The Rural Voice, 1991-01, Page 30FARMING IN THE 1990s:
FULL OF CHALLENGES
For Steve Thompson, farming in
the 1990s may prove to be a chal-
lenge, but he wouldn't want it any
other way. Thompson, who has been
farming full-time since 1975, is one of
the new breed of farmers who has the
education combined with the exper-
ience that he hopes will carry his
family's operation through the next
decade. Thompson, together with his
two brothers and father, farm more
than 1,000 acres and run a beef feedlot
near Clinton, Ontario.
A graduate of the University of
Guelph, and the University of Western
Ontario with a Masters in Business
Administration, Thompson, 40, says
he picked farming as a life-long occu-
story and photos
by Sandra Orr
pation because he enjoys the indepen-
dence that self-employment brings.
He says it gives him the flexibility to
pursue a number of interests, such as
teaching at Centralia, doing farm
financial consulting and accounting,
and working with several volunteer
organizations.
Farming in the next decade will be
fraught with problems, says Thomp-
son. "Farmers are very nervous about
what the future will bring. Students
(at Centralia) express the concerns of
their parents in a way that you never
Thompson picked farming because he enjoys the independence that self-employment
brings, allowing him to teach, consult, and volunteer.
saw ten years ago or even five years
ago," says Thompson, who has been
teaching agricultural marketing and
other courses at Centralia College for
several years.
A modest, hard-working man,
Thompson downplays his accom-
plishments. His experience has been
wide-ranging, including a stint work-
ing for Farm Credit Corporation
(FCC)in the early 1970s — a time
when he assisted many very progres-
sive farmers and learned a lot about
farming operations. He also worked
with the Foodland Hydro Committee
— dealing with hydro's power -line
expansion. Although they didn't
accomplish their original goals, they
did set a number of firsts in the areas
of compensation and tower design. As
well, Thompson advises the local
federation of agri-culture on a vol-
unteer basis and acts as their auditor.
Thompson says he bought most of
his own land in the early 1970s. "I
purchased some land at lower prices
and have done better than some far-
mers who didn't start until later on."
The Thompsons run separate
operations. "We keep out of each
other's way," Steve says with a grin.
"The past decade has been very, very
difficult for us, as it has been for most
farmers. This is reflected in the
number of people who have left
farming. And the situation has be-
come tougher with returns decreasing
and costs increasing."
Born in 1950, the eldest of six
children, Thompson has always been
very definite about his career in
farming. Now an established farmer,
he works 20 hours a day during the
harvest to get his crops off. "If I don't
have a crop, I can't sell it," he says.
In addition to teaching farming -
related subjects at Centralia,
Thompson finds income tax prepar-
26 THE RURAL VOICE