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The Citizen, 1992-12-16, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16,1992. Brussels Livestock Report: Light run of pigs but active trade on cattle Sales at Brussels Livestock for the week ending Dec. 11 were: fed cattle, 776; cows, 329; veal calves, 167; lambs and goats, 398; stockers, 825; pigs, light run. The market at Brussels Livestock saw fed cattle selling on a very strong active trade. Cows were $1 lower from the previous week. There were 491 steers on offer selling from $98 to $105 to the high of $125.25. Eight steers consigned by John Barbour, Orangeville, averaging 1369 lbs. sold for an average of $113.39 with sales to $125.25 purchased by Norwich Packers. Twenty-five steers consigned by William Bennett & Sons Ltd., Gorrie, averaging 1334 lbs. sold for an average of $102.91 with sales to $109.75. Forty-two steers consigned by Maple Emblem Farms, Dungannon, averaging 1323 lbs. sold for an average of $102.36 with sales to $107. Forty steers consigned by Geo. Underwood Farms, Wingham, averaging 1426 lbs. sold for an average of $100.11 with sales to $105.25. Forty steers consigned by Gerald Geisel, Elmira, averaging 1388 lbs. sold for an average of $100.81 with sales to $105. Two steers consigned by Scott Geisel, West Montrose, averaging 1590 lbs. sold for an average of $100.23 with sales to $103.75. One steer consigned by Dwayne McLellan, Mount Forest, weighing 1130 lbs. sold for $103.25. Twenty-seven steers consigned by Cunningham Farms, Lucan, averaging 1451 lbs. sold for an average of $99 44 with sales to $103.25. Thirteen steers consigned by Schmidtbrook Farms, Wood- stock, averaging 1318 lbs. sold for an average of $98.71 with sales to $100.85. Ten steers consigned by Woodham Farms, averaging 1217 lbs. sold for an average of $95.90 with sales to $100.10. Eighteen steers consigned by Martin Metske, Lucknow, averaging 1233 lbs. sold for an average of $97.28 with sales to $100. There were 272 heifers on offer selling from $98 io $105 to the high of $109.75. Thirteen heifers consigned by John Barbour, Orangeville, averaging 1202 lbs. sold for an average of $106.58 with sales to $109.75 purchased by Norwich Packers. Eight heifers consigned by Dave Hawkings, Wingham, averaging 1095 lbs. sold for an average of $102.03 with sales to $107. Fifteen heifers consigned by Bill Frank, Listowel, averaging 1147 lbs. sold for an average of $99.61 with sales to $106. Twenty-seven heifers consigned by Maple Ridge Farms, Brussels averaging 1066 lbs. sold for an average of $10] .97 with sales to $104.80. Twenty heifers consigned by Don and Blair Fraser, Blyth, averaging 1140 lbs. sold for an average of $99.74 with sales to $102.85. Seventeen heifers consigned by Triple K Cattle Co., Wingham averaging 1262 lbs. sold for an average of $98.47 with sales to $102. Two heifers consigned by John Kieswetter, Mildmay, averaging 875 lbs. sold for $99.75. There were 329 cows on offer selling from $51 to $62 to the top of $77. Five cows consigned by Don Bryce, Wingham, averaging 1168 lbs. sold for an average of $59.52 with calves to $77. Two cows consigned by Hilbert Van Ankum, Wroxeter, averaging 1635 Continued on page 15 Walden Photography Weddings & Portraits Call Gary Walden 482-7675 F arm Speaking of Farming By Keith Roulston BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK■ Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd. UPCOMING SALES TUESDAYS THURSDAYS This man is dangerous James Laxer is at it again. The associate professor of political science at York University said the unthinkable last week: French farmers are not the villains of the world. Laxer has always been a rebel. Along with Mel Watkins he led the left-of-the-left Waffle movement in the NDP a few years ago. But he may have gone too far this time. Just as the economic thinkers and the media have got people convinced that protectionism in agriculture is the greatest barrier to a wonderful, prosperous world of free trade through a new GATT agreement, Laxer speaks the unspeakable. "In a world where many people are hungry, why is France more loudly denounced for subsidizing the farmers than for subsidizing the sale of jet fighters to Taiwan? With the Cold War over, could not a reduction in military spending allow for the funding of a global agricultural regime which would allow American, Canadian and French farmers to produce food for those who need it?" This is dangerous stuff. It sounds suspiciously like the urging from the U.S. Agricultural Secretary a decade back when he urged farmers to increase production to feed the world. Prof. Laxer obviously hasn't seen the light and agreed that, since feeding the world is more an economic and logistics problem (who's going to pay and how do we get it to the right people) than a food production problem, we should just give up on those hungry people and worry about the deficit. Didn't the Bible say the poor will always be with us? Sometimes we get so close to the forest we can't even see the trees, let alone the forest. Years of brainwashing have made us see too much food as a problem and it is in the rich countries. While thousands of Ontario farmers leave the land each year because our food producers have become so efficient we produce more than there is a market for, millions of people in parts of the world are starving to death. Some of this is due to wars. Some of it is due to over population and climatic change. The fact remains, however, that there are hungry mouths for all this "over production". Population experts worry about the ability of the world to feed itself unless birth rates are cut at the same time as we lose food producers because we're producing too much food. But as Laxer points out, nobody wants to deal with the real problem in these days of globalization. With the right-wing agenda set by Mar­ garet Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Brian Mulroney, we're ready to deal only with superficial solutions like the marketplace, and not with larger problems of how to feed these people. We're willing to sacrifice more food producers at the same time as people go hungry. The theory of supply and demand that drives a market economy assumes a closed circle. If supply goes down, prices go up, encouraging more production which increases supply and drops prices... and round and round we go. But international trade, and globalization, throws a wrench in the works. As long as international traders can find new sources of supply, there's no need to live by the law of supply. If we had real supply and demand, for instance, prices for those Ontario crops that are being harvested, would be sky high because of the crop failure. We have the incredible fact of low Ontario supply and low Ontario prices, however, because there has been a record crop in the U.S. mid-west and, aside from the sliding value of the Canadian dollar, there are no barriers to bringing that com into Ontario. If the mid-west production had been lower, traders would have found crops in Australia or Brazil or some other comer of the world and the supply side of the equation would have been broken. On the other side of the equation, demand, there is lots of global demand for food but it might as well not exist because the hungry people don't have money. To borrow the title of a '60s song. "It's a Mad World". 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 NOTICE Township of Grey The residents of the Township of Grey are requested by the Council not to park cars on township roads during the winter months in order to facilitate snowplowing operations. The township will not be responsible for damage to any vehicle parked on roads. Council also requests that the residents of the township of Grey do not blow or push snow onto township roads during the winter months of the 1992/1993 season. Dave Hastings Road Superintendent Township of Grey ARE HYDRO BILLS DRAINING YOUR BUDGET? DOES YOUR ELECTRICAL HOT WATER HEATER COST YOU TOO MUCH? With an oil fired hot water heater MORE HOT WATER Oil fired water heaters recover at 4 times the rate of electric units. No matter the size or lifestyle of your family, you will never again run out. FOR LESS MONEY / The operating cost of oil fired water heaters are 30-40% less than electric units. Based on 7e/Kwh electric rate and 34.50/litre oil at 80% efficiency. AT NO RISK If you are not happy after 1 year we will replace your oil fired water heater with an electric water heater at no charge to you - NO HIDDEN COSTS! GO OFF HYDRO TODAY and Save Your Family $300/yr on fuel consumption* Oil Fired Only jh qj- Water Heater Rental month ✓ No Installation Charge ✓ No Maintenance Charge EDWARD FUELS ® CLINTON 482-7381 GODERICH 524-8386 TEESWATER 392-6100 'based on average family of four hot water fuel consumption, electric water heater vs oil fired water heater