The Rural Voice, 1986-06, Page 91r
NEWSLETTER - Rainy River Federation of Agriculture
Box 416, Emo, Ontario POW 1E0
Highlights from Rainy River
Crop Check North, a testing
ground to determine the grain and
forage varieties most suitable for
the Rainy River District has open-
ed for a second year. Considering
the extremely adverse weather con-
ditions the first year, the results,
although not definitive, suggest
that western cultivars may be more
suitable for the area than southern
varieties as recommended by
OMAF for Ontario.
The preliminary report of the
"cheese factory" study which was
commissioned by the local milk
producers is back. This report is
negative and disappointing. One
would think $17,000 would have
been better spent on a local consul-
tant who would have researched
local conditions rather than a
Toronto consultant who must have
done most of his research at the
OMMB offices. OMMB seems to
feel that the way to handle Rainy
River milk shippers is to apply
discriminating rulings to them and
squeeze them out of business, ie:
southern producers can bid on MS
Quota on the exchange but north-
western producers cannot. This is a
very real threat as Rainy River has
no meaningful input to the board;
for instance, there are 11 southern
representatives and one northern
representative. Even the northern
representative is not producing
under the restrictions that govern
northwestern Ontario. Given the
criticism of marketing boards now
in vogue, one would think the
board would do well to not
discriminate against any of their
producers — or is the OMMB only
responsible for southern Ontario?
Our representative from the
Beekeepers' Association reported
the Acrine mite problem has
restricted local beekeepers from
importing U.S. bees. Current
stocks are coming from New
Zealand and farmers report higher
costs and weaker colonies. This is a
particular problem in northern On-
tario and the prairie provinces
because it is extremely difficult to
overwinter bees and new colonies
must be purchased every year. In
the prairie provinces however,
beekeepers can still purchase U.S.
bees at considerable lower cost.
Local apiarists believe that the
bush country between Sault Ste.
Marie and Thunder Bay is an ef-
fective barrier against the
transmission of mite infestations
to southern Ontario. They are
disappointed that the government
didn't recognize the logic in in-
cluding northwestern Ontario with
the prairie provinces in continuing
to allow the importation of U.S.
bees.
Sale Cancelled
The Rainy River Cattlemen's
Association had planned their Se-
cond Annual Spring Livestock Sale
but it was cancelled due to lack of
entries. The shortage of livestock
for sale is just one more effect of
the lack of feed which resulted
from the wet, cold summer of '85.
Many farmers shipped cows and
feeder cattle to match their reduc-
ed hay crop. It is estimated that the
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beef cow population has shrunk by
15 per cent to 20 per cent — per-
manently.
The RRCA is planning the in-
stallation of a new, larger weight
scale at the sales yard to allow cat-
tle to be weighed into the ring. A
recent study recommended this
change as a major one in improv-
ing the local sale.
Rainy River Bull Test Station
held an open house on April 5 and
the Annual Bull Sale was on April
12 at Stratton. Prices were poor
and a large percentage of the bulls
were not sold.
Because last summer was very
wet and cool, hay supplies were
not as large as hoped for and some
hay was brought in from
Manitoba. District Farmers learn-
ed that forage insurance is really
only drought insurance and has
nothing to do with the amount of
hay produced; too cold to grow
and too wet to harvest doesn't
count. As a result of the hay shor-
tage, the depressed cattle market
and the large number of cows
which have been shipped for
slaughter, several producers have
sold out completely. Farmers are
hoping that the Minister's task
force on crop insurance will spawn
a more meaningful forage pro-
gram. Perhaps representation on
the commission could be better
distributed across the province.
An information meeting is being
held for cattle producers at the end
of May to discuss the northern
feeder sale study and the beef
stabilization program as well as
holding a vote on the refundability
of the OCA check -off.
The Rural Women's Network is
planning a "TIME OUT" Con-
ference for late November. The
idea is to take a little time out for
ourselves, to share ideas, gather in-
formation, and have some fun.
Workshops will include:
• When to call the vet.
• Looking after yourself.
• Family and property law.
• Small business management —
setting up the home office, basic
financial records
• Quick make-up and fashion
tips.
The Farmers Market has opened
for its second summer. After a suc-
cessful start up last year we look
forward to another good season. __