The Rural Voice, 1992-06, Page 30IT STARTED WITH A DREAM
Three generations of the Parkin family have made
dairy farming their lifestyle
The Parkin family farm, located in
Sydenham township near Owen
Sound, is a success story that has
unfolded over 40 years. The main
ingredients have been hard work, a
sense of accomplishment, and three
generations of a farm family working
together.
Gordon and Fern Parkin decided
to buy a farm after the end of World
War II, both of them being from farm
backgrounds. Fern came from a
family grain farm out West, while
Gordon was raised on a farm in the
Beaver Valley. After serving two
years in the Army overseas and
working in a local foundry for nine
years, Gordon bought 50 acrcs of
land near Bognor.
"Both Fern and I wanted to farm,"
says Gordon. "I guess it was the
attraction of being our own boss. No
one tells you what to do on your own
farm. But we had it all to learn," he
adds, smiling.
by Cathy Laird
"We bought that piece of land in
1947. We continued to live in town
and we both were working out," he
continues. "When Fcrn and I started
farming there wasn't the opportunity
to borrow money."
"But this was our dream," says
Fern. "Our plans were to have a
happy farm life — not to make
money. We built up slowly — that's
how we began."
The Parkins pastured heifers on
the acreage and grew flax as a cash
crop. "Flax is worth now the same as
it was then per bushel," Gordon says.
"We didn't have much in the way of
machinery. Flax was hard to thresh
as it would wind on the bearings. My
dad did the threshing for us for a
couple of years."
"We went from local threshings
with horse-drawn equipment to the
modern combine and tractors. We've
seen it all," he continues. "We used a
26 THE RURAL VOICE
hay loader for one year, and then we
went to a buck rake. That was a
terrible machine! We had a
Cockshutt plow. It wasn't very good
in stony ground!"
The Parkins still own the original
50 acres, plus an adjacent 100 acres
as well. In the spring of 1952, the
Parkins bought the home farm where
Gordon and Fern's son, Larry, lives
with his wife, Heather, and their two
children. Gordon and Fem live on a
corner of the farm.
"We were lucky to have moved
into a neighbourhood where people
were helpful," says Fern. "Our
neighbours all around us were
bonafide farmers," adds Gordon.
"They all earned their living from
farming. There was an optimistic,
happy attitude among farmers in the
spring of 1952."
"We were also lucky to start
farming at a time when things were
changing for the better. Work used to
be harder," he continues.
"There was more drudgery. Now
things have improved. Mechanical
equipment is a lot better!" adds Fem.
"Yes," agrees Gordon. "Picking
stones is a lot easier now. The stone -
picker has to be the greatest
invention!" smiles Gordon.
The Parkin family stand by their
farm sign: (left to right) Fern,
Gordon, Amanda, Brad, Heather and
Larry.
Gordon and Fern began a mixed -
farming operation, with a few milk
cows, some sows, chickens, and egg
production. "We started with 10
cows, which we milked by hand the
first year," says Gordon. "It was an
assortment of Holsteins, Herefords,
roans and brindles. But by the end of
eight years, in 1960, we had
specialized into Holsteins."
The milking parlour was built in
1960, one of the first in the area.
"We added to the milking parlour
when Larry finished his two-year
course at the University," states
Gordon. "We expanded from
milking 18 cows, then to 35, then to
45 cows, continually buying quota."
"The most number of cows we
milked at one time was 60, but we
have cut back to 45 cows, producing
as much milk, due to improvement in
management, feeds, and genetics,"
says Larry. He and Heather were
married in 1975, and have two
children, Amanda, 15, and Brad, 12.
Both children take an active part in
the farm operation.