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the HERALD Home Newspaper of Hills A Herald feature People page 7 Hornby golf range page 13 SECTION Tilt IIMUII 19I Page 1 The many faces of Halton farming Pressures from industry and the growing agriculture Herald staff writer Maggie Hannah urban oriented population tend to make us forget spoke with residents of three area farms to find out that agriculture was once the number one industry why they continue to pursue their centuries old in Halton Hills As part of a series on Halton Hills career Hay raiser quit factory job to begin shoestring farming Fanning may be hard low paying work but llay and find it satisfy enough to be worth the they hive to make in he four yeirs since they began Mr Schlndler da from Germany as child of eight His parents stilled in ind his exposure to farming begin when in took a summer job on a inn the age of 16 He handled bales of hay that summer milked of the meanest most vicious cows lies tver met so that he swore when he left if he ever firm again it would bo too soon They d kick you bite you he says They do anything they could to jet at jou them 1 he worked for a second farmer and found the entile no so bad but the man dldn leach him anything After working nearly two ydrs in in Milton he went in work fir breeder Hugh and from him everything he now applying to his own farm Mrs had more of an background but I invoked wilh dairy firming during her youth Her father was a of and she hied in runt Manitoba until firmly moved Milton whin she wis in her mid tc II culture shock to com from i very rani home oriented community the 1 Industrialized most lifestyle found in Milton sliecht That may ex iKr ilcd il only a mil but it was cry different to the community I was used lo in Manitoba She found living in town too restricted and she like rd in a cage her job is library Milton High School Mr Sclundkr works at Krohnert in Milton m lurlnj the bulk tanks truckers use for picking up milk on dairy farms for transport JOHS The feel that any John Advances in nutrition change dairy farming Fantastic advances in nutrition ire probably the biggest change In dairy farm in recent year according to one of lop Guernsey breeders When John McNabb bought his original 75acre farm Lot Con fl in the horse was already a thing of the past and most of present farm equipment was in existance While the machines may have enlarged and refined the rudiments were there thirty years ago The farm today consists of acres which they own on Trafalgar Road anil another 133 which they rent The run about head of cattle of which arc milking The have been showing cattle for the past to or 12 years on a continuing basis although Mr sayshe first began showing the stock while ho was still at home farming with his They have bad the champion cow for Its breed at the Agricultural Winter Fair the post two years and took top money at the Sale of Stars two years ago with one of their animals This year they in tend to exhibit at the National Exhibition RIBBONS Those glossy ribbons make a big difference when it comes to selling stock Mr says and that is the main reason they go to the work of exhibiting The change from milk cans to bulk tanks came in and has proven to be the greatest thing that ever happened in the dairy industry despite the doom and gloom predictions of the limt Mr says Tank trucks visit he farm cry second day to pick up the milk stored in his own bulk tank and transport it to a dairy for processing The old system saw formers storing the milk in heavy cans which were cooled in leey water and picked up diily by a for to dairy The trucks were not insulated and there was no method of loading the trucks except by muscle and manpower ALLOTTED The Milk Marketing Board which wis set up in the late IJGOs draws less enthusiastic tomments from Mr When the board was first established were already shipping milk to a dairy were allotted a quota equal to the daily thty were shipping For people trying to gel into the business however it was different They h id to locate industrial quota and ship that rate for ti time l fori they could get any grade quota Grade one quota is illotted as pounds per day which a farmer can ship wink industrial is sold thousands of I per year Price for on quota is higher than for indu t rial milk Mr admits it it being to share with his father and brother when he first began and later a brother in law after his own family moved away help ed him to set up his farm without loo large a debt ing over him He says he bought things gradually and Increased his hen a bit a time although he Had to buy some cows in 1957 when ho changed the bulk tank Now each farmer docs his own work and sharing is much less common than it was years ago who has just graduated in agricultural from the Ontario tun College at is working on the form with his lib CROP His whole idea Is grow a better trop and better am Mr says They learn i lot of things at Mr himself is not a college rud In he had to quit when In from hccifjith grade because during the depression there lb nf as to no one afford lo board in town Just to go to school Mrs i public schoolteacher says she neith worked In the fields nor learned to milk although she did help with the chickens We kept lo GOO chickens upstairs in the barn Mr says They were important in getting us going We kept a few pits loo These days a farmer do thai unless he kept them in buildings He d have the health authorities after him The McNabbs also grow hay oats wheat and corn Their younger daughter Marilyn will enter the Ontario College of Agriculture this fall lo take the same course as her brother but a major economics Their elder daughter works in Ottawa couple Marling from asiheyhave have to work i from firm or at least four or five years By it they should be able to build up some sort of base illowing the pi ice to lis own financial load The on a shoe siring A man knew offered them of rent free In return or I iking cue of some trtcs which he had planted on the property thej could whatever crops wishes do whit they wishes what bought a actor and a seed drill both used and set to The first crop we put in was no hell Mr Sclnndlcr admits with a grin but at least we got something They then began lookinl for a firm to rent ind were interviewed ilonf with 10 couples when their present firm on the Ninth Line just above Derry Road became Their is the Ministry Government vices and they freely I hey t doasvn as they do If they weren I paying lively low rent for their 153 acres including a house ind They went to Ihe interview wilh a letter of credit from their Milton bank manager for a specific sum which they hoped would enable ihtm to buy feu cows and some machinery The got the firm but their dream of setting up a dairy farm fell flit when tit Milk Board refused lo allow any more They had been Riving quota transfers all alow if a farmer went out of business Mr says but all of sudden they no inert was way we could any quota lo start shipping milk That might have stopped some prospective farmers but not this pair They went right ahead and bought i couple of cows and milking any As Mr saw il he could just i- easily lest oul his theories and abilities handling two dairy cows is on two dozen If I do it well I them I decided 1 rail lose two th in he explains sowewtu ihtnd bought cows from and I got into the routine of milking ind feeding and chores miKtms They imiid muients from in my people who could I see pu of eoint through all work intludinj w Her Ihe cows in winter because the barn wis loo cold lo allow for piped waler for just two cows Their persistence paid off year igo when they a pounds of milk This is to six cows could produce on a retu Mr The r first milk pick up wis Mr r New wilh a effort ind I nulling lo find il lit w 111 to is enough quit with them ship if milk per pick up lever other d Mr lit In 1 inly Iwo brand new if I up in thing else is second hand I did prci well in the ships ind technical courses look school he says I had a lot of experience it fixing things I machinery make little e other me than it dots to A recent survey of f irmers sons shows that they feel they up from scratch wilhoul outside help even if they had capital to Mr says The Schindler started on from the bank A breakdown of their past three years expenses shows Ilia they are making progress and Ray ilthough of The first year we spent about In makt Mr Schindler says The next only lost about 000 Last year It dropped to SI J 000 and this I to he 000 or SB I like me to how muchwt Weil I don I sec is loss Mrs says Gelling our quota his made ill the difference in world We hod to buy lot of things for the last ycir more cons our quota i bulk Link We hivcn I really lost it all out there Invested Tht hope to buy their own farm in he next few years but are resigned in hit will be north or west of by quite a miles Theyhopetheytanbuyafarm as it stands where heir own cows will pay he mortgigc and hey con just take new cows and use that to carry on is if were old of where their present firm if locittd is worth lo in acre Across roid In Pec where the zoning is for industries it s worth J an acre Land in the London area ind north from Oral is run nine around SI 000 in the Schindlers say Mr Schlndler would like to rent an 150 acres so he could ash crop as a sideline or 10 eowi and the milk to go with them Either way he his oulside and full time firmer The Schindlers had trouble getting loans they considered high risk would loan other people in similar ahead of them if they had farming experience Mr Thty go the Farmers Credit Bureau either because irtn I buying their land When they do find i plate lo buy then mi to Urn lit bee help ynunj farmers gel bunk loans for those deem enough They don loan you the money he explain They just the note investigate you and deeide you re Mutable ind nit ins he is loin in case II gives irminf is the only business you can go lion fur help and it the indlers feel They say have been big help with is will The hive a neigh son helping ind refer him is an assistant junior agricultural Offseason is no holiday for Halton s cash croppers in farmers don fit the firm pattern is firmsitua in sehool literature Iron s of randfil hers firm fine diflerenee is Ihey keep lucl for another iv own their own I ind I if Milton is bun enppi for is hi savs he has to in a i pis two yens lit onus on Walk Imt iu w st of within tvptoflxiard Ml it is sold through board be re tar Hum Ml i owns of the trough one or in Her but si i f the is held SI Mr siys cash croppers often work lonp lours indirt just ltd down isdury flit differe his the it their work is running from mid to I April depending on the weilhtr until the of December I In off sue hits when michintrj is not only a business but s finance business at While it used run year farms now require long invesimenl If farmer I its to the for lo in he ri jus is inv other indluscollaler i past in i form met rtpa yiij I ails will a irl in the to Mini or with hid loin Mr worth lit is in the process of forming i wilh broiler mil help with id lit ilsolnsintit In si hired to do odd jobs like and he lime fit into his da I routine Helping neighbours In in emergency is still pari farm lift each farm is m irt li dependent than wis tin use in the Mr a s into In mirktl s not si of me hi i we I I for a whoh ir it i Unit tthtu Iriubli stretching pay It chuckles His inswer is very careful Mr 175 ic res I torn icres of heil ind rest of his in this year He is i good market irea for his since places like SI Lawrence will buy lus wheit torn and he can also it for use in feed places li the mills in Milton The Ontario Wheat Marketing Board is the one his crops il present althoufjh he says productrs ire toyint with idea of selling up some r is it fir tilt corn tro l kilo route lik l I itpl lords ivut with nil pi ins f con I get I emu h liases on the land he siys and is result ill In it happening is we re mining land We would need know we had land for a long enough period mike worthwhile investment before we rotate crops Ihe way When we only have dollars lo spend to grow what will return us the most money for our invest 10orl2year leases we could rotate legume crops and rebuild the Ed Segsworth The it is we might only get the land rebuilt and would come along and outbid us for the hid ill maid I afford but that something lot of people don I They don t ink crops in hurl the soil landlords iren 1 interested in maintaining let the soil All ii nttrisied is miking Mr his yearly three year and five vear lease on vinous properties Mr is an Ontario Agricultural College graduate nor has he taken extension courses in He was born on a dairy farm about miles south of his prestnl home and says his knowledge lias come from on Hie job training He Is a member of he formed cultural advisory board which has been set up o bnnp agricultural problems to e attention of Mr agreed mat farmers have no voice on council now since none of councillors have in flgncultu ril background Ho just smiled when asked if a farmer would get elected if he were lo run since we have so many farm residents in rural Halton He out that most farmers don t have ihe time to attend the meetings a councillor la expected to attend and added that most farmers are not prepared lo piny the games a politician plays When they sec so me thing that needs doing they get on with doing it