Ken Johnston
Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association members heard from several committees at its annual meeting last Wednesday night in Stratton.
Steve Loshaw, of the abattoir steering committee opened his report by saying, “I did not want to stand before you and not have it built.”
However, that is the case—with Loshaw noting the main reason is that the tenders came in really high last summer.
“We tried to save it,” he stressed. “We totally re-did the design, and in particular the mechanical systems such as the air exchangers.”
When they came back to the table with plans, it was too late to get construction done last year.
Now tenders will be looked at in February, with hopes of construction beginning in the spring in Emo. The revamped design only is reduced by 300 sq. ft., but the committee managed to trim some costs.
Loshaw also noted the abattoir in Dryden has gone out of its way to accommodate the animal kill needs of the RRCA and should be commended.
“They make very little money on killing cattle and it puts them behind on their other work,” he remarked. “We need to be very grateful for their efforts.”
In other news, veterinary committee member Kim Jo Bliss reported they have yet to attract a large-animal vet to the district on a permanent basis.
“We have been utilizing a vet out of Thunder Bay, but he needs more calls here,” she noted.
“We are still actively pursuing a vet, but we are up against other regions that offer huge signing bonuses like $20,000 . . . we just don’t have it to offer.”
The committee also said its vet bill designation fee has gone up from $1,000 to $1,250 this year, and that they have to pay it regardless of whether they have a vet here or not.
“It will go up again to $1,500,” Bliss warned.
As for an animal inspection facility here, Linda Armstrong reported that there was very little to report.
She mowed the grass and checked on the facility regularly. She also donated her time and gas to keep the facility up for the past year—something she did last year, as well.
Meanwhile, Shirley Morrish presented a report of the weighmen’s committee sent by her husband, Tom, who could not attend last Wednesday’s meeting.
She noted they had 12 scale rentals, and loaned the scales to local 4-H members each month to weigh cattle as well as to the fall fair.
They also did some repairs to the scales, which included painting them.
Stefan Szeder reported the soil and crop committee has been busy conducting switchgrass trials with AbitibiBowater in anticipation the company will need grass to burn in its new biomass boiler in Fort Frances.
Szeder also noted the committee is hoping to update its rental fleet this year and asked for input on what should be added.
Finally, Stratton sales barn manager Clayton Teeple reported they had 1,424, 1,311, 1,571, and 512 head of cattle at each of their respective sales last year. He felt the sales were comparable to that of other barns.
Teeple said the dates for sales this year are April 25 (spring sale), Aug. 22 (yearling sale), Oct. 3 (calf sale) and Oct. 24 (final sale).
