JULY 2006

Raspberry, tomato and, yes, watermelon wine

Talk about diversifying. Brockville market gardeners Gene and Marsha Countryman make wines of all kinds.

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(Sheena Bolton photo)

 LEAD STORY 

• From farmers with love
  OTTAWA - Embrun dairy farmer Jean-Marie Menard wants to turn Canada Day on Parliament Hill into a farm friendly love-in.
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EDITORIALS 

• Harper needs supply management         Liberal MP Wayne Easter enjoys bringing up Conservative Party statements made before the Conservatives were in power.     
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OPINION 

• Bigger is not always better -- and neither is exporting                                           Ontario farmers have heard the rhetoric of globalization for many years.  They’ve been told to "get larger, market globally, or get out."  Trade deals have dictated the inevitable elimination of all barriers to international trade with more than one expert informing farmers that they need to be prepared to take on the world.                                Go to story

• What biz growth? Love your family and have shared goals                                     Having made about 1,000 visits to clients’ farms over a 20-year period, I can tell you that finance is not the only issue your banker is thinking about, or even the most important.                                        Go to story

 ARTICLES 

• Farms are top killers of young boys
  KINGSTON — Farms are one of the most dangerous places in Canada for young boys. More of them are unintentionally killed in farm accidents than by any other cause. 
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• Fix it at home                                             OTTAWA — The Conservative government has ordered dairy farmers and processors to get together and resolve their conflict over imported milk protein concentrates. The president of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) Jacques Laforge says the government wants the industry to work out an agreement without going through the World Trade Organization (WTO). 
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• Best cast and worst case for dairy farmers at WTO
  Supply management will likely end up giving up a little something if the World Trade Organization talks reach an agreement, said Bruce Saunders, chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario.  
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• Clean bedding at no charge
  Here’s a bedding that keeps the flies away, keeps the cows clean and it’s free.   
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• Could this be Strawfest's final year?                                                             CARP — Allison Argue made her last appearance June 24th at what could be Strawfest’s final competition fair.
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• BSE predicament evokes a lively debate in Alberta
  I spent much of late June traveling through Alberta. As always, it was interesting to try to gauge the level of optimism in the beef industry, especially as I had attended a beef producer meeting in Quebec City earlier in June. 
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Stories for our subscribers:

• Where's the new money? - Crop farmers are wondering what happened to that extra $500 million announced in the last federal budget to pull grains and oilseeds from the doldrums. The Agricorp Winnipeg office, which handles federal funds, has announced that all federal funds to farmers are "currently being issued." 

• Brazil perfects veggie-fuel -  Brazil expects to reduce its diesel fuel imports by 15 per cent next year. That's because a Brazilian company has announced that in a race for bio-fuels it has successfully developed a new fuel that is mixed with vegetable oils. The state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA mixes diesel with oil from soy, cotton, sunflower seeds and castor beans to get what it calls H-Bio fuel.  

• Seaway ethanol gets $6M - The Seaway Grain Processors will get a $6 million grant from the province to build a Cornwall ethanol plant. The grant was announced June 15 to help the province reach its comitment that all gasoline in Ontario contain at least 5 per cent ethanol by January 1, 2007. 

• Egg revolution is here - Burnbrae Farms' Egg Creations are changing the egg market one milk carton at a time. Egg Creations were introduced last year and are eggs in a easy pouring milk carton. They come in different flavous and different kinds.    

• New marketing to tell consumers red meat is Ontario grown -  A new marketing campaign will place stickers on Ontario pork, veal and lamb, to give consumers the choice of picking homegrown red meat. They want to promote similar to Foodland Ontario did with fruits and vegetables.   

• U.S. border to open to breeding stock months down the road -  A little progress has been made on opening the U.S. border to Canadian breeding stock and dairy replacement heifers. But you won't start shipping them anytime soon. It won't come before the fall and it could be as long as 20 months. 

• Senate response - OTTAWA - You've heard of the Speller Report and the Easter Report. Now the Senate committee on agriculture weighs in with its own report on what to do about agriculture. It concluded "There is a visible future in farming in Canada if appropriate programs and policies are implemented." 

• Ministry says cougar sightings may be naughty escaped pets -  Some people in eastern Ontario believe they have spotted cougars, but the last offical sighting in the province was way back in 1884. Two reported sightings were made in early June.  

• With hope of higher prices, Ontario farmers plant more corn this year- Ontario growers east of Port Hope have planted 50,000 acres of spring grain this year, an increase of 15 to 20 per cent over last year, says Gilles Quesnel, a crop advisor with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The increase appears to have been at the expense of soybeans, which dropped 7.5 per cent to 2.1 million acres across Ontario.     

• Bright barn, clean cows - SUNDERLAND - Ted Smith's dairy farm expansion includes a new twist on housing and bedding that has not only saved him money but has put a shine on the cattle. He's following a new trend by using a fabric cover to house the animals, while bedding the stalls with paper sludge.    

• Goat dairy to process cow's milk -  MILLBANK - Morning Dairy of Millbank, south of Peterborough, will be able to use an amended license to produce specialty cheese from cow's milk. The dairy has produced goat's milk since 2000 and has the capacity to produce 12,000 litres of milk in three vats. 

• Cattle industry recovering - Anne Dunford, cattle market analyst with Canfax, is optimistic. She has good reasons. Here's her interview with Farmers Forum.  

  THEY SAID IT:       

"There is every likelihood of increasing access and a reduction of tariffs."

-- Bruce Saunders Dairy Farmers of Ontario chairman on what will happen to supply management at the WTO, if an agreement is reached 

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  FARM FACTS:

Number of ice cream containers farmers plan to give out on Canada Day at Parliament Hill .................34,000

House of Commons vote in favour of blocking imports of milk proteins.....154-123

Rank of agricultural injuries among causes of fatalities of Canadian boys from ages 1 to 6 ........................1

Amount province offers Seaway Grain Processors in new grant ............$6 million 

Age of Ontario Federation of Agriculture in years ...................70