The Rural Voice, 1986-06, Page 11in the hen barn and moves back
through the grower barn to return
to the furnace at 60 degrees
Fahrenheit. Under this system, the
family pays only $60 per month to
heat their 2,700 -square -foot home.
Paul and Anita's experiences at
the Seagram distillery has given
them a different perspective
towards farming compared with
people whose farming operations
have been passed down through
the generations. The Dietrichs
know what wages factory workers
earn. "On Mondays at quarter to
five in the morning, it's hard to get
out of bed on the farm when
you're only breaking even," says
Paul. "We're here to make money.
There has to be a return." Con-
sidering the extra hours that they
and other farmers put into their
businesses, Paul says: "I don't
think we get paid enough for what
we do."
The Dietrichs have a projected
cash flow and they stick to it strict-
ly. They compare the projected
and current cash flow and make
adjustments. The only problems
they're having with their projec-
tions are with the prices they're
getting for their pigs. During the
past two years their price projec-
tions have been significantly higher
than actual receipts. Says Paul: "If
you get $10 less per hundred
weight than you predict, and you
ship 2,000 hogs in a year, your
cash flow can easily be out as much
as $40,000."
When they built their home and
renovated the barns, their goal was
to maintain a tight budget and pay
the whole thing off as fast as they
could. "Now we're riding out the
storm," he says.
As Paul goes out for morning
chores, cars and trailers pass by
full of people going away for long
weekends. Paul, now in his early
40s, would like to retire when the
time comes and be able to have a
cottage on the lake. Even now,
Paul and Anita try to finish their
usual work by 5 p.m. They try to
provide a comfortable lifestyle for
themselves and their children
despite the extra demands of
agriculture. The Dietrichs aren't
dreamers. They are in tune with
current pork prices, but they have
set definite goals for themselves.
And, judging by their past success
in the face of adversity, they have a
good chance to attain those
goals._
DIETRICH FARMS LTD.
R.R. 1, Shakespeare, Ont.
• Yorkshire
• Landrace
• Hampshire
• Duroc
See you at the
Pork Congress
Don f3 Ray Dietrich 519-655-2245
R.O.P. Tested
Health Approved
"GOOD"
Your inquiries
are always
welcome
1
A Tradition of Quality
NEW &EXCITING!
HogP�ds
a nutritional breakthrough in
on-farm feed performance
Your local dealer is:
BAR•B•DEE FARMS LTD.
Bornholm 519-347-2966
BRUSSELS AGROMART LTD.
Brussels 519-887-6273
VERBEEK'S FARM
and GARDEN CENTRE
Clinton 519-482-9333
H.J.A. FARMS LIMITED
Cromarty 519-345-2686
MILTON J. DIETZ LTD.
Seaforth 519-527-0608
HOWSON & HOWSON LTD.
Blyth 519-523-4241
Wingham 519-357-2700
Cargill 519-366-2225
Owen Sound 519-376-5830
SCHEERER FEEDS
Newton 519-595-8317
DORKING FEED SERVICE
Dorking 519-698-2900
NEIL GREER
Gowanstown 519-343-3602
0 v sion of Maple Leaf Mills Limned
JUNE 1986 9