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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-03-29, Page 13Debates Beef Producers for Change spokesman Brussels cattleman challenges benefits of Dear Sir. In a recent T.V. debate with my fellow beef producer, Don Hill, Don stated that a beef agency would result in about a 6¢-80-100 rise in Ontario beef prices and attemptedto explain how this would happen. I challenged him to show with facts what he was talking about - I'm still waiting for the facts! ' Some of my neighbours and I at- tended the annual meeting of the Beef Producers for change, and were all surprised and disappointed to hear nothing about his spectacular 6¢-80-100 price rise. The annual meeting of this so-called grass roots organization was presented with a sketchy verbal financial statement (no printed statement) and most of the meeting was taken up with pro- nouncements from the podium with an absolute minimum of participa-. tion from the audience. A few reso- lutions were voted on with practi- cally no discussion by the approximately 40-50 people who were voting. Have you heard about the restau- ranteur who added frogs legs to his menu on the word of a friend who told him that he had a frog pond full of thousands of frogs, and could supply as many frogs legs as he could ever need. A new chef was hired - new menus printed - 1000 frogs legs were ordered but the friend only delivered 50. The restau- ranteur frantically asked his friend for an explanation - the friend said he was very sorry but - from the noise from the pond, he .was sure there were thousands, but when he went to catch them - there were only 50 frogs! - Oh boy! Ontario has had single desk sell- ing for hogs for quite a few years. On March 2, 1989 U.S. hog price 420 per Ib. live wt U.S. $ or 500 per lb live wt. Can $ Ontario hog price $1.20 per kg or 55¢ per lb car- cass, @ 75% dress = 41¢ per lb live weight in Can. $ Ontario hog price 9¢ below U.S. hog price. Ag Canada data shows this to be typical from 1983-1988. Ontario steer and heifer prices un- der today's free market in Ontario are running just over or just under the import ceiling and are the high- est in North America - so where's the 60-80-100 price jump going to come from? At our farm we've been feeding virgin bulls for slaughter since 1968: We find this works well for us. When we are free to negotiate a price with a packer and move rela- tively small lots, usually 6-15 bulls direct from our farm to the kill floor - a beef agency would greatly com- plicate and/or probably eliThinate this opportunity for us as well as others. Breeding and feeding cattle of a particular type for a special market is a.growing opportunity for beef producers in Ontario, where custom- ers want to know how it was grown, where it was grown, and that you can deliver the same quali- ty time after .time.- A beef agency would break the direct contact be- tween producer and consumer and complicate or probably eliminate • Found His Brother - Comedian Don Vair provided entertainment at thrs growing opportunity. Becker Farm Equipment's sprayer clinic, Thursday.. Here, he found Supply management is a bit like his long lost brother Tom Consitt of Varna. Ben s alleged steroid injection - a bit . of a lift for the "short run," (no pun intended) but the after- effects aren't so hot! Here at Bodmin Farms, we've made some easy money with chicken broilers, because we got our quota for "being alive and breath- ing" when it was voted in, but now at $15.00 per bird, the next genera- tion is S.O.L. - and ifwe capitalize Jack's Jottings Jack Riddell MPP Huron From Queen's Park Ontario's leading role in energy efficiency * Energy efficient house to cut electrical energy use by 80 percent An advanced house; demonstrating leading edge Canadian energy- saving technology and equipment is now under construction in a suburb of Brampton. The Advanced House, a joint project between the Ministry of En- ergy, Ontario Hydro and the Federal government, will look like a conventional new home, but will contain energy saving features that will exceed state-of-the-art energy performance standards. The Ontario Ministry of Energy is contributing $100,000 and the federal department of Energy, Mines and Resources another $85,000 to the project. Ontario Hydro is providing $100,000 worth of tech- nical and marketing services. Designed as the most efficient house in Canada, the Advanced House includes high-performance windows, a computerized energy monitoring system, the latest energy-saving lights and appliances and an integrated mechanical system,which supplies heating, cool- ing, ventilation and hot water. According to computer predictions, the house will use about 20 percent of the electrical energy that an identical house built to minimum code requirements would use. The peak electric power demand by the house during the dinner hour on the coldest day of the year will be less than 10 kilowatts, compared with an average of 20 kilowatts in a standard house. Later this year, the Advanced House will be open for public tours for 12 months, assisting suppliers of Canadian energy efficient tech- nology with the promotion of their products and showing homebuy- ers the practical energy efficient equipment available. • Research and development project could result in fuel cells becoming major power source for cars A joint research and development project by the Ministry of Ener- gy, Dow Chemical Canada Inc., in Sarnia and Vancouver -based Bal- lard Technologies, could result in fuel cells becoming a major source of power for operating vehicles. It might also lead to other industrial and commercial applications. A fuel cell operates similar to a battery in that the chemicals, hy- drogen and oxygen, arc combined to produce electricity. The electric- ity generated in this electrochemical process can be used to power the engine of an automdbile. The project involves the testing of an improved fuel cell designed and built by Ballard Technologies, using new proton exchange membrane technology developed by Dow. • Fuel cells are not new, but so far they have not been practical or cost-effective in most applications. Dow's new membrane technolo- gy, however, makes existing solid polymer fuel cells four to six times more effective. If successful, the test could pave the way for fuel cell use in pub- lic transportation, emergency power supplies and recreation vehicles. The enormouspotential of the new membrane technology mage- The improved fuel cell, w ich is environmentally safe and cleaner, could also lead to a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use. The Ministry of Energy will contribute $2R2 non In the WS f(1) project through the ministry's EnerScarch program. Energy Minister Bob Wong said "Support of this project emphasizes our commit - It is at t .ttaat-,,.mt v .- funded by the private sector." - 1'rcYjects Iikt-thirtsfferwrimentivevnikenviTonnYcntallysound alternate sources of energy to help drive our economy. On site testing will begin in July at bow's Sarnia plant. The pro- ject is expected to be completed over the next two years. Beef marketing system vote coming up In preparation for the upcoming vote on the future of the beef marketing system on April 14, 1 would remind eligible beef produc- ers to attend one of 'the 41 upcoming information meetings across the province. In our arca, meetings will be held in Exeter on March 31 at 8:00 p.m. at the Legion Hall, Brussels Community Centre April 3 at 8:00 p.m., and in Stratford at the Upper Kinsmen Hall at the f irgronnrlc on April 5 at 8:00 p.m Information packages have been mailed to producers, and I would urge all interested parties to also attend one of these meetings to make themselves aware of all aspects of the issue in preparation for the vote. The committee, made up of representation from, the Onta- rio Cattlemen's Association, Beef Producers for Change Inc., and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, have worked hard to ensure all producers have an opportunity to address this important issue. For further information, please contact the Beef Information line at 1- 800-668-7386. our quota we aren't making any money - it won't pencil out. So I guess the best I can say for supply management is that it re- wards the first few for a little while. Yesterday a dairy neighbour of mine asked me if I had any idea how supply management could be made to work in beef - he said he didn't know - I told him I didn't - beef pro- ducers for change haven't given any concrete details - so I'll leave that one with you - please call or write as soon as you ahve it figured out. I'll sign off now with something I saw on an office wall in the 1950's - I don't know who wrote it but here it is: • I hate the guys who criticize the guys whose enterprise Times -Advocate, March 29, 1989 Page 13 beef helps them rise above the guys who criticize! P.S. I'm voting "NO" so my kids and grandkids have at least some - agency thing they can try without paying for, and or answering to, a board or agency. 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CALL TODAY FOR THE HIGHEST _RATE- AVAILABLE -Rates subject to verification ' G.I.C.'s may be registered as R.R.S.P.'s - WANTED • Seed Barley Growers • Hulless Milling Oat .Growers Premiums paid For more information contact your local MPS (1--"'goN�3 1 ON BEANS GRAINS Seaforth 345-2545 Ailsa Craig 293-3223 SEEDS Hensall 262-2527 L.I�IJ ITED FERTILIZERS Mitchell 348-8433 Granton 225-2360 Hensall District Co-op IT'S TIME FOR NITROGEN ON WHEAT - 7 flotation applicators ready to .v_.- 24 dry spreaders tested for apply 28% UANV and nitrogen spread pattern and ready to go. E Get best clover catches with. application with A.T.C. CALL NOW professional service at fair prices 3 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU HENSALL LO -OP Hensall 1-800-265-5190 Zurich Seaforth 527-0770 Store 262-3002 236-4393 527-0200 Fertilizer r