Feb. 5 - Closing Markets

(Click arrow to play OCA report)

-> ONTARIO PORK REPORTS:
TOTAL SALES FOR THE WEEK = 95,659
THAT'S down 5,666 FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK.
INCLUDED WERE 82,367 CONTRACT HOGS
AND 6,153 EXPORTS.
THE ONTARIO POOL PRICE = $126.90 PER 100 KILOGRAMS
THE ONTARIO POOL PLUS PRICE = $129.56 PER 100 KILOGRAMS
FRIDAY'S PRELIMINARY U-S NATIONAL COST PRICE = $65.95
THAT'S down 1 cent
FRIDAY'S OPENING FORWARD CONTRACT PRICE FOR May-June DELIVERY = $148.24
THAT'S down 11 cents FROM THURSDAY.

-> CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE:

CORN FUTURES:
March down 2 and a half at 3.51 and a half
May down 2 and a quarter at 3.63

SOYBEAN FUTURES:
March down a half at 9.13 and a half
May down a half at 9.24 and a quarter

WHEAT FUTURES:
March down 2 and a half at 4.73 and a quarter
May down 2 at 4.88

-> CLOSING LOCAL GRAIN PRICES FROM SNOBELIN FARMS:

2009 CROP CORN = down 2 at 3.42/BU
2010 CROP CORN = down 3 at 3.82/BU
2011 CROP CORN = down 2 at 4.00/BU

2009 CROP SOYS = up 5 at 9.34/BU
2010 CROP SOYS = down 1 at 8.84/BU
2011 CROP SOYS = down 7 at 8.71/BU

2009 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 7 at 3.98/BU
2010 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 4 at 4.26/BU
2011 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = up 3 at 5.05/BU

Pork Producers Told They Need Consumer Help

Hog farmers are urging consumers to let retailers know they want to buy pork from domestic producers.
Stiff competition from the U-S hog industry contributed to a disastrous year for Canadian producers in 2009.
Anita Ivanauskas is a strategic marketing consultant with Ontario Pork.
She says their labelling programs can help consumers identify Canadian and Ontario-grown product - but shoppers have to help create the demand for domestic pork.

(Click arrow to play audio)

She says raising smaller hogs and enhancing product quality would make their meat more attractive to processors and retailers - and bring a premium price as well.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Grey Bruce Pork Producers Association chair Bob Reid says he agrees there's room for growth in pork consumption in Ontario.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Ivanauskas was the guest speaker at this week's Grey Bruce Pork Producers annual meeting in Walkerton.

Perth Beef Producers President: Industry Is Broken

The new President of the Perth County Beef Producers Association says the industry is broken.
Murray Brodhagen says immediate government assistance is needed because Ontario's beef industry is in serious jeopardy...

(Click arrow to play audio)

He adds the retailers seem to have too much power so there needs to be marketing changes or Perth County beef producers and there counterparts across the Province will continue to get paid very little for their product.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Brodhagen says he is not a big supporter of government subsidies but something has to be done or the beef industry will be lost.
He says the "One Voice" for agriculture approach is a step in the right direction...

(Click arrow top play audio)

The new President of the Perth County Beef Producers
Association has been involved with the organization for about 8 years and served as Vice-President before moving up to his current role.

CFIB's Ag Members Push For Re-Shaped Agri-Stability

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says programs like AgriStability can be reshaped to help revitalize confidence in the agriculture sector.
The Federation says it's most recent Agriculture Business Barometer has confidence in the sector was at 54 point 5 per cent.
That's behind the national index of 66 point 9.
The CFIB sent an open letter to the federal and provincial agriculture ministers with some suggestions for discussions at today's (Feb. 5th) fed-prov ag ministers meeting in Toronto.
The letter argues that ministers have been reviewing business risk management programs since July of 2008 and it's time for action.
The federation says while farmers would prefer to get their income from the marketplace, when needed the programs have to be transparent, accessible, predictable and timely.

Potato Growers Extend Deal With Bayer CropScience

The United Potato Growers of Canada has renewed it's deal with Bayer CropScience.
Bayer has been supporting the UPGC's seminars and some of it's other projects.
Those projects include the creation of databases and educational seminars that provide timely information to producers across the country.
The United Potato Growers of Canada represents 98 per cent of this country's potato industry.
It was formed in 2006 by the provincial potato boards in Canada.

New California Ethanol Rules Worry Industry

There's concern in the U-S ethanol industry over new regulations coming into effect in California.
The regulations include a greenhouse gas emissions penalty for what's called international indirect land use change.
That's based on the theory that expanding U-S corn acres to feed the ethanol industry leads to land-use changes in other countries.
That means corn-based ethanol from the Midwest, for instance, will be considered by California to be a much higher-carbon fuel than the same fuel produced either within California or from sugar cane in Brazil.
One ethanol industry spokesman - Tom Buis of Growth Energy - says that could end up shutting out the corn ethanol market in California.
And there are worries other American states may adopt similar regulations.
On the other side industry observers suggest the regulations could end up re-starting corn-based plants that are now sitting idle in California.

CFFO: Traceability Way To Build Consumer Trust

A recent OMAFRA forum suggested that the whole traceability movement will be a key to maintaining trust with consumers in the ever-evolving information era.
The Christian Farmers' Federation of Ontario's Nathan Stevens says the forum included a panel of producers and processors who agreed traceability could be an opportunity for the industry.

(Click arrow to play audio)

He says the forum panel suggested the issue of food safety and the level of reassurance that processors, retailers and consumers are demanding isn't going to diminish anytime soon.

(Click arrow to play audio)

Stevens says the forum presented a lot of compelling arguments that traceability will be a key to future market share for Ontario farmers.

(Click arrow to play full CFFO commentary)