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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-02-25, Page 2424 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday,February 25, 2004 In the News Thompson meeting updates farmers By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF HENSALL — Livestock farmers got the cold, hard facts about the economy at a meeting at W.G. Thompson in Hensall last week. About 20 farmers attended the Feb. 18 meeting, which featured guest speakers from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), Hyland Seeds and an accountant from Exeter's Pinder, Taylor, McNeilly, Godkin Chartered Accountants. OMAF beef specialist Dennis Martin explained how mad cow disease has "turned our markets upside down." He said the cow discovered in Canada May 20 with the disease and another discovery in the U.S. on Dec. 23 had a devastating effect on the beef industry. "When will this end and will it end?" he asked. Martin outlined the challenges and frustrations facing beef farmers across Canada. He said the U.S. investiga- tion into the mad cow situation is over and we will know within a few weeks if the U.S. ban on importing cattle younger than 30 months will be dropped. "From a scientific point of view, there is no reason to have the border closed," Martin said, explaining politics and the upcoming U.S. election are two reasons for the ban. In addition to cattle prices dropping, further difficulties are seen in western Canada as 37 feedlots are on hold and not buying cattle. "Can you imagine the kind of impact that's had?" Martin commented. Giant producer Lakeside Packers is only running at half capacity. Another problem, Martin explained, is there are too many cows in Canada. Last year saw the biggest beef herd ever at 4.8 million, while this year may see five mil- lion. Dairy cows are also up from one million to 1.2 mil- lion. "We don't need all these cows," Martin said, explain- ing the more cows there are, the bigger the problem becomes. He said farmers are left with the tough deci- sion of whether to keep their cattle, sell them or cull them. The longer you keep a cow and feed it, the lower your feed efficiency becomes. Martin cautioned farmers to buy carefully and watch costs. He said even if the U.S. border re -opens soon, it's likely finished cattle this summer will still sell at no more than 70 cents/pound. It's not all doom and gloom, though. Martin said there will eventually be light at the end of the tunnel for beef farmers, although unfortunately some beef producers will be lost in the process. "How deep are your pockets?" he asked the group. OMAF swine grower -finisher specialist John Bancroft also spoke at the meeting on the hog situation. He said historically when pork producers make good money, the packers lose money and vice -versa; but last year, he said both sides lost. Looking at the past 10 years, Bancroft said the hog industry has seen big changes. In 1993, Canada pro- duced 81,289 pigs per week. Ten years later, that num- ber nearly doubled to 159,000 pigs per week. And not only did the number of pigs in Canada increase, so did their weight. There have been changes in technology and specializa- tion and the export market has increased. The rise in the Canadian dollar has affected the indus- try, dropping hog prices. Bancroft identified so-called "wild card" effects on the hog industry such as the Avian Flu, mad cow disease, the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, the fallout of 9/11 in the U.S. and the 2002 Russian poultry ban. Another pos- sible influence on hog prices for 2004 is the popularity of high -protein, low -carbohydrate diets. Accountant Dave Vantyghem was also on hand to explain the differences between two financial programs for Canadian farmers — the Net Income Stabilization Account (NISA) and the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program. As Vantyghem explained, the government is winding down NISA and replacing it with CAIS. The government hasn't released all the details of CAIS yet, but Vantyghem explained to the group that deposits and not premiums are required to set up a fund. The amount of money required depends on how much relief coverage is desired. The deadline for farmers to set up their CAIS account is April 30. "Don't miss the deadline," Vantyghem warned, adding there will probably be problems with the program because the government isn't ready yet. "I'm not going to stand here and say these are good programs," he said. "They are the programs of the day. There are going to be lots of problems." Frank Flanagan of Hyland Seeds also spoke on some of his company's latest products. "Farming's never been good," he said. "I just don't know that it's ever been this bad." But, he added, people will always need food so there will always be farmers. Barry Gordon of W.G. Thompson said the company often has meetings for its cash growers, but wanted to become more involved with livestock farmers. Dombrowsky speaks with OFA board of directors Ontario's Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky spoke with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) board of directors Feb. 18. In her speech to the board, Dombrowsky touched on water protec- tion, nutrient management and the rela- tionship between the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and the OFA. "I believe we will be required to work together to ensure that our water resources are protected," she said. "You play an important role in protecting human health and the environment. You contribute to the safety and well being of families and communities across Ontario." Dombrowsky said the McGuinty gov- ernment is working to ensure every Ontarian can live in a safe, clean, live- able environment. "We are delivering changes that will improve our quality of life." Dombrowsky said the government's efforts to restore Ontario to its position as a world leader in protecting drinking water and its sources will be guided by the recommendations laid out in Justice Dennis O'Connor's Walkerton Inquiry report. O'Connor said a multiple barrier approach should be taken to ensure contamination does not reach drinking water supplies. These barriers include source protection, treatment, distribu- tion, monitoring and planned response to adverse conditions. Dombrowsky said progress has been made in the areas of treatment, moni- toring and recording through the Safe Drinking Water Act. She said Justice O'Connor has been clear that source protection is funda- mental to protecting our drinking water. "We must prevent water sources from becoming contaminated in the first place. For too long, source protection has been missing from Ontario's water policies." Dombrowsky said the Liberal govern- ment is making source protection the hallmark to its approach to improving water quality. A one-year moratorium has been enacted on new or expanded water tak- ing permits for users who remove water from watersheds. The moratorium does not affect any existing permits. It also doesn't affect home use or farmers who need water for their crops and livestock. It is designed to prevent users from trans- porting millions of litres of water out of local watersheds without considering the long-term effects on the environ- ment. "Before we give away 4.5 millions litres a day, we had better have a very good sense and understanding of the impact that would have on the local community." Dombrowsky said the moratorium will provide the government time to review and approve the process for issuing per- mits to take water. New permits will not be granted until the government is cer- tain there's enough water in the water- shed for this and future generations. Mitchell to hold consultations HURON — Huron -Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell will hold two public consulta- tions March 8 on the provincial budget. The first will be at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine from 3-5 p.m., with the second at the Holmesville Community Centre from 7:30-9:30 p.m. "This will be part of the government's decision to consult with the public and determine priorities," Mitchell said. "The $5.6 billion deficit left by the previous gov- ernment forces the gov- ernment to make some difficult choices." Mitchell said the meet- ings are part of the demo- cratic process. Individuals or organizations who wish to make a presentation should notify Mitchell's constituency office by March 5 to be placed on the presentation list. She said in the future Ontario will charge water bottling companies and other permit holders that remove water from watersheds. The strategy also recognizes that waterways must be protected from cont- amination from nearby land. Dombrowsky said the Nutrient Management Act will help achieve that goal. She said MOE is taking the lead in ensuring compliance with the act while the technical aspects are overseen by OMAF. MOE staff who deal with the act will have training in environmental manage- ment and sound knowledge about Ontario's agricultural sector. Officers conducting farm inspections will not be enforcing the act. They will refer matters to MOE's investigations and enforcement branch if there is evi- dence of a significant environmental vio- lation. "Everything we do is based on a simple premise that Ontarians must be able to trust the water that comes out of their taps," she said. "Ontario's agriculture community will be an important partner as we restore that trust." POLICE BRIEFS Licence sussion EXETER — On Feb.eb21 at 12:15 a.m. OPP officers stopped a black 1995 Chev Monte Carlo on John Street in Exeter. The driver, an 18 -year-old man from Bluewater was found with alcohol on his breath and given the roadside test, blowing a warn. The man received a 12 - hour licence suspension and was charged with a traffic offence of a Class G2 licence holder driving with a blood alcohol content above zero. Youth survives crash BLUEWATER — On Feb. 19 at approx- imately 8:30 a.m. a 15 -year-old boy sur- vived a crash with a transport truck on Airport Line in Bluewater. The 15 -year- old boy from Bluewater was westbound on the snowmobile trail next to Rogersville Road approaching Airport Line following two other youths on snowmobiles. The first two were able to get stopped at the last second due to the extremely foggy conditions. The third youth was travelling too fast for trail conditions and failed to stop. He avoided the other two stopped machines climbed the snow bank and went airborne into the front corner of a 1983 Freightliner tractor trailer driven by a 33 -year-old man from South Huron. The snowmobile bounced off the cab of the truck into the side of the snow bank. The 15 -year-old youth was taken to South Huron Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released. Snowmobile stolen EXETER — On Feb. 17 at 8:45 p.m. OPP were called to the parking lot of Gar's Bar located on the Main Street of Exeter in South Huron. The victim reported he had left his black 2001 Polaris XCSP500 snowmobile sitting behind a snow pile in the parking lot. Sometime within the last hour a person started the machine and drove the unit away. The snowmobile has a registra- tion number of 895106. If you have information on the whereabouts of this stolen snowmobile call the Huron OPP or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477 (TIPS). Vehicle damaged EXETER — On Feb. 15 at 6:30 a.m. a woman who was delivering papers in Exeter contacted OPP. The woman told police that at 5 a.m. she had stopped at the apartment complex on Senior Street to deliver the papers to residents inside the building. She was inside approxi- mately 10 minutes and when she came back outside found the front bumper hanging down where someone had pulled it apart. She told police this was the third time her vehicle, a blue 4Dr 1993 Ford Tempo, had been attacked and damaged. The previous two times damage was done to her left front quar- ter panel and the rear taillight had been smashed. Huron OPP is continuing their investigation into these incidents. If you can help solve these matters please call the local OPP or Crime Stoppers at 1- 800-222-8477(TIPS).