HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-08-01, Page 2Page 2—Lucknow. Sentinel, Wednesday, August 1, 1979
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Farming less intensive in Canada
A member of the Young Farmers Club in .
Ireland visiting Canada on an exchange with
the West Huron Junior Fanners, sees
Canadian farming as less intensive than
farming in the -United Kingdom. John Knipe
of County Down,, Ireland believes the reason
for the difference is land use.
In Canada if a farmer wants to grow more
crops he takes more land, by renting or
purchasing. In Ireland land resources are
Shrinking because of urban development and
roads. Land costs S8,000 an acre.
Farmers have been selling out in Ireland
says John and moving to Scotland where
they can double or triple their acreage. As a
result the land price in Scotland is catching
up with the price of land in Ireland.
Farming is mostly mixed in Ireland. There
are some large very intensive dairy or pig
operations but they are few. The average
farm is 40 acres. Dairy systems in Ireland
are on parlour systems. Few are using
• pipelines where in -Canada the majority are
• on pipelines. Cattle units are on slanted floor
systems, all liquid. Cattle are put to grass as
soon as .possible in the springto produce as
much from grass as they on.
The availability of govefriment grants and
• the lack of a quota system in Ireland enable
the Irish farmer to build better quality
,buildings and purchase the best eqUipinent
available.
•Half of the farms in Ireland are part-time
farms. Many are owned- by older people who
will let their land. Land rents for about $200
an acre. .
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John is a high school biology teacW and
live‘Vvith his parents on their part -tike farm
about 10 Miles south of BelfaSt. His father is
a poliCenlin whose first love has always been
farming. He purchased the 34 acre farm 11.
years ago. The farm is not . a viable
prORosition for a father and son. so John will
be taking over the farm. His father intends
to retire to his :farm, when 1:re„leaves his
police career.
John is in Ontario on an exchange
between the Young Farmers Club of Great
Britain and the Junior Farmers of -Ontario
He, Spent his seventh week in Ontario with-.
Alex and Murray Irvin,Ashfield, of the West
Huron Junior Farmers He has visited farms
in Durham, Frontenac, Prescott, Haldi,
mand, Perth' and Simcoe counties. Following
1 l_Weeks as a delegate on farms in Ontario
• . he will have two weeks free time . for
travelling before returning home in AngUst. .•
He and Patricia McCormick of Bruce
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County, Ireland are the two Irish delegates
to participate in the exchange. They are
Sponsored by the .Clement Wilson award,
'Memliers of Young Farmers Clubs who wish
ri: to apnly. as delegates are selected on the ,
basis Of their work in the club and a persOnes
interview. The award is given to the two
. • dOegiate,,at chosen to sponsor their *trip.
CjencentWilson was a farmer in Northern
Ireland wll believed travel was a great way
,Ito brOaderrOne's education and outlook, tie
financed his ions to allow them the exper-
' ience of travel while they were growing up.
When his sont were grown he worked with
' the Young Farmers Club of Ulster to sponsor
seven or eight delegates to send to different
• parts of the world, The award. program has
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been continued by his family since his death.
Young Farmers Clubs are a cross between
Canada's 441 clubs and Junior Farmers
Clubs. They are educational as well as
social. They incorporate public speaking,
stock judging, group debating and home-
making but are not as' intensive as 4-H.
. Ten delegates from the 'United 1Cingdoni
are taking exchange trips; .four from Scot-
. land; four from England' and two from
.korthern • Ireland.
• John's immediate iinpression of Canada is
• its size. "Big" 'he 431, "The Brisith Isles
fits into Ontario 16 times.''I Northern Ireland
• only has an area of 5,000 square miles. In
Ireland he says, 'you Can't.get more than 75
miles from the sea."
He has seen Lakes Ontario, Erie and
• Huron while in Ontario. The lake reminds
him of the sea until he gets out of the car•.:
, "You miss the smell and the fresh wind off
the sea • and the sda's warmer," he laughs.
Compared to a packaged trip, John thinks
the exchange is a much better method of
travelling. "You have the opportunity to live
with families, see liCs.yf,. hey live, everyone
has their own way of dotnethingi',2 he says.
"You see the local points of interest and the
.people can tell you more about them than a
tour guide."
"You can observe the good points and bad
points more readily," he adds.
He. toured Europe on an inter -rail pass
after his first year at university. with five
other boys. "Such a trip allows you to say
you were in Belgium andGreece but you
didn't get to know the country," he points
•out. "You saw the places to see but there's a
limit to what you can see flashing by on a
train,'"
The standard of living in Ireland , is
comparable to Canada's according to John,
but Canadians have much more disposable
income. From what he has observed,
Canadians are paid moreland things cost less
in Canada. Gas is $3 a gallon in Ireland and a
British Leyland mini costs about $6,500.
Canadianstravel more and spend more
money on entertainment and eating out than
the Irish. The Irish have MacDonald's fast
food outlets but not as many as blanket
Ontario.
John sees the purpose of -the exchange as.
a chance to see farming methods in another
country and a promotion of goodwill between
the two farm associations and indirectly two
countries.
- He looks upon the trip as a real
opportunity. , • Three delegates from the
United Kingdom had to give up their jobs to
take thetrip, because,their employees would
not release them for the two months. John is
off school during the summer but had to take
an additional three weeks to come on the
exchange. ••- •
John is impressed with Canada. He likes
the country and is enjoying his visit. But, he
doesn't think he would ever emigrate,
"There's no place like home." -
open
rive -in
After eight years experience working as,
cook at his parents' restaurant, Tim Grafton
has- decided to go into business on his own.
He has purchased Mac's Drive-in at the east
end of the village• .
The drive-in reopened 'Under the new
management with " its new name, Sepoy
Drive-in, Friday, July 20.. •
The 'Sepoy Drive-in and Restaurant,
owned and operated by Tim's parents, Tom
and Margaret and his sister, Deb is located
• at the west end of the village. It has served
• customers who. want good, fast take-out
service but 'also has a dining room for those
who wish to dine out for a meal. The
Graftons plan to phase out the drive-in part
Of their business at the restaurant allowing
Tim to concentrate all the take-out orders at
his drive-in.
• Titn plans to serve the same take-out
menu they had at the Sepoy Restaurant
which included the old favourites, burgers,
hotdogs, footlongs, onioti;•rings, french fries
and icecream, and 'the new favourite Sepoy'
pizzia.. A • •. ,
If you want good food and fast take-out
service when you're on your way home from
a dance or movie or you don't feel like
cooking, phone the SepOy Drive-in, 528-
2443. They're open 12 noon until midnight
from Sunday to Wednesday; 1/ noon until 2
a.m. On Friday and Saturday and close
Thursday.
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John Knipe, left, County Down, Ireland, Is a delegate of the Young Fanners Club of Great
Britain on an exchange with the Junior Farmers of OntariO. He has been Visiting farms in the
province during June and July, spending 11 weeks in seven coundes. He is shown with one
of his Huron hosts, Murray Irvin, Ashfield Township, "right. John has observed the major
differences between farming bere and in Ireland island use. •[Sentinel Staff Photo)
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