The Rural Voice, 1981-06, Page 10A Farmer
Have you ever seen a farmer's tear,
and know he has hardships;.
Did you ever hear his laughter,
and know he has joys;
Have you ever valued his devotion,
and know he has morals;
Did you ever try to understand his disappointments,
and know he has failures;
Have you ever respected his compromising,
and know he has rights;
Did you ever mark his smile of pride,
and know he has triumphs;
Have you ever studied the wrinkles of his worries,
and know he has problems;
Did you ever notice his anxieties,
and know he has alarms;
Have you ever considered his motives,
and know he has dreams;
Did you ever judge his logic,
and know he has experience;
Have you ever showed him love,
and know he loves you back;
Did you ever disregard his principles,
and know he has dignity;
I've seen all these traits in farmers
the good ones and bad,
I'm proud of each and everyone of them
especially my dad. Michelle Batte, 18
R.R. 3, Walkerton
Laura Johns, 13
R.R. 2, Auburn
PG. 8 THE RURAL VOICE/JUNE 1981
1
Cailin Rachel Clarke, 7
R.R. 5, Lucknow
FAMILY FARMS
•y
1
It started out as a tradition which has since been passed on
through out the decade. but how can this tradition possibly
continue?
In the beginning, it started out as a simple thoughtless action
which fathers performed. When they finally reached that golden
age of retirement. they turned the farm over to the eldest son.
but where has this tradition gone to?
The answer to that question is a very complicated and complex
one. Is it that farmers don't want their sons to continue in their
foot steps? This may be so. Many uninformed people may ask
why, but with a twenty percent interest rate on loans. what can
you expect? Most farmers are simply looking out for their sons
and don't want them to go through all the work and hardships
that they have experienced and to end up with nothing in the end
anyway. Through all of these pains and troubles, there is a very
small minority of all farms which have preserved the tradition of
keeping the family farm in the family.
In the beginning, the land was cleared. cultivated and planted.
Then in time and with care. the crop grew right before your very
eyes. and later was harvested. This means of living was started
by the pioneers, our ancestors in the early days of our country.
When the farmer retired. he left the farm to his son. The son had
to pay a certain amount of money for the farm. At first, the son
could purchase the farm for one dollar, but now there is a set
price. When the price was so low, many sons carried out the
tradition by taking over the family farm and through the years.
the farm was passed down the ladder from one generation to the
next.
Very few farms today still remain in the same family as
originally took them out from the crown, but these few remainers
are now named "Century farms" or "Family Farms."
Let's try and preserve our past. our heritage, our tradition,
that of our family farms for if we don't, the next generation won't
even get a chance to.
Linda McInnes
R.R.3, Teeswater, Ont.
Age 15