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A New Holland man, through and through Over the years I've learned that most guys are brand loyalists. In other words, they are religiously attached to a certain brand or product. In my dad's day, men were either Ford or Chevrolet guys. (And there was, of course, the occasional misguided fellow who would call himself a `Chrysler guy.') It was like a religion-- if they were really fanatical, some would go so far as to be `Buick guys' or `Mercury men,' or some other, more prestigious title. I grew up in a General Motors family, cutting my teeth (and burnin' out the clutches) on mostly Pontiacs and Chevys, with a GM pickup or two thrown in as the farm truck. When the local General Motors dealership closed down, I changed my religion and became a `Ford guy'. It was an easy transformation for me. I owned a Mustang for a few years, and a drag racing buddy of mine was the local Ford dealer. And I've been driving Fords ever since. Now cars and trucks aren't the only thing that guys have a brand loyalty to. In my profession, I've carried Nikon cameras for three decades. In my mind there is no other brand, in spite of the fact some people have told me there's another brand, a `Canon', that is equally as good. I do have a Fuji point and shoot camera for fun, but changing to a Canon would be beyond my comprehension. On the farm front, brand loyalty is fierce, and it seems to be based on colours. There's the green and yellow, (a.k.a. John Deere)-- I do own one of them-- it's used to cut the lawn. Then there's the red and grey (Massey Ferguson), the red and black (Case-IH) and the orange, (Kubota, our Japanese entry.) There are other brands, but these tend to be the top four. When my dad and I were farming fulltime, we had another loyalty to a brand. It was red and yellow, and that line of equipment was dedicated to forage, hay, 7 FREE DELIVERY ·The IFP· Halton Hills, Thursday, July 5, 2012 Ted Brown grain, and silage. We were smitten by the New Holland line of equipment. Dad maintained there wasn't a piece of New Holland equipment that didn't run like clockwork. A few years ago, when I decided to reenter farming, I went looking for a baler. I took a polite cursory look at other makes-- John Deere, International, Massey-- but I still heard the siren call of the New Holland. And one cold day in February years ago, I found my baler, and it being February and completely out of season, purchased it for a song. I have two other pieces of New Holland equipment, a hay rake and a mower-conditioner (commonly called a Haybine). And like any other New Holland equipment, they both run like a Swiss watch. Dad would be pleased to see them parked in the shed. It seems being a guy means we'll probably maintain a love affair with a make or model of car, truck, motorcycle, snowmobile and other equipment-- even power tools. Women tend to take another approach to brand loyalty. Some seek out brands like Guess, Coach or Gucci. Workout clothing must be Lululemon, and the name Prada can make some girl's eyes glaze over and their toes tingle. In preparing this column, I asked The Sidekick what brand she was loyal to. She thought for a bit, then finally declared boldly. "I'm a Charmin girl, from top to bottom." L Largest Selection S l i of f Patio Furniture in Halton Hills Since 1998 INDOOR & OUTDOOR FURNITURE 136 Guelph St., Georgetown (Across from Christ the King School) 905-873-9791 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.furnitureindooroutdoor.ca Glen Williams Canada Day Duck Race 2012 Winners Georgetown District High School School Council and The Rebels Swim Team Congratulate the winners of this year's Duck Race! 1st Place - Nevin Aneli (2864) 2nd Place - Kate Murray (2350) 3rd Place - Linda Mandarino (1614) 4th Place - Patrick Downes (1260) 5th Place - Christina Francis (893) 6th Place - Jennifer Cousins (099) 7th Place - Bruce Garrod (2900) 8th Place - Andree Dionne (1117) 9th Place - Christine Lacombe (1787) 10th Place - Karyssa Cartwright (2619) 11th Place - Diane Kayess (367) 12th Place - David Venning (1854) 13th Place - Cathy Kovacs (3611) 14th Place - Karleen Broadbent (1174) 15th Place - Nadine Lamothe (1477) Duck Race organizers thank the community of Glen Williams and the 40+ GDHS student volunteers for their help in making this Duck Race a fun and successful event. Celebrate with published local author, Lisa Parkinson, in the release of her short story City of Vengeance!! Thursday July 12th, 2012 7 - 9 pm Bring the Family! 61 Main in St St. N N., Moore Park Plaza 905-877-1913 Book Signing, Food, Drinks & Fun! CARRIERS NEEDED ACTON Divison st Spruce Blvd Acton Blvd Adams Court Vimy st Danville st GEORGETOWN Ann st Ontario st Durham Ostrander GEORGETOWN SOUTH Hamilton Cres GLEN WILLIAMS Credit st Beaver Confederation ALSO NEEDED: ADULT CARRIERS If interested, please call CIRCULATION 905-873-0301 Dr. Robert Yantho and Mrs. Joanne Yantho along with Martin and Wendy Behling are pleased to announce the engagement of Sara Yantho and Erich Behling Congratulations and Best Wishes from your families