The Citizen, 2010-12-02, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2010. PAGE 23. AgricultureBrussels Livestock report
Fed steers, heifers sell $3 higher at market
Total receipts for Brussels
Livestock for the week ending Nov.
26 were 3,195 cattle, 531 lambs and
goats. On Tuesday fed steers and
heifers sold on a stronger market at
$3 higher. Choice steers and heifers
sold $95 to $98 with sales to $102.
Second cut sold $92 to $95. Cows
sold fully steady to last week. On
Thursday veal continued to trade on
a strong active market with prices
holding steady. Due to the Muslim
holiday, all classes of lambs sold on
a strong active trade at prices $5 to
$10 higher. Sheep sold on a steady
trade to last week and goats sold on
an active trade. On Friday, calves
and yearlings sold on a strong active
trade. On Monday at the vaccinated
sale, calves and yearlings sold on a
very strong active trade with prices
$2 to $3 higher.
There were 139 steers on offer.
Southlore Farms of Palmerston,
consigned seven steers averaging
1,442 lbs. selling for an average of
$97.01 with one simmental steer
weighing 1,335 lbs. selling to
Dominion Meat Packers for $98.75.
Murray Shiell of Wingham,
consigned thirty steers averaging
1,549 lbs. selling for an average of
$96.33 with ten charolais steers
averaging 1,497 lbs. selling to Holly
Park Meat Packers for $97.75.
Donald Weigand of Dashwood,
consigned three limousin steers
averaging 1,357 lbs. selling to
Dominion Meat Packers for $97.25.
Damen Farms of Lucan, consigned
thirteen steers averaging 1,438 lbs.
selling for an average of $98.61 with
one black steer weighing 1,320 lbs.
selling for $96.75. D & M Farms of
Listowel, consigned three steers
averaging 1,442 lbs. selling for an
average of $94.04 with one black
steer weighing 1,450 lbs. selling to
St. Helen’s Meat Packers for $95.
Jack R. Nonkes of Auburn,
consigned two cross-bred steers
averaging 1,460 lbs. selling to St.
Helen’s Meat Packers for $94.75.
Brad Hutchison of Gorrie, consigned
fourteen steers averaging 1,413 lbs.
selling for an average of $93.20 with
seven cross-bred steers averaging
1,417 lbs. selling to Ryding Regency
for $94.25. Donald Fluney of
Shelburne, consigned thirty-three
steers averaging 1,225 lbs. selling
for an average of $90.08 with two
black steers averaging 1,243 lbs.
selling to Ryding Regency for
$93.25.
There were 128 heifers on offer.
M-R Farms of Exeter, consigned
thirteen heifers averaging 1,252 lbs.
selling for an average of $91.12 with
one piedmontese heifer weighing
1,230 lbs. selling for $101. Tom
Hern of Woodham, consigned ten
heifers averaging 1,455 lbs. selling
for an average of $93.57 with six
cross-bred heifers averaging 1,446
lbs. selling to St. Helen’s Meat
Packers for $95.50. Lorne Benedict
of Kerwood, consigned twelve
heifers averaging 1,288 lbs. selling
for an average of $93.98 with eight
cross-bred heifers averaging 1,328
lbs. selling to Holly Park Meat
Packers for $95.50.
Henry Kanters of Elmwood,
consigned three heifers averaging
1,235 lbs. selling for an average of
$88.82 with one black heifer
weighing 1,215 lbs. selling for $95.
Terry Murray of Clifford, consigned
eleven heifers averaging 1,173 lbs.
selling for an average of $91.49 with
two gold heifers averaging 1,375 lbs.
selling to Holly Park Meat Packers
for $94.25. Murray Switzer of St.
Marys, consigned twelve heifers
averaging 1,200 lbs. selling for an
average of $93.27 with nine black
heifers averaging 1,187 lbs. selling
for $94. Art and George Hinz of
Monkton, consigned seven heifers
averaging 1,376 lbs. selling for an
average of $91.74 with two
simmental heifers averaging 1,428
lbs. selling for $93.50.
There were 482 cows on offer.
Export types sold $47 to $57 with
sales to $64.50; beef cows, $48 to
$57 with sales to $66; D1 and D2,
$47 to $53; D3, $35 to $47; D4, $30
to $35. Versteegen Farms of
Monkton, consigned twelve cows
averaging 1,278 lbs. selling for an
average of $44.90 with one holstein
cow weighing 1,775 lbs. selling for
$56. Hells-Lea Farms of Mildmay,
consigned two cows averaging 1,635
lbs. selling for an average of $51.69
with one holstein cow weighing
1,960 lbs. selling for $55.50. Brian
Weber of Allenford, consigned one
holstein cow weighing 1,770 lbs.
selling for $55.
There were 17 bulls on offer
selling $48.50 to $60 with sales to
$68. Jenvey Farms of Mildmay, sold
one black bull weighing 2,370 lbs.
selling for $68. Tobie L. Miller of
Lucknow, consigned one simmental
bull weighing 2,225 lbs. selling for
$64.50.
There were 145 head of veal on
offer. Beef sold $100 to $125 with
sales to $157; good holstein, $95 to
$105 with sales to $112; medium
holstein, $80 to $90; heavy holstein,
$90 to $100 with sales to $101.50.
Tina Verschaeve of Blyth, consigned
one black heifer weighing 815 lbs.
selling for $157. Frank
Vanhooydonk of Parkhill, consigned
five veal averaging 725 lbs. selling
for an average of $123.65 with one
limousin heifer weighing 755 lbs.
selling for $156. Cole Kelly of
Sebringville, consigned two veal
averaging 675 lbs. selling for an
average of $138.92 with one
limousin steer weighing 670 lbs.
selling for $150.
Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $135 to
$250; 50 - 64 lbs., $202 to $265; 65
- 79 lbs., $180 to $238; 80 - 94 lbs.,
$178 to $199; 95 - 109 lbs., $181 to
$192; 110 lbs. and over, $154 to
$179.
Sheep sold $89 to $112 with sales
to $194.
Goats: Kids sold $50 to $100 to
$150 per head; nannies, $70 to $100
to $135 per head; billies, $150 to
$250 to $325 per head.
Top quality stocker steers under
400 lbs. sold $105 to $162; 400 -
499 lbs., $123 to $156; 500 - 599
lbs., $100 to $140.50; 600 - 699 lbs.,
$116.75 to $132.50; 700 - 799 lbs.,
$106.50 to $122; 800 - 899 lb s.,
$94.25 to $120; 900 - 999 lbs.,
$92.50 to $114.25; 1,000 lbs. and
over, $90 to $110.50.
Top quality stocker heifers under
300 lbs. sold $124 to $145; 300 -
399 lbs., $118 to $145; 400 - 499
lbs., $120 to $140; 500 - 599 lbs.,
$117 to $134; 600 - 699 lbs., $107 to
$121.50; 700 - 799 lbs., $99 to $121;
800 - 899 lbs., $104.75 to $112; 900
lbs. and over, $97 to $109.
Top quality vaccinated stocker
steers under 400 lbs. sold $149 to
$158; 400 - 499 lbs., $149 to $162;
500 - 599 lbs., $125.50 to $149; 600
- 699 lbs., $123 to $141; 700 - 799
lbs., $112.50 to $121.50; 800 - 899
lbs., $104 to $113; 900 - 999 lbs.,
$110 to $109; 1,000 lbs. and over,
$100 to $109.
Top quality vaccinated stocker
heifers under 300 lbs. sold $115 to
$125; 300 - 399 lbs., $133 to $148;
400 - 499 lbs., $122 to $146; 500 -
599 lbs., $122.50 to $145; 600 - 699
lbs., $116 to $128; 700 - 799 lbs.,
$114.50 to $122; 800 - 899 lbs.,
N/A; 900 lbs. and over, $95 to $101.
More than 700 beef, pork farmers seek solutions
With both pork and beef prices at
crisis levels for several years, more
than 700 farmers gathered in
Stratford Friday to seek solutions.
The Farmers Matter Town Hall
meeting, organized the Perth
County’s pork and beef producers,
drew an audience from across
southwestern Ontario, including
Huron County, as well of a panel of
farm and political leaders.
The meeting was structured to
seek solutions rather than
fingerpoint and lay blame. Four
topics were discussed: food safety
and food labelling, cost structure,
domestic inequality problems and
ways to build a sustainable future for
food production.
Each topic was introduced with a
video featuring farmers highlighting
how the issue affected their ability to
farm. The issue was then discussed
by selected members of the panel
which included Wayne Easter,
federal Liberal agriculture critic;
Bev Shiply, MP for Lambton
Middlesex, representing Federal
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz;
Ernie Hardeman, Progressive
Conservative agricultural critic for
Ontario; John Wilkinson, MPP for
Perth-Wellington and Minister of
Environment for Ontario; Wilma
Jeffray, Ontario Pork chair; Curtis
Royal, president of the Ontario
Cattlemen’s Association; Keith
Currie, executive member with the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture,
Sean McGivern, Ontario co-
ordinator for the National Farmers
Union; Henry Stevens, president of
the Christian Farmers Federation of
Ontario’ Murray Brodhagen,
president of the Perth County Beef
Producers’ Association, Stewart
Skinner, a young Listowel-area pork
producer who is also a member of
the Farmers Matter committee and
Clare Schlegel, former chair of
Ontario Pork and the Canadian Pork
Council.
Audience members were allowed
to pose questions to the panellists
and the proceedings were recorded
for the committee to review later as
they seek solutions to the current
crisis in the red meat sector.
On the food labelling issue, the
strongest sentiments came from
Easter who blasted governments at
all levels for putting Canadians at an
unfair disadvantage to foreign
competitors. The Canadian Food
Inspection Agency inspects only two
per cent of the food imported to
Canada, he said.
At the Ontario level, he blasted the
provincial government for the
decline in the number of local
abattoirs. “regulators are going by
the rules instead of common sense.”
Canadian farmers are being hurt
by the Country of Origin Labeling
(COOL) regulations in the U.S. but
at least the U.S. government is
standing up for its farmers, Easter
said. “In Canada, we worry about
violating trade rules,” he said, but
Americans go ahead unless they lose
a trade dispute. By the time Canada
could win a case against COOL,
many farmers will be out of
business.
Canada is still suffering from the
BSE crisis and the removal of
specified risk materials (SRM) from
all cattle processed has cost packers,
and through them farmers.
“The U.S. was supposed to adopt
the same (SRM removal) system
but they didn’t. Yet we’re hanging
onto the same program,” Easter
said.
Parliament’s standing committee
on agriculture has recommended
that the “Product of Canada” label
should require 85 per cent Canadian
content but the government has
insisted on 98 per cent, with the
result that companies don’t even use
the Product of Canada label, opting
for the “Processed in Canada” label
which might include a majority of
imported products that are processed
in Canada.
“Now labelling is virtually
useless,” Easter fumed.
Currie said the labelling that’s
really needed is a “100 per cent
Canadian primary product” label to
let Canadian shoppers know if they
are buying Canadian.
The slowness of Canadian
regulators prevents people having
Canadian choices, he said. It takes
seven years for approval of a
Canadian baby formula so
companies import formula instead,
with the vast majority coming from
China which is notorious about lax
food inspection regulations.
Schelegel argued that food
imported into Canada should be
required to be produced under the
same standards as food produced
here. Canadian pork producers are
not allowed to use Mecadox, an
antimicrobial feed additive not
approved for use in Canada, yet
“we’re not testing for it at the border.
If we can’t use it, why do we
allow it in meat on our store
shelves?”
Questioner Bev Hill wondered
why politicians are so hesitant to fix
what is wrong with trade
regulations.
Easter said that as someone who
has been a cabinet minister, a back
bencher and an opposition critic,
the problem has crossed party
lines.
“There is a mentality in Ottawa for
25 years – since I was in the farm
movement (as a former NFU
president) that we always want to be
the boy scouts.”
“Most of the rest of the world is
playing hardball while we’re playing
tennis,” he said.
Much of the cost structure debate
centred about the need for new tools
for producers to manage their risk,
particularly a business risk
management plan (RMP) that would
cover red meat and other
non-supply-managed
commodities.
An RMP, said Easter, would put
Ontario producers more in line with
Quebec farmers who have their
ASRA (Assurance stabilisation des
revenus agricoles) support program.
ASRA was a favourite whipping
boy in the discussion on domestic
inequality.
During the crisis in pork, said
Skinner, Perth County has lost one
third of its pork producers while
Quebec has lost two per cent. “How
is this right? I live in Canada and I
deserve equal treatment with any
other Canadian.”
Brodhagen pointed to both ASRA
and Alberta’s subsidy to cattle
producers as hurting the ability of
Ontario beef farmers to compete.
“We’re getting near the end of our
rope,” he said, noting Perth’s cattle
production is down 25 per cent. The
reduction in Ontario’s cattle
production is also putting packers
and processors in jeopardy if there
aren’t enough cattle left to process.
“Jobs will be lost and are being lost,”
Brodhagen said. “The clock is
ticking. We need programs now. We
need an RMP to compete.”
Hardemann said Ontario
Progressive Conservative leader Tim
Hudak had met with the event’s
organizers the previous day and
promised his party will support an
RMP based on cost of production.
Where does the committee go
from here? Speaking later John
Nyenhuis, president of Farmers
Matter, said his committee has to
wade through all the feedback from
those who attended the meeting but
he hopes the group will continue. He
said he hopes the social media
infrastructure set up by the group
will be used as a way to try to get
information to consumers.
TUESDAYS
9:00 a.m.
Fed Cattle, Bulls & Cows
THURSDAYS
8:00 a.m.Drop Calves
10:00 a.m.Veal
11:30 a.m. Pigs, Lambs, Goats & Sheep
FRIDAYS
10:00 a.m. Stockers
Call us 519-887-6461
Visit our webpage at:
www.brusselslivestock.ca
email us at:
info@brusselslivestock.ca
BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK
Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd.
UPCOMING SALES
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen