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03-18-2004, 06:30 AM
Farmer forced to sell cows for $1.57
Cattle prices plunge over BSE fears
'It's so unfair,' farm family group says
ROBERTA AVERY
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
DUNDALK, Ont.—On the day beef farmer Ray Hunking received $1.57 for two Hereford cows he went into town to check out the price of a hamburger at the local restaurant.
"One hamburger was more than twice what I got for two whole cows. It's devastating," Hunking said at his 80-hectare farm near the village of Dundalk, about 40 kilometres south of Collingwood.
Yesterday, Hunking tried to buy a frame for the $1.57 cheque he received from the Ontario Stockyards for the two cows that weighed about 400 kilograms each when they were sold Feb. 20 at auction for an average price of about 10 cents per kilogram.
"But the frame was more than five times what I got for the cows, so I can't even afford to hang the cheque on my wall," Hunking said.
Levinoff Meat Products Ltd. of Montreal paid $83.05 for Hunking's two cows, but by the time the $45 trucking cost, $29 commission fee, $2.20 insurance, $5.18 GST and other incidentals were deducted, Hunking's net from the sale was $1.57.
Story (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1079565010557&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154)
Cattle prices plunge over BSE fears
'It's so unfair,' farm family group says
ROBERTA AVERY
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
DUNDALK, Ont.—On the day beef farmer Ray Hunking received $1.57 for two Hereford cows he went into town to check out the price of a hamburger at the local restaurant.
"One hamburger was more than twice what I got for two whole cows. It's devastating," Hunking said at his 80-hectare farm near the village of Dundalk, about 40 kilometres south of Collingwood.
Yesterday, Hunking tried to buy a frame for the $1.57 cheque he received from the Ontario Stockyards for the two cows that weighed about 400 kilograms each when they were sold Feb. 20 at auction for an average price of about 10 cents per kilogram.
"But the frame was more than five times what I got for the cows, so I can't even afford to hang the cheque on my wall," Hunking said.
Levinoff Meat Products Ltd. of Montreal paid $83.05 for Hunking's two cows, but by the time the $45 trucking cost, $29 commission fee, $2.20 insurance, $5.18 GST and other incidentals were deducted, Hunking's net from the sale was $1.57.
Story (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1079565010557&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154)