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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-05-29, Page 17FARM 1IPDATF Researchers working on vaccine to Im- prove livestock growth and reproduction REGINA - Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are in the process of developing a vaccine which will improve growth and conception rates in livestock. The vaccine immunizes the ani- mal against somatostatin, a natural- ly occurring hormone which inhib- its growth and fertility. By using a vaccine made from synthetic soma- tostatin, the animal's immune sys- tem is stimulated into producing antibodies to neutralize both the naturally occurring and synthetic somatostatin, says Dr. Bernard Latrveld, a professor with the De- partment of Animal and Poultry Science and the director of the Growth and Reproductive Immu- nology Program at the university. The immunology program has an interdisciplinary research team composed of experts in reproduc- tive and grpwth physiology. and immunology from various depart- ments on campus and the Veteri- nary Infectious Diseases Organiza- tion (VIDO). When he fust started developing the vaccine, Dr. Laarveld was look- ing only to improve growth and nu- trient digestion, but in the course of testing the vaccine he noticed im- proved reproduction in the test ani- mals. "This was totally unexpected. We weren't looking for that, but normal record-keeping showed our experi- mental pigs produced an average of one extra piglet per litter," he says. Laboratory tests are complete and the researchers are starting com- mercial development of the vac- cine, Dr. Laarveld says. This in- Times -Advocate, May 29, 1991 Page 17 Archives corner: Woodhain Fife and Drum Band volves perf sedutiquax�R asale field studies and toxicology tests, andnthe product with Health � and Welfare Canada and foreign agencies. Then they have to fund a commer- cialto handle world-wide distr� of the vaccine. These arrangements will be handled by BIOSTAR Inc., the marketing arm of VIDO. "Our plans are to produce the vaccine in Saskatoon and use an in- ternational company's marketing and distribution Infrastructure," he says. Dr. Laarveid estimates it will take another three years of research before the team knows whether the vaccine is commercially marketa- ble. Egg prices up slight) OTTAWA - Prices paid to Cana- dian egg producers for each dozen Canada Grade A eggs have risen slightly, the Canadian Egg Market- ing Agency (CEMA) announced Friday. Prices in each province are up one cent per dozen due to a factor in the pricing formula which is used to establish the Grade A Large price and the average price re- ceived for all grades of eggs. The national seasonal adjustment Feeder finance trial project SIMCOE - Five Feeder Finance Co-operatives have now been struc- tured in Ontario - Bruce County Feeder Co-op Ltd., East Central Feeder Co-operative Ltd. (Peterbo- rough/Victorta), Huron Perth Cattle Feeders' Co-operative Ltd., Lamb - ton Feeder Co-operative Ltd. and Twin County Feeder Co-operative Ltd. (Grey/Bruce). Two co-ops now have extended loans to mem- bers while two more co-ops have just completed negotiations with a lender and the fifth co-op has com- menced discussions to select a lender. Initiatives are underway in the, Simcoe-Dufferin area by local cat- tlemen with a view to forming a Feeder Finance Co-op in that area. Child care in the rural areas of Canada has some special problems. In the city, either mothers or fathers can deliver and pick up the children, usually within a few blocks of the house or on the way to work. Not so in the country. You may have to drive 1Ot 15. Qi; 20 miles to get to a day care centre. You will have to do the same thing at night to get them home This ob- viously means getting them up mighty early in the morning to have them fed and clothed and then drive them to day care. In fact, a recent survey of rural women carried out by Health and Welfare Canada suggests that gov- ernments should subsidize rural families so mothers can stay home to look after young children. The survey of 1,740 rural families was through the Federated Women's institutes of Canada. The WIs are in a great position to do this kind of work. No other organization in Can- ada is closer to the rural roots of this country than the Women's Insti- tutes They know whereof they speak. It's a novel idea, isn't it? And don't scoff at paying farm families so mothers can stay home. If that's the way they want it, why shouldn't they have it? They have every right to as much day care as the city women and don't you forget it. They are paying taxes the same as the city families and if senior gov- ernments are going to subsidize daycare in the urban areas, the farm families have as much right as the city people to share in that govern- ment largesse. If urban housewives can belly up to the subsidy trough for day care, then so can rural moth- ers. When taxes are collected, farm families pay just as much as urban families. In fact, those same taxes usually go to benefit the city dwellers as much as the farmers. When 1 hear city dwellers bitching about govern- ment handouts to farmers, I get a lit - tie angry. City dwellers have been getting all kinds of handouts for a hundred years. Cities get subsidies for rapid transit systems. How many rapid transit systems and subways are in tl tnInt .1 _ newt:. Years a� r -:me T Tonto Transportation Commission -- got more money from the province of Ontario than all farm subsidies combined. Cities get help from senior gov- ernments for trunk sewers, water systems, sewage disposal plants, sanitary landfill sites (usually, those sites are in the country and the country people end up taking city garbage), universities and any number of other services that country people do not have. It is, therefore, time that farmers got some of this grant money back, especially for day care. Farmers need day care at spe- cial times, too. They need extra help at seeding and at harvest time. I'm sure most day care cen- tres are not geared for rural peo- ple. Most of the staff at day care centres wouldn't know a Hereford from a Holstein, let alone know that the demand on the farm for day care peaks in July and August. The report -- and the Women's Institutes are on solid ground 1 here -- suggests that portable day care centres could be set up. Sounds like a great idea. Direct subsidies for rural day care makes even more sense. Gov- ernment -run or government - subsidized day care centres cannot provide the best day care and if di- rect grants to families allows more mothers and fathers to stay home with the kids, the better the kids will be for The WI survey found that 69 percent of working women said they would stay home if they could afford it. Direct subsidies to rural fami- lies? Maybe it is an idea whose time has come. Vegetable prices up in April OTTAWA - In April, the consu- mer price index (CPI) for food pur- chased Goin stores rose 0.4 percent from March 1991, while the CPI for food purchased form restaurants rose 0.3 percent. Overall, the CPI for food rose 0.4 percent from March 1991 and was 6.4 percent above April 1990. The largest retail price decreases in , April were three percent for poultry, 2.6 percent for pasta prod- ucts and 2.5 percent for sugar. pri- marily due to in-store promotions. The largest price increases were 16.7 percent for fresh vegetables Sig- nificant retfor ail price increases $sesor imposed salad vegetables due to remains unchanged at two cents be- low the producers' cost of produc- tion, reflecting a low -demand peri- od. Seasonal pricing was introduced by CEMA in 1989 as a means of becoming more market responsive. By adjusting rices according to seasonal vanations of demand, pro- ducers are encouraged to place their flocks to better reflect that de- mand. This in turn, reduces indus- trial product removal costs for the Agency. Over the course of the year, efficient producers recover their costs of production. CEMA'sracing policy is based on a cost of pricing formula ap- proved by the National Farm Prod- ucts Marketing Council, a federal body that oversees supply manage- ment agencies. Prices may be ad- justed to recognize cost differences in individual provinces. Established in 1972, CEMA is a national, non-profit, producer or- ganization. 'Besides setting farm - gate prices, the Agency manages , national egg production and mar- keting, and ensures that Canadians receive a steady supply of high quality eggs. Border inspection for imported meat WINDSOR - The Federal Government has gazetted for comment a proposed regulation which would delegate authority to designate specific facilities for spot checking and other veri- fying measures to determine that imported meat products form the United States are in compliance with Canadian requirements. The Ontario Cattlemen's Associ- ation has indicated its full sup- port for the proposed regulation amendment. The Canadian red meat indus- try was generally fully suppor- tive of the trial "open border in- spection agreement reached a year ago between Canada and the United States for each coun- try to accept as equivalent the other country's inspection pro- gram. Political pressure in the United States against the agree- ment has derailed its implemen- tation. The proposed regulation will establish equal trehtment of im- ports and exports of meat prod- ucts between Canada and the United States, a concept fully consistent with the Free Trade Agreement. Crediton Junior 4H By Lisa Clarke CREDITON - On May 15 we held our fifth 4-H meeting. We had only one leader. We held our meet- ing outside. We played a couple of games. The meeting was about ani- mals. The meeting was fun. We have one more meeting and we then have Achievement night. Meeting 6 On May 22 we held our last and final meeting. We talked about Achievement night, and we also hada bonfire. We roasted hotdogs, and inarshmallows and had drinks. We also judged our beans. Most people's beans did _ very well. De- nise's alt died so she planted a wal- nut tree. It worked welt too. ENSALL ICP 0 -OPERATIVE Fit Spraying for 1991 2 John Deere Hi Boy Units bad weather,in some production ar- eas, and generally low stocks of storable vegetables were primarily responsible for higher proms Prices for fresh following Easter promotions. Most retail food prices are ex- pected to remain stable in the can- ing weeks. However, beef prices for bsrbecue cuts could rise as increases with the warmer weather. Mims for fresh fruit and storable vegetables will show seasonal in- creases in the coming weeks. Sitlad vegetable prk es ate expect- ed imports become r e plentiful Bdecrease aird supplies become Operators Bill Fotheringham and Don Stroud • Round up applicaton • Drop nozzle/broadcast application HENSALL Call today DISTRICT 0 -OPERATIVE Exeter 235-1150 Hensel' 262-3002 1-800-265-5190 Seaforth 522-1000 4