The Rural Voice, 2001-09, Page 41U
the cattle go to Ontario feedlots or
backgrounders. Buyers are looking
for good green cattle coming off
grass, says McLean. Sometimes
calves sold to backgrounders at the
spring calf sale will be back at the
fall sale as feeders ready to go to
feedlots.
Traditionally cattle producers
throughout southwestern Ontario
have looked to the prices of cattle
sold at the fall Wiarton feeder sales
as an indication of what the market
was for cattle. In that way the sale
provided a service for more than just
its members.
Running the co-operative sale four
times a year has its challenges. The
sales yard is getting old and in need
of repairs and with fewer but larger
farms, getting volunteers to do the
work can be difficult, Cunningham
says.
A work bee is scheduled each fall
before the sales so that necessary
repairs are made but getting enough
As farms get fewer and
bigger finding
volunteeers is a
challenge
help is difficult. This year some new
planks are to be installed on a
walkway for easy feeding of the
cattle.
Because cattle are fed at the
sale, it also requires extra
time, Cunningham says. At
one time producers used to like to
bring in their cattle early and have
them on hay for several days before
the sale. Now the directors allow this
but insist the producer must supply
the required hay for an extended
period.
Members who work at the sale are
paid a wage for their time. Their
costs are recovered from the dollar a
head fee plus one -and -a -quarter per
cent commission for feeders and one -
and -a -half per cent for calves.
The co-operative is operated by 15
directors. Running a sale by
committee can be difficult compared
to a private sales arena owned by one
owner, Cunningham says. None of
the directors want to step on each
others' toes, so sometimes there isn't
a driving vision for the co-op that
there might be for a private company.
Because it's a co-operative, the
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SEPTEMBER 2001 37