Loading...
The Rural Voice, 1980-10, Page 12Joseph Post! looked at farms in other parts of Canada but the resemblance between this part of Huron County and his native Austria became the deciding factor. (Photos by Reynolds) Joseph Postl cel braced his first year in Ontario on August 14, 1980. He had been a cash crop farmer near Vienna, growing grain, corn, sugar beets, onions and potatoes on 75 acres, when he decided to come to Canada. He moved because the cost of expanding had become too high, with farmland selling for around S12,000 an acre in Austria, and too many government restrictions on growth: i.e., a farmer could have no more than 400 hogs. Mr. Postl looked at 25 farms in Manitoba, 5 in Alberta, 8 in Quebec and 20 in Ontario. He rejected Manitoba because it lacked flowers, the prairies were too flat, and grain was the predominant crop in Alberta. He opted for Ontario over Quebec in the belief the land here was more fertile. He eventually purchased a farm, set up as a broiler breeder operation, east of _Vanastra. The resemblance between this part of Huron County and his native Austria was the deciding factor. At the present time his 6,500 hens supply eggs to a hatchery. Switching from cash crop to poultry was "no problem", Mr. Postl said. "My big problem is the language." Mr. and Mrs. Postl are feeling more and more at home, and appreciate the welcome they have received from their neighbours. Their daughter is attending Fanshawe, and Joseph Junior is working with his father as the Postls study the intricacies of broiler breeders - and the English language. Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Heyink, like the Burgsmas, emigrated from Holland in the early fifties. After living near Blyth for 18 years, fattening hogs and Holstein heifers, they moved to a farm just north of Hensall three and one-half years ago and switched to eggs, They are now one of the biggest egg producers in Huron, with around 30,000 laying hens. They also raise their own pullets - 20,000 at a time, two crops a year - "from one day old to chicken soup". PG. 10 THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1980 Last year soon after Mr. Heyink made his first trip back to Holland in 30 years, he became homesick for Canada. Mrs. Heyink summed up her feelings for her adopted land in two sentences. "I love it here. This is my country". Frank Soudant, who came to Canada as a young boy with his parents in 1949, now grows 300 acres of potatoes near Zurich. He has happy memories of his school days, especially of teachers who took extra time to help him learn English. He, too, has nothing but praise for this country. "I was born somewhere else, but Canada is my country", he said. "The only time my land of birth arises is if I cross the border." Although the majority of post-war immigrants in Huron, Grey, Bruce and Perth are from Holland, many other nationalities are here, too. Stan Zankowski, from Poland via England, cash crops east of Hensall; David Saldivar, originally from Portugal, operates a dairy farm north of Winthrop; the Marcel Van Estes left Belgium for a new life in a new land, and now produce tons of turnips each year. The list is endless. Switzerland is well represented by Willie and Clara Keller, who tried the west first, then bought a farm at R.R.1, Mitchell in 1953. Even though Switzerland had not been ravaged by war. Willie Keller's adventurous spirit brought him to Canada. He is now serving out his second term on the Ontario Pork Producers' Marketing Board. Clara is an O.F.A. representative for Perth , a position her husband also held at one time. People often ask the Kellers how they could leave a beautiful land like Switzerland. "The first few years, if we could have afforded it. we would have gone back", Clara conceded, "but now, although I enjoy visiting, I wouldn't want to go back to live. Europe is too crowded." She concluded by saying " Nobody's making us stay. This is home." Agricultural representatives and spokesmen view this immigration from another angle, and are unanimous in their opinion. A typical comment was made by Don Jose, with the Department of Information at the University of Guelph. "These people are bright, alert, intelligent, and prepared to work long and hard", he said. "They tend to be in the forefront in adopting new techniques." Mac Bolton, the ag. rep. for Bruce County, agreed. "The first generation, like all our forefathers, had zeal in a new land and more of a committment t6 succeed." He credited their success to "hard work, and total involvement of the whole family to get started." As the ag. rep. for Grey County for the past 31 years. Grant Sweiger has been in contact with the new settlers almost from the beginning. "There was some 'pride and prejudice' in days gone by", he observed. "They are all different, like everybody else. Some started smaller than you or I, without any amenities to make life easier. They have integrated well, and have been beneficial to agriculture and the community." Alan Scott, the Perth County rep., is impressed with the Hollanders' resourcefulness. "As land is scarce in Holland, the Dutch had to make the most of it. They learned to get the most out of smaller acreages and are quite open to new techniques." he said. "When you have enough incentive to leave home, you are the type who is willing to work. Without the immigrants, there would be a tremendous hole in dairy and pork." "A goodly number started on a shoestring, and today they are some of the leading farmers in Huron County", commented Don Pullen, ag rep. for Huron. He was echoed by Stan Pacquette, also in the Clinton office, who said "As a people, they came to Canada with very little. Through hard work they have done well.' Most of us will never experience the trauma of being uprooted and transplanted onto alien soil. Merle Gunby, O.F.A. president for Hurpn, speaks for most "homegrowns" when he says of our newer Canadians, "I don't even think of them as a separate ethnic group. They are just part of the community."