The Rural Voice, 1980-04, Page 17"Whenever one came up for sale, they
told me to buy it. It was just plain luck to
buy in those years.
"There definitely hasn't been a time in
history when things got so badly out of
balance as they are today. Interest rates
have never been so high. I don't know
when we're going to get in balance again,
because consumers raise Cain every time
food prices go up," he said.
Mr. Wilson doesn't think food prices
have gone up very much though, as he
cites the fact that eggs today are about 80
cents a dozen and he remembers when he
was a child, his mother got 50 cents a
dozen.
Mr. Wilson got into the beef business
because he liked it and it looked like easier
work. He decided to stay with beef
because, "I guess we were used to getting
along on a low income and it never really
b othered us that much."
He says he realizes there have been
times when he could have bought cattle
and put them in a feedlot and done it
cheaper than raising his own, but he thinks
that situation is changing now as many
cattle that come in from other places are
lost because of.sickness.
"There's just no way I could see how you
could make enough money on the rest of the
them to come out on top," he said.
Best lack
"I usually find I have the best luck with
females we raise ourselves. I have bought a
few (females) at times," he said.
About 60 or 70 cattle are kept at the farm
across the road from the home place and
between 40 and 50 cows at Ernie's place for
the winter. The Wilsons try to keep about
20 calves from each year and 150 cows
around all the time. Currently they have
three Hereford bulls and one Angus bull.
The cattle herd is made up of Angus,
Hereford, some part Charolais and Here-
ford, some part Simment al and some part
Maine -Anjou breeds.
The Wilsons .,ciI their cattle through
OBEX.
"1'm well -satisfied with their method of
selling. They (the cattle) don't leave the
place until they're sold. They (OBEX
people) receive the bids on them. They'll
show you what the highest bid is.
"We usually sell them (the cattle) on
carcass weigh and grade. 1 think we are
better that way than to sell live weight," he
said adding that their cattle wouldn't have
the right condition for live weight.
In selling with this system, he says he
finds that few of his cattle grade below A-2.
Most of them sell A-1.
'fhe Wilsons would like to go to the big
round bales in their operation. Mr Wilson
bought a round baler this year and intends
to build a shed for the storage of the bales.
He had about 100 of those bales put in last
year and found out the system cut down on
labour. He had been putting in around
25,000 regular bales of hay for 12 or 13
years, but Mr. Wilson said the boys were
getting tired of throwing them around.
NO WASTE
He said he had a couple of feeders and
when he used the round bales, there was
no waste at all for the beef cattle. He had
the bales all fed by the first week of
December.
Last year, the Wilsons cut about 200
acres of hay, about 350 acres of corn and
about 120 acres of mixed grain.
George says that it was because of the
help he got from his wife and children (he
also has two daughters --Anne and
Marilyn) that he was able to act on a
Township council and become Warden of
Perth County in 1975.
In 1975 all his boys were at home and as
he was away a lot, the boys had to carry on
with the farm duties.
"It's nice to look at finished steers . .
.and know you've raised them right
from the time they were born."
Beef and hogs aren't the only livestock
running around on the Wilson farm. They
also have hens, something George has had
all his life. Currently they have about 100
hens.
Although things seem to be looking up
for the beef farmers at the moment, Mr.
Wilson says beef isn't that good a price
when you consider other things such as the
cost of farm machinery.
He says a tractor the size of his big one
of 140 h.p. cost 523,000. four years ago,
but today would cost 540,000.
"Actually beef hasn't kept in li ne with
the cost of machinery," he said.
But, pressed for some of the positive
aspects of his beef operation, Mr . Wilson
said, "One thing about it, if you're in the
cow -calf business, you have to like cows
and calves. It's a nice thing to be able to
look at a bunch of steers that are finished
and read y for market and know that
you've raised them yourself, know that
you've raised them right from the time
they were born."
Another postive aspect of his own
operation that he sees is, "when you are
crossbreeding and see the different crosses
and the different types of cattle you can
produce, it sort of gives you a lift to see
how it comes along."
Farm and Commercia
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THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1980 PG. 15