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The Brussels Post, 1979-02-21, Page 5THE BRUSSELS POST, FEBRUARY 21, 1979 ,5 bp, 41 WHAT'S THE BID? — There were more than three little pigs on offer here as. Lloyd Wheeler showed the livestock to prospective buyers. WHERE DID THEY GO? — No, Al Brecken- - ridge didn't lose the cattle. They had merely wandered out of the picture to the other side of the ring. (Brussels Post Photo) Brussels stockyards continue to expand I DON'T KNOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK? — The two gentlemen in the left-hand corner of the picture seemed to find something amusing at the cattle sale as John Duskocy herded the cattle in front of prospective buyers. • 1 (Brussels Post Photo) BY DEBBIE RANNEY Every Friday, County Road 16 just east of Brussels holds more than its fair share of traffic. The reason for this increased traffic flow lies within the big green buildings located I about a mile outside of Brussels. These are the Brussels Stockyards which have been • functioning in Brussels for close to 21 years now. The stockyards have been growing steadily and have just built a new pig sales arena. Bruce McCall is among five other men who own the company and he operates it as manager, treasurer and trouble shooter. It was in 1970 that Mr. McCall • and company 'purchased the Stockyards and during their period of ownership have increased the undercover capacity from 1,000 cattle to 1500 cattle in addition to the new stocker barn with a capacity of 600 head,- The new owners also changed the name of the business to the Brussels Stockyards Ltd. In 197Q their volume of pig business ranged from 250 to 500 pigs. Then they found that their space for pigs was inadequate so in the spring of 1975 they' 'purchased a neighbouring business from Ernie Bach and turned his facilities into pig sales, giving them more volume for both pigs and cattle. "The new facilities for feeder pigs increased our volume where we could go to 2,000 pigs and by the middle of 1978 we, discovered that this was not sufficient and of course the new addition to the pig barn will now put our capacity from 2500-2800 pigs," Bruce McCall says. Pigs are delivered to the stockyards from as far north as Chesley, west to Kincardine south to Exeter and east to Fergus. DIRECT FROM THE FARM "We have specialized in farmers' pigs so that our buyers realize that they have come direct from the farm to go to the buyer's feeding facilities to finishing. "We were the first people in this area to s'art weighing pigs. However, we do not sell them by the pound. This is only to inform both the seller and the buyer of the weight of the pigs being marketed," Mr. McCall says. "The price is really established on quality and is only guided by the weight," he added. The new facilities for the pigs are temperature controlled since pigs unlike cattle, need warmth. "Maybe one of the reasons we feel it ' (the pig part of the operation) has been successful is that Urias Weber who is in charge of the pig barn has a good knowledge of pigs Mr. McCall says. SEPARATE The facilities used for marketing the cattle are Separate from the pig sales and the stockyards specialize in both finished cattle and the marketing of feeder cattle. "Consequently a farmer can be selling his fat cattle and on the same day step over to our feeder ring and purchase his replacements," Mr. McCall explained. Mr. McCall explains the stockyards this way: "Our operation is the auction method of selling all types of livestock including fat cattle, feeder and stocker cattle and feeder pigs. COMPETITIVE "We thinly believe in auction selling because it places the product on compet- itive buying. In other words, people compete to buy it. And price is established on mainly the quality and the trend of the market that particular day." Everything auctioned is on a consign- ment basis. Mr. McCall says there are basically three ways of selling cattle: private barter; either live or op a dress basis to ship directly to the plants on an agreed price; or to place them on an auction type of market like the Brussels Stockyards where the buyers compete to own them. Quite naturally, Mr. McCall likes his way best. PROMPT PAYMENT "At our type of market the producer or farmer receives payment immediately after they're sold whereas in other types of, marketing they may wait several days," he said. One other advantage is that if the producer doesn't feel the price is adequate ke still has the privilege of buying the livestock back, which Mr. McCall said seldom occurs. Mr. McCall said that the auction selling method had always established a true price and that was why so many people were interested in the prices being obtained at the Toronto Stockyards or all other stockyards selling by this method through- out the country. When first started, the business was called Brussels Livestock Limited and owned and operated by Hugh Pearson and Jack Bryans. After Hugh Pearson sold his shoe business the two men bought what had been farm and was later to become one of Brussels' bigger industries. Jack Bryans says there was a great rush to get things going and there were a lot of people working there the night before it opened. The stockyards opened the first Friday in May of 1958. "I suppose the fact that it was well supported indicated that people wanted a sales _barn , " Mr. Bryans said. From the outset, the stockyards sold both pigs and cattle although the general concensus was that it would never go. In January of 1961, a portion of the stockyards the cattle barns - were partially burned in a fire but Mr. Bryans credits the excellent Work of the Brussels and Grey Fire Departments for saving the offices and the sales ring. In fact, the fire only caused them to miss one sale he said. Mr. Bryans says that ,one thing they were proud of was that although they didn't keep livestocsk under lock and key, nothing except trivial things ever disap- peared which Mr. Bryans believes was a credit to the trustworthiness of area people. In the fall of 1977, Brussels Stockyards Ltd. opened a new stocker and feeder barn to handle western cattle, mainly k from Alberta and. Saskatchewan and at times a few loads out. of British Columbia. These cattle are sold privately during the week to fill orders given to the stockyards by their customers. The new facility for cattle was opened to provide better customer service, and today Mr. McCall says the majority of their privat :ely sold cattle are being vaccinated, implanted with growth hormones and treated for lice if the customer so wishes. But Friday - sales day - is the big one at the stockyards. That's the day they operate threeFeparate rings - one for pigs in the separate facility and two rings in the cattle barn - one for slaughter cows for the packing plants and the other for all weights of feeder and stocker cattle which are purchased by the producer. Through inflation and increase in volume Mr. McCall says sales have increased from $9 million in 1970 to $34 million in. 1978. As sales have increased and facilities have expanded the stockyards also now have a bigger staff than when they started out in 1970. They have gone from a staff of 21 men and four women to 42 people who work for them on Fridays plus four boys who come in on Saturdays to clean the barns. This includes 34 men and 8 women. Through the rest of the week only five people work there. ECELLENT STAFF Mr. McCall said they vvere fortunate in having an excellent staff. "Our office staff consists of ladies who all have a farm background and have superb knowledge in the value and handling of livestock," he added. Mrs. Marie McCutcheon has been in charge of the office staff, bookkeeping and troubleshooting since 1970. Mr. McCall, himself has a diversified background. He was a cheese and butter maker in the hamlet of Embro for 20 years. He also operated a beef farm and fattened cattle with a feed lot. After the Brussels business ' was pur- chased in 1970 Mr. McCall 'also kept operating his beef farms and commuted the 60 miles from Embro every day. After finding the 60 miles a little too much to handle he decided to sell the farms and put his full time into the Brussels Stockyards. The company Mr. McCall is part of decided to purchase the business here after having their accountant do a study on it and after he recommended they purchase it. Besides the men who handle the pig,. Mr. McCall also gives a lot of credit to the six men who grade the cattle and set them up for the sale. WELL QUALIFIED "All are well qualified for the job. The men we have employed for the Friday sale are either farmers or farmers' sons and are well qualified in the handling of livestock. "That's what I put a lot of our success to. And they work well together. The success. of any company definitely depends on its employees and their co-operation," Mr. McCall said. He enjoys the challenge his job presents. "We have seen good times and bad times in both the cattle and pig business and I feel the farmers are a courageous group of people to deal with. "They are optimists. They have to be optimists because they operate without any guaranteed income and I think they have great faith in what they're doing. And there's no other business where so many dollars exchange hands on word of mouth," he said. "A successful farmer has always been an honest man and a very shrewd businessman," he added. Mr, McCall considers the Brussels area to be good territory and believes it has Some of the best farmland in the province. It's something, to remember when driving past those big green buildings just off County Road 16. Within those *ails are the livestock that represent the successful fanner and the successful businessman.