www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday April 21, 2007 - 5 Farmers challenged by encroaching development Continued from page 3 "It's pretty rough to farm when you're so close," said Pocock. Pocock had been using pig manure to fertilize his cornfields, the corn from which would then be used to feed the pigs, but the concerns of the community put a stop to this practice. "It's almost impossible now with the manure system and so many houses around. When you start spreading people complain. There was a ballpark up there and they knew every time I spread the manure. It's liquid and the liquid smells a bit worse than the solid, but it's easier to work with." Plowing different fields in an urban area also began to prove difficult as a farmer's slow tractor was not welcome on Oakville's increasingly busy roads. "Right in this area it's almost impossible to keep farming because of the traffic," said Pocock. New animal rights legislation also changed the way Pocock managed his animals. Initially, when Pocock wished to separate animals, he would tether them to the floor until this became illegal. "These activists say it's cruel to do this, but when you have 12 pigs in a pen, and there are six big ones and six small ones, the big ones pick on the small ones and don't let them eat," said Pocock. "When they're tied up you can feed the small ones lots of food "A young fellow today doesn't go on the farm because he can get $20-$25 an hour working at Ford or wherever. Farming won't pay him that kind of money." Lance Pocock, life-long farmer because it can't get battered around and you can feed the big ones smaller amounts." Pocock was able to find an alternative solution by placing the big pigs in a separate pen. "They still don't get along, but it's not to bad." The more urban the setting, the more Pocock has found the work of farmers criticized by animal rights activists. "At most of the local fairs, it's fairly well recognized that farmers have to do their jobs and it's not too bad, but when you get into downtown Toronto..." said Pocock, shaking his head. At the Toronto Exhibition Pocock has taken pigs and stood beside beef and chicken farmers to educate people on proper animal husbandry methods. Visitors have the opportunity to write what they think about the presentations in comment books and it is here, Pocock says, the activists make their views on his profession known. "Sometimes you get the odd real nasty one," he said. "We don't hide anything. We have the mother pig there in her farrowing pen to show people this is the best way to farm. The farmer is supposed to make a living and we try to do everything right." As Oakville continues to grow, more and more farmland is being bought up for development. Pocock says he's sad to see the old farms go and is fighting to save some of them, but he also looks at the situation logically stating that because homes are going to be built only the best farmland should be spared. That land, for the most part, is not found in Halton, he says. "Halton hasn't got the best land in the country," said Pocock. "The soil in Brantford is sandier and they can grow nearly 200 bushels of corn an acre, whereas we can grow just around 100. So, why build houses in Brantford when you can build houses in Halton?" While development is certainly playing a role in bringing about the disappearance of the urban farm, Pocock says, a lack of interest in farming by today's youth is not helping the situation. "A young fellow today doesn't go on the farm because he can get $20-$25 an hour working at Ford or wherever. Farming won't pay him that kind of money," said Pocock. "Most of these other jobs are only five days a week, farming is seven days a week and you've got to like it." Pocock's own children have taken a pass on farming as a career, however, his granddaughter often accompanies him to the fall fairs where she helps him educate people about pigs. The economic uncertainty of farming is another factor driving people away from the profession. Pocock said that while a farmer might see a profit selling a crop of corn one year, another year might see the price of corn fall to the point that the farmer sees no profit or actually loses money. In the end, pig farming was no longer sufficient to keep Lazy Pat Farms in the black and Pocock switched to growing cash crops, primarily hay. Although his operations have scaled back considerably Pocock sees no end in sight to his farming days. "I like the animals, I like the fresh air and I like to see stuff grow," he said. 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