calves sold
steady to strong, while beef veal sold
$2 to $5 higher. Lambs, sheep and
goats all traded on a good steady
active trade. On Friday calves and
yearlings sold on a strong active
trade at steady prices.
There were 118 steers on offer. Art
Bos of Blyth, consigned two steers
averaging 1,463 lbs. selling for an
average of $128.66 with one
limousin steer weighing 1,510 lbs.
selling to Horizon Meats for
$129.75. Leroy Weppler of Ayton,
consigned three steers averaging
1,183 lbs. selling for an average of
$122.70 with one limousin steer
weighing 1,210 lbs. selling for $126.
Warren and Marion Becker of
Ayton, consigned four steers
averaging 1,329 lbs. selling for an
average of $116.49 with one gold
steer weighing 1,360 lbs. selling to
Horizon Meats for $123.75. Francis
Riley of Walkerton, consigned 11
steers averaging 1,406 lbs. selling
for an average of $121.26 with eight
black steers averaging 1,423 lbs.
selling for $122.
Nathan Becker of Ayton,
consigned two red steers averaging
1,453 lbs. selling to Horizon Meats
for $121.25. Chris Fischer of
Teeswater, consigned eight black
steers averaging 1,376 lbs. selling
for $121.25. Kim Lennox of Ayton,
consigned two red steers averaging
1,525 lbs. selling to St. Helen’s
Meat Packers for $121.25. Trevor
Pfeffer of Ayton, consigned
three steers averaging 1,493 lbs.
selling for an average of $119.84
with one red steer weighing 1,515
lbs. selling to St. Helen’s Meat
Packers for $121. Terry Murray of
Clifford, consigned six gold steers
averaging 1,365 lbs. selling for
$121. Chris Smith of Brussels,
consigned 26 steers averaging 1,492
lbs. selling for an average of
$107.14 with four charolais steers
averaging 1,478 lbs. selling for
$121.
There were 122 heifers on offer.
Roy McCulloch of Allenford,
consigned 13 heifers averaging
1,304 lbs. selling for an average of
$120.53 with two black heifers
averaging 1,280 lbs. selling to
Norwich Packers for $123.75. Glen
Bieman of Ayton, consigned one rwf
heifer weighing 1,400 lbs. selling to
St. Helen’s Meat Packers for
$123.50. Keys Farms of Varna,
consigned seven heifers averaging
1,296 lbs. selling for an average of
$122.13 with five black heifers
averaging 1,255 lbs. selling to
Norwich Packers for $122.75. Dave
Noble of Glencairn, consigned 21
heifers averaging 1,344 lbs. selling
for an average of $119.40 with seven
charolais heifers averaging 1,330
lbs. selling to Norwich Packers for
$120.75. Dale and Marion Jones of
Bright, consigned five black heifers
averaging 1,301 lbs. selling for
$120.50. Murray Gordner of
Mitchell, consigned five black
heifers averaging 1,289 lbs. selling
for $119.75.
There were 350 cows on offer.
Export types sold $66.50 to $75.50
with sales to $78; beef cows, $70 to
$77.50 with sales to $83; D1 and
D2, $57 to $62; D3, $52 to $57; D4,
$37 to $47. Groenberg Farms of
Lucknow, consigned four cows
averaging 1396 lbs. selling for
an average of $72.58 with one
simmental cow weighing 1,400
lbs. selling for $84. Bruce Hicks of
Centralia, consigned one hereford
cow weighing 1,540 lbs. selling
for $83. Darryl and Cynthia Steckle
of Zurich, consigned four
cows averaging 1,324 lbs. selling for
an average of $77.32 with one black
cow weighing 1,205 lbs. selling for
$82.50.
There were eight bulls selling
$60.50 to $76.50 with sales to $92.
Hillyside Farms of Mildmay,
consigned one holstein bull
weighing 1,530 lbs. selling for $86.
Stan Riewald of Hagersville,
consigned one limousin bull
weighing 1,585 lbs. selling for
$83.50.
There were 185 head of veal on
offer. Beef sold $130 to $165 with
sales to $170; good holstein, $125 to
$135; medium holstein, $100 to
$120; heavy holstein, $118 to $125
with sales to $130. Lamar Frey of
Listowel, consigned nine veal
averaging 747 lbs. selling for an
average of $161.55 with three cross-
bred heifers averaging 755 lbs.
selling for $170. Lawrence
Brubacher of Harriston, consigned
four veal averaging 750 lbs. selling
for an average of $152.94 with
two limousin heifers averaging 748
lbs. selling for $158. Dan J.
and Mary Byler of Lucknow,
consigned seven veal averaging 599
lbs. selling for an average of
$145.40 with one simmental
steer weighing 740 lbs. selling for
$158.
Lambs, 50 - 64 lbs. sold $242.50
to $290; 65 - 79 lbs., $229 to $248;
80 - 94 lbs., $201 to $235; 95 - 109
lbs., $194 to $215; 110 lbs. and over,
$203 to $208.
Sheep sold $60 to $108 with sales
to $140.
Goats: kids sold $100 to $160 to
$170 per head; nannies, $50 to $80
to $100 per head; billies, $150 to
$250 to $300 per head.
Top quality stocker steers under
400 lbs. sold $109 to $211; 400 -
499 lbs., $147 to $201; 500 - 599
lbs., $153 to $185.50; 600 - 699 lbs.,
$139.50 to $170; 700 - 799 lbs.,
$135 to $163.50; 800 - 899 lbs.,
$139 to $149.50; 900 - 999 lbs.,
$130 to $147; 1,000 lbs. and over,
$100.50 to $141.75.
Top quality stocker heifers under
300 lbs. sold $111 to $175; 300 -
399 lbs., $116 to $200; 400 - 499
lbs., $145 to $182; 500 - 599 lbs.,
$139 to $167; 600 - 699 lbs., $138 to
$157; 700 - 799 lbs., $136.50 to
$146; 800 - 899 lbs., $123 to
$142.25; 900 lbs. and over, $129 to
$141.
The Huron County Pork Producers
Association (HCPPA) is learning to
adapt to the changed reality brought
about by major restructuring of
Ontario Pork last year.
At its annual meeting in Seaforth,
Wednesday, Feb. 1, President Rob
Versteeg told members that until the
provincial government took away
Ontario Pork’s monopoly on selling
pigs, so much of HCPPA’s emphasis
had been on marketing that directors
began to question if there was any
reason for the group to continue to
exist.
The directors asked themselves “If
we didn’t meet, would anybody
notice?” Versteeg said.
After a good deal of soul-
searching the directors decided they
did have an important role in
building bridges with the consumer.
“If we all sit back and think
someone else will provide answers
and defend our farming practices,
soon there won’t be anyone doing
it,” he said.
After spending a day recently
helping out with the Pigmobile,
talking to consumers in Toronto he
realized people had such a distorted
view of farmers and farming,
Versteeg said. “We had to give them
a true image of what farming is
about.”
Meanwhile, the hard times pork
farmers have just come through has
seen the number of producers drop
to 279 in 2011 from 328 the year
before, a further decline of 15 per
cent from numbers that had already
been dropping. The total number of
pigs marketed from Huron has
remained relatively steady.
While many farmers had taken
advantage of selling their pigs
without using Ontario Pork, Versteeg
said he didn’t think producers were
seeing their share of the pie increase.
Patrick O’Neil of Ontario Pork’s
arm’s-length marketing division
demonstrated just how quickly
producers abandoned Ontario Pork
when new marketing options
arrived. Volume handled through
Ontario Pork plummeted from
100,000 to 50,000 pigs sold per
week as soon as the monopoly was
disbanded, and continued to shrink
almost weekly until it reached a low
of about 25,000 hogs a week in July.
Since then the number has stabilized
and even gone up.
“I want to earn your business,”
O’Neil told producers. “If you have
been using us, we want to continue
to have your business. If you have
gone elsewhere, I want you back.”
Since the marketing division is set
up as a not-for-profit enterprise, it is
motivated by what is best for
members of the service. Because it
has a critical mass of pigs to sell
Ontario Pork can get good prices for
producers, he said.
While Ontario Pork no longer has
the total information on all pig
marketing it used to when it had a
monopoly, it still has a lot of
marketing information, O’Neil said.
Those using the service get daily e-
mails updating North American
pricing. The new Universal
Mandatory Price Reporting system
that will be implemented March 1,
should provide more pricing
information to producers.
Ontario Pork offers several
options for producers looking to
market their pigs, from Pool Plus for
those who want to sign up for a
contract, to spot sales, to the pool,
which a producer doesn’t need to
contract to make use of, but which
has delivered very competitive
prices, O’Neil said.
One of the big changes in the
Ontario hog market in recent years is
that the capacity of packing plants
has increased so that now there’s
more capacity than pigs available
instead of the other way around in
2007. Packers are now offering a
range of options from lighter to
heavier pigs to attract farmers’
business, O’Neil said and his
division can help farmers see how
the pigs they produce will fit into the
various grids.
The marketing division also offers
a risk management service for
producers using the Pool Plus
program that makes forward
contracting accessible, he said.
There’s also a target pricing option
that allows a producer to forward
contract at a price they target.
“We offer convenience and peace
of mind,” O’Neil said. “This is the
reason a lot of farmers stuck with
us.”
There are strict payment terms for
packers buying pigs through Ontario
Pork, he said.
Meanwhile a financial protection
plan has been dropped as one of the
goals of Ontario Pork’s Universal
Services, reported Zone 1 directors
Amy Cronin, Teresa Van Raay and
Bill Wymenga in their Ontario Pork
board report.
It was one of the “must haves”
when Ontario Pork was
reorganizing, said Van Raay but the
government has not been willing to
help fund the program.
“We have decided not to proceed
further,” she said. “There doesn’t
seem to be a lot of negative feedback
from producers.”
Among Ontario Pork’s tasks since
the reorganization has been to create
and adopt a strategic plan and create
a comprehensive business plan. The
focus of that plan for 2012 will be on
competitiveness, said Cronin who is
also vice-chair of the board.
On the government relations front,
Ontario Pork has hired an economist
and a government relations expert to
help make producers’ case to
government. At the provincial and
federal levels outside experts are
also hired to lobby the federal and
provincial governments as needed.
“We’re working with MPs and
MPPs all the time,” Cronin said.
Wilma Jeffray, Ontario Pork
Chair, reported her three-year term
has been “Murphy’s Law unbound:
everything that could go wrong,
did.” It began with the H1N1
influenza epidemic which hurt the
pork market, and carried on through
concern the Canada Packer’s plant at
Burlington might close, electoral
reform at Ontario Pork and finally
all the chaos of Ontario Pork being
stripped of its marketing monopoly
and having to reorganize.
But there’s a new culture of
collaboration in the industry, she
said. “The industry is poised for
success.”
The role of the local HCPPA has
changed and is no longer to be a
source of information which now
travels so fast, Jeffray said. But
participation is still needed, she said,
urging people either to come
forward themselves to serve or to
convince other worthy producers to
step forward.
Pork Producers hold annual meeting in Seaforth
Grey 4-H Club
begins Breadventure
TUESDAYS
9:00 a.m.
Fed Cattle, Bulls & Cows
THURSDAYS
8:00 a.m.Drop Calves
10:00 a.m.Veal
11:30 a.m. Pigs, Lambs, Goats & Sheep
FRIDAYS
10:00 a.m. Stockers
Call us 519-887-6461
Visit our webpage at:
www.brusselslivestock.ca
email us at:
info@brusselslivestock.ca
BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK
Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd.
UPCOMING SALES
AgricultureBrussels Livestock report
Fed steers, heifers sell under pressure
By Nick Vinnicombe
The Grey Township 4-H Life
Skills group decided to start a new
project named Breadventure. The
purpose of this club being to explore
types of bread and how to bake
them.
The first meeting started off with
mixing and kneading a normal white
bread recipe. Once the dough was
prepared it was left to rise. While the
dough was rising the club’s
president, vice-president, treasurer,
secretary and press reporter were
elected. The naming of the club
followed, The Bready Bunch was
decided on. The meeting ended with
members and some of their family
members tasting the delicious bread
that was made.
The second meeting of the Grey
Township Bready Bunch started off
much like the last with the mixing of
a new type of no-kneading bread
(English Muffin Loaf) and baking
dough that was already mixed and
left to rise. While The Bready Bunch
waited for the new type of bread to
rise and bake, they judged four
different loafs of store bought bread.
The meeting once again ended with
bread tasting.
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the Rural Voice section of
www.northhuron.on.ca