HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1985-07-17, Page 9Helen Taylor, a student from Mississauga, tries to bang on to a -.not -so -contented piglet
while helping out with the chores. Helen said she became interested in the Junior
Agriculturalist program because of the experience it offered. (Photo by Alan Rivett)
Mississauga student gets
lesson in agriculture
FEATURE
By Alan Rivett
Helen puts on her ,rubber boots and sets
out down the gravel, road towards the barn
to start the morning chores. While on her
way, she'reaches down to give a loving pat'
to the family German Shepherd who is tied
to a tree beside the drive shed: .
A typical beginning to the day for many
farmers.'
However, for Helen Taylor, it's a way of
life she had never experienced up to now:
She's from: Mississauga, near Toronto,
where most people harbour the conception
that meat somehow magically shows: up in
the local supermarket. Now she knows
different.
•
This summer, Helen, 18, is taking part in
the Junior Agriculturalist program set up
by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and
Food. She 'arrived at John Miltenburg's
swine operation in As hfield Township on
June 24 and will stay there until August 20.
She said she became involved in the
program because it was a different
experience.▪ ,
"My mother has always . wanted me to
farming. There's not too many pigs, where
we live," she adds with a laugh.
After seeing the advertisements for
junior agriculturalists, in her high .school
and in governmentbooklets she decided to
apply to the program. She was later
informed of her acceptance into the
—1. program and was paired with the Mitten -
burgs for the summer. '
,Her:days on the farm thus • far have been
taken up withfeeding and attending to the
piglets as well as helping build farrowing
pens in a section of the barn. Mr. Mil-
tenburg says jokingly that she has to put
in a day in the hay field before she. leaves.
Her best liked duty on the farm is taking
care ofthe piglets, "they're cute and not as
loud as the other ones," she says.
She says her first contact with fanning
was on an ill fated camping trip on a farm'
in New Brunswick. "A cow knocked over
our canopy," she says. Before arriving on
the farm, she believed the farm would be
made up of a few animals, but, to her
amazement, the farm was totally different
than what she had expected.
1,000 Pigs
"I thought there would be a couple of.
horses and some cows: When I found out
that he had a 1,000 pigs, I was stunned. My
dad thought it was hysterical," she said.
Mr. Miltenburg says he has taken part in
the, Junior Agriculturalist program for the
past four years. During that time, a boy
I
and three girls have stayed with the Milt-
enburg's for the summer. He noted that he
prefers girls to work with the pigs because
they take better care of piglets. Thus far,
he says he's impressedwith how well
Helen has adapted to farm life. "She's
really keen on learning, really interested,"
he said.
A Shame
He says it was important for him . to
participate in the program because it'S 'a
shame to see kids from the cities not
knowing where their food comes from.
"It's a good experience. for both parties.
I think, maybe, it helps to improve
relations . between farmers and city
people," he said.
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, July 17, 1985 --Page 9
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It's also important, he says, to give the •
kids a variety of jobs on the farm such as
. doing the chores and driving the tractor.
He'thinks that the experience should also
be fun while learning about farming.
"I wouldn't put a kid on 500 acres and
say pick stones for the whole summer.
You'd ruin a kid's summer if you did that,"
he" said. i
Curious and Cute
Other gran the smell, Helen says there
are very few drawbacks to living on a farm.
"It's not boring, .she says. She enjoys
working around the pigs, especially the
little ones which she describes as "curious
and cute".
1
"They really scare easy. They'll nibble
on your boot, then,. when you turn around
they'll scatter into the corner. Five minutes
later, they'll be back nibbling at your boots
again," she said.
Helen said that she can't join up for the
program again which is available, to city
youngsters who want to team more about
farming. Next year, she will attend the.
University of Toronto and, in the future,.
she hopes to attend the Royal Military
College in Kingston.
If there is one thing she wants to tell
other city dwellers about farming it is; that
slaughtering of farm animals is not a
barbaric practise.
"It's not inhuman. I thought breeding,
then slaughtering pigs was inhuman, but
it's not," she said,
m '.
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