Lack of processing a dairy concern

 A lack of milk processing capacity is a major concern in Northern Ontario, according to 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.

It remains at the forefront of concerns facing the industry, he told dairy farmers recently attending the district’s annual meeting.

”The industry has hit a wall as far as growth capacity because of lack of processing,” he said.

 Although the government has offered subsidies there hasn’t been an adequate industry response to build more capacity, he said.

While the rest of Ontario watches producer numbers dwindle, a migration to Mennonites to the north where land is less expensive has moderated the decline there, he said.