April 23 - Closing Markets

BLACKBURN AGRI-MEDIA CLOSING MARKET REPORT:
Date: 04-23-10

On the Chicago Board of Trade:

Corn Futures:
May down 9 and a quarter at 3.53
July down 10 and a half at 3.61

Soybean Futures:
May down 4 and a quarter at 10.00
July down 5 at 10.10

Wheat Futures:
May down 5 and a quarter at 4.93 and a quarter
July down 5 and a half at 5.05 and a half

Oat Futures:
May down 9 and a half at 2.05
July down 9 and a quarter at 2.13

-> FROM DAUPHIN FEED AND SUPPLY, THE 48% SOYBEAN MEAL QUOTE, F-O-B HAMILTON = $356/tonne

-> CLOSING LOCAL GRAIN PRICES FROM SNOBELIN FARMS:

09 CROP CORN = down 9 at 3.48/BU
2010 CROP CORN = down 9 at 3.59/BU
2011 CROP CORN = down 10 at 3.86/BU

Note there's a basis change on 09 and 2010 soys:

09 CROP SOYS = up 1 at 9.60/BU
2010 CROP SOYS = down 1 at 8.89/BU
2011 CROP SOYS = down 4 at 8.90/BU

09 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = down 5 at 3.93/BU
2010 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = down 5 at 4.11/BU
2011 CROP SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT = down 5 at 5.01/BU

(Click icon for O-C-A Report)

-> ONTARIO PORK REPORTS:

TOTAL SALES FOR THE WEEK = 85,826
THAT'S dwon 758 FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK.
INCLUDED WERE 76,099 CONTRACT HOGS
AND 4,000 EXPORTS.
THE ONTARIO POOL PRICE = $148.10 PER 100 KILOGRAMS
THE ONTARIO POOL PLUS PRICE = $146.40 PER 100 KILOGRAMS
FRIDAY'S PRELIMINARY U-S NATIONAL COST PRICE = $82.77
THAT'S up 59 cents
FRIDAY'S OPENING FORWARD CONTRACT PRICE FOR August-September DELIVERY = $142.82
THAT'S down $1.83 FROM THURSDAY.

Cover-All Issues Blanket Safety Warning

Cover-All Building Systems has issued a safety warning to owners of any of the company's buildings.
The company says an initial review suggests that some parts of some of the buildings may not meet current combined wind and snow load capacity building code requirements.
Cover-All's President and CEO Nathan Stobbe says the company doesn't believe that applies to all their buildings.
However, he says because of their financial situation they can't afford to complete an exhaustive review of all building configurations.
Cover-All is recommending that anyone owning one of their buildings consult a structural engineer to determine whether their building meets applicable building codes.
Owners are also advised not to use the building during severe weather and not to use the buildings when there is any build-up of snow or ice on the roof or sides of the buildings.
Cover-All Building Systems Incorporated is in creditor protection while it undergoes a restructuring.
The company's problems include several lawsuits in the U-S, Canada and Europe.

Federal Money For Cambridge Hog Plant

A Cambridge meat packing operation is getting federal money for some facility upgrades.
Cambridge Meat Packers is getting 1 point 6 million dollars from the federal Slaughter Improvement Program.
The company plans to use the money to build a water treatment facility and help purchase and install new equipment.
Cambridge Meat Packers 35 thousand square foot plant was recently renovated into a state of the art facility meeting federal inspection standards.
A company spokesman says the federal money will help create an additional market for Ontario hogs and provide jobs to the local community.

Solar Co-Op Hits Start-Up Target

The President of Agris Solar Co-operative says they've hit their start-up target.
The co-operative wants to install solar panels on member properties to take advantage of the provincial Micro-fit program.
While they based their business model on setting up 1 thousand units, Dave Malott says they've already attracted enough members to reach Agris Solar's initial minimum target of 250 units.

(Click icon for audio)

Malott says their model offers several advantages to investors hoping to cash in on a guaranteed rate of 80 cents per kilowatt hour to feed Ontario's power grid with solar energy.
He told an information meeting in Harriston last night that collective buying power would allow the co-operative to acquire Micro-fit solar panels at better rate than individual landowners.
He says the co-op would own and maintain the units, while the landowners harvest the profits.

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Prospective Agris Solar Co-op members would pay a 5 hundred dollar membership fee and invest another 20 thousand in the project.
Landowners would agree the co-operative to locate a Microfit unit on their land for 20 years.

CFFO: Comprehensive Rural Vision Needed

It's a bit like having too many cooks in the kitchen.
Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario spokesman Nathan Stevens says there are a lot of different groups trying to have a say in what happens in the rural parts of the province.
But Stevens says there doesn't seem to be any kind of comprehensive vision to tie it all together.

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Stevens says the groups involved includes at least three government ministries - OMAFRA, the MNR and the Ministry of the Environment.
He says it also includes non-government groups.

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On top of all that Stevens says municipalities are working to find ways to meet infrastructure needs with new sources of tax revenue.
He argues what's needed for all of this to work is some sort of common vision as to the future of rural Ontario that all these elements can work within.

(Click icon for full CFFO Commentary)

Greenbelt Foundation Supporting Local Food

Three of the grants awarded by the friends of the Greenbelt Foundation are related to the local food movement.
The foundation is giving the York Region Food Network 45 thousand dollars.
That's for a greenbelt-grown cultural food guide for York Region.
The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance is getting 10 thousand dollars to launch it's Greenbeltfresh Online Marketplace.
And the Conserver Society of Hamilton is going to use it's 85 hundred dollar grant for it's 2010 Eat Local Map.
One of the Greenbelt Foundation's major goals is to support a robust agricultural sector in the Greenbelt.

Pelee Island Farmers Having Supply Problems

Farmers on Pelee Island in Southwestern Ontario are feeling the loss of one of the two ferries from the mainland.
Ford Crawford says at one time the farmers had a deal with the ferry operators to start running one of those ferries a few weeks before the tourism season started.
Crawford says that would also have helped the tourists.

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Crawford says the break down of one of those ferries means he hasn't been able to get fertilizer and sprays to his wheat crop.
He figures that's going to cost him about 5 to 10 bushels an acre in yield.

Tractor Parade World Record Bid

They're hoping it's going to be the biggest parade of tractors ever seen.
The Dresden branch of the Canadian Cancer Society wants to set a Guiness World Record for tractor parades on July 24th - and raise some money to fight cancer at the same time.
The current record is 601 tractors, set in Eastern Ontario.
The Dresden event is being billed as the Greatest Tractor Parade - Farmers Driving Out Cancer.

Cairns Group Coming To Canada

Canada is going to host the next meeting of a major international agriculture trade organisation.
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says hosting the Cairns Group Ministerial Meeting next year gives Canada the chance to drove a strong and balanced agenda to strengthen international trade.
The Cairns Group is a coalition of 19 agricultural exporting countries.
Canada is the world's fourth largest exporter of agriculture and food products.
The value of Canada's agriculture and food trade in 2009 was just over 35 billion dollars.