HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Rural Voice, 1993-10, Page 49Advice
the board office for payment prior to
May 31, 1994.
For direct delivery, producer must
pre -register with the Wheat Board
before delivery. This must be done at
least seven days before delivery;
longer notice is encouraged.
Contracts must be renewed annually.
Growers must contact the receiver
(processor or elevator) directly.
Direct delivery applies only to Pool
C.
Pool F
Grades 1, 2, 3 and is also the only
pool for feed grade red wheat. The
feed grade discount is $25 per tonne.
Final payment will be considerably
less than pools B and C due to higher
costs for trucking and elevation.
Initial payment this year will be $91
per tonne, less $1 per tonne licence
fee. The wheat board will pay for on
farm storage as shown under Pool C.
This pool will go to the terminal or
the processors. This is the only pool
that accepts uncertified grain (i.e. no
sales memo from previous fall
required).0
Bill Stevens
Soil & Crop Advisor, Essex
Cow -calf operators
are you ready
for the roundup?
As the days get shorter and the
evenings cooler, the pastures start to
run out and it's time to plan for
roundup and to discuss marketing
options. Marketing calves that took
nine months to generate and six to
seven months to grow, should be
more than just a decision based on
your work schedule or when it snows.
Let's review some marketing
strategies.
1. Have you produced what the
market demands? Do you have a
uniform group of steers and heifers to
offer? If not, a conscious effort
should be made when planning your
next breeding season.
2. Select the sales facilities that tend
to draw buyers for your breed and
type of calves.
3. Have you processed the calves
while still on the cow? This alleviates
a lot of stress and weight loss. Studies
also show that very early dehorning
and castration under a month of age
can add between 10 and 20 pounds at
weaning. Some buyers will discount
male calves by five cents a pound.
4. Have your calves had the
opportunity to adjust to dry feed and
drink from water troughs or bowls?
This is a great asset for the feedlot
operator who relies on cattle coming
up to eat and drink as an indication of
health status.
5. Can you sort your calves into
desirable lots? If that one off-colour
calf is the same as the one from last
year, perhaps it's time to give its dam
a one-way trip to somewhere south.
Or if that 200 pound late summer calf
has to be sold separately, should its
dam be sold as well? Can you justify
keeping a cow that generates $300
per year? Plus it will probably take
three to four years to get her calving
with the rest of the herd.
5. Have you made arrangements to
take individual weaning weights of
your calves? Weighing services are
still being provided by local weigh
clubs and also unsupervised weights
are eligible for processing under the
Beef Herd Improvement Program.
Weighing your calves is an excellent
opportunity to measure the
performance of individual cows and
compare the production of sires
within your herd. Given the usage of
E.P.D.'s in the beef business, all
purebred breeders need to be
weighing. If you are a commercial
producer, the cost of weighing at $1
to $2 per calf goes a long way in
offsetting the loss from keeping low -
producing cows around.
The cow -calf business needs to be
managed like a business, if it is to
provide a reasonable return to the
owner. Businesses do not survive
solely on production but rather on a
combination of production and
financial management, resource
utilization and marketing
management. The opportunity for
reasonable returns rests with the
operator, not just to the market place!
Cheryl Russworm
OMAF Farm Management Specialist
News
New program to
assist farm families
to diversify
The move to help rural Canada
diversify continues, with the
announcement of The Canadian
Rural Opportunities Initiative by
Charles Mayer, Agriculture and Agri -
Food Minister and Minister for Small
Communities and Rural Areas.
The program, announced August
31, just days before the election call,
provides $25 million over three years
for counselling, training and business
development to assist farm families
to increase and diversify their
incomes.
The program will target families
with below average incomes and
farms not large enough, or not readily
expandable, to provide a reasonable
income from farm operations alone.
The program was developed by
the federal government with input
from provincial ministries, farm
groups and other interested parties.
Federal and provincial governments
will co-operate in delivering the
program.0
Huron County
Replacement Heifer
Development Project
Development of replacement
heifers for the breeding herd is one of
the major challenges facing beef
producers. Lifetime productivity of
beef breeding females can be
increased by calving at two years of
age. An extra 330 pounds of calf on
a lifetime basis from heifers calving
as two -year-olds versus three -year-
olds was shown in research from
Oklahoma. For local producers,
often space or feed is not available to
develop replacement heifers
properly.
To help producers develop better
replacement heifers, the Huron
County Replacement Heifer
Development Project is being set up.
Weaned, vaccinated heifers will be
grown on a nutritionally balanced
OCTOBER 1993 45