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4 - TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1995 FARM & COUNTRY LIFE THE PORT PERRY STAR From Page 1 The heifers are six to sev- en months old when they start and are weighed eve- ry 28 days to measure their growth rates. This infor- mation is sent to BIOs computer database and Mark also inputs it into his own spreadsheet. One of the key factors in raising beef is daily weight gain. Last year, the Grahams' heifers averaged 2.42 lbs., one of the highest rates of the 13 other farms involved in the HDP. computer Dr. Richard Maser is pleased to announce the opening of the new location for CAVAN HILLS VETERINARY SERVICES & Scugog Area 303 Highway 7A, just east of Bethany (705) 944-5776 » 1-800-501-5967 Mobile Equine Service Pet House Call Service Covering Manvers B&W FARM SERVICE Hwy. 7 & 12, Saintfield (south of Sunderland) (705) 357-3760 or (705) 357-3192 THE CUT AND DRY STORY ON THE HESSTON 1120. p> Nobody knows hay like A That rate, plus the detailed information on frame scoring, pelvic meas- urements, weight per day of age and other indexes resulted in premium prices when their heifers were auctioned last year. Breeding is another key ingredient. Since their cat- tle are in pasture, the Grahams are careful to breed to ensure the mini- mum of difficulty during calving. Finding cows requiring assistance in a distant field in the middle of the night is something Mark would rather not have to deal with. "Thankfully, we hardly every have to pull calves," he says. All of their cattle are crossbreeds -- a mix of Red Angus, Charolais and Anjou. They recently acquired a Gelvieh bull from Alberta. Mark says they are good weight gain- ers and have strong maternal instincts. Surprisingly the traits for maternal instincts and milking ability are expressed through bulls he explains. The Grahams sped a good deal of their time purchasing bulls from all over the continent to get the right genetics. As a It cuts fast. 1t dries quickly. Making the Hesston 1120 a mower conditioner we're definitely proud of. We built it rugged enough to endure the toughest working conditions a sickle-type mower could handle. The 1120's half-swaybar sickle drive runs at a fast 1,700 spm. It'll cut practically all types of crops in its 9 foot, 3 inch path. ncuts time and maintenance too. Whether your crops are stemmy or leafy, the 1120's full-length conditioner rolls adjust for gentle conditioning. So your hay dries faster and bales more consistently. See it at your AGCO Hesston dealer today along with a wide selection of equipment for all your hay and forage needs, all backed by the AGCO Warranty Program. And ask about flexible financing through Agricredit Acceptance Company. It's the best--cut and dry. or aggressive Computers and cattle | a HEIFER / | Mark Graham of Breezy Acres Farms has been taking part in the Heifer Development Program for the past two years. Mark and his father Harvey farm about 700 acres of land near Purple Hill and switched to beef 12 years ago. result, they are often involved in breeding other farms' heifers. They also manage cattle from other farmers who can't set up their own HDP. The Graham's also have a freezer beef sideline as well. "We've got a lean meat and a tastier product than you'd find in many stores," Mark Graham says. He'd love to expand it but right now he's plenty busy with their heifer program - FENCING N\ | N " - and analyzing all that data. And next year, or the year after, there'll be another whack of informa- tion from all his microchipped cattle to pro- cess. Like all industries these days, information is crucial to success in farming. "When it comes to 3-way cross breeding and analy- sis, we're way behind the guys in chickens and hogs," he says. Opportunities abound in ethnic food market Ethnic consumers rep- resent the fastest-growing for all your fencing needs Wrought Iron & Aluminum, Chain Link, Wood, Invisible Fencing, Decks, Gazebos, Cabanas, Farm Fencing Andrew Koonstra - RR4 Uxbridge Ont. LP 1R4 (905) 649-3195 home & (416) 402-3911 mobile -- QUALITY WORKMANSHIP -- John Green Flectric Limited (formerly Defy Electric) Electrical, Plumbing & Heating Poleline Construction PUMPS A, -------------------- Sales & Service Specializing in Farm & Residential Work (905) 986-4212 3758 Reg. Rd. 57, Nestleton, Ont. segment of the Canadian population. Research shows that for food retail- ers, especially in major ur- ban markets, this repre- sents both challenge and opportunity in the '90s...and beyond. To assist retailers in marketing to this diverse but very important sector, B.K. Sethi Marketing Ltd., one of the leading distributors of ethnic foods from around the world, is now publishing a quarterly newsletter for the trade. Titled "Ethnic Food Merchandising," the new publication provides anin- sight into the ethnic con- sumer profile, their buy- . ing and eating habits, various cultural and social events as well as merchan- dising opportunities that will attract this rapidly growing segment of the food industry. "The Canadian popula- tion of visible minorities is expected to reach 5.7 mil- lion by the year 2001...more than 17 per cent of the country's resi- dents," says B.K. Sethi, president of B.K. Sethi arketing Ltd., a leading company in the field of im- ported ethnic food prod- ucts. "Ontario alone will have 2.78 million ethnic consumers, more than half of the total visible mi- nority population." For example, by the year 2001 (only six years from now), 44.6 per cent of the Greater Toronto popu- lation will be visible mi- norities. Similar trends are expected in all major Turnto Page 5 Lh EE ASR EE RTA