The Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-11-25, Page 4lige 4 •- Lucknow Sentit►r.Ia Wednesday, November 2Sa 1998
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Share . your memories
,with our rdaders
by Pat Livingston
Each year, staff at The Lucknow Sentinel put togeth-
er a'special Christmas section. It contains greetings
from area businesses and submissions from local school
children and ministers.
This year, we'd like to add to the edition by including
your childhood memories of Christmas. You don't have
• to be a budding journalist to write this, Simply start off
your submission with, "When I was. little:.."
We'd: love tohear from anyone your age doesn't
.matter, Please share your precious, memories from
Christmases past with, our readers. Send. them to.
"Christmas", c/o The LUcknew. Sentinel, Box 400,
Lucknow, NO0 21I0, or drop them off in, person at our
office at 619 Campbell Street. Thedeadline is Dec. 11.
Firearms egui*
come. ; :. cf .
In view of new firearms
regulations to be effective
in 1999, Blake. Evans
compiled; the; following
cants of information'.
vans isan
instructor/examiner •of .the
Canadian Firearms Safety
Course and Ontario
Hunter Education Course, °
Firearms. Acquisition.
Certificate •
'Valid for five yearrs - may
eiepire without penalty -
needed to acquire a
firearm; (includes borrow•
ing)..Do not require��an
FAC to'sell a' firearm . .
*.turn to page 5 •
Pork industry
eserves su o
Dear e
Anothditor:er. busy farm season iecoining,to a 'close with
some variable yields^ Like all things in farmingand
ether business you have goad years and you have bad
ones. History teaches us that with markets what goes up
does come down. With the current pork market the same
thing is happening. What concerns me though is that the
current price trough we are in isfar deeper than anyone
could have realistically predicted. Currently a market.
hog sold this week, will net a farrier about $65. The
same pig brought about $150 only six months ago.
Now I know what. you're .thinking, Jody you just said
what goes up thrust come down. True enough and all
farmers realize that also, The problem is, historically
speaking, prices on the way down meant $90 not $651.
What does $65/hog mean to the average farmer? Well, at
$90 you, may (if you are an aver-
age producer) lose $ 10per hog
Businesses can generail`y
stand small losses for a short
period of time, The problem
with $6S market price is that the
average farmer ends up losing at least $35/hog and on
some units, that equals- thousands or tens of thousands of
dollar: per week, The current price trend is downward
and we are heading for the Christinas season a time of
historically poorer prices.. After which we are into
January' to April where. prices usually skid sideways
until the. srittann t barberto,.seasun.. TJie bottom line is it
would: not be a• leapt for predict • current. prices will skid
lower and remain there for at least four to six months.
As a lifetime pork producer, I know that producers
vi7>Ill go bankrupt andlose their farms if the current price
situation continues. Now I know the stereotype of the
drying farmer warning of doom, and gloom if markets or
weather keep going against them (this hasn't helped us
in the past), but 'guess the difference this time is that I
am certaim six months of current'prices will put farnmers
out.of business. They donn'thave to go lowers or even last
two months to.see some producers lose everything.
Farmers are your neighbours; your hockey coach,
your churchh reader and, your community leader. Farmers
and the farming industry are the leading eeonomie
engine in Huron County.' Without fanners youdon't have
grocery stores, arenas, churches or small villages (there
are no large cities in Huron County).. •
As a province and country, agriculture is a primary
industry, A primary industry like fishing and forestry
produce raw goods that are value added, developed and
trucked all over the World. Agriculture is 'a primary
industry that yields $7 in .commerce for every $1. of
gross farm income. That is an untold and: unseen benefit
we all rely on for economic survival. Over 640,000 pee.
pie arc directly employed because of agriculture itt,
Ontario, .
If 50,perr•, cent: of the pork pro-
ducers in this province go.
bankrupt you will notice ,it in ^
your life. . •
The major reason.'I
write todayis to question our
provincial government that is sitting by idly doing noth-
ing as. this whole market scenario is played out.,
Everyone else" is taking their Buts and reediting no help ,
from the government, why should pork producers be any
different?'
Farmers realize we are under fiscal restraint. the . .
prohlentt is Quebec producers. have a current flogr pric-
ing arrangement with their gcivertime% that sees them ,
receive, no less than $120/pig, Qur friends in the U.S.
Will also be receiving' some government assistance (his-
tory tells usthey always do). go our farm neighbours "
aren't receiving any government help but are expected to
produce a top quality product thatwill emplcy.thou-
sands. of people'(maybe even you) and do it for the Next
four to six months at +huge'losses? It won't happen and
• even if they do come through the downturn they ,will, be
• at•a tremendous competitive disadvantage hi the glebe]. .
10 years ago,
Nov. 16, 1988
he. grad'uating.
class of 198$ at
F.E.: Madill was
honoured at the coin•
rrrencement ceremony in
WingEarn recently;
Among those called,, :to
the stage .during' the
evening were these
Ontario. Scholars' from
Lucknow: Tony
tingri;ch, Christine
•Simpson,. Amy Pollard
and Brian. ' > Reav ie.
Congratulations tfolks.
the village is' iroud' of
you•
20 years ago,
Nov. 22,1918
t.. Helens Farms
tookthe. premier
Sheep Breeder and
Premier.Sheep Exhibitor
tanners at the Royal.
Agricultural Winter Fair
inToren to for the see-
' and year in a row.
Hugh and; .Wayne
Todd, 11.,R2 Lucknow,
won various trophies and
championships, during
the event.
They ' received the
Royal .Bank, Award. and.
the ' Fred " Hampton
Trophy for
„Champion
M a'r:k'e:t
Lwritb.
F o r.
breed-
, ing, stock h,
showing
Southdowns,.
,they took first'and
second for 'yearling
rams; second; and third
for yearling. ewes; sec-
`end and fourth for ram
lambs; first .arid second
for ewe lambs: as 'well -as
the Breeder . and
Exhibitor ribbons.
•
Percherons:; place at
Royal• - Erie. Hackett
and sons, Tinct and
Kevin. RR3 Lucknow,
showed their Percherons .
at the Royal Winter.Fair''
in Toronto,. placingwell
in a strong 'competition -
of entries . from Canada,
and the United States,
They .won third for a
one -'year-old
stallionie
a ' class
of. 10;;
S .e; v
enth:
fol a
two-year-.
old -filly in 'a
class of 15;•third'
and fifth ',fot,''a throe -
year -old filly in a class if
nine and fourth' on three
, get ofsire' in a class, of
Sevens:
Sa years ago,
Nov. IS, .1948: .
of The Sentinel,' but it
becomes a. must in the
`face of daily hydrointer-
captions: and the .uncer-
:tainty of fatare service.
Entirely dependent on
hydro for heat, power.
Ind, adequate. ,light,• riper
ations at The Sentinel
C1;ffice are completely
halted with each cut-off.:
\V?'orsestill, the metal:`pot
ort the Linotype '"freezes
.up" with each shut=off
'and' after ', power is.
restored it takes another
hour for the.,lead.to melt
to permit the use of the
machine.' `
The tnunieipall
garbage colleetion ser-
vice in Lueknow will be
• ended this week for the
winter months, to be
resumed again in the
arty . copy is. spring,
always. important ..
(ivy; •the publishing. ,
marker.
What can you; .do? .Calf ' your MP or .MPP and ask
there what theyare doing tq help?.
After,explaining the current market situation along.
with the.priee six '.months _ago, one would.' assume gro
cert' stores and meat counters ini„ght be lowering, prices,
because• the.raw product is'so•nxueh cheaper for them to
purchase:' Not a chancel. Weavers• are still. $3/package
and, bacon is. still, $4. 'Sonncone,is: taking, a fat Cut in
between and it sure,i.sn't the farmer .or..small abattoir: it's:
thc'.rrapidly consolidating -greedy store chain.
Asmuch as that is hard truth many of. you May expect
' farmers to swallow,; consider. this. If fanners lose their
farts to bankruptcy many large barns .wen.'t..go empty..
Corporations will take thein over. Do you.•think "you'11
get the satire quality ffeed•for Less:that` 12 per cent of
your disposable income (tie: current situation). I doubt.
it, Question your meat manager about the price drop and.
ask him where (or when) the prieedrop will be felt' or
seen at the retail level.. My guess is he'll pass that along:
to. another person or complain about ;'the past pork price.
.When -pork prices .traded in historical ranges this Answer
May nave cut, but current prices, (.which will probably' go
lower before the new year) are unheard of..,
= As. consumers you--deservea, break Take dine to 'call
your MP, MPP or meat manager.
.. ,As farmers we need to take action now Please take .
the timer to'call your NIP or" MPP pan d plan to join other
pork industry partners on a rnareti to Queen's Park,
Tuesday, Dec, 'l J. Cath your local director for more details •
*and be there!;
Our pork;industry deserves the. support.
• ' Jody Durand,
^ , Zurich;: