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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-10-11, Page 20Wednesday, October 11, 2006 20 Agricu ltu re Eight foot castor bean Large castor bean — This castor bean found in the front yard of Marcia Merner's residence on Andrew Street in Exeter is eight feet by eight feet with a three and a half foot leaf span. Deb O'Hagan, Merner's sister, is standing in the midst of the tall plant. Castor beans originate from tropical Africa and are part of the spurge family. (photo/submitted) HAVE A NEWS BRIEF CALL \ 519-235-1331 / Denfield Livestock Sales Market report for Tues., Oct. 3. The Market at Denfield Livestock Sales traded on a good demand at prices $1-2 higher on the good fed cattle with the fancy cattle trading at premium prices. Cows sold steady. Stockers were strong, holstein bull calves were steady. Sinclair Farms had the high steer at 99 pur- chased by Norwich Packers and the high heifer at 102.50 pur- chased by Norwich Packers. Fourteen Mile Farm, Denfield sold nine heifers average weight 1191 average price 91.10. Choice steers: 93-97 sales to 99; Good steers: 87-91; Plain steers: 70- 80; Choice exotic cross heifers: 95-100 sales to 102.50; Good heifers: 87- 90; Good fed cows: 40-50; D1 & D2: 30-37; D3 & D4 cows: 25-30; Shells: 10- 20; Good beef bulls: 50- 60; Good Holstein bulls: 40-45; Feeder steers 950 - 1050 lbs 95-109.50; Feeder heifers 900-1000 lbs 90-105; Steer calves 600-750 Ibs 110-130; Heifer calves 600-750 lbs 105-120; Good Holstein bull calves: $125 to $215 TIMES—ADVOCATE Beef sector to see improvements PETERBOROUGH — The province is invest- ing an additional $185 million in rural Ontario, announced Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at the International Plowing Match in Peterborough. Almost $96 million in retroactive Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) pay- ments will flow to Ontario farmers. About $29 million of that will go to beef farmers specifically. A further $4 million in funding will be allo- cated to the Ontario Cattlemen's Association for various beef market development strate- gies helping to offset financial hardship endured by beef farmers during the ongoing Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) cri- sis. In addition, $75 million will be invested in rural infrastructure. Earlier this year the federal government announced changes to the CAIS program, $950 million in new support for Canada's pro- ducers. Those changes included adjustment of the inventory valuation calculation retroactively for 2003, 2004 and 2005. To present a complete and comprehensive solution to Ontario beef producers OCA asked the provincial government to commit a 40 per cent match in funds — the $96 million portion of the grant addresses that request. "This type of CAIS amendment specifically resolves a flaw in design which kept the pro- gram from being as responsive to the needs of our members as it might have been during the height of the BSE crisis," says Ontario Corn Producers (OCP) president Ian McKillop. "In June this year and later in August, OCA met with Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky to fur- ther define the requirement for a provincial match to the earlier federal announcement. We are extremely grateful for the McGuinty government's support of our sector, as demonstrated by today's announcement," says McKillop. "It is great to see that the McGuinty govern- ment is recognizing the challenges facing cat- tle producers," says president of the Ontario Cattle Feeders Association Curtis Royal. "The announcement yesterday opens the possibility of providing support to producers who did not benefit from CAIS during the first two years of the BSE crisis," McKillop adds. If producers are better off after the recalcu- lation, they will receive a CAIS Inventory Transition Initiative (CITI) payment. Payments will be issued as applications for each program year are recalculated. Payments from the original federal govern- ment announcement in May were expected to flow to producers beginning this fall and deliv- ery of payments for all program years is expected to be complete in early 2007. "These funds will provide much-needed additional monies for our industry," says McKillop. "We look forward to the forthcoming infu- sion of funds for those beef producers in need." The announcement also specifically ear- marked an additional $4 million for the Ontario beef industry. "The OCA board will be developing proper process to ensure this money is spent to bene- fit beef producers in Ontario," says McKillop. "The funds allocated specifically to OCA in today's announcement complement our 10 - year visioning initiative and regional market- ing project. This funding flows from an earlier commitment by the premier." Minister of Agriculture reviews Canadian Grain Act OTTAWA — Minister of Agriculture and Agri -Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board Chuck Strahl recently tabled the independent review of the Canada Grain Act and the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) in Parliament. "Canada's new government is committed to an effi- cient Canadian Grain Commission supported by a mod- ern Canada Grain Act that can better address the needs of farmers," says Strahl. "I have asked the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri -Food to study the review and its 102 recom- mendations," Strahl adds. The CGC is the federal govern- ment agency that establishes and maintains Canada's grain quality standards and regulates grain han- dling in Canada to ensure a depend- able commodity for domestic and export markets. Funding provided for biofuel opportunities OTTAWA — Farmers and rural communities across Canada can now benefit from $5 mil- lion in funds, helping them increase their par- ticipation in biofuels production in Canada. The announcement was made recently by Minister of Agriculture and Agri -Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board Chuck Strahl, Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn and the Minister of the Environment Rona Ambrose recently. The industry -led councils that deliver Agriculture and Agri -Food Canada's Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri - Food program in the provinces and territories will accept applications for funding under this program. "Canada's new government announced ear- lier this year that it is aiming to achieve five per cent average renewable fuel in transport fuel by 2010 and this means increasing biofu- els production in Canada," says Strahl. "We've listened to farmers and others in rural communities who've told us they need financial support to participate in the value chain. This initiative will help them make sure they can take advantage of the biofuels oppor- tunities that lie ahead," Strahl adds. The $5 million in funding is the first wave of funding from a $10 million package announced in July. The initiative will help participants hire experts to assist in developing business pro- posals and undertake feasibility studies to expand biofuels production capacity that involves significant (greater than one-third) ownership by farmers. "With over 17 million vehicles on our roads and highways, reducing emissions by improv- ing efficiency and using cleaner fuels is impor- tant," says Lunn. "Biofuels are a sustainable, renewable alter- native that will diversify Canada's energy mix," Lunn adds. "Our five per cent target for the average renewable content in Canadian motor fuels will have real environmental benefits for Canadians," says Ambrose. "This initiative is one element of a practical, results -oriented approach that my colleagues and I will be rolling out over the coming months to protect the health of Canadians." It operates under the authority of the Canada Grain Act which sets out its objectives and powers. The review was conducted as a result of legislative amendments to the Canada Grain Act (CGA) and the Canada Transportation Act in 2005 to bring certain grain handling and transportation provisions into com- pliance with Canada's international trade obligations. The amendments added a new section to the CGA requiring an independent and comprehensive review of the CGC and the Act to be conducted and a report to be tabled in each House of Parliament. INVESTMENTS MATURING? Consider these rates! 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