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TUESDAYS 9 a.m. Finished
Cattle & Cows
THURSDAYS 10:00 a.m. Dropped Calves
Veals followed
by Goats
Sheep & Lambs
FRIDAYS 10:00 a.m. Stocker Cattle
1:00 p.m. Pigs
EASTER LAMB & GOAT SALE
1:30 p.m. - March 21 & 28
IN LIEU OF GOOD FRIDAY
Saturday, April 6 - 10 a.m. Stockers
BRUSSELS 887-6461
PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1996
Brussels Livestock report
Hern heifer sells for $85.75, weighs 1,420 lbs.
Sales at Brussels Livestock for
the week ending March 8 were: fed
cattle, 550; cows, 220; veal calves,
332; sheep and goats, 40; and
stockers, 1082.
Fed steers and heifers at Brussels
Livestock sold at steady prices,
with the cows selling $2 higher. On
Thursday veal sold on a steady
trade. On Friday all classes of
stockers sold steady.
There were 360 fed steers on
offer selling from $77 to $82 to the
high of $89.50. A Limousin steer
consigned by G. A. Stewart Farms,
Ripley, weighing 1,480 lbs. sold
for $89.50, with their total offering
of 43 steers averaging 1,404 lbs.
selling for an overall price of
$80.71. Thirteen steers consigned
by Cunningham Farms, Lucan,
averaging 1,439 lbs. sold for an
average price of $81.21 with sales
to $88. Forty-five steers consigned
by W. B. Pletch Co. Ltd.,
Rockwood, averaging 1,316 lbs.
sold for an overall average of
$80.21 to the high of $86.25.
A Hereford steer consigned by
Johnston Farms, Bluevale,
weighing 1,185 lbs. sold for $84.75
with their total offering of 12
steers, averaging 1,339 lbs. selling
for the average price of $79.41. Six
steers consigned by Tilman Weber,
St. Jacobs, averaging 1,545 lbs.
sold for an average of $79.61 to the
top of $84.25. Four steers
consigned by J & J Farms,
Mitchell, averaging 1,140 lbs. sold
for an average of $83.59 with sales
to $84.20. Twenty steers consigned
by Kada Farms, Bluevale,
averaging 1,374 lbs. sold for an
average of $80.77 with sales to
$83.50. Eight steers consigned by
Joe Gingrich, Mount Forest,
averaging 1,501 lbs. sold for an
average price of $80.22 to the high
of $83.25. Twenty steers consigned
by Carlyle Thomson, Parkhill,
averaging 1,450 lbs. sold for an
average of $79.29 to the top of $83.
There were 182 heifers on offer
selling from $77 to $82 to the high
of $85.75. A black heifer consigned
by Allan Hern, Woodham,
weighing 1,420 lbs. sold to Holly
Meat Packers for $85.75. A
Limousin heifer consigned by
Prospect Feed Lots, Wyoming,
weighing 1,305 lbs. sold for
$83.75,swith their total offering of
45 heifers averaging 1,323 lbs.
selling for an overall price of
$79.27.
Two gold heifers consigned by
Tom Hem, Dublin, averaging 1,235
lbs. sold for $83.50. A heifer
consigned by Mel Lyons, Dublin,
weighing 1,175 lbs. sold for
$83.25. Twelve heifers consigned
by Russ Faber, Kippen, averaging
1,124 lbs. sold for an average price
of $79.08 to the high of $82. Seven
heifers consigned by Dreamacre
Farms, Loretto, averaging 1,173
lbs. sold for an average price of
$79.47 to the top of $80.75. Six
heifers consigned by Susan
Terpstra, Mitchell, averaging 1,203
lbs. sold for an average of $78.50
with sales to $80.75. A Limousin
heifer consigned by Gordon Borth,
Mildmay, weighing 1,235 lbs. sold
for $80.50.
There were 220 cows on offer
selling from $34 to $52 to the high
of $59. A Limousin cow consigned
by Dale Anderson, Listowel,
weighing 1,630 lbs. sold for $59. A
black cow consigned by James E.
Dewar, Atwood, weighing 1,190
lbs. sold for $58.50. A holstein cow
consigned by Murray Horst,
Fordwich, weighing 1,085 lbs. sold
for $57.
There were 332 veal on offer
selling - Holstein, $60 to $75;
Beef, $75 to $95 to the high of
$105; Holstein plain veal, $45 to
$57. Four veal consigned by John
Martin, Lucknow, averaging 670
lbs. sold for an average of $84.32
with sales to $105. Ten veal
consigned by Allan McKinnon,
Shallow Lake, averaging 311 lbs.
sold for an average of $80.49 with
sales to $99. Four veal consigned
by George Ducharme, Dashwood,
averaging 686 lbs. sold for an
average of $77.87 with sales to
$94.
Steers, 400 - 499 lbs., sold
$61.50 to $98; 500 - 599 lbs., $60
to $89; 600 - 699 lbs., $67.75 to
$87; 700 - 799 lbs., $64.50 to $80;
800 - 899 lbs., $65.50 to $90; 900
lbs. and over, $70 to $85.25.
Heifers, 300 - 399 lbs., $62 to
$76; 400 - 499 lbs., $60 to $80; 500
- 599 lbs., $61 to $77; 600 - 699
lbs., $62 to $77; 700 - 799 lbs.,
$63.50 to $74; 800 lbs. and over,
$64 to $75.
OPSEU strike hurts farmers
Under a user-pay system institut-
ed by the federal pesticide manage-
ment office the cost of registering
new farm chemicals will soar, and
so will the payroll of the manage-
ment office, says Bob Down, presi-
dent of the Ontario Corn Producers
Association.
Down told Paul Steckle, MP for
Huron-Bruce that the office first
proposed charging $20 million a
year to run the testing service, then
reduced that to $16.5 million. That
will pay for a staff of 300 to carry
out tests, Down said, speaking at
the annual Members of Parliament
Briefing of the Huron County Fed-
eration of Agriculture.
This will be especially expensive
for some small-use pesticides used
on specialty crops, he said. Already
Grey Township council, at its
regular meeting on March 4,
accepted an amended insurance
proposal for 1996 from Frank
Cowan Company Limited. The
original proposal, with a premium
of $26,282 represented a 13 per
cent increase over 1995.
Council made several changes to
the proposal and reduced the
premium to $25,230 or an 8.5 per
cent increase from 1995.
Council endorsed a resolution
from the Village of West Lorne
urging the province to eliminate the
dual school board system and to
merge the existing boards to form
one board.
Council also endorsed a
resolution from the Town of
Goderich opposing the possible
closure of the court in Goderich.
Grants of $350 to the Cranbrook
Cemetery and $125 to the Blyth
Festival were authorized.
Council authorized payment of
general accounts totalling
$365,286.88 and road accounts of
western Canadian wheat and canola
producers have said they don't want
to subsidize testing of products that
will be used on crops other than
their own.
Down argued that this can be
done much more inexpensively by
accepting the results of tests
already done in the U.S. instead of
having to carry out tests all over
again. Asked by Steckle if produc-
ers would accept the American reg-
istration system, Down said
farmers will accept the majority of
the U.S. tests. Many of the Canadi-
an tests are to prove the product
will do what it claims to do, Down
said, and this is useless. If a prod-
uct isn't doing what it claims to do
farmers soon won't use it.
$17,625.84.
The next regular meeting of
council is scheduled for Monday,
March 18 at 1 p.m.
The current strike of the Ontario
Public Service Employees Union
(OPSEU) against the provincial
government is hitting farm families
hard, from selling their products to
educating their children at the
province's agricultural colleges,
Helen Johns MPP for Huron was
told Saturday.
The strike by meat inspectors has
shut down many small abattoirs
essential for processing of some
farm animals and the refusal of
teachers to cross the picket lines at
Ridgetown and other agricultural
colleges is putting the year at risk
for students, including graduating
students who have jobs waiting for
them if they can get their diplomas,
said farm leaders at the annual
Member of Parliament Briefing
sponsored by the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture.
Jack Flanagan, speaking for the
Huron County Beef Producers
Association said the major packers
(who use federal inspectors and
aren't affected by the strike) are not
all that strong in beef in Ontario
and the industry depends onsome
of the 250 small processors who are
provincially inspected and have
been closed down by the strike.
Pat Down, reeve of Usborne
Twp., pointed out jobs are at stake
in small abattoirs and that farm
families depend on these facilities
for their own meat.
Ken Kelly, vice-president of the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture,
said that farmers should not choose
sides between the government and
its employees, but he noted that
three or four commodities such as
sheep, goats and rabbits and some
poultry, depend almost exclusively
on provincially-inspected plants.
Johns pointed out the govern-
ment had argued that meat inspec-
tors were an essential service but
had been defeated. After 10 days of
the strike the government was
allowed to argue again before the
Labour Relations Board that the
workers should be declared essen-
tial. A decision was expected early
this week, she said.
If that doesn't work out there are
other.possibilities but none without
problems, she said. One would be
to allow county health units to take
over inspection. That's allowed
under the law but only with permis-
sion of the province's chief Medical
Officer of Health and he is inde-
pendent of the government and
might not agree.
If the county was given permis-
sion to provide the service there are
still problems, said Bill Clifford,
warden of Huron. The issue is
scheduled to be discussed today
(Wednesday) by the Huron County
Board of Health but there are limi-
tations to what the county can do.
There's the matter of liability if
meat inspected by county officials
turned out to be tainted. There's a
shortage of staff and if the county
staff was going to do this, they'd
have to give up other duties. The
staff is not trained in meat inspec-
tion. It might be possible to find
some retired meat inspectors to fill
in for the short haul but there
would have to be a charge on a
user-pay basis for those who want
the service, Clifford said.
Meanwhile others complained
about the plight of students at
Ridgetown who are out of class
because teachers, even those not
belonging to OPSEU, will not cross
picket lines by striking workers.
Many already have jobs promised
if they graduate, one speaker said,
but they may not graduate if some-
thing isn't done to get them back in
school.
Johns said once the strike situa-
tion is over there will be consulta-
tions to see what can be done to
help the students.
Council provides grants