The Rural Voice, 1987-04, Page 26SPRINGA
®l r.Jemark of Uniroyal Ltd.
'Registered Trademark of Cyanamid Inc
Hanna Spring Canola —
ideal for the growing
canola market in Ontario.
A tall, vigorous, high -
yielding variety with
good lodging resistance,
Hanna also shows
tolerance to sclerotinia
white mould.
Hanna is treated with
Vitavae rs Flowable
and blended in a 50-50
mixture with Counter*
5-G granular insecticide
for maximum flea beetle
protection.
Available only as
Certified Seed, Hanna is
a triazine sensitive
variety recommended by
the Ontario Government
for 1987 planting.
Hanna Spring Canola .. .
Exclusively from Hyland
Seeds.
Nyland
Seeds
a division of
W.G. Thompson & Sons Ltd.
Blenheim, Ontario
24 THE RURAL VOICE
At the farm level, Wideman says,
cow/calf operators can compete better
against Western producers by using
intensive pasture management. "We
have a lot of good forage in Ontario
and farmers can utilize that grass, not
necessarily for fattening, but for the
first 600 to 700 pounds of growth."
He adds that a good pasture program
of one cow to the acre would increase
profit margins and expand herds.
But the profit margin is narrow,
and Wideman finds that farmers some-
times calculate costs that are too high
when determining a break-even point.
"If com is at $2.40 a bushel, that is
the most that they should be using to
calculate their cost into the feed of
their animal. A farmer may not be
able to grow corn for $2.40, and I'm
not saying he can, but that is the most
he can sell it for." He cannot charge
$3 against his cost breakdown because
$2.40 is his maximum opportunity
cost., Wideman says.
Wideman has been active in nearly
every facet of the agricultural industry
in Ontario, from feeding hogs to own-
ing a chicken and turkey operation to
managing the Ontario Livestock
Exchange. He also worked for a feed
mill for 14 years, after which, at age
28, he returned to university and
obtained a degree in agriculture.
Constant involvement with both
buyers and sellers of livestock has con-
vinced Wideman that there is money
to be made in the cattle industry. He
knows feedlot operators who are very
successful, but he has also walked
with many farmers through the gloom
and hardship of bankruptcy. "In those
cases, there was no other solution.
They had leveraged themselves until
there was no way out. It's not safe in
this industry to leverage any more than
50 per cent. Farmers have to develop
a sound business plan. Nothing can
be left to chance anymore."
Wideman advises farmers to "stay
lean," streamlining their operations as
much as possible. He adds that far-
mers should get away from their opera-
tions occasionally, if only for a few
days. "Because of the intense financial
pressures that many farmers have been
under, they haven't felt comfortable in
doing that, but it is critical to their
long-term happiness and health. You
have to get your nose off the grind-
stone. You'll likely come back with
a new perspective."0