HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-12-09, Page 19THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9,1992. PAGE 19.
Local mills paying good price for low-quality corn
By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot
There's good news and bad news
for com producers out there.
The good news is that fanners
will be getting a much higher return
on their yield over last year, even if
the com is low-quality.
The bad news is many farmers
won't be able to get their com off
the field.
If you can sell your corn this
year, you stand to make approxi
mately 60 cents more per bushel
over last year, say local mill busi
nesses.
As of last week, Howson and
Howson in Blyth was paying
approximately $3.01 per bushel
compared to $2.40 last year. The
Londesboro Co-op mills were pay
ing $3.04 per bushel compared to
$2.34 last year.
Crop Insurers
lay out rules
Com with a bushel weight below
48 pounds will be eligible for
destruction, says Peter Illnyckyj of
the Canada-Ontario Crop Insurance
Program.
At a late November meeting in
Holmesville, he told hundreds of
com producers the rules regarding
the releasing of com.
He said com will be released for
destruction if, upon a visual inspec
tion, it is deemed totally ruined due
to frost or immaturity.
If it's visually acceptable, releas
ing will be determined by bushel
weight with anything under 48
pounds destroyed.
Mr. Illnyckyj said no matter how
high the moisture content, corn
weighing more than 48 pounds per
bushel will not be destroyed.
Many farmers will be depending
on crop insurance this year but not
all in the county are covered.
Brian Hall, a Farm Management
Specialist with OMAF in Clinton
says approximately 55 per cent of
the estimated 200,000 acres of com
in the county is covered. This per
centage includes the acres of com
that have already been harvested
for com silage.
The percentage of com producers
who aren't covered are likely those
with small acreages says Clinton
insurance broker, Peter Roy.
"Many farmers have the attitude
that a com crop is impossible to
lose," said Mr. Roy. 'They're hesi
tant to put crop insurance on com
because they didn't see a need for
it. This year will probably change a
lot of minds."
Those who have insurance and
were given permission to release
their com should start seeing initial
payments in January, says Mr. Hall.
It usually takes four to six weeks
after the claim is registered to
receive a cheque.
This year's payout has been
called "reasonably good" by Huron
County Corn Producers Associa
tion treasurer, Bob Down of RR 1,
Hensail.
"Insured farmers will get some
relief with the $2.83 per bushel pay
out from insurance," he says.
"That's reasonably good consider
ing the farmers in Essex and Kent
counties got only $2.02 last year
when their crops failed due to
drought."
Brussels Livestock
to hold goat sale
Continued from page 18
$110; and 900 and over, $89 to
$102.
Heifers: 400 - 500 lbs., sold $100
to $115; 500 - 600 lbs., $95 to
$108; 600 - 700 lbs., $94 to $105;
and 800 and over, $87 to $102.
On Saturday, Dec. 12 Brussels
Livestock will be holding their
Christmas Lamb & Goat Sale.
Higher prices are being paid even
though this year's crop is Grade 4-5
com (com is graded with Grade 1
being top quality and Grade 5 poor
est quality). Last year's was Grade
1.
Unfortunately, many farmers
won't be able to get their crop off
the field thanks to one of the worst
growing seasons in recent history.
Lack of sun and heat combined
with abnormally wet conditions
meant corn didn't have time to
mature and dry. Some of that com
is now rotting in the fields.
"Moisture levels north of Hwy 8
are between 45 and 60 per cent,"
says Brian Hall, a Farm Manage
ment Specialist with OMAF in
Clinton. "Com south of Hwy 8 is
between 30 and 50 per cent."
The big worry now for farmers,
who will be attempting to harvest
now or in the spring, is mold.
"Com is rotting in the field," he
states. "The crop was questionable
before but now the worry is deteri
orating quality."
However, he believes there will
still be a market for harvested com.
"Some producers will be able to
use it for feed provided it isn't rot
ten or really moldy," he says.
Hog producers will have to be
very, careful and test the feed to
make sure it is acceptable but cattle
will generally be able to handle it,
he added.
Despite the problems with this
year's growing season, the com has
only slightly less energy and pro
tein than previous years, says Mr.
Hall.
"The big difference is in bushel
weight," he says.
That's what local elevators are
finding as well. "The further north,
the lighter it gets,’ says Tom Jarrett,
manager of the Londesboro Co-op.
"Protein is one percent lower than
normal. Normal is 8.9 per cent and
this year it is 7.8 per cent."
The high moisture content of the
com makes drying difficult.
"There are two varieties of com
and if you dry one, it stays yellow
but when you dry the other it turns
black because the sugar hasn't
turned to starch yet," says Mr. Jar
rett. "It doesn't matter what kind of
dryers you use because if it's not
mature it will turn black."
Howson and Howson elevator
operator Paul Kerr says the end
product from drying just isn't good.
"It's as light as feathers and does
n't make very good feed," he says.
Both elevators are facing demand
problems in that local supply can't
meet local demand. Therefore, both
are importing com from the south
ern counties of Kent and Essex who
have a good com crop this year.
Both men say inevitably, they'll
have to import com from the Unit
ed States to meet demand.
The corn crop situation will
undoubtedly have an effect on the
already beleaguered economy of
the county.
"It's going to have a serious
effect for some lime to come," says
Bob Down, treasurer of the Huron
County Com Producers Associa
tion to which approximately 2000
farmers are members.
"If farmers don't have money to
spend, they won't spend it and that
affects all farm-related businesses,'
he says.
Peter Roy of Peter Roy Insur
ance Broker Ltd. in Clinton agrees.
"It costs a lot of money to grow
com and I've heard of farmers who
will have over $100,000 in losses
and not many people can afford to
take that kind of loss. The county
will feel it for years."
Corn is a big commodity in
Huron County. Last year, it took up
200,000 acres of land.
"There will be fewer farmers next
year than this year," concluded Mr.
Down.
Com producers face worst
harvest conditions in decades
Ontario com farmers are facing
the worst harvest conditions
experienced in at least two decades,
according to a press release from
the Ontario Corn Producers
Association (OCPA). The harvest
is being affected by a combination
of a very cold growing season,
grain com crops which remain too
high in moisture for harvest and
low in grade, soggy, wet field
conditions, and, in many areas, the
premature arrival of winter
snowfall.
As of mid November, only five -
10 per cent of the Ontario com crop
had been harvested, versus about
95 per cent completion by this date
in a normal year.
In response to these extreme
conditions, the 25,000-member
OCPA has taken a number of
actions.
Large acreages of the crop in
lower-heat-unit areas of southern
and eastern Ontario have not
matured enough to produce grain
com of acceptable quality, even if
the moisture percentage were
sufficiently low to permit
harvesting. The association has
asked Ontario crop insurance
officials to have adjusters evaluate
standing crops immediately, and,
where quality is unacceptable,
grant permission to have these
crops released for “plow-down” so
that the soil can be tilled this fall in
preparation for the 1993 planting
season.
“It's critical that crop evaluations
be done quickly and fairly,
especially in snow-belt regions of
the province, recognizing that
winter conditions are likely to
cause substantial deterioration in
the yield and quality of com if it
cannot be harvested until next
spring,” said Frank Anthony, the
association president.
In areas which normally receive
less snow in winter, it is anticipated
that harvesting will continue
throughout winter months after the
com has field-dried to at least 30
per cent moisture, or less, so that it
can be further dried artificially to
about 15 per cent moisture for in
bin storage.
“It is very costly and extremely
difficult to dry corn artificially
down from 35 per cent moisture or
above - a moisture range which is
still prevalent for unharvested com
in most areas of the province -
while still maintaining kernel
quality,” said Mr. Anthony.
Past research from Ontario,
Quebec and the United States has
shown that, provided corn is not
heat-damaged excessively during
drying, the feeding quality of grade
four and five corn (that is corn
having a “test weight” as low as 47
pounds/bushel), is within two to
five per cent of higher-grade com
in feed energy content, and similar
in protein percentage. OCPA has
learned that major feed companies
have reached the same conclusion
and are using grade four and five in
feed rations in almost the same
proportions as would be the case
with higher-grade com.
Although some mould infection
has occurred for com in scattered
areas of the province, particularly
in low-heat-unit areas where the
com was least mature when frost
stopped growth, the level of
incidence remains relatively low in
most areas.
“We would hope that initial fears
as to the feed quality of the 1992
crop will dissipate quickly so that
the present high levels of price
Continued on page 22
BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK
Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd
UPCOMING SALES
RON'S DO IT YOURSELF CENTRE
Location: (5th Line Morris Twp. Half way between Brussels & #4 Hwy.)
Fix your own cars, trucks and machinery in our garage.
Some tools and welder available
Shop Rental by the hour or day/weekend
customers welcome.
Phone #: 357-2706 home
Shop or Mobile Phone #:
1-741-6535
& Garden Care Centre
Apply to: Ronald Carter
#8 Brandon St.
Belgrave, Ont.
Division of: Ron’s Lawn
$ Wild Bird Seed
- Mixed 10 Kgs.
- Niger 5 lbs.....
6.25
10.75
e Banner Pet Food
- 8 Kg. Cat Food...........................9.25
- 8 Kg. Maintance Dog Food .......7.25
- 20 Kg. Merit Dog Food...............9.99
$ Christmas Trees
Spruce, Fraser Fir or Pine
.................................starting at $11.10
$ Keep the Cold out with our
Pellet Burning Stoves
TUESDAYS
THURSDAYS
FRIDAYS
9 a.m. Finished
Cattle & Cows
11:00 a.m. Dropped Calves
Veals followed
by Goats
Sheep & Lambs
10:00 a.m. Stocker Cattle
1:00 p.m. Pigs
BRUSSELS 887-6461
RUSSELS AGRI
SERVICES
Mon.-Fri., 8 - 5
Sat., 9-12
Cash & Carry + GST & PST - While supplies last
Brussels otthe Stockyards) 887-9391