The Rural Voice, 1982-09, Page 44THE YOUNG FARMER
BRUCE COUNTY JUNIOR FARMER TRAVELS
IN UNITED KINGDOM AND EUROPE
May, June and July of 1982 provided 3
months of travel never to be forgotten by
a Bruce County Junior Farmer. Twenty-
three year old Mary Eadie, daughter of
Lorne and Doris Eadie of Holyrood, not
only was one of four Ontario Junior
Farmers chosen to participate in the 1982
O.M.A.F. United Kingdom Exchange
during May and June, but also attended
the 11th International Seminar for the
Promotion of Rural Youth Work held in
West Germany in July.
Mary, along with Mary Lou Weisar of
Grey Co., Gerty VanGurp of Dundas
Co., and Dale VanCamp of Durham
Region were hosted by Young Farmers in
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and
England for a total of nine weeks.
Today's Junior Farmers' U.K. Exchange
has evolved from a 1950 visit of an
Ontario livestock judging team to agricul-
tural shows in Scotland and England. It is
sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and food. To make the
exchange complete, ten Young Farmers
from the U.K., including 4 from Scot-
land, 2 from Northern Ireland, 2 from
Wales, and 2 from England, were hosted
in Ontario Junior Farmers' homes during
June and July.
The first stop for the Ontario delegates
was bonnie Scotland. Mary's first hosts
were Anne and Allan Dean of the
Northern Region. Their farm, Kirdellbeg,
was located between Aberdeen and Inver-
ness. They were tenant farmers, and
raised beef, cows, calves, and sheep.
Kirdellbeg was located at the foot of the
highlands, with the Grampian Mts.
providing a majestic background to the
Deans' fields. Mary's second Scottish
host was Sheena Caldwell, of Burnhouses
farm located near Glasgow in the tyrshire
Region. The Caldwells were also tenant
farmers; most farms in Scotland were
rented from a Laird (a wealthy land
owner), the Crown, or a pension fund (a
life insurance company which had in-
vested its money in land). Scarcity and
expense of good farm land, along with
incredibly high death taxes encouraged
farmers to rent rather than own their
land.
After a final weekend in Edinburgh, the
four Canadians travelled by ferry to
Northern Ireland. Mary's first Irish host
was Rosemary Lynn, who lived on a dairy
farm near Balleymoney in County
Antrim. Mr. Lynn milked 70 Friesians,
which was a smaller than average herd for
Northern Ireland. The scenery along the
Antrim Coast was especially beautiful; it
included The Giant's Causeway, one of
the natural wonders of the world, and a
perfect view across the Irish Sea on a clear
evening of Scotland's Mull'O Kintyre.
Her second Irish host was Billy Nutt,
whose mixed farm was located near
Londonderry. He and his four brothers
farmed 200 acres of hilltop land, part of
which had rich deposits of peat, the fuel
used for home heating. Although much of
the Nutts' land was suitable only for
grazing of caws and sheep, they had a
large holding when compared to the Illster
average of 55 acres. During her stay with
the Nutts, Mary had the chance to meet
the Mayor of Londonderry, and be a
guest at several events featuring tradi-
tional Irish entertainment, which were
part of the cities civic festival.
After travelling through southern Ire-
land by train, the four Ontario delegates
crossed by ferry to Wales. A weekend of
orientation with other international dele-
gates at England's Royal Show grounds
prepared Mary for her 2 -week stay in
Lincolnshire. Her first host, Chris Jagger
of Owmby, was a farm mechanic for a
contractor. Lincolnshire had very flat
countryside, and was located along the
northeast coast of England. Thus, cash
crop farming and fishing were the main
industries. Her second Lincolnshire host
was Linda Drury, whose family grew
crops such as oilseed. rape, winter barley,
potatoes and sugar beets on their 300 -acre
farm. While in England, Mary had a
chance to attend a performance of
Shakespeare's "Much Ado About
Nothing" at the original Stratford -On --
Avon, and reports that Ontario's version
is quite comparable to the "real thing".
A final weekend in London was spent
seeing the many historic sites and pre-
paring to fly on to Munich, West
Germany. From July 5 to 23, Mary and
Mary Lou Weisar of Ayton attended the
11th _nternational Seminar for the Pro-
motion of Rural Youth Work. Attending
the seminar were 81 delegates from 44
nations. It was held near Herrsching,
about 30 km. southwest of Munich, at the
Bavarian Young Farmers' Training
Centre. The 3 -week seminar provided an
-PG. 44 THE RURAL VOICE/SEPTEMBER 1982
invaluable exchange of ideas about rural
youth programs and agriculture in both
developed and less developed nations.
The Bavarian hospitality was great and
the countryside was very scenic. As well as
group work, the program of the seminar
included excursions to Bavarian farms,
agricultural training centres, and cultural
evenings. It was a real learning experience
meeting so many people from so many
different cultures. Above all, learning
how others live gave Mary and Mary Lou
a new appreciation for the privilege of
living in Canada.
A last week of travel by car was spent in
Germany and France. This was a relaxing
finale for an action -packed, sometimes
hectic, but always exciting travel oppor-
tunity for Mary Eadie. She would advise
her fellow Junior Farmers to take
advantage of the travel experiences avail-
able to them; The benefits will last for a
lifetime!
BUTLER
Ring Drive Silo Unloaders
Big Jim Silo Unloaders
Volume Belt Feeders
Convey -n -Feed Cattle Feeders
Sngle Chain Conveyors
Barn Cleaners
Oswalt Ensilmlxers
FARMATIC
Bender Hammer Mills
Blender Roller Mills
Blender Mills for Ground HI -Moisture Corn
Augers
Leg Elevators
ACORN
Cable Barn Cleaners
WESTEEL-ROSCO
'i Grain Bins - 1350 to
Bulk Feed Tanks
ACME Fan -Jet Ventilation Systems
HOULE
Uquid Manure Pumps, Cleaners, Steel Trusses
B& L
Complete Hog Confinement Systems
SLURRY -SLINGER Liquid Manure Spreaders
CLAY
Parts and Service for
ALSO
Bectric Feed Carts
Straw Choppers
250,000 bu.
Clay Equipment
Fibre -Funnels
Ritchie Heated Bowls
Hurst Equipment
WE HANDLE EVERYTHING - ALMOST
4owcif 7a'uu
S4tem4 4eS
At Amberley
(R.R.111, Kincardine) Phone 395-5288