HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-04-01, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010.AgricultureBrussels Livestock reportGoats and sheep sell steady, lambs higher
Total receipts for Brussels
Livestock for the week ending
March 26 were 2,498 cattle, 2,134
lambs and goats. On Tuesday fed
steers and heifers sold $1 to $2
higher. Choice steers and heifers
sold $88 to $90 with sales to $96.
Second cut sold $84 to $86. Cows
sold on a fully steady market. On
Thursday light holstein veal sold
steady. Heavy holstein veal sold $5
lower and beef sold $2 to $5 lower.
Lambs sold higher, while goats and
sheep sold steady. On Friday calves
and yearlings sold on a steady
market.
There were 277 steers on offer.
Loomis Farms of Ailsa Craig,
consigned eleven steers averaging
1,479 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.76 with one black steer
weighing 1,490 lbs. selling to
Dominion Meat Packers for $93.75.
Art Bos of Blyth, consigned six
steers averaging 1,443 lbs. selling
for an average of $90.14 with two
red steers averaging 1,408 lbs.
selling to Holly Park Meat Packers
for $92.50.
Joseph M. Bauman of Newton,
consigned seventeen steers
averaging 1,457 lbs. selling for an
average of $87.03 with one
limousin steer weighing 1,390 lbs.
selling for $92.
Abraham M. Bauman of
Wallenstein, consigned seventeen
steers averaging 1,435 lbs. selling
for an average of $88.36 with four
limousin steers averaging 1,240 lbs.
selling to Norwich Packers for
$91.75.
Aaron F. Martin of Newton,
consigned fifteen steers averaging
1,535 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.36 with three limousin steers
averaging 1,485 lbs. selling to
Norwich Packers for $91.50.
John Glousher of Wingham,
consigned four steers averaging
1,518 lbs. selling for an average of
$89.88 with two red steers averaging
1,540 lbs. selling to Dominion Meat
Packers for $90.
Murray Shiell of Wingham,
consigned twenty steers averaging
1,553 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.21 with seven black steers
averaging 1,506 lbs. selling to Holly
Park Meat Packers for $90.
Chris Smith of Brussels,
consigned thirty-two steers
averaging 1,585 lbs. selling for an
average of $87.51 with five limousin
steers averaging $1,610 lbs. selling
to Dominion Meat Packers for
$89.75.
Robt. D. Burnett of Denfield,
consigned six steers averaging 1,415
lbs. selling for an average of $89.10
with five red steers averaging 1,442
lbs. selling to Dominion Meat
Packers for $89.25.
Russel Fox of Granton, consigned
one black steer weighing 1,350 lbs.
selling to Norwich Packers for
$89.25.
There were 220 heifers on offer.
Ed Court of Mount Hope,
consigned five heifers averaging
1,378 lbs. selling for an average of
$91.44 with one red heifer weighing
1,430 lbs. selling to Dominion Meat
Packers for $96.
Corgercrest Farms of Seaforth,
consigned seven heifers averaging
1,361 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.70 with one simmental heifer
weighing 1,420 lbs. selling to
Dominion Meat Packers for $94.
Robt. Stewart of Mount Forest,
consigned forty heifers averaging
1,330 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.24 with one black heifer
weighing 1,310 lbs. selling to Holly
Park Meat Packers for $91.25.
James Martin of Kenilworth,
consigned twelve heifers averaging
1,291 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.36 with two red heifers
averaging 1,313 lbs. selling to
Norwich Packers for $91.25.
John Brubacher of Lucknow,
consigned three heifers averaging
1,167 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.14 with one limousin heifer
weighing 1,205 lbs. selling for
$91.25.
Don Wilhelm of Stratford,
consigned six heifers averaging
1,342 lbs. selling for an average of
$86.20 with two limousin heifers
averaging 1,255 lbs. selling to
Norwich Packers for $88.75.
Gerald Rathwell of Brucefield,
consigned nine heifers averaging
1,288 lbs. selling for an average of
$87.36 with one charolais heifer
weighing 1,355 lbs. selling for
$88.50.
Terry Murray of Clifford,
consigned five heifers averaging
1,218 lbs. selling for an average of
$86.26 with one white heifer
weighing 1,375 lbs. selling for $88.
Bill Scott of Harriston, consigned
eight black heifers averaging 1,347
lbs. selling to St. Helen’s Meat
Packers for $87.50.
Knechtel Farms of Gadshill,
consigned eleven heifers averaging
1,435 lbs. selling for an average of
$86.84 with seven red heifers
averaging 1,434 lbs. selling for
$87.25.
There were 327 cows on offer.
Export types sold $45 to $55 with
sales to $56; beef cows, $45 to $55
with sales to $61.50; D1 and D2,
$42 to $49; D3, $35 to $42; D4, $30
to $35.
Steve Gowing of Arthur,
consigned three cows averaging
1,173 lbs. selling for an average of
$54.53 with one limousin cow
weighing 1,070 lbs. selling for
$61.50.
Larry Reinhart Sr. of Mildmay,
consigned two cows averaging
1,615 lbs. selling for an average of
$51.52 with one limousin cow
weighing 1,620 lbs. selling for $58.
Klaas Steenbeek of Varna,
consigned three cows
averaging 1,653 lbs. selling for an
average of $54.18 with one holstein
cow weighing 1,735 lbs. selling for
$56.
There were 13 bulls on offer
selling $53 to $61 with sales to
$63.50.
David M. Bauman of
Holyrood, consigned one white bull
weighing 1,510 lbs. selling for
$63.50.
John Breimer of Parkhill,
consigned one black bull weighing
1,510 lbs. selling for $61.50.
There were 191 head of veal on
offer. Beef sold $95 to $110 with
sales to $115; good holstein, $75 to
$85 with sales to $90; medium
holstein, $60 to $70; plain holstein,
$50 to $60; heavy holstein, $68 to
$72 with sales to $76.
Lamar Frey of Listowel,
consigned five veal averaging 690
lbs. selling for an average of
$111.26 with one limousin
heifer weighing 700 lbs. selling for
$115.
Ivan M. Martin of Elmira,
consigned six veal averaging 715
lbs. selling for an average of
$105.05 with three crossbred heifers
averaging 718 lbs. selling for an
average of $110.50.
John Martin of Lucknow,
consigned eight veal averaging 748
lbs. selling for an average of
$105.66 with one black steer
weighing 735 lbs. selling for $115.
Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $270 to
$370; 50 - 64 lbs., $254 to $325; 65
- 79 lbs., $187 to $352; 80 - 94 lbs.,
$185 to $217; 95 - 109 lbs., $181 to
$190; 110 lbs. and over, $123 to
$184.
Sheep sold $54 to $85 with sales
to $167.50.
Goats: kids sold $50 to $90 with
sales to $100 per head; nannies, $70
to $145 with sales to $160 per head;
billies, $200 to $300 with sales to
$380 per head.
Top quality stocker steers under
400 lbs. sold $88 to $138.50; 400 -
499 lbs., $105 to $132.50; 500 - 599
lbs., $97 to $133; 600 - 699 lbs., $97
to $124.75; 700 - 799 lbs., $92 to
$107; 800 - 899 lbs., $82 to $107;
900 - 999 lbs., $80 to $97.75; 1,000
lbs. and over, $87 to $97.
Top quality stocker heifers 300 -
399 lbs., sold $98 to $128; 400 - 499
lbs., $103 to $136.50; 500 - 599 lbs.,
$97.50 to $112; 600 - 699 - lbs., $88
to $112; 700 - 799 lbs., $86.50 to
$105; 800 - 899 lbs., $87.50 to $99;
900 lbs. and over, $85 to $95.50.
One-size-fits-all food inspection
regulations could prevent local
consumers from buying the
products of local farms, a
community forum on local food
heard last week.
Kevin Green of Green’s
Meat Market in Wingham, one of
four panelists at the meeting in
Wingham, March 25, told of the
conflicting regulations his
abattoir had to deal with
following the BSE crisis
when the federal government
declared that spinal cords and
other “specified risk
materials” (SRM) had to be
removed from all cattle more then
30 months of age.
As a provincially-inspected
plant Green’s was originally given
a set of rules by the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs
(OMAFRA) and told those
were the standards that
must be met. To deal with those
regulations they had to write up
protocols on how meat would be
handled.
But having met provincial
rules they then were told by the
Canadian Food Inspection
Agency that the provincial
regulations weren’t good
enough. They had to change all the
drains on the kill floor so that no
material larger than four
millimetres could get through the
drain cover.
“We’ve tried to keep up with
the regulations,” he told an
audience of about 80. Once a
year the plant gets an audit by
provincial officials then it gets
another audit by a combined
federal-provincial team. After
passing all those audits for three
years, they suddenly were told that
the drains didn’t meet
requirements. They were told they
had seven days to get the repairs
made or they would not be allowed
to process animals on their next kill
day.
“If we don’t kill on Tuesday, we
lose a week,” Green said.
He expressed frustration that
the Canadian government insists
that all SRM from animals
30 months or older must be
removed and disposed of by
Canadian packers, but allows
imports of meat from American
packers who aren’t required to
meet the same standard. With an
additional cost of $50-$60 per head
for removing and disposing of
SRM, Canadian packers cannot
compete. Nearly all these older
cattle are going to the U.S. where
packers don’t have the extra
expense. Meat from U.S. packers is
then sold on the shelves of
Canadian supermarkets for 34-40
cents a pound less than meat from
Canadian plants that must meet the
higher standards.
Years of having to invest to meet
ever-increasing food safety
standards has thinned the ranks of
local abattoirs in recent decades.
While Green has been able to
afford the changes needed to meet
the regulations, he worries about
the higher costs he has to charge to
farmers who get him to process
their animals. “If it costs $400 to
kill, cut and wrap a $1,000 animal,
it might set food safety back 30
years,” he said, worrying that some
farmers might decide to do their
own butchering instead of paying
inspected plants to do the work.
Green disputed the perception
that federally-inspected plants were
more trustworthy than the
provincially inspected plants that
supply most local butcher shops.
“Most of the rules I follow are as
a result of something that’s
happened (gone wrong) in a
federally-inspected plant,” he said.
Federally-inspected packing
plants are generally high volume
with the inspector getting only a
few seconds to inspect a carcass as
it goes down an assembly line,
Green said. In his plant, the
provincial inspector has 10-15
minutes to inspect each carcass.
Lucknow-area farmer Tony
McQuail said he has been direct
marketing meat from his farm for
30 years and that his farm’s success
is directly tied to local abattoirs.
“We’re very, very happy with local
plants,” he said, and that OMAFRA
needs to design protocols scaled to
the size of the operation, not based
on high-volume plants.
It’s important for farmers that the
alternative of local processors
remains, he said “If we’re going to
preserve the future for the next
generation (of farmers) we need to
preserve the food processing
capacity at our local community
level.”
Panelist Paul Klopp said the
pressure for unrealistic regulations
was present within OMAFRA
when he served as parliamentary
assistant to Elmer Buchanan, as
minister of agriculture in the 1990s.
His personal experience actually
working in an abattoir helped him
challenge officials on the need for
stiffer rules, he said.
He understood why ministers
were intimidated into going along
with tighter regulations, Klopp
said. “As someone who was there,
it scares you. You’re told that
someone could die.”
But he urged the audience to get
in touch with Huron-Bruce MPP
Carol Mitchell, who is also
minister of agriculture for Ontario,
and Ben Lobb, MP for Huron-
Bruce.
“If you think it’s a stupid law,
you have to go to the people who
made the law,” Klopp said.
He suggested Mitchell should
create a task force of people who
work in the small abattoir business
and know what’s going on and give
them the power to shape the rules
that ensure food safety while
remaining reasonable for small-
volume operations.
Also taking part in the panel
were George Stevers of the Perth
Oxford local of the National
Farmers Union and John Beardsley,
farm journalist.
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
TUESDAYS
9:00 a.m.
Fed Cattle, Bulls & Cows
THURSDAYS
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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:
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UPCOMING SALES
2010 SPECIAL SPRING SALES
STOCKER SALE
IN LIEU OF GOOD FRIDAY
Saturday April 3
Sale starting at 10 am
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Monday, April 19 & May 3
Sale starting at 10 am
Food alternative in danger through over regulation