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Thursday, July 16, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 35 ANTIQU ES COLLECTABLES ONE-OF- A-KIND S!LAMPE-BERGER GIFTS 39 MILL STREET, ACTON Tues & Wed 10-5, Thurs 10-6, Fri 10-5, Sat 10-4, Sun 11-4, Closed Mon YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL FIND! the little Acton store... with so much more! Now Available... CHALK PAINT / PLASTER PAINT C C T I L EE RAM I 416-989-7809 905-877-1936Dave LoDuca • Ceramic & Porcelain Tile Installation • Bathroom Renovations • Kitchen Backsplashes • Heated Floors Favourite Contractor 4 years in a row! 905-877- 6183 annscartage@hotmail.ca www.annscartage.ca Ann's Cartage Home, Office,& Piano Movers OVER 47 Years Moving you locally and across Ontario for •New Look •New Trucks •Same Owner •Same Great Service greenhousesdg Local growers of fine quality perennials, annuals and herbs for 50 years! 8890 Eighth Line, Georgetown Phone: 905-877-9842 www.dggreenhouses.com 8890 Eighth Line, Georgetown Phone: 905-877-9842 www.dggreenhouses.com RR #4, 11742 Tenth Line Georgetown, L7G 4S7 • 905-877-8468 Reconnect with youR family and the community at eagle Ridge www.eagleridge.clublink.ca Bistro/Patio Open Daily NEW Family Membership Benefits Junior Golf Programs STAY AT HOME THIS SUMMER1 YEAR TRIAL MEMBERSHIP AVAILABLE - full privileges and access to more than 50 courses! COMMENT I've been moving a few animals out of the barn this past week. It's a seasonal thing, a time when the lambs get big enough to be sold to a breed- er, or sent to the stockyards. (I don't like to think about that, so 'nuff said.) Monday night, The Sidekick and I load- ed a bunch of lambs in a crate that fits in the back of the truck and headed off to St. Jacob's stockyards at 6:30 p.m. I like going to the stockyards the night before the sale. Otherwise I have to leave very early in the morning to get there, fight traffic all the way, not to mention queue up to back up to the dock to unload, after I get there. Taking them the night before, The Side- kick goes along for the ride, and we usually stop for a bite to eat on the way home. By the end of the week, I receive a cheque and find out how good (or bad) the market is for lambs. But selling livestock at the stockyards is not my favorite means of doing business. It is quick, and we usually do okay with the market. But I much prefer selling directly with the buyer, one on one. It's a bit like horse trading-- the buyer looks at the animal from all angles, checking to make sure they're okay, and it takes time, but it sure beats the stockyards. When I sell from home, what I receive for my animals is not decided by an auc- tioneer, who might have had a bad sleep the night before, or had a fight with his wife over breakfast-- the last thing on his mind is getting the best price for me. And I don't have to pay commission either. When I sell 'em at home, I'm in charge. I point out the good things about this ewe lamb, the 'manliness' of that ram lamb, and how much I want for each animal, as well as when the buyer will be picking them up-- yup, I don't have to load 'em, drive 'em, or unload 'em, when I sell ani- mals at the farm. And at times, I'll even sweeten the pot with a 'deal' lamb thrown in. I had a buyer in earlier this week. He was young and ambitious, with a cheque book in his hand. That's a combination you don't see often-- a young farmer with (potential) money in his hand. Oh yeah, and a willingness to buy. I emailed him the performance data on all our lambs the week before, so he had all the info for each animal he was interested in. He'd certainly done his homework. "I'll take numbers 110, 69, 71,……) and so on, already having decided which ones he wanted from the flock. Geez, I didn't really have to sell him on the idea-- he was just making sure the ewe lambs did exist, running around the pen. We negotiated the price-- again, my fig- ure and his figure were the exact same-- and then he had to look over of the rams, as a potential flock sire. He 'checked' out one ram, (ya gotta make sure the parts are all in order ya know) and we had another discussion. He offered a down payment to hold them and wrote a cheque. I'll tell ya, by the time he left, I was pret- ty pleased with myself. The barn numbers are down significantly and the ewe lambs would soon be out the door too. It was kinda satisfying, bringing the 2015 lamb crop to a successful culmina- tion. And the best part of the deal-- not only do I have a cheque coming, but chores will take a whole lot less time now… A Ted Bit It's a little bit like horse trading By Ted Brown tedbit@hotmail.com