OTTAWA Almost one-quarter of money spent by Ontario livestock farmers goes to feed, says a new report from Statistics Canada. The report, which compares operating expenses for livestock farms in 2005 and 2010, says Ontario farmers spent 24.91 per cent of their total operating costs in 2010 on total feed, supplement, and hay purchases, up from 22.62 per cent in 2005. That 2.29 per cent increase was the highest percentage increase of 16 different reported expenses. The biggest cost decrease was in farm interest expenses. Ontario farmers spent 5.85 per cent of their total 2010 costs on interest expenses, down 1.17 per cent from 7.02 per cent in 2005. StatCan looked at all types of livestock, including beef, cattle, hogs, poultry, sheep, horses, rabbits, and others. |