HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-11-11, Page 5Lucknow " Sentinel, Wednesday, November .11, 8998 —1 Page 5
Impact could mean drastic changes for rural areas
• from page 4 •
than normal years, The yields and quality,
in many cases were better than expected,
but some were disastrous,
With all thisexcitement in the fields it
was difficult to notice what was going on.
with the pig prices. However this is even
more exciting. On June 22, 1998 a 235
pound finished pig indexing. 109 was
worth $157.45. After the crops were har-
vested, if the same hog were sold on Nov.
6, 1998 it would be worth $65.69. (This
includes a 20 per cent drop in the past
week.)
A farmer finishing pigs would have
paid about $50 for the weaner pigs and
spent $50 worth of feed on it. That does-
n't count hydro, interest, insurance, vet-
erinary expense, building and equipment
repairs, trucking, board fees, grading fees
and GST. (I hope I didn't miss anybody,)
At the grocery store, pork product's are
selling for the same price. in November as
in June! As a matter of fact, today the
dressed carcass" price is $.i 1/kg whereas.
in the store bacon is $7.18/kg, loin roast
is $11.00/kg, even shoulder roast is
$4.39/kg, I don't work in the packing
industry or the retail industry but I can
tell that these numbers don't add up. • .
A friend that does work in the retail
area tells me that there will probably be
more "specials" on pork and these will be
better bargains. The abattoir that 1.deal
with says pork halves, cut, wrapped and
frozen, could get down to $1.87/kg. The
message here is that consumers should
watch for these bargains and fill up their
freezers.
Meanwhile back at the farm, things
are almost as erratic as the rain has sum -
'nen So ,e pig fanners are losing a lot of
money and some are just losing some
money. A lot of pig fanners the last few
'years have followed the advice of the
"experts" (most of whom don't have a
cent invested, and get paid no matter how
wrong they are), that told them to expand
and supply the world with pork. It turns
.out the world can't afford all this pork,
and right now these farmers are in a lot of
trouble.
Some people reading this will say it
serves them right for being so greedy, and
in some cases they may be right.
However, in a lot of Gases those pig farm-
ers are the hard working, honest people
that you may see at the hockey arena
helping coach your, kids, or sitting on
your local council or doing volunteer
work for a local service club. They have
families to support and bills to pay (lots
of them).. They are involved in an. indus-
try that is being manipulated more and
more by forces that see the farmers and
their hard work as a potential source of
profit for themselves. in the USA, these
types of people have managed to make
many farmersalmost like slave labour
running contract barns.
Depending on, how long this price
slump lasts, these pig farmers are going
to need some help, The forecasters are
suggesting at least six monthsof these
prices. One producer suggested that a
month of these prices would put him in a
big enough hole, that it would take a year
of good prices to get out of that hole. Six
months would take him six years.
Meanwhile, he can look at the more
militant competition over in Quebec, they
are .sunnosedly guaranteed a floor price
unrpfy. DumQty
oM a weu
...So he looked 10 -tbePaper, *4 he circled: in pen;
The name of someonewho'd put, him :together again!
40.
Whether you needdtheservices "of a good masseur .or a
-competenthandyman, tum to our Classified pages for help.
There you just might, find the right specialist for the sob,
rightin your neighborhood, at a price. you tail; afford.
So take it from an "eggs pert" and; check the Classifieds first;
of $1.55. That's a lot better than $.71 (or
even lower).
My biggest concern is that if these pig
fanners are allowed to disappear or to be
taken over by large corporations such as
feed companies or foreign integrators,
thenthe local rural communities will
change drastically, for the worse,
David Linton,
RR2, Blyth
again from the Lucknow Sepoy Rodeo!
First to all the sponsors of the Lucknow
Rodeo, we could not have run a successful
rodeo without your help,
GOLD SPONSORSHIP: .. '
C & M Transport, Mayr -fair Restaurant, Lucknow- o -Op,
Lucknow Farm Supply, G & E Sales, Lloyd Johnston & Sons
Construction, Goderich Chrysler Jeep,; C.A. Becker & Sons
Farm Equipment, Green's Meat Market,
SILVER SPONSORSHIP:
S.B.L. Hodgins Hardware, Brindley Auction Services, Hamilton
Fuels, Mike Snobelen Farms, Thompson Feed, Nile Garage,
Pegg Construction, McDonagh Insurance, Bank of Montreal,
Huron Landscaping, Chisholm Fuels, Montgomery Motors,,
Everlasting Flowers, Willits Tires, Bluewater Carpet & Tile,
Video and Sub Shop, Brad Humphrey Carpentry, Reinhart
General Contractor, Dave Seabrook Excavating; Twolan
Enterprises, Country. Lane B 8E13, Martin Feed Mills, Elliot
Fencing, Maitland Welding & Machinery, Brussels Livestock,
Lucknow Village Market, Joe's Hard Lemonade, Grazier
Transport; Sifto Canada, Coverall Shelters, Spring Creek,..
Farms, Superior Propane, Snowden Insulation Fairview Dairy,
George Smyth Welding, Hackett's Farm Equipment.,
BRONZE 'SPQNSORSHIP
Kranenburgs Meat Market, Puddleducks, RA. Havens Electric,:
Porters Septic Tank Service, Dungannon Service Centre,
Kempton Construction; Cliff's Plumbing:
DONATIONS:
Thompson l;nvestments; Dungannon Custom Builders,
Langside Tractor & Auto Clinic, Brian Rintoul Auctioneer,
Lowry Farm System, Mark's Auto Body:
The Lucknow Rodeo Committee also had a lot of help from
service clubs Lucknow Kinsmen, Lucknow Lions, Lucknow
Agricultural Society, Lucknow Optimist, and •from the
Lucknow Legion and Lucknow 4-H Beef Club-
VOLUNTEERS:
lubVOLUNTEERS:
Without all the volunteers that give their time and energy or
supplied us with vehicles or trailers or anything we cameto
get or ask for, thanks.
Gary Austin; -Mike Snobelen, Ken, :& Fred. Phillips - A &„P' -
Farms, Brad Aitchison, Kevin .Hackett;. Brenda Gibson, James
Menary,, Margie MacPherson, Glen Falconer, Brad Curran,
• Allen Drennan,. Luke Drennan, Aaron Hackett, .Joel. & Jamie
Hackett, Tim Hackett, John Green, Donald Alton, Raymond,
Hunter, Jeff: Hunter, Matt Robinson, Chris MacDonald,' Steve
Pritchard, Janine. Smyth, . Traci Curran, •Tracey & Dan Londry,
Ron Snowden, Ross Lewis, Chris Irwin, Glen Gibson, Tom
Helm,' Bill 'Nelson, Larry Cowan, Mike Cowan, Lucknow; COC,
Scott'Hilgendorf, Pat Livingston, Sheila, Hunter, Sue Christie,
THANKS
From the, Lucknow Sepoy Stanipede'Comimittee p Teresa,'',
Holst` Ken frwin; Gord Hunt, Deb ;Murray, Linda Stanley, Nancy
Hunter: A great big thank -you to Ab . Murray. for the ,property,
that was donated to the Lucknow Stamppede. ,Without you Ab,
this would.: not;have .happened. Thanks Ab.„
Teresa