HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-04-04, Page 19Milk marketin
Total milk marketings to the Board were
2.2 per cent lower in February, 1990 than
in February, 1989. While this marks the
10th consecutive month -over -month
decrease, it is the smallest decline since
last May, This continues the improving
trend, which started in January, when
marketings were 3.8 per cent lower than a
year earlier.
The comparisons in the months ahead
will likely look more favorable, if for no
other reason than production was cut back
as the end of the last dairy year approach-
ed. This is particularly true for June and
July when marketings dropped by almost
five and seven per cent, respectively, com-
pared to the same months of 1988.
As will be discussed in the next section,
total marketings will have to improve from
their current position if Ontario is to fill its
provincial quota.
However, given the improved production
situation, combined with the quota reduc-
tion, it now appears as though the risk of
not filling our quota has significantly
diminished.
MSQ UTILIZATION
PROJECTED
Last month, projected MSQ utilization
was 97.6 per cent for the 1989-90 dairy
year. The comparable figure for this
month is 99.1 per cent. There seems to be
some confusion as to what these numbers
represent. They are projections, not predic-
tions. The projections assume a continua-
tion of current trends. In the case of
February's projection, total marketings
were assumed to be down 3.8 per cent for
the remainder of the year. Obviously, a big
difference between this month and last is
the improvement in total marketings. The
current 'projection' reflects a continuation
of marketings being down 2.2 per cent for
the remainder of the 1989-90 dairy year, as
well as fluid sales, the butterfat test and
cream sales continuing on the same com-
parative basis.
The final outcome depends on the in-
teraction of all these factprs and, as is
All Big Sister
matches
successful
There's an old saying: nothing succeeds
like success.
And so far, the Big Sisters Association
of Goderich and District is succeeding.
"We've arranged five matches (bet-
ween big and little sisters) during the
year," said Judy Pettey, chairman of the
Screening and Matching Committee, at
the group's annual meeting, held
Thursday.
In total, the group has set up eight
matches throughout the area, and "all
the matches that have been initiated have
been successful," Pettey said.
Treasurer Jayne LeBeau told the group
that Big Sisters has managed to close out
its fiscal year wi a surplus of nearly
$2,600. The group's 1989 income was near-
ly $5,000, while expenses totalled about
$2,400. Fund-raising events such as the
Whodunit Honky Tonk, a dinner theatre
murder mystery presented at The Livery
last September, were included in the ex-
penses. Everyone involved with Big
Sisters, including members of the board
of directors, works on a volunteer basis.
Upcoming fundraising events include a
McHappy Day,' scheduled for April 25.
During McHappy Day the local
McDonald's will donate $1 from every
Big Mac purchased towards community
organizations. The local recipients this
year are Big Sisters and Survival
Through Friendship House, the county
shelter for battered women and their
children.
Guest speaker at the annual meeting
was Peggy Denomme, who coordinates
volunteer services for the Children's 'Aid
Society of Huron County.
Volunteers are "life -preservers in a
world of non -swimmers," said Denomme,
adding that organizations like Big Sisters
enable "our children to become more op-
timistic and more successful at a per-
sonal level."
She also pointed out that volunteer
work was originally done partly because
of the great distances that separated peo-
ple and communities: people would get
together to build barns, hospitals, schools
and other necessities.
But ironically, now that distance is no
longer a problem, volunteers are becom-
ing harder and harder to get, said
Denomme. They are like yachts, she
said, quoting writer Erma Bombeck;
they're "a luxury in a world that has
become very practical. They're too often
taken for granted."
And as the world became more com-
plex and difficult, helping one's neighbor
became more difficult too, partly because
people find that work and off -work ac-
tivities take up most of their time.
Still, those who do volunteer are not
members of the well-to-do playing Lady
Bountiful,' said Denomme. Volunteers in
the coming decade will come from all
age groups, and all walks of life, and
their reasons for volunteering will be as
diverse as their backgrounds, she said.
For example, some will volunteer
because it boosts their own self-esteem.
"They go home with a good feeling
about themselves, for having done
something for someone else."
Others will volunteer because they
want to share a life experience, because
it's the first step to get back into the
work force, or because they may be
legally required to (people who are
sentenced to perform a set number of
hours of community work, for example).
"Volunteering is the rent we pay for the
space we occupy in this country,"
Denomme said.
gs continue
n. improving trend, futu
said repeatedly in this bulletin • eat the
least of which are actions individual pro*
ducers take to adjust their production
'relative to their quota holdings;'-•
Knowing that it is unlikely that monthly
marketings will remain at 2.2 per Bent
compared to last year, it is important to.
provide alternative scenarios. One is that
if total monthly marketings averaged down ley
one per cent for the March to July period,
1990 (and all other factors stayed the
same), Ontario would fill slightly more remains
than 100 per cent of its MSQ . Similarly, if
total marketings increased by an average
of LO per cent for the remaining months
of the dairy year, Provincial MSQ utiliza-
tion would end up at 101.4 per cent.
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide ti
up-to-date information about provincial
trends and production objectives. The pro-
jections are based on the most current in- e
formation, but will change almost by
definition as producers collectively respond
to an over -supply or undersupply situation
vis-a-vis the provincial quota.
This month's projections are based on ° O.
the following additional factors and a
assumptions:
e fluid sales will be 0.5 per cent lower
compared to 1988-89;
no change in the provincial average but- tinny
teat test; fill ite quota. However, some overquota
producers will only f per cent shipments well he required to � 190 per rok ter y t
. per cent of the total
of their :share of provincial . markprodnc d 9 .7 per c tFebruary.total
TWO' pbmta,shoyld be hated with respect cent of proviitncial I�LSQ. The prospects for They also r deli
to these do over -quota levy refunds are not as, open as MSQshipmentsµ per cent of total
they were before.the reduction to MSQ. Fluid N7ilk f
The Board is encouraging allproducers Sores represented n3:2 per cent
to fill 100 ging of the total milk lriarketed in Ontario in
Per cent of their MSQ. Producers February. `Sales of 'fluid milk during the
have been advised to monitor what is hap- month showed a decrease of 1.0 per cent,
peeing provincially and adjust production on an -adjusted audited sales day basis.
accordingly. over the corresponding month a year
.REGULAR- FEATURES earlier.
Licenced Producers totalling 9,231 sold The cumulative adjusted sales figure for
milk to the OMMB in February compared the first two months of 1990 is 0.8 per cent
to 9,579 a year earlier. This total consists below the figure for the similar period last
off 8,596 holding Group I Pool Quota and year.
arket Sharing Quota (MSQ), and 635'Group I Pool Payment Percentage for
holdingoMilk Marketed by the Board duringQ. February, 1990 was 75.34 per cent com-
pared to 74.92 per cent in February, 1989.
February, 1990 was 180.1 million litres
which represented a decrease of 2.2 per
cent from February, 1989.
Shipments Within -in MSQ by Ontario milk
producers in February, 1990 were 95.4
million litres, 4.4 per cent lower in terms
of butterfat than in February, 1989. During
the first seven months or the 1989-90 dairy
year, shipments within MSQ including
cream were 9.4 per cent lower in terms of
butterfat than during the corresponding
period a year ago.
Producers Holding Group I Pool Quota and
• THE HURON: 1<X.FQSiTQ ,.�APRII 4.r
re :looks favorable
ase. p. ns. First, the provincial
average butterfat test was down almustt
0.04 kg per hectolitre in February. For the
year-to-date, :the test has been running at
e . pretty ose to last year. In addition,
yearsrecent anything but an increasing
average butterfat' test appeared unusual. It
to be seen whether February was
an aberration. Each 0.04 kg/hl of butterfat
represents about one per cent of quota. If
the provincial average butterfat test were
to fall that much for the last six months
of the dairy year, provincial MSQ utilize -
on would be one-half per cent lower than
projected.
Finally, cream producers have been
estimated to fill 95 per cent of their share
of quota. This may in fact be optimistic as
cream shipments are well below last
year's levels. For every 5.0 per cent of
cream quota that isn't filled, there is about
3 per cent more provincial quota
vailable to milk shippers.
TARGET FOR 100 PER CENT
OF MSQ UTILIZATION
Based on year4o-date figures and prbjec-
it seems probable that Ontario will
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xpositor
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