The Rural Voice, 1982-04, Page 141118
Farmers on tour
Is the grass greener on the other side
of the fence?
by Sheila Gunby
Farmers are always anxious to see if the
grass is greener on the other side of the
fence. Clare Burt gives them that
opportunity.
He has been organizing agricultural
tours and trips all around the world.
through Clare Burt Travel, Brampton, for
the past eighteen years. Burt, a former
writer and broadcaster, tells it like it is:
"People used to say to me, 'when you go
on your next story gathering trip, why
don't you take me with you,' and that's
how it all got started. I did take a tour to
the USSR, my first trip, way back in 1966.
took about two years to organize it but it
was the first farm group to go into the
USSR."
Burt says he has about forty tours "on
the cook" all the time. This includes tours
coming in as well. "I've taken groups to
every continent including Antartica, 1
even took a group to the North Pole.
"I'm not saying this in a bragging way
but 1 was driven on by people wanting to
see the other side of the hill. This is what
urged me to do things of this sort. So, I'm
still doing it."
Burt has a tour planned to Korea and
Japan for next spring, one to China and a
trip to the west coast. to Alaska and the
Yukon. to name a few.
Having worked with farm people all
his life, he has about 4,500 on a list,
travelling on his tours one or more times a
year. He loves dreaming up places to go.
"That's my job," he says, "the
dreaming.
A general newsletter is sent out by
Clare Burt Travel on a regular basis.
outlining forthcoming trips. He says
active farmers take tours between haying
and harvesting. usually in July. Cash crop
farmers wait until October. Dairymen.
milking cows 365 days a year. go on very
short tours. They have a milking service
they recommend to look after the farmer's
herd while he's away.
Tours last from three days to three
weeks. People can't be away much longer.
he says, but we have an around the world
tour taking about four or five weeks. Most
tours, though are four to five days to two
weeks in length.
Tonr guides are farm oriented. "I'm a
college grad myself' says Burt. "so the
guides are college chums I've worked with
over the years. They are all ag grads and
they take their wives with them on the
tours."
Liz Bend Solhallan 312K
Back Fat 10 m.m. 129 days 151 index
$3525. Top selling boar 1980 Pork Congress
A third of his tours are agricultural tours
coming to Canada - people from Finland,
West Germany, South America and Great
Britain. "We've got lots of things to show
them here," he says.
Clare Burt is the first to say it takes time
and money to go on a tour. "Dad and
Mother go on a tour", he says, "The son
stays home to look after the farm. Usually,
they're an older age group; they're got the
time and the money.
Burt and his wife Millie will be leaving
shortly as tour guides to the Canary
Islands and Morocco. "We're sending a
lot of grain to Morocco," he says, "We're
anxious to see what's going on there, an
exciting tour. We go to a lot of different
places, places where people don't know
what's going on in agriculture."
Burt does a lot of "dry -running"
himself. checking out possible tours. He
just got back from Korea. planning next
year's trip there. working closely with the
Canadian embassy.
"Most travel people are not schooled in
agriculture," he says. "No fault of theirs.
The competition in agricultural tours is
there but not a lot. In all due respects.
they're doing a good job, but I think we
have the edge on them. We have so many
friends here and overseas that help us."
Jaded traveler?
"No way", he says. "Still love it.
A thrill for me to be with farm people.
people that are like-minded. We take our
tours to individual farms, we stay over-
night in their homes. And we're starting to
do the same back, having them come to
stay on farms here in Canada.
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Stock available for private sale at all times
10th Production Sale
Wed., March 31st at 1 p.m.
at the farm of Warren Stein
Directions: South from Tavistock on 59 to Oxford 28. Turn
right. Go to second concession #11 turn right. We are the
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Offering Includes: 50 boars, 70 open Gilts and
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•
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R. R.6, Woodstock, Ontario N4S 7W1
519-655-2942 or 482-2704
RICHARD AND WARREN STEIN
PG. 12 THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1982