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The Brussels Post, 1979-02-21, Page 15NVDRO.MAN MANURE PUMP R, R. 4, Walton, Ord: Phone 345-2734 THE. BRUSSELS POST,. FEBRUARY 21, 1979 15. Consumer over-reaction worries cattlemen a BY ALICE GMB Art Bolton of McKillop president of the Huron Cattlemen's Association, asked Huron County's three members of parlia- ment for their support in preventin2 —5. consumer over-reaction to the high price of beef at the annual members of parliament meeting on Saturday. Mr. Bolton and representatives from other Huron County commodity groups presented brief to MPPs Jack Riddell and Murray Gaunt and MP Robert McKinley at the dinner held in Clinton. Mr. Bolton said the beef nrire inorease results from the decline in the number of beef cattle and the decline in value of the Canadian dollar. He said it's expected the number of cows will continue to decline until 1980 and relatively high prices for beef will prevail until 1982. Frank Wall, an OFA director from the Niagara region, asked Mr. Bolton if cattle producers couldn't maintain their production at a steady rate. He said there was again talk by some consumers about boycotting beef due to the high prices. Mr. Bolton said cattlemen are trying to get better market information to the producers in order to stabilize production and price cycles. He added that mentioning quotas was the "quickest way to get yourself out of a cattlemen's meeting that I know." Lloyd Stewart, secretary of the Huron County Pork Producers, called for an expansion of the processing and packing industry in the brief he presented to the three politicians. Jack Riddell said he understood pork consumption will increase in the future due to higher beef prices and that good pork prices are predicted for the next two years. John Van Beers, of R.R.1, Blyth, said Ontario hog producers need another slaughtering plant in the province to keep up with production. Bill Scott of Seaforth, Huron County director on the Ontario Egg Producers Marketing Board, said in his brief that both Ontario and Quebec require an increase in their egg quotas. He said under the federal marketing plan, until a more realistic agreement can be reached, egg quotas can't be stabilized and will continue to fluctuate. The director told the members of parlia- ment the major problem facing producers now is the development of an on going transfer policy. He said there are currently two trains of thoughts among producers about the issue. Some producers want the quota to be purchased by the marketing board, put into a pool and re-distributed pro-rata to all the producers wanting it, at the same price. Mr. Scott said, "This is the fairest, easiest and least controversial plan to implement." However, other producers favor an open, face to face buy-sell program with limitations, such as limiting purchases to five per cent of basic quota. Mr. Scott said the marketing board directors are now working on a program for quotas to be put forward at their annual meeting in March. Jack Riddell, the Liberal party's agriculture critic in the Ontario legislature, said he is concerned how' a young person gets into the egg business today. He asked, "Have we closed the door to the young farmer who wants to go into the business?" Jim McIntosh, of R.R.5, Seaforth, said a young farmer could probably still justify buying a successful poultry operation with quota rather than buying expensive land and going into cash cropping. Murray Gaunt said he had heard concern expressed about a corporate concentration in the egg business. Mr. Scott said at this point he didn't see the industry getting into corporate hands, since individual farmers and not industries are leasing available egg quotas. "The family farmer is right out there competing," Mr. Scott added. Bert Elliott, chairman of the Huron County Cream Producers, reported his organization is still fighting a drop in the consumption of cream in the market place and suggests a percentage of the price increase for producers be paid through higher subsidies. He also told the three politicians that his group is opposed to any changes being made in the Line Fence Act, and feelseach landowner should maintain his own half of the line fences where livestock are pasturing on neighbouring farms. Melvin Knox of the Huron County Milk Committee said his industry as a whole has few major problems. Mr. Knox told the audience Ontario has lost too great an amount of their share of the quota, since they didn't produce enough of the provincial, allottment. Now, "we'd just love to produce more milk in this province" but "we don't want to be stuck with a big surplus." He said producers are now living with a five per cent sleeve on excess quota, but this is "awful tight." • Mr. Knox said milk producers suffered when the United Kingdom joined the European Common Market, since Canada lost a major cheddar cheese market. He said there is now no such thing as an export market for dairy products since there is such a glut on the world market from countries like Australia, New Zealand and the Common Market countries. Bev Brown, an OFA director from Bluevale, said a resolution is coming up at the Canadian-Federation of Ag (culture conference in Ottawa this week to dis- courage the initation of natural' dairy products by products like coffee creamers and artificial whipped creams. TILING COMPLETED ! FINANCING TOO ALL TIED UP IN KNOTS — Luella Mitchell was helping John Magee to get the knots out of the ties in his skates when the junior grades of the Brussels Public School had a skating party at the arena on Wednesday afternoon. HYDRO-MAN MANURE PUMP PLACES IRE MANURE VASE YOU WANT IT MID II VILL, BE REIDY INEN YOU NEED IT This specially designed pump forces the manure from the barn, through an underground pipe, to the storage area. As, the manure enters the storage area from below, the outside surface forms a crust, which retains the Important nitrogen and potassium inside the pile and also reduces the odor and fly problems. Mall the coupon for details. FARMPLAN TILE DRAINAGE LOANS MAKE FARM PRODUCTION SENSE • 100% financing. • Deferred principal payments. • Prepayment, in part or in full, without penalty. • Repayment terms up to 11 years. C'mon in, or give us a shout and we'll come out to your place where we can, together, start digging into the tile drainage plans that can increase your crop production capability. Jerry Dillow ROYAL BAN K serving Agriculture Brtussels, Ontario 887-6017