The Rural Voice, 1980-07, Page 39Perth Pork Producers' News
Pork
I Symposium
I will have
cut-off date
BY HANS FELDMANN
Except for the barbecue and the
symposium committee there are no
activities to be reported ai the county level
at the present time other than things like
spraying corn and planting beans. A report
by the secretary of the OPPMB is given
below.
Planned changes in the format of the
1980 Symposium are to have only two
sessions with fewer subjects which are to
be dealt with at greater depth. There will
be a definite cut-off date for ticket sales
with no tickets to be sold at the door.
Prices have levelled off, but there seems
to be no signs yet of early return to
profitable levels. Everybody is waiting for
the other guy to cut back production. An
increasing percentage of hogs come from
farms totally committed to pork pro-
duction. These producers, who were
caught with full barns when the prices
dropped, do not want to be caught with
empty barns, should prices go back up
again.
Traditional producers do not want to give
in to new Targe scale operations, whom
they blame for having ruined the market in
the first place. Everybody seems to be
hanging in there tightly. Rumors of large
scale bankruptcies continue to be just
rumors.
According to my inquiries cutbacks are
spotty. People get rid of unproductive
sows, runts are disposed off and poorly
doing pigs are shipped light. Weaner
producers left out of the federal
stabilization plan may cut back on sows and
go farrow to finish.
Pundits guess at federal stabilisation
levels of S 59. -/cwt for the current year
(ending March 31, 81). This with the
possible additional provincial program
gives most producers enough hope to
survive the present situation and maintain
production to be able to make up for some
of their losses. when prices go up again.
Except for Mr. Whelan, not many people
have come out openly in favour of quotas or
production controls. Suprisingly however
people opposed to quotas speak up
frequently. It indicates that the issue must
be in the back of peoples' mind. If low
prices continue, we will undoubtedly hear
more on that subject.
COMING
EVENTS
June 26 Test station Boar Sale,
Dundee, 7:30 p.m.
July 3 Quality Swine Gilt and Boar
Shedden 7:30 p.m.
July 24 Test Station Boar Sale
Dundee, 7:30 p.m.
New
Sale,
New
Pork
Board
News
BY R. JERRY BLUHM, P. AG.
SECRETARY TO THE BOARD
STABILIZATION: FEDERAL
Agriculture Minister, Eugene Whelan,
announced on May Sth, 1980 that a
stabilization payment of S2.46 per hundred
weight carcass weight would be paid on all
market hogs with a grading index of 80 or
above, marketed between April 1st, 1980
and March 31st, 1980.
It is the producers' responsibility to
claim for this payment. Application forms
are available at any Ontario Pork
Producers' Marketing Yard. Producers
must submit hog carcass grading
certificates as proof of sale and to show the
weights. The O.P.P.M.B. sales office will
not be able to supply this information.
STABILIZATION: PROVINCIAL
Under provincial legislation, the
O.P.P.M.B. has been negotiating with the
Ontario Farm Income Stabilization
Commission to establish a provincial,
voluntary, contributory program and it is
hoped that it can be made effective April
1st, 1980 for a five year period.
The Board is also hopeful that this
provincial plan will have some provision for
the "sow-weaner" operator to participate.
Details on this plan should be announced
shortly.
O.P.P.M.B. DIRECTORS: 1979-80
There was only one change in the
directorate of the Ontario Pork Producers'
Marketing Board for the 1979-80 period.
Mr. Keith Weeden retired as a Director
from the North Area after many years of
service and was replaced by Mark
MacAulev from Ripley in Bruce County.
SUMMER PROMOTION: RADIO
CONTEST
During June and July, the O.P.P.M.B.
will be sponsoring a province wide radio
contest which will be carried out by local
stations. The promotion will involve weekly
prizes for recipes and grand prizes of Broil
Master Gas Barbeques and apartment size
freezers.
CONSUMER RELATIONS OFFICER
The latest addition to O.P.P.M.B. staff is
Corinne Labossiere, a home economist who
will be working with the promotional
group. Producers will be able to meet her
at our booth at the Ontario Pork Congress,
June 17th to 19th, 1980.
THE RURAL VOICE/JULY 1980 PG. 37