HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-10-14, Page 6!s6 The Huro•n
• October
4, 2009
Dan Schwab'
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Too little, too late.
That's the opinion of the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture
regarding the federal government's
announcement last week about a
$75 million Hog Farm Transition
Program, made available to pork
producers starting Oct. 8 through a
partnership with the Canadian Pork •
Council.
The assistance program is aimed
at allowing pork producers to tran-
sition out of the industry, to reduce
the national breeding herd and bring
supply back in line with demand.
Producers will be provided with
$85 per market hog, retroactively to
April 1, 2009.
Applications are based on a tender-
ing process, where producers will bid
for the amount of funding they re-
quire to take their barns out of oper-
ation for a minimum of three years.
But the $75 million allotted to the
program is only a drop in the bucket,
considering the crisis facing pork
producers nationwide, says Wayne
Black, president of the HCFA.
"In six months in 2009, the top three
pork producing counties in Canada —
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Huron, Perth and Oxford — are set to
lose .$60 million," Black says. "How
far 'is $75 million going to go when
spread across all of Canada?"
An array of challenges, from bad
publicity surrounding the misnamed
"Swine Flu" to the Country of Origin
Labeling legislation discouraging ex-
ports south of the border, to the re-
cent global economic downturn has
created a perfect storm for pork pro-
ducers, prompting Black to admit it's
hard to see a light at the end of the
tunnel.
He says once the national hog herd
is reduced and the local industry
thins out, it's going to have far reach-
ing ramifications on the economy, af-
fecting feed suppliers, equipment re-
tailers and other
businesses.
"In 2006, Huron
County's pork in-
dustry represent-
ed 24 per cent of
farm gate sales,
equally $150 mil-
lion," he says.
"The non -farmer
has to realize to
shut down pork
producers is going
You are invited to attend
ANGLICAN CHURCH
A Congregation of the Parish of The Holy Spirit
Sunday, October 18"
Worship&School at 930 am
Vicar of Dibley movie a night Fri. Oct 16th at 7 pm
Parish Coundl meets Sat. Oct 17
St Nick's Crafter's bees
at 9:30 am
Office hours and IfAoming Prayer with
Rev. Koine FrIEveryone we dooms
BETHEL BIBLE
CHURCH
An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St. Seaforth
519-527-0982
Sunday Schaoyol • All Ages
• 9:45 am
Youth Gro p & B&G1 Club
Wednesday 7 pm
Pastor Mark Kennedy
EVERYONE WELCOME
NORTHSIDE UNITED
Welcomes you
145th Anniversary Service
Sunday October 18th at 11 am
Guest Minister: Rev. Wilbert Schwindt
Special Music Colleen Schwindt, Kara Stoll
Potluck to follow
Nursery & Sunday School
519-527-2635
Ideunited
these area churches
ST. JAMES
ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH
WELCOMES YOU
14 Victoria Street, Seaforth
519-345-2972
Sunday Mass 11 am
ST. PATRICK'S, DUBLIN
Saturday Mass 5 pm
Sunday Mass 9 am
FR. CHRIS GILLESPIE
EGMONDVILLE
UNITED CHURCH
Pastor Stew Hildebrand
Worship Oct.18"h 11 am
Adult & Youth Sunday School
at l0 am •
Elevator & Ear Buds Available
Come Worship with us
and share Christian Fellowship
Turkey Supper Wed. Oct, 28th
FIRST PRESB RI N
CHURCH
59 Goderlch St. W. Seaforth
519.527- 0170
Sunday Oct 18'",11:15 am - Rev. Bill Venderstelt
Comma Saha
Potluck supper 17
Oct 25 Oct 25 No morning sevice -nSeaf th
3 pm - Final Worship Service for St Andrews,
Clinton with Rev. Ted Nelson - Lunch to follow
Is invited to attend.
to have impacts far and wide. You can
tell the frustration is mounting."
Black adds that the program is
sending a negative message to young
farmers looking to start a career in
the hog industry.
Last week, the Federal government
also announced that pork producers
can start applying for government -
backed loans to develop long-term
business plans in a partnership with
financial institutions such as Farm
Credit Canada, to be negotiated on
a farm -by -farm basis based on viable
business plans.
But Black says many pork produc-
ers are already over-extended with
loans and mortgages and the idea of
paying back another loan may turn
b■■, vM,v ■ ■■
them off the program.
There is a maximum of 15 years on
the loan term but producers will be
encouraged not to exceed 10 years.
The loans are not interest-free and
will carry commercial interest rates.
Black is concerned about how pro-
ducers will be able to pay off the
loans after 10 years.
"My concern is, does the indus-
try need to go out and borrow more
money to limp it's way out of this?"
he says. "Even if they cut a cheque to
pork producers, given the severity of
the crisis, the (benefit) is going to be
slim," he says.
There are approximately 300 pork
producers in Huron County.
Corn crops still two weeks behind as
farmers deal with rain, wet and cold
Dan Schwab
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Farmers have a reason to be concerned as
corn crops across Huron County continue to be
about two weeks behind schedule in reaching
maturity, says Peter Johnson, a crops special-
ist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs.
"The rain is not helping any crop," Johnson
says. "We need summer to return for at least
three weeks. Maybe a month."
Johnson says farmers would've liked to have
finished the silage harvest by now, but there is
still "an awful lot" to be harvested yet, a delay
caused by the wet ground preventing machin-
ery from entering fields.
He says while there is a relatively small
amount of frost damage among the local. corn
crop compared to other areas of Southwest-
ern Ontario, frost has affected isolated fields
across the region and killed some corn crops.
Johnson says even if the county doesn't expe-
rience warm weather, dry weather will suffice
at this point.
Concern began to grow about corn crops not
reaching maturity before the frost hits as early
as mid -summer andhil itcontinues w e co t nues to wor-
ry farmers, Johnson says the outlook has im-
proved.
"We're way better off today than a month
ago," he says. "But fields are still at risk. Corn
is not a very rosy picture at this point."
Johnson says a normal season
would see the grain corn harvest be-
gin around Oct. 15.
"This year, I'd be surprised if it
came before Nov 1," he says.
Soy bean crops are faring better
than corn in terms of maturity, since
September was a warm, dry month.
Still, the crop is about five to
seven days behind schedule, with
some isolated frost damage.
There is still a "tremendous"
amount of edible beans to be harvest-
ed and Johnson says the crop is more
susceptible . to go off -quality if they
mature and the weather continues to
be wet.
This impacts the planting of
winter wheat significantly, because it
can only go into the ground after the
bean harvest.
As long as the weather remains
wet, farmers are at a standstill, he
says.
"The longer it takes to harvest
beans, the yield potential for winter
wheat goes down," he says. "Every
day it rains, we're looking at a small-
er winter wheat crop."
Johnson says that ideally,
winter wheat should've been in the
ground by Oct. 10.
ban Coudry Federation aNWM+s:
ANNuAL/RrG1oNAL MEETING
Thursday, October 22, 2009 al the Sealant) Agriplex, Seaforth ON • Dinner starts at /:00 prrl
Uslag the Internet on yorr Form —
ANDPM Ci\MPBEI1., farms.com
perishable fond Item + (oilo11e4 for the
Huron to:xay rood Bonk of tt F role Tye genercxitifrt
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