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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1995. PAGE A13.
+++ •:. + • + •: •;. •:. + + + •:. A GRICULTURE 195 + •:. + + + •;. + + +
Role of farm wife often a 100% commitment
Starting the day right
A day on the farm begins early. Teuni is out at the barn by
7 a.m. to help with the milking, cleaning stables and
feeding the young calves.
Side by side
From the time they were married, almost 30 years ago, Teuni Smith has worked right next to
her husband Fred, doing all of the many tasks of farm life. A dairy operation is too much for
one person, Teuni says, and she has been an equal partner in the operation.
By Bonnie Gropp
If you were to ask a farmer the
secret to his success, there is little
question that he would attribute at
least half of it to the support and
contributions of his wife. While
agriculture is typically considered a
male oriented profession, on many
farms the role played by the wife is
and always has been immeasurable.
Fred Smith, who with his wife
Teuni, has operated a dairy farm
near Cranbrook for nearly 30 years
describes the business as a 50/50
proposition. "She is there for me
100 per cent," he says.
Born on a small farm in Holland,
Teuni and her family emigrated to
Canada in 1952. They farmed in
southern Ontario for a time until
eventually settling in the
Molesworth area. Teuni moved to
the farm she now shares with Fred,
after they married in 1965.
As a young girl, Teuni says, she
was very active in farm life. "I
always helped with the chores."
Like many young farm wives
Teuni contributed an off farm
income, working as an RNA at Lis-
towel Hospital until the birth of
their first son in December of 1966.
"From that point on I worked on
the farm," she says.
The day for a farm wife begins
early and, in the busy season, ends
late. Teuni is out to the barn by
seven, helping Fred with the milk-
ing, feeding and cleaning out of the
stables, before returning to the
house for breakfast. During the
growing season she is Fred's right
hand person in the fields, helping to
cultivate, plant, hay and harvest
325 acres of crops.
Then before supper it's back in
the barn again for evening chores.
Somehow in between all this,
Teuni manages to prepare the
meals and keep up with the
demands of housework. "Often
times, we don't get in from the field
until 4:45 and we have to get to the
barn by five, but we always have
supper on the table for six," says
Fred. "I remember when my dad
was here and he used to say he did-
n't know how she did it."
For his part, Fred is in charge of
dishes at night. "That's why we got
a dishwasher," laughs Teuni,
adding that there were many times
when they would come in from the
barn at night and have three meals
worth of dishes facing them. "Who
needs that when you're tired? When
this dishwasher breaks down, we'll
be getting another right away."
Hectic as the life is, Teuni seems
to thrive on it. Rather than enjoying
the onset of winter, when the har-
vest is in and things seem to slow,
Teuni finds herself at loose ends.
"In a way I look forward to the
winter, but then when it arrives I
don't know what to do with
myself."
Any dairy fanner knows, howev-
er, that even in winter there is
always plenty to do. "Milking 45
cows a day does really keep the
two of us busy," says Teuni. Tying
that in to all the other aspects of life
on the farm makes for a full day's
work.
Like most farm families, where
mom and dad are both involved in
the business of farming, the two
Smith boys helped out when they
were younger as well. "They're
both married now, but they did help
out a lot," says Teuni. "They each
had their own chores to do and
knew what had to be done. When
they came home from school they
changed clothes and went out to the
barn."
Since they've grown, however,
with the exception of some part-
time help in the spring and sum-
mer, the Smiths are on their own. "I
think one of the biggest reasons for
helping him, is that if anything hap-
pens, if he's sick, I can go ahead
and do the work. We know each
other's jobs," Teuni says.
This was actually put to the test
several years ago when Fred was
hospitalized unexpectedly. Unfor-
tunately, the one thing that Teuni
doesn't do on the farm is repair
work so of course, she says, this
was the time when everything
decided to break down. "Wouldn't
you know? There was never a prob-
lem when he was here."
In 30 years of farming together,
Teuni says the biggest change has
been bookwork, which can take a
full day to do. "There is a lot more
now than when we first started out.
Every time I turn around it seems I
have another form to fill out. You
really have to be on top of things
now," she says.
"Farming is considered a busi-
ness; years ago it was a way of life.
To be a success in business you
have to be business minded."
While, the idea of off-farm
employment is a way of life for
some, for Fred and Teuni it is not a
possibility. "It takes the two of us
to run this farm. The only way I
can see a farmer being successful is
to be regular, have things on time
Continued on MS