Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Here is a report on last night's meeting in Stratford - from AM920 CKNX in Wingham.


There were some dire predictions at a pork industry meeting in Stratford.

Over 500 stakeholders gathered last night to learn more about restructuring, debt mediation and transition strategy options for struggling pork producers.

Perth County Pork Producers Association President, Mike Bosch says he is skeptical of the recently announced Federal loan and the "Hog Farm Transition" programs.

He says he's not sure it's enough money to do anything.

Bosch says there are a lot of pork producers in trouble and he wouldn't be surprised if at least 50 per cent of them run out of money to operate by the end of the calendar year.

He adds the main goal of last night's "Canadian Pork Industry in Crisis - Are You Ready" event in Stratford was to give producers the information and tools they need to help determine their future.

Views: 58

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Given that there is only $75 million (+-) for restructuring, $17 million for research and marketing (which is okay for marketing), and unknown for loans - it will definitely be insufficient.
Farmgate sales for the pork sector in Huron- Perth region in 2006 was over $290 million - representing almost a quarter of the total farmgate sales of ALL the main commodities.
Huron, Perth, and Oxford Cty produce the bulk of pork in Ontario (on a per county basis), and the claim in the industry is $40 per market hog in losses - the three counties will lose in excess of $66 million in the second and third quarters of 2009. I realize the actual hog numbers are most likely lower today than in 2006, but the point is that the losses in this region is, and will be, substantial due to the infrastructure surrounding the pork sector - feed mills, trucking, parts and equipment suppliers, hog assembly yards...
So really - when you spread the $75 million and the $17 million across CANADA - how much of an impact will it really have?
May 16, 2006 census for Nursery & Market hogs on farm
Huron - 639,842; Perth - 598,260; Oxford - 424691

Wayne
I was not able to make the meeting the other night....not sure what the right path is for pork production in Ontario.
I wish the government could help but it is hard to count on that....markets need to correct but it is looking like that is going to take too long.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Low commodity prices and high input costs a double whammy for Manitoba farmers

Manitoba farmers are facing a perfect storm of low grain prices and soaring fertilizer costs that are threatening profitability for both the current harvest and next year’s crop. Current harvest delivery prices have fallen to $7 per bushel for hard red spring wheat, $13.25 for canola, $11 for soybeans and $4 for oats, representing harvest pricing typically seed at the lows of a pricing cycle. On the cost side, fertilizer costs have climbed significantly from the numbers used in Manitoba Ag’s 2025 crop cost of production guide, which was compiled last November.  Urea has jumped to $850-900 per metric tonne, about 30 per cent higher than the $690 per tonne used in those calculations. Data from Manitoba Ag show a surge in crop production costs in 2022.  Those have stayed elevated and, when combined with current grain prices, the cost pressure is particularly acute.

US wheat finds new markets in Asia

Flour millers in Asia have ramped up imports of U.S. wheat in recent weeks, driven by competitive prices from American suppliers and delays in shipments from the Black Sea. Indonesian importers have finalized deals for around 500,000 tons, while buyers in Bangladesh secured about 250,000 tons and millers in Sri Lanka acquired around 100,000 tons. Millers are taking both U.S. soft white wheat and hard red winter wheat varieties. Apparently, there were some weather issues which delayed cargoes from the Black Sea region, and U.S. prices have been pretty competitive. This is additional demand for U.S. wheat in Asia, complementing purchases by traditional buyers such as Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture (FPT) Meetings Highlight Farmer Concerns

Industry leaders and government officials kicked off the FPT meetings at a Manitoba farm. Farmers and representatives from the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), CCGA, and provincial commissions shared their concerns directly with Minister MacDonald and Parliamentary Secretary Kody Blois. A key message was clear: farmers cannot borrow their way through these trade disputes, they were not of their making. Farmers are feeling the damage directly in their pockets. With canola selling at a discount between $60-$100/tonne...on an average 20MMT crop, that translates to estimated losses of $1.2–2.0 billion from lost exports to China. Federal Announcements: Some Support, but Gaps Remain The federal government announced $370 million in biofuel funding and additional trade diversification support. While these measures are a step in the right direction, they fall short of addressing the direct impact on canola farmers and exporters in lost bookings. Concerns remain over the lack of timelines for re

The Last Word (For Now) on Rest Stops During Long-Distance Transport

When the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began to muse about requiring that cattle be unloaded and provided with a rest stop after 36 hours of transportation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Canada’s beef industry funded a series of research projects led by Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein’s team at AAFC’s Lethbridge Research Station to determine whether a rest stop would benefit weaned calves. The research began before the regulations were revised, but the regulations were revised before the research could be completed. Three consecutive research trials conducted in 2018, 2019 and 2020 found that providing a rest stop during long haul transportation offered no consistent, measurable benefits for animal welfare. A companion project led by Trevor Alexander at AAFC Lethbridge looked at bacterial populations in the respiratory tract of those same calves. In September 2023, this column described how microbiological testing from the 2018 transportation trial found that rested

Federal Plastics Registry has new compliance requirement

The federal government has created new reporting requirements under its new Federal Plastics Registry. The registry is being phased in over a few years, however phase 1 requires Canadian brand owners to report on plastic packaging placed on the market by September 29, 2025, for the 2024 calendar year.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service