Behind the Lines - February 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Self-reliance is part of our farming heritage in Ontario. We cleared and drained our own land, built our own barns and repaired (and in some cases fabricated) our own machinery.
For most of the last century farmland drainage in Ontario has been contracted to others however. The high cost of professional equipment (hundreds of thousands of dollars in the case of traditional drainage machinery) made it a hard purchase for a single farmer to justify.
A few years ago large farmers started scooping up used excavators (AKA shovels or high hoes). Priced at $25,000 -$50,000 they cost less than what farmers spend on a typical new farm tractor. Ask a farmer why he bought a bought a 25-tonne machine more commonly associated with large scale construction projects and the usual explanation is timeliness and lower costs.
Those are the same words you hear from those who've bought their own tile drainage machines: the subject of this month's cover story beginning on page 12.
To be sure, do-it-yourself tile drainage machines haven't generated the same enthusiasm as used excavators even though a brand new tile plow costs far less. For one thing there are some powerful arguments in favour of entrusting this critical task to government-regulated professionals.
On the other hand, GPS systems have become commonplace on farms as have the large farm tractors required to pull a tile machine effectively. Buying and operating a laser is no longer a big stretch. So some farmers, like the individuals featured in our story, are tempted to give the do-it-yourself approach a try. Let us know what you think.
The move to online cattle auctions has been slow to catch on in Ontario. That may be changing. Mary Baxter's story on page 46 explores a pilot project being undertaken by the Ontario Cattlemen's Association that may accelerate the trend.
It's been running for more than five years now but we can't recall ever receiving as many correct responses to our popular CSI feature as we did this month. If you missed out this time there are still two more opportunities to win a wireless weather station before CSI's annual summer hiatus begins following our March issue. BF
ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN