Jean-Guy Seguin, Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) field services officer for the Districts of Algoma, Cochrane, East-Nipissing-Parry Sound, East Sudbury-West Nipissing, Manitoulin-West Sudbury, Rainy River, Temiskaming and Thunder Bay did double duty at this year’s meeting, filling in for DFO Region 12 director (and board vice chair) Steve Runnalls who normally attends annual meetings but was unable to this year.
While the number of dairy operations in some parts of the North is increasing due to southern farmers, particularly Mennonites who are buying farms in the Cochrane region, generally the number of farms is slowly reducing. Still, with improvements in technology and good husbandry, the production of milk has risen dramatically with fewer cows.
The main concerns of the DFO are, first and foremost, ensuring the quality of the product. “That is always, and has to be, job one,” he said. “That’s our first focus.”
Mr. Seguin noted the challenges of a lack of processing capacity remain at the forefront of concerns facing the industry. “The processing industry needs to step up with new technology and marketing,” he said. “The industry has hit a wall as far as growth capacity because of lack of processing.” The issue is nothing new, and the government has put money in the pot, but there has been a lack of movement in building more capacity.
When it comes to costs, “it might appear that dairy is overpriced or whatever, but you have to remember—our inputs on farms are highly dependent on energy. Diesel: you fill your tank for $950, now you pay $2,100—that’s a big cost. Fertilizer: we used to buy fertilizer at $650 a ton two years ago, last year it was $1,050, this year $1,250, that’s what I have to pay, those costs are serious. If we don’t pass on some of these costs, we will go under. Every farm needs to remain viable and profitable if we are going to ensure a food supply that is safe for consumers.”
While critics of the supply management system have been focussed on issues such as dumping over quota milk, the real challenge is in accessing markets and processing capacity.
Things remained relatively stable when it comes to the new MWSDP board, with Logan Emiry being a new addition to the table. The 2023 executive elected during the annual meeting include: chair John Mooney, vice-chair Alex Anstice, secretary-treasurer Dorothy Anstice and members Alan Emiry and Logan Emiry.
This year’s recipients of Milk Quality Awards included a gold certificate for Brad and Bud Wilkin of Little Current and general certificates for Oshadenah Holsteins (Tehkummah’s Anstice family), Massey’s Jonella Farms (Mooney family), Emiry Farms (Alan Emiry family) and Borealis Dairy Farm (Keith Emiry family).
“Of the seven dairy producers in the district, five have received Milk Quality Awards,” noted Mr. Seguin. “That’s pretty good.”
A new farm show will be coming to the Massey area this fall, to be officially announced at the Annual Northern Ontario Agriculture Conference on Wednesday, February 15. “We are pretty excited about this,” said Keith Emiry, who noted that there will be a lot to see and experience for those interested in agriculture in Northern Ontario.
In other interesting announcements, dairy farming stalwart Carlton Mackinnon ‘Mack’ Emiry will be inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame this year. Mr. Emiry was nominated for the honour by the Manitoulin North Shore Federation of Agriculture.
