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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-03-31, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2005. Agriculture Brussels Livestock report 1,856 head of cattle on Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending March 26 were 1,856 head of cattle, 206 lambs and goats. On Tuesday the fed steers and heifers sold $3 to $4 higher. Choice steers and heifers sold $81 to $87 with sales to $94.25. Second-cut steers and heifers sold $75 to $78. The cows traded at prices $2 to $5 higher. On Thursday both the veal and lambs sold on a good active trade. On Friday all weights and classes of Stockers sold $2 to $3 higher. There were 441 steers on offer. Abraham M. Bauman, Wallenstein, consigned one blonde steer weigh­ ing 1,375 lbs. which sold for $94.25. His overall offering four steers aver­ aged 1,435 lbs. selling for an aver­ age price of $85.70. Five limousin steers consigned by Mervin Bearinger, Clifford, averaged 1,452 lbs. selling for an average price of $88.04 with sales to $92.50. John Wiersma, Blyth, consigned a red steer weighing 1,415 lbs. which sold to Norval Meat Packers for $89.50. His overall offering of three steers averaged 1,417 lbs. selling for an average price of $86.52. Fourteen steers consigned by Rick Govers, Crediton, averaged 1,540 lbs. which sold for an average price of $86.19 with his top charolais steer weighing 1,525 lbs. selling for $90.75. Jim Howatt, Londesborough, con­ signed one limousin steer weighing 1,480 lbs. which sold for $90.25. His overall offering of twenty-five steers averaged 1,540 lbs. selling for an average price of $86.18. Twenty steers consigned by Joel Martin, Paisley, averaged 1,430 lbs. which sold for an average price of $85.55 with his top roan steer weighing 1,480 lbs. selling for $88.75. Walter Nicholson, Monkton, consigned one limousin steer weighing 1,445 lbs. which sold for $92.25. His overall offering of twenty-five steers aver­ aged 1,559 lbs. selling for an aver­ age price of $85 .49. Cunningham Noland Cattle Co., Lucan, consigned one black wf steer weighing 1.585 lbs. which sold for $91.75, Their overall offering of thirty-four steers averaged 1,519 lbs. selling for an average price of $85.46. Thirty-one steers consigned by Bert Arand, Atwood, averaged 1,592 lbs. which sold for an average price of $85.02 with his top three gold steers averaging 1,535 lbs. sell­ ing for $88.25. Amos M. Martin, Wallenstein, consigned one blonde steer weighing 1,320 lbs. which sold for $89. His overall offering of ten steers averaged 1,384 lbs. which sold for an average price of $82.17. There were 167 heifers on offer. Gord Jones, Centralia, consigned one gold heifer weighing 1,210 lbs. which sold to Norval Meat Packers for $92.25. His overall offering of thirteen heifers averaged 1,221 lbs. selling for an average price of $86.31. Four gold heifers consigned by Luke H. Martin, Clifford, aver­ aged 1,245 lbs. which sold for an average price of $91.50 with sales to $92. Corgecrest Farms Ltd., Seaforth consigned one red heifer weighing 1,290 lbs. which sold to Holly Park Meat Packers for $88. Ten heifers consigned by Steve Bowman, Listowel, averaged 1.177 lbs. which sold for an average price of $86.08 with his top limousin heifer weighing 1,205 lbs. selling to Norval Meat Packers for $91. Trevor Pfeffer, Ayton, consigned one red wf heifer weighing 1,350 lbs. which sold for $84.25. One gold heifer con­ signed by Rolar Farms, Atwood, weighed 1,395 lbs. selling to Holly Park Meat Packers for $83. Stephen Carter, Lucan, consigned one limousin heifer weighing 1,360 lbs. which sold for $87.75. His over­ all offering of twelve heifers aver­ aged 1,272 lbs. selling for an aver­ age price of $82.75. Eight heifers consigned by Ivan Dane, Wroxeter, averaged 1,259 lbs. selling for an average price of $80.04 with his top two limousin heifers averaging 1,260 lbs. which sold for $85.25. Kingsview Farms, Lucknow, con­ signed one limousin heifer weighing 1,115 lbs. which sold to Holly Park Meat Packers for $85.50. Their over­ all offering of three heifers averaged 1,170 lbs. selling for an average price of $78.77. Six heifers con­ signed by Lloyd Weppler, Ayton, averaged 1,365 lbs. which sold for an average price of $75.92 with his top red heifer weighing 1,320 lbs. offer at selling for $84.75. There were 170 cows on offer. DI and D2 cows sold $28 to $35 with sales to $41.50; D3, $25 to $28; D4, $10 to $20. Eli B. Bowman, Holyrood, consigned one charolais cow weighing 1,405 lbs. which sold for $41.50. Six holstein cows con­ signed by Bob Rice, Staffa, averaged 1,712 lbs. which sold for an average price of $32.34 with sales to $39.50. Bert Mulder, Lucan, consigned four holstein cows averaging 1,911 lbs. which sold for an average price of $35.77 with sales to $38. There were 12 bulls on offer sell­ ing $22.50 to $36 with sales to $43.50. Kyle Cressman, Listowel, consigned one charolais bull weigh­ ing 2,480 lbs. which sold for $36. One holstein bull consigned by Ben Miltenburg, Lucknow, weighed 1,700 lbs. which sold for $35.50. There were 71 head of veal on offer. Beef sold $90 to $110 with sales to $120; good holstein, $80 to $90 with sales to $97.50; medium holstein, $60 to $70; plain and heavy holstein, $40 to $60. Martin Frey, Wallenstein, con­ signed one gold heifer weighing 790 lbs. which sold to Newmarket Meat Packers for $120. His overall offer­ ing of six beef veal heifers averaged 843 lbs. selling for an average price of $93.74. Three beef veal steers consigned by M-R Farms, Exeter, averaged 738 lbs. selling for an aver­ age price of $112.85 with sales up to $120. Moses J. Shetler, Lucknow, con­ signed four charolais veal steers averaging 655 lbs. which sold for an average price of $106.39 with sales to $115.50. Lambs, under 50 lbs. sold $168 to $255; 50 - 64 lbs., $210 to $255; 65 - 79 lbs., $177 to $230; 80 - 94 lbs., $122 to $125; 95 - 109 lbs., $107. Sheep sold $40 to $60. Goats sold $30 to $73. Top quality Stocker steers under 400 lbs., sold $110 to $128; 400 - 499 lbs., $105 to $124.50; 500 - 599 lbs., $107 to $128; 600 - 699 lbs., $94 to $118; 700 - 799 lbs., $98 to $112.50; 800 - 899 lbs., $86 to $112.50; 900 - 999 lbs., $70 to $106.50; 1,000 lbs. and over, $70 to $98. Top quality Stocker heifers, 300 - 399 lbs., sold $91 to $112; 400 - 499 lbs., $88 to $121; 500 - 599 lbs., $75 to $108; 600 - 699 lbs., $87 to $103; 700 - 799 lbs., $81 to $95; 800 - 899 lbs., $84.50 to $94; 900 lbs. and over, $77 to $90.50. There were 144 head on offer at the Vaccinated Calf and Yearling Sale on Monday, Mar. 21. All Stock­ ers sold on a strong active trade. Steers, 500 - 599 lbs., sold $70 to $123; 600 - 699 lbs., $98.50 to $99.75; 700 - 799 lbs, sold to $103; 800 - 900 lbs., $92 to $97.50. Heifers, 400 - 499 lbs., sold $95 to $112; 500 - 599 lbs., $92.25 to $104.50; 600 - 699 lbs., $92.25 to $95; 700 - 800 lbs., $90 to $95. Erb gives tips for improving yields It should be possible to get a 65- bushel soybean yield in Huron County and crop adviser Mervyn Erb has nine tips for producers to increase their yields. The biggest challenge for produc­ ers wanting to improve yields is being willing to examine their own methods. “People would rather change equipment brands than methods and procedures,” Erb told 60 producers attending the Huron County Crop Improvement Association’s Production Day in Blyth, March 22. “That takes self-evaluation and we guys don’t do self-evaluation very well.” There needs to be more focus on the soil, which Erb called “the stom­ ach of the plant”. The best yields among his customers at Agri-Solve have always come from livestock farmers who use manure. “Know your dirt,” he said. He admitted helping farmers “mine” their soil in the last decade to try to squeeze profit out of their operation when commodity prices were low. Now when there’s no profit to be made at all there isn’t as much resid­ ual nutrition in the soil as is needed, he said. As a result if farmers try to squeeze too much out of too few fer­ tilizer inputs the yield may be hurt. Test your soil to know what fertility levels are so you can know if skimp­ ing will cost you lost yields, he advised. Looking at soybeans, he said starter fertilizers might barely pay for the cost of the fertilizer. Innoculants, however, do pay for themselves. Good drainage in fields is needed for maximum bean yield, he said. The soil structure can still play a role in whether a tiled field drains properly. Soil conditions are more impor­ tant than planting date for good yields. “The best yields are (for crops planted) in early May but con­ ditions have to be right. Don’t stick beans into cold ground. It’s better to plant late into warm ground. “I don’t know how to get 65 bushel beans but I sure know a recipe for disaster.” When beans are planted into cold ground the first moisture they absorb is cold and this can damage germination causing uneven germi­ nation or no germination at all. If the soil is warm for the first hours after planting, the seed will absorb warm moisture and even if the weather and soil turns cold later, the germination will still be better. Erb said he found only subtle dif­ ferences between no-till or mold­ board plowing tillage systems. The key to no-till is that the seed needs a good root bed, he said. With pests, Erb said there are pre­ dictions that this will be a bad year for aphids because there were so many aphids on other hosts like buckthorn when winter arrived. The extreme cold of some parts of the winter may have resulted in some reduction in the population but “we’re expecting a huge problem this year.” Timely spraying of aphids can result in good yield increases because the size of the beans increases. If there is enough moisture, pro­ duction is not severely diminished by weed pressure, he said. He urged farmers to be careful in selecting seed. There are 256 vari­ eties of soybean seed. Of these J14 are pretty good but there are 47 that will give the best yields. “If you want to boost your yield, choose the very best varieties. There’s a yield advantage of 1.5 to 1.75 bushels per acre for conven­ tional varieties over Round-Up Ready varieties, Erb said, but the genetically-modified variety may gain back about .7 bushels in better stress tolerance. As well, Roundup Ready varieties are improving. Erb advised producers to evaluate a few new concepts every years but to do that you need good records, he said. “Manage for results. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Agriculture, he said, is site specif­ ic. You need to look at your prac­ tices. Correction from farm issue Information on elk herds in the Farm issue story on veterinarian Lavem Clark was inaccurate. There have been no elk herds in Ontario diagnosed with chronic wasting disease. The impact has been basically economic. We apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused. Challenge: Getting enough calcium and vitamin D to maintain strong bones and protect against osteoporosis Solution: Women 19-50 years of age should consume 1000 mg of calcium and 5 ug (200 IU) of Vitamin D per day. Milk and milk products, such as cheese and yogurt provide the most readily available source of calcium and other bone building nutrients. Other sources include calcium-fortified beverages (soy, rice and orange juice) tofu made with calcium sulfate, salmon and sardines with bones, sesame seeds and almonds. Bok choy, kale and broccoli also provide calcium but in smaller amounts. Vitamin D is found in fluid milk, eggs, fish and fish liver oils, margarine as well as in soy and rice beverages fortified with vitamin D. Sunlight on the skin can be a major source of vitamin D but is limited in Canada from October to March and by use of sunscreens. To prevent osteoporosis women are encouraged to get enough calcium, vitamin D and protein, limit caffeine, have sodium in moderation, and keep active particularly with weight-bearing activity. — ./BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd. UPCOMING SALES TUESDAYS THURSDAYS FRIDAYS 9:00 a.m. Fed Cattle, Bulls & Cows 8:00 a.m. Drop Calves, Veal, Pigs, Lambs, Goats & Sheep 10:00 a.m. Stockers / SPECIAL SPRING SALES Vaccinated Calf & Yearlings: Monday. April 11, April 25 - 10 a.m. Greek Easter Lamb & Goat Sale: Thursday, April 21 & 28 - 11:30 a.m. Visit our webpage ata www.bnisse1slivestock.ca email us ata info@brusselslivestock.ca Call us 519-887-6461 ' ■ • : ■ ■ ’ < ■ . ■ -s • ‘