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The Brussels Post, 1979-03-14, Page 5A FULL HOUSE — The Royal Bank had a good crowd when it sponsored a farm meeting at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre on Thursday. (Brussels Post Photo) I I I . I Name Addivag Post Office '666 1/i6.' -minty -616 The—magazine for the whole farm family the rural • owe The farm magazine especially for Bruce, Huron and Perth counties * THOUGHT PROVOKING FARM STORIES * THE LATEST RURAL NEWS * SPECIAL SECTION FOR THE YOUNG FARMER * FAMILY PAGES WITH YUMMY LOCAL RECIPES * COLUMNS, PHOTOS, FREE WANT ADS and much much more Only $34" for 12 issues. inCanada OR $5 FOR 24 ISSUES in Canada SEND NOW TO .1111 1•101..i 10.11•Ali mem. num.' The Rural Voice Doi 10 4 Blyth O Yes, I'll subscribe 0 I enclose SIN for 1 year 0 I enclose $5.00 for 2 yrs. 0 Bill nie. I I I 1 I I I Active market here The market at Brussels Stockyards Friday was very active with all classes of fat cattle trading higher, cows were steady, pigs traded easier. There were 893 cattle and 2043 pigs on offer. Choice Steers - 83.00 to 86.00 with sales to 86.90. Good Steers - 80.00 to 83.00. Sixteen steers consigned by John M. Perrie of Brus- sels averaging 1153 lbs. sold for 86.90 with his 30 steers averaging. 1196 lbs. selling for an overall price of 86.60. Five steers consigned by Clarence Ritchie of Lucknow averaging 1264 lbs. sold for 86.00 with his lot of 13 steers averaging 1163 lbs. selling for 85.80. Fourteen steers consigned by Murray Forbes of Clinton averaging 1032 lbs. sold for 86.30. Two steers consigned by Maple. Emblem Farms of Dungannon averaging 1315 lbs. sold for 86.35 with their 26 steers averaging 1182 lbs. selling for an overall price of 85.70. Thirteen steers consigned by Earl Cox of R.R.2, Goderich averaging 1123 lbs. sold for 85.80 with his 35 steers averaging 1120 lbs. selling for an overall price of 85.67. Fifteen steers consigned by Henry Farms of Blyth averaging 1124 lbs. sold for 85.80 with their 30 steers averaging 1182 lbs. selling for an overall price of 85.45. Seven steers consigned by George Adams of Wroxeter averaging 1235 lbs. sold for 86.50 with his 19 steers averaging 1259 lbs, selling for an overall price of 85.43. Seven steers consigned by Earl Fitch of Wroxeter averaging 1108 lbs. sold for 85.30 with his lot of 12 steers averaging 1126 lbs. selling for 85.20. Six steers consigned by McKerchar Farms of R.R.1, Dublin averaging 1145 lbs. sold for 85.70 with their lot of 12 steers averaging 1186 lb., selling for 85.20. Three.heifers consigned by Bob Hastie of Gorrie averaging 1056 lbs. sold for 83.90. Two heifers consigned by Mac Armstrong of R.R.2, Teeswater averaging 1115 lbs. sold for 83.00 with his lot of 5 heifers averaging 1006 lbs. selling for 82.05. Keep up with beef cycle, farmers told in Brussels THE BRUSSELS POST, MARCH 14, 1979 1— BY DEBBIE RANNEY The outlook for the beef industry ana other commodities provided the forum for a farm meeting held by the Royal Bank in the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre on Thursday. Ralph MacArtney, beef specialist from the Ontario Ministry of Ariculture and Food (OMAF) in Clinton urged beef farmers to retain more heifers for breeding. He told farmers that the most important thing in the cattle cycle was to keep abreast of "where you are in the cattle business." He explained that as the supplies of the product increase, generally ,the product on the market exceeds demand and prices drop , so that producers cut back supplies to the point where the price increases again. He said there was a'cycle in the beef business about every 10 or 12 years. "We had the biggest calf crop in 1975 and you have to keep in mind that from the time the cow is bred till the time the calf goes to market it's about three years later and it's really difficult to make any market projections," He said. He said the market started to decline in 1975 and as the years progressed fewer and fewer cattle were available for feeding. He said many people in Canada kept their cattle so that they were fairly old when they got to market whereas United States cattle were selling fast and farmers there con- tinued to replace them. "Hopefully this year we'll start to see some people retain heifers for breeding," he said. • He added that the problem with the beef cycle was that people tended to over react. TOO HIGH "We always get supplies too high or as the situation is now, too low. Likely in the next f ew years, prices will improve a bit," he said. Now, heavy cattle are returning to the feedlots for more feeding whereas a couple of years ago these cattle • ; went to slaughter. Suggestions he made to improve the beef cattle market situation included budgeting, making sure feeding programs were going to get the cattle off to market quickly, and hedging replacement feeder catle on the futures market next fall. Another problem he noted in the beef industry was that out in the west there was a lot of cheap barley but here the cattle had to be fed pretty expensive corn and silage because of a reduced yield. Improvements he suggested in raising beef cattle were balanced ration of feed, alternative feeds, using implant and rumasin and getting faster gain to minimize cost. For people not sure they wanted to stay in the beef business he suggested. Alternative methods of farming such as getting into the feed business or diver- sifying, "I think it's an on going decision that everybody has to make," Brian. Little from the Agricultural De- partment of the Royal Bank's regional office in Kitchener showed a film and discussed how some risks involved in farming including production and yield risk and weather could be eliminated. Some of the suggestions made to eliminate or control risks, provided with a word of caution, were: for production and yield risk--selecting, do what you do best; diversify your business, avoid adding inefficient enterprises, maintain flexibility using low-risk production practices, in- vesting in extra machine capacity, negotiating lease arrangements, maintaining resource reserves, maintaining a crop insurance program, obtaining additional information on live- stock and crops. SUGGESTIONS Suggestions made for controlling business and financial risks were to: maintain adequate liquidity, have longer repayment periods on loans, leasing strategy, incorporating parts or all of the operation to limit risks, and obtaining more accounting information. In controlling technological risks, the suggestions were to maintain flexibility-- eg. shorter lived assets, lease rather than purchase, keep yourself informed of the latest property insurance, for social and legal risks-maintain a libility insurance program and keep informed of the new regulations of the law and for human risks--plan back-up managements, plan for the possible loss of an employee, maintain an insurance program and estate 'planning. All these things depend on the farmers, resources, goals and objectives and at- titude. ' OUTLOOK Mr. Little also gave the outlook on pork, dairy, poutlry, and cash crop farming. He said the pork industry looked pretty good until the end of this year anyway and that there had been a lot of expansion in Ontario by people committed to the industry. He said it looked like the dairy industry had stabilized during the past nine months. He said the broiler people had seen the gap - in the meat business because of higher prices so that they increased their quotas and made quotas available. Cash crops such as corn and soybeans look really good for next fall, he said. "I' would say agriculture is about the brightest thing on the whole horizon in the economy right now," he said. "We have to have food production. The • problem is to convince the consumers to pay a reasonable price," he added. ANNOUNCEMENT Doug Kirkby and Ron M .cCallum of Walton with Bill McClure of R.R. 1 Seaforth, are forming a partnership known as !UMW; McCALLUM Et McCLURE DRAINAGE Having purchased a new Z or drainage plow and laser grade system in August last year, We plan to combine modern eqUipnient and experience in the installation of farm drainage systems: Dikett inquiries to tiOug Kirkby McCallum Bill McClure 887-6428 887.6550 527,0989,.