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The Citizen, 2006-03-16, Page 23MAXIMIZE Your YIELDS This Season! HOWSON & HOWSON LTD. Feed, Seed, Chemicals, Fertilizer, Grain Elevators, Custom Application Blyth 523-9624 1-800-663-3653 We will customize a fertilizer and chemical program specific to your requirements. * GPS Field Mapping * Nutrient Management Plans Available * Soil Testing Fertilizers • Terrogator® with a Max 1000+ Sprayer • Terra-Gator' with air spreader and impregnator • Micro nutrients • Bulk delivery • Spreaders readily available Seeds NK Tru-Bulk Seed System Custom Treating and Inoculation CHEMICALS P.P.I., pre or post spraying - 3 spray units available ELEVATORS • Custom Drying - corn, white beans, barley, soybeans. Mixed grains - soft red and white winter wheat • Custom grain roasting PAGE A2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006. Agriculture 2006 Breeders big losers with BSE By Bonnie Gropp Citizen editor Fred Armstrong of Auburn considers himself lucky. "I always wanted to farm. This is what I love, what I love to do." But recent years for the 63-year- old dairy producer, who had hoped one day to perhaps hand the farm down to a sixth generation, have had him wondering occasionally whether it's worth it. When the BSE crisis hit in 2003 the obvious impact it had on the beef industry, meant the harmful effect on other sectors were often not considered the way they might have been. Armstrong, who started farming right out of school runs a Jersey and cash crop operation. While he has 70 milking cows, a significant portion of his business was in the sale of breeding stock to the United States. When the border closed, it essentially shut him, and others like him, down. "My sales on breeding stock dropped $100,000 that year." That's a loss on animals that he had fed and housed making the total even greater. And Armstrong was in a better position than some of his counterparts. "The milk cheque definitely helped carry us through, helping to pay the mortgage, repairs, taxes, things like that. At that time, however, I did have to re-finance some things and sell off some equity to keep going." It was a reality of the crisis that took some time for the public to discover. Yet its effects were crippling. "People didn't make the connection at the time. Yet, those folks who focussed just on selling breeding stock, it hit them as hard as anybody. That was their livelihood and it just stopped." The United States is the biggest market for Canadian dairy animals. "They have herds in the thousands. We're small operators compared to them." The attraction for Canadian livestock is that according to Armstrong they are the best in the world. "Canadian animals seem to have the best genetics whether it's beef, hogs, anything. We have done an excellent job in Canada to raise the best breeding stock." With regards to production, Armstrong said Canadian dairy cattle- produce the best fat and protein in the milk, but alsZi live twice as long as their southern counterparts. "We strive to breed an excellent cow with good body confirmation in feet and legs, that will calf yearly and produce milk. I have some animals that are 15 years old." The factory farm situation in the States results in animals being milked for about two years then sold off. The irony to this situation, therefore, is that America's closing of the border has been detrimental to their dairy industry as well. "The dairy cattle there have almost tripled in price. The producers didn't want the border closed. It was strictly political, to my understanding, and still is." Though the border did open to slaughter animals under the age of 30 months, this has not helped those selling breeding stock, though they did change the rules somewhat so that breeders could sell embryos. "As a result, Armstrong has more animals than he needs or wants. "This is one of the reasons we're sitting with 200 head now. We're overstocked," he said, adding that they had to cull many of the heavier animals. Others have been sold to the open Canadian markets, however, not for profit. "We probably took half value sometimes a lot less than that." He does note, though that more cattle are being sold within this country now. "Particularly with our Jerseys. There's a good market for :ciseys in Quebec and in the western pi-winces." These markets have been discovered by buyers and sellers in the industry, Armstrong said. "Or we send them to a sale in Quebec and take whatever the market is." As for other options, Armstrong says they're limited. "We thought at Continued on A5 A breed apart While opening the border to slaughter animals under the age of 30 months may have helped some farmers a bit, for dairy breeders like Fred Armstrong, it hasn't improved their situation in the least. (Bonnie Gropp photo)