HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-09-16, Page 17F arm
Livestock report
Steady demand
on fed cattle
The sales at Brussels Livestock
for the week ending Sept. 11 were
fed cattle, 758; cows, 189; veal
calves, 202; lambs and goats, 177;
stockers, 1050; and pigs, 221.
The market at Brussels Livestock
saw fed cattle selling on a steady
demand with cows $2 lower. There
were 594 steers on offer selling
from $87 to $90 to the high of $94.
Thirty-six steers consigned by
Gerald Geisel, Elmira averaging
1421 lbs. sold for an average of
$88.10 with sales to $94 purchased
by Star Brand Packers.
Fifty-two steers consigned by W.
B. Pletch Co. Ltd., Rockwood
averaging 1225 lbs. sold for an
average of $88.59 with sales to
$93.75. Forty-nine steers consigned
by Cunningham Farms, Lucan
averaging 1306 lbs. sold for an
average of $87.92 with sales to
$92.75. Seventeen steers consigned
by Doug Gear, Orton averaging
1366 lbs. sold for an average of
$89.63 with sales to $92.60.
Seventeen steers consigned by
Howard Martin, Brussels averaging
1266 lbs. sold for an average of
$87.51 with sales to $92.
Twenty steers consigned by
Alton O'Neil, Lucan averaging
1303 lbs. sold for an average of
$87.55 with sales to $91. Twenty-
four steers consigned by Glen
Johnston, Bluevale averaging 1273
lbs. sold for an average of $87.07
with sales to $90.75. Ten steers
consigned by Jim Howatt,
Londesborough averaging 1286
lbs. sold for an average of $87.73
with sales to $90.75. Two steers
consigned by Earl Geisel, West
Montrose averaging 1455 lbs. sold
for $90.60.
Nineteen steers consigned by
Maple Ridge Farms, Brussels
averaging 1213 lbs. sold for an
average of $87.77 with sales to
$90. Twenty-five steers consigned
by Murray Sheill, Wingham
averaging 1367 lbs. sold for an
average of $86.25 with sales to
$90. Fourteen steers consigned by
Schmidtbrook Farms, Woodstock
averaging 1386 lbs. sold for an
average of $86.64 with sales to
$88.75. Thirteen steers consigned
by Dale and John Taylor Farms,
Creemore averaging 1204 lbs. sold
for an average of $84.65 with sales
to $86.75.
There were 157 heifers on offer
selling from $85 to $88 to the high
of $89.25. Two heifers consigned
by Gavin Clarke, Dundalk
averaging 975 lbs. sold for an
average of $87.88 with sales to
$89.25. Thirty-six heifers
consigned by Delton Bearinger, Mt.
Forest averaging 1132 lbs. sold for
an average of $85.69 with sales to
$88.30. Two heifers consigned by
Irvin Scherbarth, Nfronkton
averaging 1105 lbs. sold for an
average of $87.24 with sales to
87.75.
Eight heifers consigned by Joe
Zettler, Walkerton, averaging 1055
lbs. sold for an average of $86.20
with sales to $87.10. Eight heifers
consigned by Ron Kestner,
Mildmay averaging 1049 lbs. sold
for an average of $86.09 with sales
to $86.75. Twelve heifers
consigned by Russel and Paul
Little, Arthur averaging 1054 lbs.
sold for an average of $84.14 with
sales to $86.40.
There were 189 cows on offer
selling from $53 to $57.75 to the
high of $62.50. Seven cows
consigned by Victor Knapp,
Hanover averaging 1096 lbs. sold
for an average of $56.90 with sales
to $62.50. Five cows consigned by
Verkley Enterprize, Atwood
averaging 1202 lbs. sold for an
average of $52.51 with sales to
$58.75. One cow consigned by
John and Joan Grubb, Hanover
weighing 1350 lbs. sold for $58.75.
There were 202 veal on offer
selling from $78 to $96 to the high
of $114. Six veal consigned by
John Schwartzentruber, Brussels
averaging 643 lbs. sold for an
average of $80.67 with sales to
$114. Five veal consigned by
Wayne Brown, Monkton averaging
548 lbs. sold for an average of
$91.56 with sales to $113. Nine
veal consigned by Doug Marriott,
St. Marys averaging 586 lbs. sold
for an average of $90.52 with sales
to $108.
Lambs: 50 - 79 lbs., 80.00 -
94.00; 80 - 109 lbs., 60.00 - 77.00;
over 110 lbs., 67.00.
There were 221 pigs on offer: 20
- 29 lb., sold to a high of 50.50
cents per lb.; 30 - 39 lbs., to a high
of 51.75 cents per lb.; 40 - 49 lbs.,
to a high of 51 cents per lb.; 50 - 59
lbs., to a high of 51 cents per lb.;
80 - 89 lbs., to a high of 55 cents
per lb.; and 90 - 99 lbs., to a high of
55 cents per lb.
There were 1050 Stockers on
offer. Steers: 400 - 600 lb. sold
$105 to $120; 600 - 800 lbs., $90 to
$105; and over 800 lb., $75 to $90.
Heifers: 400 - 600 lbs. sold $95
to $112; 600 - 800 lbs., $90 to
$100; and over 800 lbs., $80 to
$90.
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16,1992. PAGE 17.
Stable funding should help
farmers tackle other issues
There are many more important
issues in farming this summer than
the stable funding issue, Carl Sulli-
man, Chief Executive Officer of the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
told about 50 OFA members in
Londesboro Thursday night, but
stable funding will help general
farm organizations tackle those
issues better on behalf of farmers.
Mr. Sulliman said while looking
at farm press and community news
papers this summer, one might get
the impression there is only one
issue in farming: the plan to require
all farmers earning over $7000 to
register and pay a $150 annual reg
istration fee which would support
three general farm organizations
(GFOs). There are many, many
issues of importance to farmers
these days, he said. He pointed to
the Nov. 4 meeting of the OFA
with the provincial cabinet, one of
the few groups to meet with the full
cabinet. Farmers' interests lie not
just with the Ministry of Agricul
ture but with many other ministries
such as Environment, Municipal
Affairs, and Revenue.
There is the Environmental Bill
of Rights where it needs to be
pointed out that farmers were the
first environmentalists, the only
people whose family lives in the
workplace. He pointed out the gov
ernment gives grants of up to 85
per cent to municipalities for
sewage treatment, yet some farmers
produce more manure than a small
town and get very little assistance
for manure management.
The concerns of farmers over the
annexation of a huge rural area by
the City of London must be put to
the cabinet. Suddenly farmers who
aren't even included in the land
taken up, on the rural side of the
new boundaries, find themselves in
an urban setting. There are many
other such requests for annexations
on the Minister of Municipal
Affairs' desk, he said.
There is a tremendous amount of
work to be done in acquainting all
ministries of the concerns of farm
ers, he said noting there are no
farmers in the cabinet of the NDP
government, nor in the leadership
of the opposition parties. Urban
groups are much closer to the
MPPs and without a strong selling
job by organizations like OFA,
their agenda will be more likely to
be heard by government, he said.
Because so much work needs to
be done to tell the farmer's story,
stable funding for OFA, Christian
Farmers Federation of Ontario and
National Farmers Union. The
GFOs need the resources to get the
word out that the agri-food industry
is the second largest industry in
Ontario, that one in six jobs in
Ontario depends on it. "I challenge
any farmer anywhere to debate me
if they think they can get a handle
on all these problems on their own
(without a GFO)."
There is a greater and greater
corporate concentration in food
processing, he said. While the
European Community is committed
to the family farm as the basic agri
cultural unit in the food industry,
there isn't a single word anywhere
in any Canadian document on agri
culture that makes the same com
mitment here. "We’re up against
some very powerful interest groups
with a lot of money," he warned.
The Canadian family farm just can't
be allowed to slip away.
He said he had met with groups
opposed to stable funding and
argued with them and been sworn
at. But the critics are wrong, he
said. "They're just wrong. There
has never been a time when farmers
have needed their voice strength
ened more than right now."
So much of the energy of OFA
Carl Sulliman
Farmers have a story to tell.
members has been used going up
and down concession roads trying
to convince their neighbours to
join, he said, and that energy could
be belter used solving the problems
of the farmers. "We've used up so
much lime and so much energy
telling our own people the story
that we don't have time and energy
to tell the story to people whose
decisions arc going to impact on
agriculture."
Agriculture is all that's keeping
the economy of rural Ontario alive,
he said. "If the people we do busi
ness with didn't have our money,
this place would be an unmitigated
disaster zone." But agriculture is in
just as much trouble as any of the
industries that seem to grab the
headlines and attention of govern
ment more easily, he said.
Looking across the audience he
acknowledged the hard work many
of those present had put into their
organization over the years. "I
know you're weary and I know
you're tired but you still have to tell
the story. This county is as big as it
gets (in agriculture). This is numero
uno."
Recalling the feeling of unity
between farmers at the Ottawa
march in February where nearly
40,000 English and French speak
ing farmers marched side by side
down the streets of Ottawa he said
farmers were brought together by
the common worry: "I'm scared".
Urban Canadians must be made
to see that the alternative to food is
starvation, he said. "Most people in
the world understand that. For
some reason Canada doesn't."
Farmers are not seen as integral to
survival, he said. "I don't care if
you're a rocket scientist, you've got
to eat."
To those who worried that with
stable funding OFA might become
Continued on page 18
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