The Rural Voice, 1987-11, Page 21of ultimate risk -management stra-
tegy." Risk management, of course,
has always been critical in farming,
but given uncertainty not only in the
weather and the market, but also in
national and international agricultural
policy, part-time farming seems likely
to become even more common.
Bruce Whitmore farms at R. R. 4
Walton in Huron County. He's also
been a teacher for 19 years, and for the
past 11, ever since the Whitmore
family came back from the city to the
family farm, he's been teacher -
librarian at the high school in
Mitchell. If one were sketching the
portrait of an "ideal" part-time farmer,
Whitmore would fit. He loves farm-
ing, he does it to achieve a profit, he's
active in the community and works to
improve the lot of agriculture in
general, and good husbandry on his
land is a cardinal rule.
Bruce and Margaret Whitmore,
who also teaches, returned to Huron
County to work the home farms of
both their families. Today they cash
crop on the 150 acres originally
owned by Margaret's family (and on
another 50 acres they purchased), but
have stopped farming the 100 -acre
farm of Bruce's parents. They hope to
be able to farm it again — when they
can afford to — and hope that it will
put their children through university.
At the moment, it's being rented.
In the city, the family had enjoyed
a relatively high standard of living,
with both Bruce and Margaret teach-
ing. But, says Bruce, they found the
city confining, and there was a pull to
go "home."
"It's difficult to explain," he says,
"but I have a very strong feeling that I
want to keep those farms in the
family. I couldn't stand the thought of
anybody else owning those farms."
"As long as I can remember I
wanted to teach and farm. Ever since
public school. I was raised on a farm
... I like the business aspect of farming
and I like growing things."
At one time, the plan was for
Bruce to teach part-time and Margaret
not to teach again. But teaching and
farming, Bruce says, provide the best
of both worlds. For one thing, farm-
ing just isn't stable enough, so teach-
ing becomes a "risk management"
strategy. For another, he likes the
contact with people that teaching
offers. And farming enhances his
work at the school. "I think I'm a
better teacher. I have something in
common with these kids."
About three years ago, Bruce
became a member of the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture, serving as a
director at large last year. As a mem-
Bruce Whitmore farms
at R. R. 4, Walton in
Huron County, and is
teacher -librarian at the
high school in Mitchell:
"I see it as irrelevant,
frankly, the fact that
have an off -farm job ...
I put out as much food
off my land as some full-
time farmers do." But
Whitmore adds: "It's
absolutely ridiculous that
the number of part-time
farmers is increasing
every day."
of the family, Leanne, 16, Melissa, 14,
and Brent, 12, is also active in sports
and community activities.
This year, the Whitmores grew
wheat, corn, white beans, and hay.
They used to have pigs, but found the
hog operation too time-consuming for
the members of the family, all of
whom help on the farm. They also
ber of the federation's Education
Committee, he was involved in organ-
izing a professional development day,
"Agriculture in the Classroom," for
Huron County elementary teachers, a
day that, thanks particularly to the
efforts of the committee and the
Women's Institute in South Huron,
was a great success.
Between the school and the farm,
in fact, the Whitmores keep extreme-
ly busy. Bruce has travelled with the
school glee club, is in charge of the
school commencement, is planning to
produce Fiddler on the Roof this year,
helped with an exchange program with
students from an Indian reservation
last year, is on the Seaforth Fair
Board, it a barber shopper with the
Seaforth-iarmony Kings, and was
master of ceremonies at the recent
variety show held to mark the 50th
anniversary of the OFA in Huron.
Margaret, in addition to teaching at
Grey Central School in Ethel, is a
church organist and directs the
women's barbershop chapter. The rest
found that it wasn't profitable enough.
"I was flooding the market," Whit-
more jokes, "so I got out of the market
before the price went up."
Although the Whitmores have
found their teaching salaries being
plugged into the farm from time to
time, Bruce is quite clear about
working the farm to make a profit on
its own. "Darn right," he replies when
asked if he runs the farm on a profit
basis. "There's no other point. It's no
fun losing money, which is one reason
I got out of the pigs. We're happier
without an operating loan and with our
neighbour operating our barn on a
share basis."
Which brings Bruce Whitmore to
the larger question. Part-time farmer
or not, he is committed to the general
well-being of the agricultural
community, and feels strongly that
farmers who wish to farm full-time
should have the opportunity. "It's
absolutely ridiculous," he says, "that
the number of part-time farmers is
increasing every day." At the same
NOVEMBER 1987 19
1
1