Mb govt announces new checkoff

[ddniak]

Not to sure on the details but the Manitoba
govt announced a new $2/head sold checkoff
that will be used to fund the expansion of beef processing facilities in Mb. The govt is kicking in 1 million to start plus a 10 million repayable loan and will match dollar for dollar for every dollar producers put through their checkoff.

[rkaiser]

Very "BIG C " Interesting.

"Impossible" said the ABP and CCA.

[mb_rancher]

Would the big "C" be interested in coming to Manitoba?

Now when we sell cattle there will be $4.28 coming off of every head

[Cedar]

ddniak: Will this checkoff money go towards our Dauphin plant? If so, what happens to our shares? Will they still be intact? Will it still be a co-operative? Will everybody who pays the checkoff get shares or something? (I don't get it!)

rkaiser: What exactly did the abp and cca say was impossible? The checkoff or the new processing facilities,....or ...??

mb_rancher: Are you complaining or what? About $4.28 per head? (I am also an mb rancher) If so, please remember we have yet to find a case of bse in this province, yet we have suffered the most, through lousy prices on our animals through all the bs bse mess! (and the drought) Why? ....I see the answer being because we have very few feedlots and no processing facilities! How much have we lost these past few years due to these difficulties? How can a piddly little $4.28 per head be a problem, when the "local" processing could add so much value? .... and keep us from having to pay all that freight cost to AB (at these unbelievably inflated fuel costs)? If this pittance "gets the ball rolling", I can't see why it should be a problem.

[cowman]

Here comes a great big white elephant! Is the Manitoba government insane or what? Maybe they don't read the papers? We have too much capacity now...so why not add some more, right?
Oh, but I forgot, these "super new packers" are going to muscle out Cargill and Tyson, right? Maybe the Manitoba government can appoint some of their NDP leaders to show those old packers how it is done?
But never fear, the profits are enormous in the packing industry! Why Tyson only lost $128 million in the last quarter!
When you send your checkoff in kiss it goodbye because it is gone!

[ddniak]

Well Cowman we have been throwing $2/head away with our check off fees to CCA and MCPA for years. They did absolutely nothing for us when it came to our need for help with the TB issue. I would rather spend the 2 dollars on somehing that may give us a chance to control our industry. Or our we quite happy to be peasant farmers for our lords Cargill. I am not

[kato]

From what I understand the money will go into a fund dedicated to furthering meat packing in our province. I would think any packer could apply for funding from it. Rancher's Choice is likely one of the main reasons this is going because if for some reason that plant falls through, our province is done as far as meat packing is concerned.

I remember when Manitoba was the center of the packing industry for western Canada. We argued at the time that our province should help keep the packers here, but they wouldn't listen. It was a frustrating time, and we've been paying for the loss of those packers ever since.

[mb_rancher]

No Im not complaining about the $4.28 a head. I would like to see a plant go up on this province but I ll bet it will be wasted money as the NDP'ers dont know a damn thing about agriculture.!! Only thing they are concerned about is Winnipeg

[cowman]

Well I can certainly understand your frustration at not having a packing industry...especially for culls.
And maybe this scheme will work for you guys in Manitoba? I would be real leery of the involvement of the government in any plant...especially an NDP government? But if it is just a fund to help out private operations then it might be okay?