HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-05-11, Page 14Page 14 Times-Advocate, May 11, 1978
Television helps beef men get a better deal
By Keith Roulston
Television has become the
newest weapon used by
farmers to seek a better deal
for themselves in the
marketing of cattle.
Video tape recordings of
market cattle are now being
used by the Ontario Beef
Exchange, a marketing
company set up by six Bruce
county beef producers.
Harvey Davis, head of the
exchange (OBEX) told
members of the Huron
County Federation of
Agriculture Thursday night
in Belgrave that the tapes
give cattlemen a chance to
sell the way any other seller
does, on his own property.
In the past he said, the
farmer has been at a
disadvantage because he has
had to load up his cattle and
take them to a community
auction or ship them to
Toronto at considerable
expense and with resulting
stress on the cattle. If he
didn’t like the price offered,
he had little choice but to system allows a farmer to
sell. keep his cattle on the farm
But OBEX’s video tape while buyers in Toronto bid
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WINS RIBBON — Former Epp Homes employee, Barbara
Hamon, returned to Exeter Sunday to show Timothy, who*
took top honors as best of breed in the Lhasa Apso division.
He wore barrettes to keep his hair in place prior to the
judging. Staff photo
on them. If he likes the offer
he can sell. If he doesn’t he
can wait until the next week.
Mr. Davis explained that a
farmer wanting to sell cattle
through OBEX would list the
cattle with the exchange at
the end of one week, the
truck with video tape
facilities would be sent out to
photograph the cattle from
front, side, rear and an
overall shot then the tapes
are taken back to Toronto
where they are on view to
buyers from all packing
houses.
On the Thursday of the
second week OBEX
telephones the farmer with
the top bid and the farmer
either accepts the bid, or
holds the cattle over for offer
again the next week. If he
accepts the bid the cattle are
then shipped to their
destination where OBEX will
have them weighed before
being processed at the
packing house. The cattle
can be listed by live weight,
carcas weight and grade and
yield.
There can be up to 11 bids
on the cattle, Mr. Davis said,
and OBEX usually gets at
least five, About 95 per cent
of the 35,000 head sold in the
first nine months of
operation have been sold on
the first listing.
Because of the danger of
bankruptcy on the part of a
packing house, Mr. Davis
says, OBEX is bonded and
guarantees payment to the
farmer with 48 hours. OBEX
started out making a charge
of $3.75 per animal, he said,
but now with the use of ex
pensive videotape equip-
Name new camp officials
The board of directors of
Camp Menesetung would
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Stoves, Washers, Dryers, Dishwashers,
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Television Repair to all makes. (Used
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ment, has increased the
charge to $4 for heifers and
$4.50 for steers. This is still
very competitive or lower
than other methods of
marketing, Mr. Davis
claimed.
Because of the expense of
the videotape truck’s travel,
small lots of cattle a con
siderable distance from
Toronto are not taped but are
listed and sold by dressed
weight.
He said the concept of
videotaping the cattle has
been received well by buyers
and some packers are set
ting up their own playback
units tq use’ the OBEX tapes
in their own plants.
Mr. Davis said that while
the success of OBEX has
been encouraging, the six
partners must get more
listings to make it a viable
operation. “If we can get to
the point where we handle a
minimal part of the cattle
trade in Ontario then there
will be a spinoff effect in the
entire industry,” he said.
In other business, the
Huron Federation passed a
resolution that would ask
that a deposit of 50 per cent
of the value of the product be
placed on the glass container
for any soft drink or liquor
sold in glass bottles. It was
noted that the damage done
on farms by broken glass is a
major problem to farmers. It
was hoped that a high
deposit would make people
think twice before hurling
bottles out the windows of
speeding cars into ditches or
farmers’ fields.
Another, resolution passed
called for farm implement
manufacturers to be com
pelled to put a second point
of attachment on farm
equipment. Farmers
complained that while the
law says they must have a
second method of at
tachment when towing ‘ a
piece of farm equipment,
there is often no place to
make the attachment.
Paul Ross was present
representing the Clinton
merchants to urge farmers
to take advantage of the
opportunities to sell produce
through the Clinton Farmers
market. Tony McQuail said
there will also be a farmers
market in Lucknow this
summer.
A CHAMP — Former Exeter resident, Don Kirk, and his wife,
Marion, are the proud owners of Muffin, a Yorkshire terrier
who is a Canadian champion. The Kirk's, from Rexdale, had
Muffin at the dog show at the rec centre, Sunday, and had to
watch that no one stepped on the animal. It was one of the
smallest dogs in the show, but a bright purple polka dot rib
bon helped to make him easier to see. Staff photo
Clean Up
Quick
Pig manure may
be future energy
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that meets your needs.
Methane from swine
manure may be an alternate
energy source for the future,
but it is not practical for
most producers now.
That’s the opionion of Dr.
Jack Pos, School of
Engineering, Ontario
Agricultural College in
Guelph, who is currently
working on methane
research.
Methane gas is produced
when manure, mixed to near
liquid consistency with
water, is allowed to decom
pose in an airtight con
tainer. This digesting
process is made possible by
the action of bacteria in the
absence of oxygen.
Dr. Pos says that while
the technology to produce
methane gas exists at the
present time, ready-made
systems are not available.
Capital costs for a typical
300-gallon per day digester
can range from $10,000 to
$20,000.
In addition to cost, storage
of the gas poses problems
and can be hazardous under
certain conditions.
Funded by a research
grant from the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food, Dr. Pos is designing a
methane digester for the
new swine research
facilities at the Arkell
Research Station near
Guelph. During the next
three years, he will be look
ing at the efficiency of
methane digesters and the
utilization of the gas as an
energy source.
Methane digesters, used
on a limited basis after
World War II in Europe,
Asia and Africa, employed
manure and crop wastes to
produce an alternative
source of energy.
The future of methane as
an alternative source of
energy in Ontario will de
pend on the availability and
cost of other types of fuel.
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Secondary School Teacher,
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children. She directed
Parents Without Partners
camp last year. She is active
in the United Church in
Fullarton in the U.C.W. and
C.G.I.T. groups.
The Board feels most for
tunate in obtaining such
qualified persons to direct
our summer programmes.
Camps this year will fall
on the following dates:
Junior Girls and Boys, Ages
9-10, July 23 - July 29,
Intermediate Girls and
Boys, Ages 11-13, July 30 -
August 5, Senior Girls and
Boys, Ages 13-15, August 6 -
August 12, Parents Without
Partners, August 13 - August
18.
If anyone is interested in
attending one of these
camps please phone 482-3231
or 524-7943 for further infor
mation and registration
forms, or ask any United
Church Minister.
like to announce the appoint
ment of Directors for the
1978 camping season. Mr.
and Mrs. John Patterson
will co-direct three of the
United Church Camps at
Camp Menesetung and Mrs.
Lloy Grose will direct “The
Parents without Partners’
at the same camp site.
John and Nancy Patterson
live in Palmerston and have
three children. Nancy is an
experienced school teacher
and youth leader. Some of
her special skills are in
music, singing and craft
work. John is a school prin-
cipal experienced in
counselling and youth work.
Some of his hobbies include
lay preaching, wood work,
model trains and sailing.
Both Nancy and John are
very active in the
Palmerston United Church.
Lloy comes to Camp
Menesetung from Fullarton.
She has had a wealth of ex
perience and training in
camp leadership. A former
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CAMP DIRECTORS — John and Nancy Patterson have been
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