HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1990-03-14, Page 32PAGE. 12 FAM PHOGRESS I
Farmer predicts shakedown for pork industry in next decade
by ins WNW*
SLEY Farming is a life of
cycles-4here sate valleys and pecks, but
for pig more
topee y, of pi to
y
:-i :. 1 thue in the 01 cycles
otbeet farmers.
Athe recent Oreytlruee Farmers'
In ChefleY, Port producers listen-
ed to fellow farmer John Player of the
Stratford area as he. related his ex-
periences in dealing with the cyclical end.
of his bus s.
Player and his brother, who had never
farmed, turned to the lamp in 1975 when
they left • their 9 to 5 jobs; and each
bought 50 -acre farms in 1979.
Times were so tough linanciallY, he
said, that four . people were working off
the farm to make the tion g"
t
the early 19003, forced young farmers
to do, he said, vas keep concise records
and forced the brothers to be as efficient
as possible. -
Today, the brother crop 250 acres.:
They sold a 50 -acre parcel to,the city of
Stratford and turned around and bought
another 200 acres. Their equipment and
land is debt free, but, still, 1909 :was a
tough' year. They lost ,$18,000 .on their,
weaner operation. The Players run a
herd of 300 sows and .sell wearer pigs..
- Theiryears in farming, Player told
farmers, was "basically trial and er-
ror....there was nobody to bail us out." -
They succeeded at ,farming, from know-
ing little about agriculture, because he.
said they became information gatherers.
Still,' Player is frustrated at the low
return on investment.
"Last year we lost 'a pail of
money...418,000 in the first nine months.
The industry is in a sad state of affairs."
He said he wouldn't what to guess what
their financial sshape would be if they had
'JOHN PLAYER
Pork Producer.
money borrowed against the land and
machinery, He said the pork industry is
in• for a major shakedown.
He 'also said it's frustrating that On-
tario slaughtering pilar s could not loll the
0,1
N
*Burns 1 bushel per
day average (f3.00)
*No Chimney Required
(Vent)
*24 Hour Fuel Capacity
*Emissions Do Not Har
• the Environment (CO2)
* Free Standing or
Fireplace Insert
*Corn Furnace, Boiler
and Pool Heater coming
this Fall!
SAVE MONEY...:
HURON COUNTY CORN. STOVES
SALVERDA BROS.
SALES AND SERVICE
Cali John 527-1929 or Ed 482-3106 R.R. #1 Londesboro
f, 'OM tan ge. Rea g.
WON bogs ow week. In Jimmy, when
more t $1,101 hogs aro n nualy
in a week,
slaughtered
producers can't make
lime now, he sold he �o
fanners will ever be able to compete
with the US., "when they can run pigs
outside to farrow.,,
Afterwards, Past Kuntz, pork advleor
for Bruce County, with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and Food, said
producers have faced a year and a half'
of poor pry, The. problem has been
supply and demand. The industry, he
ie now seeing some levelling off.
Looting back over the 19008, Kuntz said
the decade was a levelling off period- in
pork production, • The number of pro-
ducers was reduced froth 1,100 to 090 in
the county, That trend was similar across
the pvince. It was a decade that saw
sharo
ll producers leave the industry.
Though producers are fewer, he said they
run larger operations.
The highest price reached for market
hogs was around 91 per pound in 1966.87.
The bottom fell out of the market in 1988.
where the same hogswere bringing
around .50 cents. •
As 'for the 1990s, Kuntz said it's
anybody's guess as td what ' will happen.
He said he foresees two types of pork
producers large farms or hobby farms.
There won't be 'many in between.
However; he said some Perth County.
farmers, made good money in farrow to
finish in the, 19808. The returns were
tiler, he said, and tripartite stabilization
•.helped.
l 1 yer said he sees' "a complete
shakedown" in the 1990e because the pro-
vince doesn't have the slaughter capaci-
ty. And prices, he said, "are ' at depres-
sion prices." •
Farmers who are debt free will pro-
bably *wive the lb, Player said. But
the eonsequtoce of *et, be said, is these
finas{�y�.s� won't be able to keep upgraded.
"We will aurvive on efficiency," he
saaki, but "0411. payback on investment
and work is pathetic. That won't change
until there is a major shake-up."
One idea, he said is to abolish the pork
nrarketing board "and go to private trea-
ty"
"Without a doubt it will be a roller
coaster decade,"
What saved the Player brothers last
year, he said, was they had a massive
amount of crop to sell. Without that, they
would have lost their business,
"1 consider our standard of living the
second worst m the country."
.,TREES
Quality Nursery Stock
MARCH SPECIAL
White Spruce (1. gal)
Reg. $7.25 SPECIAL $5.50
BAREFOOT. STOCK (8-d FT.)
* Maple * Ash • And Morel
CONTAINER STOCK
.• Norway Spruce • White Spruce
• Blue Spruce • Austrian Pine
• Cedar • And Much Moroi
Windbreak and landscape stock available.
Lam. Master
527-1750
R,R. 2 Seatorth
SCHMIDT'S FARM DRAINAGE
1990 LTD.
Specializing In:
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•BACKHOEING & BULLDOZING
FRANK FISCHER Phone
Harriston ' 338-3484
r.
00.
BDO " CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
WARD MALLETTE
offering a full rangeof services; audiiting,accounting, business Alum-,
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SCHMIDT'S FARM DRAINAGE
1990 LTD.
Specializing In:
•FARM DRAINAGE •EROSION CONTROL
•BACKHOEING & BULLDOZING
FRANK FISCHER Phone
Harriston ' 338-3484
r.
00.