The Rural Voice, 2005-08, Page 3About this issue
The value of secure markets
We've probably never had as much interest and
feedback as we did for the September 1995 story on the
potential for growing garlic in Ontario. That story, featured
the partners of southern Perth County's Flat Creek Farms
and their enthusiasm for the future as they pointed out it
would take thousands of acres of garlic to fill the Ontario
demand.
And for a while the acreage grew as growers strove to
provide home-grown garlic for Ontario's needs. But
suddenly the market was flooded with cheap imported
garlic from China. Ontario's garlic growers fought back
and won a trade decision that garlic was being dumped at
unfair prices but the garlic started coming in from other
countries at equally low prices, most of it, Ontario growers
speculate, just rerouted from China. Flat Creek and the
other large-scale grower Perth Garlic both went bankrupt.
Other growers were hurt.
But Warren Ham, the salesman for an industrial supply
firm who got excited about garlic's potential and set up Flat
Creek Farms with Jack and Stan Christie is hanging in
there. He has a small acreage of garlic and has concentrated
on niches like organic garlic sold to small retailers and
restaurants. We spoke to him this month.
Garlic growers would love to have a system that delivers
them their own market as supply management does. Forty
years ago chicken and egg producers also faced
devastatingly low prices because of over supply in the early
1960s. Today they, along with dairy and turkey producers,
provide stability to a rural economy often hit with booms
and busts in crop prices, troubled export markets for beef,
sheep and pork and an inability to plan effectively for the
future because of uncertainty. We spoke to egg and poultry
producers about the changes supply management has
brought to their industry in 40 years.
Large poultry producers are among those having to cope
with nutrient management planning. The people who help
create those plans also have to learn the ropes. We spoke
with some of the consultants who create the plans.
In her recipe column this month, Bonnie Gropp features
that gem of August fruits, peaches. 0
Update
Producers sign on for space
at Gencor Foods Inc.
Speaking at Grey -Bruce Farmers' Week in January,
2005 (reported in our February issue), Brad Sayles, sales
manager of Gencor Foods Inc. outlined the opportunities
for farmers to guarantee themselves market share for their
cull cows by investing in shackle space at the former MGI
Packers plant purchased by Gencor.
Recently hundreds of farmers and their families showed
up in Kitchener for the ribbon -cutting for Gencor Foods
Inc.'s second phase. John Hazelgaar, president of the co-op
which has 12 elected board members, said the venture had
progressed further and faster than he imagined when the
first plant began to slaughter cows a year ago. It is now
processing 200 head a day, 1,000 a week, with a new
capacity for 1,500 a week. An expanded receiving area can
hold 240 head, enough to keep the line fully supplied.
Hazelgaar said so far the co-op had returned $3.6
million more to farmers than they would have received
from the marketplace. He urged farmers to sign up under
the "hook lease" program and said "available hooks will
become scarce" as the business matures and expands to
handle feeder cattle as well. He acknowledged that a
reopened U.S. border would mean farmers must continue
their support for the co-op.0
'"`Rural Voice
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