The Rural Voice, 1983-04, Page 25FARM MARKET PERSPECTIVE
even more bugs under greenhouse con-
ditions.
AND DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE COW
THAT CAME BACK? Scientists knew
that pigeons and cats have an incred-
ible homing instinct, but were as-
tounded to hear about the travelling
pregnant heifer. Sidney Krafston of
Geneva, Florida, sold her to a rancher
35 miles away, and delivered her to his
barn on a Sunday morning. By Monday
night, the 800 Ib. animal had plodded
through driving rain, crossed highways,
forded streams and gone over fences,
to return to Sidney's place.
them fattened faster, and "sent them to
town earlier" than normal. She said that
since upcoming summer supplies
should be slightly less than last year,
prices should bottom soon and rise into
summer. Another analyst, Joe Kropf of
Livestock Business Advisory Services in
Kansas, termed expansion as "only
moderate". By the time this article is
released, the USDA report measuring
hog and pig numbers will have told
readers whether these analysts are
right.
CATTLE ON FEED REPORT KEEPS
MARKET FIRM: Ontario and U.S. cattle
prices have trended higher for weeks. A
report from the U.S. government on
March 14th did not change the trend. It
indicated that as of March 1st, the
number of cattle being fattened in
feedlots of 7 major states was up 11%
from one year ago. That supply increase
would seem to point to lower prices,
however the report also showed a sharp
decrease in the number of cattle placed
on feed during February. Bob Kuhn, of
Merrill Lynch in Chicago, said the
decline was due to bad weather in
Texas and Nebraska. "They didn't want
to place cattle into feedlots that were
filled with snow and mud," he said.
Also, winter wheat growers were plac-
ing feeder cattle on idled PIK acres
instead of pouring the grain to them.
OATS: NO BONANZA THIS TIME! In
1982, many growers made money on
milling oats, as prices delivered into
Quaker at Peterborough were $200 per
metric ton. Quaker contracted so many
oats that some still haven't been used
up. This year, they will want fewer oats,
and they have lowered prices according-
ly, to $152 per metric ton, delivered
Peterborough. This backs off the farmer
to the $125 to $127 per tonne area,
according to a local dealer. ($1.92 to
$1.97 a bushel.) The price refers to
milling oats, which must be 14%
moisture, free of contamination, and of
acceptable test weight. This does not
refer to feed oats.
HUMAN INTEREST: AN EYE ON THE
POTATO...Scientists at Cornell Univer-
sity in New York State have cross bred
the potato we know and love, with a
hair covered species that grows wild in
Bolivia. They hope to develop a bug -re-
sistant potato plant that will reduce the
reliance of growers on chemical pesti-
cides. All parts of the plant that grow
above ground are covered with tiny
hairs, some of which support pouches
that release a sticky substance. Bugs
get caught in the glue and die. In field
trials, the crossbred plant killed 40 to
60% of the aphid population. It killed
PUREBRED
YORKSHIRES & LANDRACE
Bred gilts
Boars
R O.P. Tested
r
sr
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Bluevale, Ontario
Don Henry tis -S_' 1(�
Bob Richardson t t - t'f,rt
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Call:
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THE RURAL VOICE, APRIL 1983 PG. 23