The Rural Voice, 1979-09, Page 29"Chicken war"
predicted
A chicken war could be the result of
overproduction and oversupply, a poultry
analyst with the Alberta agriculture depart-
ment says.
These same factors led to the "chicken
and egg war" between the provinces in the
late 1960's, says Gordon Grosh.
The next month will tell whether there
will be some moderation in production or a
repeat of the disastrous situation a decade
ago, he says.
All provinces have pledged production
decreases, he says, but Ontario and British
Columbia are still producing to capacity.
The oversupply has caused lower prices
that will last until October, he says, and if
high production continues, there could be
even greater price reductions.
Processors' profit margins have already
been cut, he says, and chicken producers,
although untouched so far, could also face
tighter margins.
Chicken stocks have been building since
the beginning of 1979, says Mr. Grosh,
since the announcement of the formation of
the Tong -planned Canadian Chicken Mark-
eting Agency.
Although there isn't a "war" yet, there
is a possibility of some provinces dumping
their chicken in other provinces at discount
prices, he says.
Murray Emke
appointed
sheep specialist
Deputy Minster of Agriculture and Food
Ken Lantz has announced the appointment
of Murray D. Emke as provincial sheep
specialist.
Mr. Emke, whose appointment took
effect August 7, will provide consulting
services to Ontario sheep producers on
such matters as feeding and nutrition,
breeding and reproduction, and general
management.
Raised on a sheep farm in Bruce County,
Mr. Emke has been assistant agricultural
representative in Durham County since
1977, following his graduation from the
University of Guelph with a degree in
animal science. He has a good knowledge
of both the purebred and the commercial
sheep industries.
Enjoying a beef dinner at the Huron Cattlemen's Barbeque at Seaforth,
recently, are Avis Bissett, Goderich and Ralph Footer, R.R. 8,
Goderlch.
Perth Federation
protests proposed
lagoon
The town of Mitchell received approval
at a recent environmental assessment
hearing to proceed with a "conventional
lagoon expansion" for the town's sewage
handling system.
The town has had a halt on any further
development placed on it by the Ministry of
the Environment until greater sewage
disposal capacity can be achieved.
The existing sewage system is one of
conventional lagoons designed to dis-
charge during the spring and fall into the
north branch of the Upper Thames River.
The town proposes to expand this system
by adding more acres of conventional
lagoons.
An Environmental Assessment hearing
was held June 26 to allow interested
parties to comment on the proposed
expansion plans. The county of Perth, the
township of Fullarton and the Perth County
Federation of Agriculture, as well as
several adjacent landowners, attended the
meeting to protest the planned expansion.
An important aspect of the hearing was
the strong defence by the county of Perth
for saving an eight acre woodlot that would
have to be removed for the construction of
a conventional lagoon system.
Such a system will also consume the
most amount of farmland. The present
expansion will consume 50 acres of
THE
cropland and is designed for a 10 year
growth period, and after that time, the
expansion plans show the neighbouring
farm covered with 85 acres of lagoons.
Construction of the expanded sewage
lagoon isn't expected to start until
mid -1980.
The Perth County council, Fullarton
township council and Perth OFA members
are expected to respond to the environ-
mental assessment hearing recommenda-
tions in the future. (by Ron Christie)
Hotel chain
promotes domestic
food products
Canada's largest hotel chain is helping
to promote the popularity of domestic food
products.
Joe Whitfield, vice-president in the
food, beverage and entertainment division
of Commonwealth Holiday Inns, said he
noticed the negative attitude many Cana-
dian consumers have towards their own
country's products, especially wine, when
he came to Canada from Europe.
He found that after repeated promotions
of products such as wine, turkey and
onions, sales often increased as much as 20
per cent.
There is already a backlog of producer
ogranizations scheduled to take advantage
of the Holiday Inn's scheme, said Mr.
Whitfield.
RURAL VOICE/SEPTEMBER 1979 PG. 27