Feb. 4 - Closing Markets

(Click arrow to play OCA report)

-> ONTARIO PORK REPORTS:
TOTAL SALES = 28,643
FOR A = 4 DAY TOTAL OF = 95,659
THAT'S = down 5,666 FROM LAST WEEK.
THE AVERAGE PRICE WAS = $1.25/kilogram
THAT'S down 5 cents
THE U-S NATIONAL COST PRICE = $65.96 U-S, DRESSED WEIGHT
That's dwon 31 cents
FORWARD CONTRACT PRICE FOR May-June DELIVERY IS $148.35
WHICH IS up $1.62
THE ESTIMATED HISTORICAL BASIS FOR May-June IS minus 10 dollars to plus 6 dollars.

-> ON THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE:

CORN FUTURES:
March up 1 at 3.54
May up a half at 3.65 and a quarter

SOYBEAN FUTURES:
March up 6 at 9.14
May up 5 and a half at 9.24 and a half

WHEAT FUTURES:
March up 6 and a half at 4.75 and a half
May up 6 and a half at 4.90

-> FROM DAUPHIN FEED AND SUPPLY, THE 48% SOYBEAN MEAL QUOTE, F-O-B HAMILTON = $351/tonne

-> CLOSING LOCAL GRAIN PRICES FROM SNOBELIN FARMS:

Note there's a basis change for old and new soys.

09 CROP CORN = up 1 at 3.44/BU
2010 CROP CORN = 3.85/BU
2011 CROP CORN = 4.02/BU

09 CROP SOYS = up 21 at 9.29/BU
2010 CROP SOYS = up 13 at 8.85/BU
2011 CROP SOYS = up 19 at 8.78/BU

09 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 7 at 3.91/BU
2010 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 6 at 4.22/BU
2011 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 8 at 5.02/BU

Perth Beef Producer To Push Marketing Strategy At OCA

The former President of the Perth County Beef Producers is seeking a role at the Provincial level.
Bill Jeffrey plans to put his name forward for a Director's position at the Ontario Cattlemen's Association annual meeting at the end of the month.
He says he wants to see if producers are interested in a new marketing strategy.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Jeffrey says immediate changes are necessary to save the industry.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Jeffrey says he wants to see if producers are interested in moving forward with a "single desk selling mechanism" to make the beef industry profitable again in Ontario.
He adds he hopes to be in the running for a Director's position at the annual meeting of the Ontario Cattlemen's Association later this month.

Coalition Urges Fed-Prov Ministers To Push RMP's

The Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition wants immediate investment in agriculture and new business risk management program implementation.
That's part of a letter from the coalition to Ontario Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell leading up to this week's meeting of federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers in Toronto.
The coalition includes representatives from the livestock, grains and oilseeds and edible horticulture sectors.
It says it's Business Risk Management Program package adheres to the same basic principles and precepts of the RMP pilot project for grains and oilseeds producers in Ontario.
The coalition wants the immediate implementation of the grains and oilseeds RMP for the coming crop year.
It recommends the other sectors come on stream as development and testing of the programs is completed.
Coalition spokesperson Bette Jean Crews says farmers don't feel the current AgriStability program is serving their needs.
And she says farmers can't wait another three years for the next version of Growing Forward to get predictable and bankable farm programs in place.

OFAH Lens Support To Coyote Compensation Push

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is lending it's support to efforts by some municipalities to deal with coyote predation.
The Federation says livestock kills by coyotes and other wildlife cost taxpayers over a million dollars in compensation in 2008.
They point out Bruce County recently doubled it's payment to licensed hunters in response to a big increase in the number of claims in 2008.
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters spokesman Terry Quinney says licensed hunters and trappers can be a big help to farmers and communities dealing with the issue.
Quinney says they support the efforts of municipalities taking action through coyote harvesting incentive programs.
The OFAH boasts 100 thousand members in the province.

Consumer Survey Gives Bacon High Marks

Here's a little good news for the struggling pork sector.
A recent national survey suggests that 43 per cent of Canadians would choose bacon over sex.
The survey was done by Angus Reid for Maple Leaf Foods.
It also found that nearly one in five Canadian men agreed that on some days they just can't survive without bacon.
Maple Leaf had the survey done as part of the marketing push for it's new reclosable bacon packaging.

NFU Concerned About Impact Of Post-Listeriosis Regs

One Ontario farm leader says some of the new regulations following the 2008 Listeriosis outbreak are hitting small, local processors the hardest.
The N-F-U Ontario's Grant Robertson says he's not against regulations - as long as they're smart ones that protest the processor, the farm and the consumer.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Robertson says recent stories in newspapers in St. Marys and Stratford cite specific cases where those regulations could drive long-standing slaughter operations with good reputations out of business.
He says the regulations are hitting operators who he describes as the lynch pin in making local food available.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Robertson agrees that good and smart regulations not only protect the processor - they also protect the farmer and the consumer.
But he says in many cases they are meant to give the appearance of doing something instead of actually dealing with the issues.

(Click arrow to play N-F-U commentary)