The Rural Voice, 1980-08, Page 43THE YOUNG FARMER
1 U K visitors at Bruce farms
BY GISELE IRELAND
The Bruce County Junior Farmers
Exchange Program recently brought three
young people from the United Kingdom to
the county.
John Sloane, from Scotland, visited
Canada for the first time and since it was
only his first week here you were able to
get only first impressions. John found rural
life quite a bit different than at home. In
his home locality there is roughly 72 per
cent of the land in rough grazing and less
than 10 per cent in crops and good grass.
Acreages vast
He found the acreages here vast and
commented that Scotland paid farmers
more for their produce but that expenses
were much higher, offsetting this. They
have more hired help at home and Tess
machinery. John and his family grow cash
crops such as barley and potatoes. He
found corn a different crop. John found
that Canadians, at least where he has
travelled, consume vast amounts of salads
and greens whereas his native diet is
heavier.
David Sayce comes from England and is
a dairy farmer. They milk 22 Holstein cows.
David also was amazed at the vast acreages
in this county and found the forage system
we employ for cattle quite different than at
home where they rarely grow corn. David
found that the farmers over here work very
hard and when the opportunity presents
itself, play very hard. They are very
competitive in all forms of sports, more so
than where he comes from, David admits.
Irish farmers paid more
Mary McAllister comes from Northern
Ireland. She is a bank official in a rural
community. Mary says that farmers in
Ireland are better paid for their products,
but that fantastic expense for agricultural
basics such as machinery and fertilizer
more than eat up the profit you can realize.
They also contend with present interest
rates at 20 per cent. Mary found the
lifestyle here quite different, hectic in fact,
compared to home. In Bruce she had
several first experiences. She attended a
barbecue, went roller skating and went
lawn bowling. Niagara Falls was a point of
interest and amazement, coupled with the
area's large orchards and large amounts of
land cropped. Mary said that she will go
home to her family's mixed beef farm with
a different outlook.
All three of these exchange Junior
Farmers will travel Canada for a period of in the way of cultural and agricultural
six to eight weeks and are anxious to differences. Bruce County is their initial
absorb as much as Canadians have to offer stop.
From left . . .David Sayce, England; Mary McAllister, Northern
Ireland; John Sloane, Scotland.
T. B. ALLEN LTD.
Feed and
c GAIN
% Fertilizer
CaII ....482-3363 523-9606 523-4414
ALLBORO FARMS
hove oll requirements for • Elevating
• Drying and Storing your Corn
Call .... 523-4470
Londesboro, Ontario
THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1980 P0. 41