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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-07-29, Page 19Huron farm and home news Profits vary in dairy farms I've heard a lot of talk lately about how good the dairy industry is - with quota to help guarantee a steady income and prevent just anyone from jumping into the business! To some ex- tent. this may be true. Milk prices are good and because of the total capital expense. it is very difficult for young people to consider dairy farming. However. for those who are in the business, profits vary greatly. Well run, well managed herds are recor- ding record high incomes through milk sales. On the other hand. low producing herds are finding it more and more difficult to keep pace with rising input costs and interest rates. Direct expenses such as feed. vet and medicine, breeding fees. stable and milkhouse supplies can eat up 60 to 70% of operating in- come. What's left gives you a return for depreciation. labour, management and capital. As one farmer Indicated to me. it is Important for dairymen to realize the first 3 to 4.000 litres of milk in a cow's lactation is required to feed and maintain a cow for one year. There is just no room in the dairy business for poorly managed herds. The total number of dairy herds has decreased sub- stantially in the last decade and promises to decline even more. leaving room for only the serious producer who can adapt to new ideas and technology. There are many management tools available to dairymen that can help ensure adequate income. Evaluation of your farm's performances is one useful tool that can help assess overall management. To do this you need information about your business and some basis for comparison.. O.M.A.F. extension services publish "Canfarm Sum- maries" that can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses in your business. Identifying the problem is only natal the bat - tle. Once the problem is known. some specific remedies can be tried. Danger signals include borrowing to replace machinery. borrowing more and more operating money each year to plant crops •or WHEAT HELD RRE - - The Crediton fire department was called to the Concession 4 farm of Joseph Brirrett Saturday evening to douse a wheat field fire. The field hod already been combined and about five acres of straw was destroyed. Crediton fireman Peter Mortin is shown in action with the fire trucks in the background. T -A photo _rl I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I M I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I III1111111111111I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 111111 L il E a a Centralia College Ofil I Agricultural Technology g. and Et a Conestoga College a Of Of Applied Arts and Technology g. PF.resents E. DIRECTIONS E. Es'A Conference for Women Living in Rural Areas 74 Friday, August 28, 1981 and Saterrday, August -29,-'•1981 __ at s Centralia College of Agricultural Technology FA Huron Park, Ontario GUEST SPEAKERS Laura Sabia Dianne Harkin g E COST aE $20.00 Register Early: Numbers Limited _ a E Because of the Postal Strike We are I Accepting Registrations by Telephone E. Contact: Conestoga College 1 Centralia College' 228-6691 or Clinton Campus 482-3458 m Znimmnnnimmnimtim mmito inn iummi nnnlunnnnnmmmnnnimom nnlnnnnn mo maul mnnnnnn mmol nr 4 e Masterfeeds, a division of Maple Leaf Mills Ltd., is pleased to announce that effective June 11, 1981 we have com- menced operation of the grain elevator at Greenway. (formerly %Continental Grain Company) Adding the Greenway facilities to our system will allow us to bring Masterfeeds Fertilizer & Feed services to producers in the area in addition 'to continuing to provide the marketing services they have been accustomed to in the past. We look forward to our new enterprise at Greenway and extend an invitation to all area producers to visit us anytime. M ASTERF EEDS 294-0014 Ontario 238-8423 Greenway t • buy replacement cattle and using more credit for feed bills and supplies. If this is happening on your farm, then it is time to take a close look at cash flow along with total farm expenditures. A profit check list in- cluding such factors as size of business. rates of produc- tion. labour efficiencynd capital efficiency can also help evaluate your farm's overall financial health. -by Dennis Martin, Associate Agricultural Representative A payment of ;40.00 per head is being paid by the On- tario Government to producers who sold cattlt for slaughter in 1980. ELIGIBILITY - Sold for slaughter in the calendar year 1980. -Slaughter cattle which graded A. B or C. - Owned by the applicant and fed in On- tario for at least 60 days prior to slaughter. -Applicant must have been a resident of Ontario in 1980. A properly executed af- ay be requested by he Mini v. Applicati r ' • re available at the O.M.A.F. offices, or the head office of the On- tario Crop Insurance Gom- mission. O.M.A.F. Legislative Buildings; Queen's Park. Toronto, On- tario, M7A 1B7. Applicants are asked to include proof of purchase and sales documents with their application, plus a self ad- dressed envelope. If mails are not running, applications may be return- ed to the O.M.A.F. office for courier service to Toronto. Further information may be obtained by phoning your local Agricultural office at 482-3428 or Zenith 7-3040. Stan Paquette, Associate Agricultural Representative. EARLY WMS MEETING AT THAMES ROAD — A Thames Road United Church WMS 1885 was recreated at.Friday's hiitorical drama held as part of the Church'•. Back, left, Anna Ballantyne, Lorraine Alexc rider, Dorothy Duncan Alm(' Kay Cunnington and Hilda Kellett. Font, Jen Duncan and Helen Webber LA photo meeting of Centennial. Etherington, One foot in the furrow' big Lene,aa,e .vo.. •sled by Boo holt*. 1,4041k0 t+m•.a O'+ N311 Lambton getting controlled hunt A 1981 deer hunt for Lamb - ton County and four townships in Kent County .has been announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The hunt will take place from Monday. November 2 to Thursday. November 5. "The type of hunt which will take place this year in Lambton County and the Kent County townships of Camden. bine, Oxford and Howard allows a relatively fixed number of hunters to hunt deer within a specific management zone," noted Charlie Lauer, biologist with the Ministry's Chatham ad- ministrative district. "This type of hunt has proven to be compatible with our southern Ontario rural residential develo ment and farmin operations. as indicated by the success of the program held in Huron County and other areas in 1980." Under the management regulations of the hunt, bonafide farmers and owners of 50 or more acres of property within the designated areas are automatically eligible for deer hunting privileges. Other people who wish to hunt in the Zone 97 area must submit an application form by September 25. 1981. From these applications, a draw for a limited number of permits will be conducted on September 28. "The hunt will he open to Ontario residents only. and shotguns and muzzle loaders are the only permitted weapons." added Lauer. "Archery hunting for deer. which is open in the area from October 19 to December 13. will be suspended during the shotgun season." "We might be able to make it one more year..." The beef farmer,young and bronzed. looked wistfully at his grazing herd and then stared into the distance. His attractive wife stood at his side. a worried frown creas- ing her concerned brows. These are friends of mine. They inherited a run-down farm eight years ago and - have been -slowly building it up. repairing buildings nad adding modern machinery. Because of the major ex- pense of bringing their farm up to date. he has worked part time all those years. They were anticipating some relief. They were hop- ing he could quit his second joband make it full -tune on the farm. Not now. Not today. High interest rates and in- flation are slowly. inex- orably shattering their dreams. When they went to their bank this spring for the annual accounting. they could not get quite enough money to carr`}''them through the vear.'in fact, they figured it out on paper and both of them worked the year for nothing. No return for labor Their hanker. sympathetic as most hankers are, was simply unable to extend their Iran to the point where they could get through the entire year . Their farm. ialthough worth much more now than when they took it over. has for them. actually depreciated in loan dollars because of the inflated dollar and the high interest rates. The money to make it through last year is not enough for this year but the banker. also restricted in the amount of cash he can reasonably loan. can't give them a penny nmre. "One more year and then This beef farmer is not alone in his predicament. Grain farmers. hog farmers, even (Inchon and egg producers are in the same quandary 1 know of one pork producer who needed more money to keep going. His banker could not advance the money The farmer threw the keys to the barn on the banker's desk and walk- ed out "You feed the hogs then," he said as he left the bank. Too much hlantc has been thrown at Local hankers in BEADS AND ARROWS - Jennifer and Jonathan Chovancek were in the role of Indians during Saturday's Fun Days porde in Granton. T -A photo this mess in which agriculture finds' itself. Some heartless tales are be- ing told. Much criticism is available for some cases against bankers.But it is not all the fault of the banks. Too many farmers have over-extended themselves. They have bought too much on time and banks have been forced to foreclose. It is a product of the times in which we live. Many other businesses have taken a heating but it seems to be hitting agriculture harder than others. I worry about these peo- ple. There are not enough - young people who are eager to get into farming these days. This country needs every one of them, especial- ly those who have tried and love the land. When they are forced out of business, where are the people coming from who will take their place" Nobody but a damn fool would get into such a precarious hus.ifess: "Until farmers can get a better return on their labor and in- vestment. it is lunacy to work your heart out onlV to Times -Advocate, July 29, 1981 Page 19 be forced into bankruptcy in a few years. I'm sure you have all heard the story of the farmer who won a million dollars in a lottery. He was asked what he was going to do with all the mone He looked around his fields and at his big. beautiful barn. He watched his cattle grazing peacefully in front of him. He turned to the questioner and said, with his honest face beaming: "Guess I'll just keep on far- ming 'till she's all gone." It's an old story but the truth in it is scary. Cecil R Squire Sales & Service Repair Shop Equipment 92 Waterloo St. Exeter 235-0465 TERRA -GATOR Custom Application Saves Time and Money Ask About Our Special Summer Prices Fast, Economical Custom Flotation Manure Application. Serving Huron, Perth, Middlesex and Oxford for the past 3 years. For Information Call U9-225-2340 LO -DELL AGRI-SERVICES R.R. 2 Granton NOM 1 VO Drainage pays off in drought prevention Good Carnage promotes root growth of punts reach fa the copitiory water in the sod In undrained lonacoodiary water es cnarbbie arty near the surface so rcot systems are shaiow When dry weather awes. shafav roots cannot supdy enough water to the ptont to keep it healthy Deep rooted aces also withstand wnd and stand better ar motunty as weir 111.1711E It Drainage IWOR.R. 1 GADSHILL. ONTARIO NOK 1J0 519-656-2618 Roundup®. It can be one of your most versatile tools. Wherever you use it, Roundup h herbicide by Monsanto controls tough emerged weeds - right down to the roots — so they can't grow back. Yet Roundup has no carryover. And it won't wash or leach out of treated areas to injure crops or other desirable vegetation. Reach for Roundup as an in - crop spot treatment for tough weeds like milkweed. Use it in orchards. Or for pasture renova- tion to clean quackgrass infesta- tions out of forage crops. Use it after harvest to control quack - Nothing works like Roundup. k grass for easier tillage the following spring. And don't forget general farmyard cleanup around fencerows, headlands and buildings. In all kinds of places nothing works like Roundup. Monsanto Monsdnt., 1. a 1a 1^r Winnipeg Montreal. Totonlo. Regula Saskat(oa.•, Como; Van<('uver Al WAYS1 011.OW 1111_ l Alti I MEC 1 IONS F 0 R RouNIXIS" Roundup` is a registered tradema'k ,f Mn•+<n••7+ (,n.Darw Monsanto Canada trx , registered user ' Mronanto (-nrnpeny 1981 kY v 4 l' 1