The Citizen, 2010-12-09, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010. PAGE 19. AgricultureBrussels Livestock report
Lamb sells $10-$20 higher on strong market
Total receipts for Brussels
Livestock for the week ending Dec.
2 were 2,710 cattle, 704 lambs and
goats. On Tuesday fed steers and
heifers sold $3 higher. Choice steers
and heifers sold $98 to $101 with
sales to $107.25. Second cut sold
$95 to $98. Cows sold fully steady.
On Thursday veal sold on a steady
market. Lambs sold on a very strong
market with prices $10 to $20
higher. Sheep and goats sold steady
to last week’s prices. On Friday
calves and yearlings sold on a fully
steady trade.
There were 149 steers on offer.
Joanne Lamb of Goderich,
consigned ten steers averaging 1,099
lbs. selling for an average of
$105.44 with six black steers
averaging 1,058 lbs. selling for
$107.25. John Wiersma of Blyth,
consigned ten steers averaging 1,464
lbs. selling for an average of $99.86
with three limousin steers averaging
1,452 lbs. selling for $102.25. Kevin
and Murray Wagg of Mitchell,
consigned twelve steers averaging
1,399 lbs. selling for an average of
$101 with six charolais steers
averaging 1,530 lbs. selling to Holly
Park Meat Packers for $102. David
Bowles of Brussels, consigned nine
steers averaging 1,548 lbs. selling
for an average of $100.22 with four
black steers averaging 1,535 lbs.
selling to Dominion Meat Packers
for $100.50.
Kevin Leddy of Auburn,
consigned forty-four steers
averaging 1,464 lbs. selling for an
average of $96.76 with one limousin
steer weighing 1,325 lbs. selling for
$100. Miriam Terpstra of Brussels,
consigned two steers averaging
1,410 lbs. selling for an average of
$97.15 with one black steer
weighing 1,480 lbs. selling to Holly
Park Meat Packers for $100. Tom
McDonnell of Gadshill, consigned
one black steer weighing 1,375 lbs.
selling for $99.50. Keys Farms of
Varna, consigned five steers
averaging 1,313 lbs. selling for an
average of $99.21 with four black
steers averaging 1,319 lbs. selling
for $99.50. Larry Reinhart Sr. of
Mildmay, consigned three steers
averaging 1,415 lbs. selling for an
average of $96.86 with two gold
steers averaging 1,480 lbs. selling
for $98.
There were 199 heifers on offer.
Darren Johnston Farms Ltd. of
Bluevale, consigned twenty heifers
averaging 1,395 lbs. selling for an
average of $98.80 with two limousin
heifers averaging 1,353 lbs. selling
to Norwich Packers for $101.75.
John Barbour of Orangeville,
consigned fifty heifers averaging
1,251 lbs. selling for an average of
$98.43 with five black heifers
averaging 1,312 lbs. selling to
Ryding Regency for $101.85. Andy
VanderVeen of Blyth, consigned
fourteen heifers averaging 1,357 lbs.
selling for an average of $101.01
with five limousin heifers averaging
1,320 lbs. selling to Ryding Regency
for $101.50.
Kevin Stewardson of Wyoming,
consigned seven heifers averaging
1,382 lbs. selling for an average of
$95.41 with one limousin heifer
weighing 1,580 lbs. selling to
Dominion Meat Packers for $101.
Tom Hern of Woodham, consigned
seven heifers averaging 1,389 lbs.
selling for an average of $97.71 with
two red heifers averaging 1,383 lbs.
selling to Dominion Meat Packers
for $99.50. G&C Geurts of
Crediton, consigned eight heifers
averaging 1,112 lbs. selling for an
average of $90.73 with one red
heifer weighing 1,265 lbs. selling
for $98.50. Martin Metske of
Lucknow, consigned thirteen heifers
averaging 1,315 lbs. selling for an
average of $97.94 with five black
heifers averaging 1,325 lbs. selling
for $98.25.
There were 514 cows on offer.
Export types sold $53 to $57 with
sales to $65; beef cows, $54 to $60
with sales to $66; D1 and D2, $47 to
$53; D3, $35 to $47; D4, $30 to $35.
Doug and Amy Miller of Lucknow,
consigned four cows averaging
1,433 lbs. selling for an average of
$50.24 with one limousin cow
weighing 1,235 lbs. selling for $66.
Donald Touzin of New Liskeard,
consigned four cows averaging
1,568 lbs. selling for an average of
$55.91 with one holstein cow
weighing 1,460 lbs. selling for $65.
Fred Urbshott of Wiarton, consigned
six cows averaging 1,145 lbs. selling
for an average of $44.48 with one
roan cow weighing 1,425 lbs. selling
for $60.
There were 16 bulls on offer
selling $50.50 to $54 with sales to
$57.50. Concrete Holsteins of
Kirkton, consigned one holstein bull
weighing 1,945 lbs. selling for
$57.50. Byron Miller of Thornloe,
consigned one limousin bull
weighing 2,020 lbs. selling for $57.
There were 162 head of veal on
offer.
Beef sold $110 to $130 with sales
to $153; good holstein, $95 to $105
with sales to $107.50; medium
holstein, $85 to $95; heavy holstein,
$90 to $100 with sales to $104.
Maynard Brubacher of Wallenstein,
consigned twelve veal averaging
735 lbs. selling for an average of
$134.03 with one blonde heifer
weighing 700 lbs. selling for $153.
Nelson Frey of Wallenstein,
consigned five veal averaging 750
lbs. selling for an average of
$126.92 with one limousin heifer
weighing 795 lbs. selling for $139.
Mark and Paul Pennington of
Mildmay, consigned ten veal
averaging 696 lbs. selling for an
average of $106.86 with one black
steer weighing 720 lbs. selling for
$138.
Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $50 to
$175; 50 - 64 lbs., $221 to $302; 65
- 79 lbs., $184 to $257; 80 - 94 lbs.,
$179 to $231; 95 - 109 lbs., $185 to
$202.50; 110 lbs. and over, $178 to
$192.
Sheep sold $60 to $110 with sales
to $122.
Goats: kids sold $50 to $100 to
$142 per head; nannies, $60 to $120
to $127 per head; billies, $150 to
$250 to $315 per head.
Top quality stocker steers under
400 lbs. sold $104 to $162; 400 -
499 lbs., $124 to $160.25; 500 - 599
lbs., $115.50 to $151.50; 600 - 699
lbs., $109 to $134.50; 700 - 799 lbs.,
$111 to $130; 800 - 899 lbs., $103 to
$123; 900 - 999 lbs., $114 to
$119.75; 1,000 lbs. and over,
$104.75 to $114.
Top quality stocker heifers under
300 lbs. sold $134 to $147; 300 -
399 lbs., $117 to $149; 400 - 499
lbs., $110 to $140; 500 - 599 lbs.,
$109.50 to $137; 600 - 699 lbs.,
$106.50 to $125; 700 - 799 lbs.,
$103.25 to $120.25; 800 - 899 lbs.,
$105 to $114.50; 900 lbs. and over,
$103 to $111.75.
Bringing family back to the farm
By Bette Jean Crews, President of
the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture
Hundreds of Ontario farmers
gathered in Toronto this week to
celebrate the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture’s annual general
meeting and convention. Our theme
this year looked at “The Future of
Food” – a topic that brought much
discussion about what the future will
bring for generational farms.
The traditional family farm was
passed down generation to
generation, with farm work being
divided among the family. It brought
food to the dinner table, profit for
the family and was a means to teach
children the value of hard work. For
generations we’ve continued a
legacy of family farming in Ontario
that is the cornerstone of many rural
communities.
But how do you take the family
farm and pass it on within a family,
and still keep the family intact? How
can we – today’s farmers – give the
next generation the opportunities
and support to carry forward the
very farms that their parents or
grandparents built?
Dr. Ron Hanson, a professor in the
Agricultural Economics department
at the University of Nebraska,
shared his views at the OFA’s
convention this week during his
keynote address entitled: “You can
buy the family farm, but I still own
it.” A key point for families to
consider is how to deal with farm
succession in a positive manner.
Passing on ownership is one thing –
but what’s more important is to
understand how to adequately pass
on control to truly hand over farm
responsibilities to the next
generation of farmers.
Too often we neglect to address
issues within our families before
passing on ownership and control of
the farm. It’s time we change our
mentality when it comes to the
family farm – it’s not only a source
of income and responsibility; at the
root of it all is our family. Making
sure our families communicate and
address issues is imperative in order
to maintain a smooth transition from
generation to generation. How can
we expect our children to feel
confident in taking over the
responsibilities of the family farm if
they feel animosity toward it?
Many farmers spoke to me after
Dr. Hanson’s presentation to say
how relevant it was, and how his
examples were so similar to their
own family farm experiences.
While it may not be as easy to pass
on our family farms, it’s our
responsibility to prepare our family
for succession once we’re ready to
move on. One way to do that is to
look toward youth programs to
prepare the next generation for the
responsibilities that come with
owning and operating the family
farm. The OFA works closely with
the Canadian Young Farmers Forum
and the Junior Farmers of Ontario to
mentor young farmers and teach
them how to become leaders in
agriculture and agri-business in
Ontario. These programs are
fostering young farmers and
educating them on the
responsibilities they’ll have once
they take over the farm for their
family.
Supporting these programs at
home through mentoring, positive
reinforcement and nurturing, can
help build the self-assurance these
youth need to feel confident in
taking on the responsibilities of
following in our footsteps on the
farm.
While we may not be able to stop
the evolution of the family farm, we
need to be able to encourage more
youth to understand the challenges
they’ll be faced with when asked to
take over the family’s farm. Our
traditional farms have evolved, and
so too should our succession
strategies for the next generation.
It’s our responsibility to prepare our
children for the role ahead. If they
are to take control of our family’s
farming business, we need to teach
them how to do it and do it right.
Environmental farm
incentives grow
By Bette Jean Crews, President of
the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture
This week, Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs
(OMAFRA) announced a
commitment to bring an additional
$3.05 million to the province’s
Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship
Program in 2011. The Farm
Stewardship Program is an
important component of Ontario’s
broader Environmental Farm Plan
(EFP) initiative. This comes on the
heels of over $7.6 million in
government funding in 2010 that
was budgeted for environmental
farm projects across the province.
We applaud the Ontario
government for using incentives
instead of regulations to promote
environmental improvements.
Ontario’s Environmental Farm
Plan was first referenced in a 1992
document entitled “Our Farm
Environmental Agenda” produced
by the Ontario Farm Environmental
Coalition (OFEC). At that time, the
notion of an environmental plan for
farms was nothing more than a
concept. That same year, Ontario
farm organizations including the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
(OFA), Ontario Soil and Crop
Improvement Association and
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
worked closely with OMAFRA to
develop an EFP Pilot Project that
involved workshops utilizing an EFP
Workbook. This approach is still the
format presently used in Ontario,
and was modelled after
FarmAssist – a farm-related,
environmental risk assessment
developed at the University of
Wisconsin.
What’s unique is that the EFP
program is a self-administered,
environmental risk assessment that
also includes an action plan
indicating how concerns identified
in the assessment should be dealt
with. Both components are
contained within the Workbook
which relates to activities at the
farmstead and farm field levels, as
well as natural areas of the farm
such as wetlands and woodlots. The
OSCIA has always been the agency
responsible for the on-ground
delivery of the EFP program, and it
has done a remarkable job.
In the early years of the program,
funding covered the costs of training
and provided an incentive payment
of $1,000 (later increased to $1,500)
to participating producers who could
demonstrate that they had adopted
best management practices to reduce
risks associated with a concern
identified within their EFP.
As time went on, the OFA and
partners lobbied to have the cost-
share component of the EFP
increased in order to achieve the
common goal shared by farm
organizations and government: to
have more best management
practices adopted by more farmers.
That goal was realized with the
advent of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada programming under the
Agricultural Policy Framework and
Growing Forward.
However, on a year-to-year basis
the OFA did have concerns that the
funds available for best management
practice adoption were declining
and we were emphatic in making
that concern known to OMAFRA.
The current infusion of $3.05
million dollars will undoubtedly
address that concern.
For 2011, the budgeted amount for
the Farm Stewardship Program was
$6.3 million, but with the recent
commitment from OMAFRA, that
figure will rise substantially, to
almost $10 million.
The EFP program is a success
story that all involved parties should
be proud of, especially given the
tendency for new political leaders to
dismiss projects initiated by their
predecessors. The fact that the EFP
program has grown and prospered
under five Prime Ministers and eight
federal agriculture ministers, four
Premiers and eight provincial
agriculture ministers, and seven
OFA presidents is amazing – it truly
is a testament to this being the right
program, at the right time, and for
the right reasons.
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
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