The Rural Voice, 1978-06, Page 16525,000 in per diem payments and mileage
for committee members. The publicity
budget is the largest amount with 526,247
set aside for that item plus 5900 for
committee expenses. Land expenses are
estimated at $21,600 with members of the
committee getting another 51600 for
expenses.
The total for administration, including
$6,575 for member expenses is 523,725.
The ladies program budget is 516,430,
including $1650 in member expenses.
Health and water costs will total $10,525.
The two other major expenses are the
costs of tents for the tented city at $11,485
and parking at a cost of $11,200.
Other expenses in the budget are
antique and historic displays costing
57,200, bands and parades, 53,850, a
banquet costing 58,113, billeting 51,200,
demonstrations costing 5500, farmstead
and home improvements 53000, flying
farmers $4,450, gates and tickets 58,180, a
lounge costing 5500, a 51,300 luncheon,
special events 55,395, team and horse
show 52,550, a tractor costing 54,700,
traffic control 5800, a trailer park 52,150,
and wagon tours $7,400.
County clerk Bill Hanly told council that
the plowing match committee submitted
the budget request -and guaranteed the
money would be returned to council coffers
after the plowing match. He said the
money financed the operations of the
committees up to the September opening.
Ontario Beef Exchange
uses television
as selling tool
STAFF REPORT
Television has become the newest
weapon used by farmers to seek a better
deal for themselves in the marketing of
cattle.
Video tape recordings of market cattle
are now being used by the Ontario Beef
Exchange, a marketing company set up by
six Bruce county beef producers. Harvey
Davis, head of the exchange (OBEX) told
members of the Huron County Federation
of Agriculture May 4, in Belgrave that the
tapes give cattlemen a chance to sell the
way any other seller does, on his own
property. In the past he said, the farmer
has been at a disadvantage because he has
had to load up his cattle and take them to a
community auction or ship them to Toronto
at considerable expense and with resulting
stress on the cattle. If he didn't like the
price offered, he jiad little choice but to
sell.
But OBEX's video tape system allows a
farmer to keep his cattle on the farm while
buyers in Toronto bid on them. If he likes
the offer he can sell. If he doesn't, he can
wait until the next week.
Mr. Davis explained that a farmer
wanting to sell cattle through OBEX would
list the cattle with the exchange at the end
of one week, the truck with video tape
PG. 16. THE RURAL VOICE/JUNE 1978.
facilities would be sent out to photograph
the cattle from front, side, rear and an
overall shot then the tapes are taken back
to Toronto where they are on view to
buyers from all packing houses. On the
Thursday of the second week OBEX
telephones the farmer with the top bid and
the farmer either accepts the bid, or holds
the cattle over for offer again the next
week. If he accepts the bid the cattle are
then shipped to their destination where
OBEX will have them weighed before
being processed at the packing house. The
cattle can be listed by live weight, carca4s
weight and grade and yield.
There can be up to 11 bids on the cattle,
Mr. Davis said, and OBEX usually gets at
least five. About 95 per cent of the 35,000
head sold in the first nine months of
operation have been sold on the first
listing.
Because of the danger of bankruptcy on
the part of a packing house, Mr. Davis
says, OBEX is bonded and guarantees
payment to the farmer within 48 hours.
OBEX started out making a charge of $3.75
per animal, he said, but now with the use
of expensive videotape equipment, has
increased the charge to $4 for heifers and
54.50 for steers. This is still very
competitive or lower than other methods of
marketing, Mr. Davis claimed. Because of
the expense of the videotape truck's travel.
small lots of cattle a considerable distance
from Toronto are not taped but are listed
and sold by dressed weight.
He said the concept of videotaping the
cattle has been received well by buyers and
some packers are setting up their own
playback units to use the OBEX tapes in
their own plants.
Mr. Davis said that while the success of
OBEX has been encouraging. the six
partners must get more listings to make it a
viable operation. "If we can get to the
point where we handle a minimal part of
the cattle trade in Ontario then there will
be a spinoff effect in the entire industry."
he said.
In other business, the Huron Federation
passed a resolution that would ask that a
deposit of 50 per cent of the value of the
product be placed on the glass container
for any soft drink or liquor sold in glass
bottles. Another resolution calling for
machinery manufacturers to be compelled
to put a second point of attachment on farm
equipment was also approved. It was noted
that the damage done on farms by broken
glass is a major problem to farmers. It was
hoped that a high deposit would make
people think twice before hurling bottles
out the windows of speeding cars into
ditches or farmers' fields.
Another resolution passed called for
farm implement manufacturers to be
compelled to put a second point of
attachment on farm equipment. Farmers
complained that while the law says they
must have a second method of attachment
when towing a piece of farm equipment.
there is often no place to make that
attachment.
Paul Ross was present representing the
Clinton merchants to urge farmers to take
advantage of the opportunities to sell
produce through the Clinton Farmers
market. Tony McQuail said there will also
be a farmers market in Lucknow this
summer.
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