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The Rural Voice, 1978-03, Page 7organization trying to have a strong voice but Mr. Van Donkersgoed says that while he once thought this was a hinderance, today he feels it is a blessing for his organization. He had once thought the organization should have its headquarters in a smaller city such as Guelph but now has come to think that the organization should stay in a small town. The membership, he says. feels more comfortable dealing with an office in Drayton than it would with one in a city. Perhaps someday the office will move but if so it would be to another small town, not a city. He feels that those organizations which have headquarters in a city have a disadvantages. He recalls overhearing a chilling conversation in the offices of another farm organization in Toronto hcrc t'.o secretaries complained about the latest price hike for some food commodity. The staff in the CFF offices mostly come from farms themselves so have a better understanding of the v: hole business. A few hours of conversation with Elbert Van Donkersgoed makes it easy to sec why the Christian Farmers Federation has taken a place in Ontario Agriculture far out of proportion to its size. It has an organization, and a man, who have done a lett of thinking about the state of agriculture in Canada. The Voice of A Farmer by Adrian Vos Fellow columnist Carl Hemingway, did some figuring on the • nev: grading system for hogs, in the February issue of the "Rural Voice" and came to the conclusion that it would be most advantageous for the pork producer, to ship his hogs at a dressed weight of 170 pounds. At this time he is probably right. We must however adjust this figure continuously as the price of a pound of feed changes and as the market price changes. The higher the cost of feed the lower the break even point. The lower the market price, the lower the break even point. and vice versa. The break even point then depends of the spread between the two prices. A concern expressed by Carl and by some other producers, is the fear of over production and the resulting lower prices. I do not share that fear. For several years now we have been under producing pork in Canada. As a result we have been importing enormous amounts of American pork. We could have produced that pork quite profitably ourselves and have millions of dollars in our ov. n collective pocket. Yes, 1 have no doubt that we will have pork surplusses again, just as v.e have in the past. Heavier or lighter hogs won't change that. When the price gets low enough, %re rill balk at losing money and cut back again, regardless of the weight. The hog man may have noticed that his index has dropped. Some have expressed the opinion, that they get less for a pound of pork than before the change. Not so. The processor makes his bid on the average hog index. In the past the average has climbed to 102. From now on the average is 100. So if the processor bid 60c on index 102 hogs last year, he now bids the 60c on 100 index hogs. It must be understood that the grading system is not a marketing tool. It is designed so that every hog is paid on the amount, quality and saleability of the meat, regardless of .'eight. Those who advocate a penalty for heavy hogs, in order to limit the amount of pork coming on the market, are in effect asking the packer to fine the producer and to pocket the fine. ALEXANDER AND CHAPMAN REALTY LIMITED 8 THE SQUARE PHONE 524-9662 GODERICH, ONTARIO 524-6542 BEEF FARM -245 acre beef farm. 225 acres workable -balance good hardwood bush. Good land mostly tile drained. 2 barns. Capacity 200 cattle. 3 bunker silos. Good 2 storey house with oil furnace. Excellent location on Hwy. 86 - 1 mile from Lucknow. Owner will consider taking back first mortgage. ******* FARM -dairy, beef, or cash crop. 260 acres. Located 5 miles west of Teeswater. Two good barns with silos. Automatic feeding. Modern 11/2 storey 3 bedroom house with hot water heating. Good Harriston clay loam. CAGE LAYING OPERATION -basic quota 21,696. Completely automated barn including vacuum lift for crating. 50 acres in the Chatham area of high production land. Also a sow barn 34x110. Excellent newly renovated 3 to 4 bedroom house. GROCERY & VARIETY -for sale -or lease. Excellent opportunity in Vanastra for your own business in Retail Grocery and Variety. Immediate possession. Fully equipped. Also suitable for other commercial lines or industry. ******* APARTMENT BUILDING IN CLINTON-a seven unit apartment building. Right uptown. Good mortgage available. Fully rented with good income. SEE - KEN THOMPSON ALEXANDER & CHAPMAN REALTY LIMITED PROFESSIONAL CLEANING WITH THE EPPS PRESSURE WASHER! 600-1200 PSI •Smooth, well-balanced, quiet power reduces parts wear, promotes long trouble free life. •Unique misting system for soaps and detergents EPPS gives econcuny and pro- fessional results. Hot or cold water. •Wet sand blast attach- ment for tough jobs. •Designed and assemb- led in Canada. Call 519-482-3418 SALES and SERVICE Box 610, Clinton, Ontario NOM 1L0 THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1978, PG. 7.