HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-03-19, Page 37THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1997. PAGE A-17.
Agriculture '97
Young farmer’s business expands into pheasants
Poultry paradise
Omelette, the chicken, along with her companion, Orville,
and the 250 pheasants which inhabit the Fred Peel farm
near Londesboro, are well protected from predators. Peel
has installed a security system to ward off intruders.
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Over the last 50 years, farmers
have wondered if their children
would stay on the farm or seek
other opportunities afforded to
them in the city.
Farm populations have dropped
and improved equipment have
made the need for labourers
decrease and farming is often not
considered an interesting option for
a career.
However, for Fred Peel of the
Londesboro area, it is something he
grew into.
“I grew up on a farm and was
pressed into service,” he says. “I
found an interest in chickens and
cows.”
Aside from helping on the family
farm, Peel enhanced his knowledge
of animals by becoming involved
in the local 4-H and Junior Farm
ers’ clubs.
He used his brother’s sheep farm
as a trial arena to learn judging,
then competed in contests year
after year, always finishing last.
Finally, the year he turned 18,
Peel says he was tired of finishing
last. Crediting his 4-H leaders for
their assistance and his own stub
bornness to improve, Peel won the
sheep judging at the county level,
placed extremely well at the West
ern Fair in London and earned a
trip to Saskatoon for the national
finals.
“It was the first lime I had flown,
but I had a great time.”
With that experience under his
belt, Peel attended Ridgetown Col
lege, earning his diploma in agri
cultural studies. He returned to the
family farm, eventually taking over
the dairy, cash crop and poultry
operation.
“I like (farming) because I can do
what I want in this job,” he says.
Peel, who presently has 15 cows,
15 heifers and five bull calves in
his dairy operation, exports animals
to Japan, South Africa, South
Korea and the United States.
“I can’t expand the dairy opera
tion until there is more quota avail
able and the bams are expanded.”
The poultry on his farm are not
just the average, run-of-the-mill
chickens. Aside from showing the
fancies at many local fairs, Peel has
two with stage experience. Orville
and Omelette have appeared
numerous times in Blyth Festival
Theatre’s He Won't Come in From
the Barn."
However, one of the most inter
esting aspects of the Peel farm is
the 250 pheasants which he raises
and sells, both as meat and as hunt
ing birds.
Looking for a larger market for
his birds, Peel advertised in local
gun shops and at the Hullett
Wildlife Centre, promoting his
birds for release hunts. Hunters can
purchase six roosters and six hens
from Peel, take them to the
Wildlife Centre, release them and
enjoy a good day of sport hunting.
Though Peel says he does
receive a complaint or two per year
regarding his business, he points
out that the hunters rarely shoot all
the birds they buy, so several are
left to live in the wild.
“Some hunters hit the roof when
they hear the price of $10 per bird,
but they should try to raise pheas
ants on their own. They have to
deal with both four-legged and
two-legged predators. I have a
security system for the birds.”
Peels also notes there has been an
increase in female hunters in recent
years.
For those who would rather just
buy pheasant already cleaned and
ready to cook, Peel says he made
several contacts through a past food
fair in Blyth, which, for some
years, offered food producers a
market for their product, in Blyth,
until this season.
Peel has now developed a market
where his customers come to him
for the products.
As for the future of agriculture,
Peel says he is hopeful. “If the milk
quota system stays, there are no
imports from the US and hormones
such as BST are not used, the cus
tomer gels a quality product at a
good price and everyone makes
their fair share. Consumers get a
good deal and there are no health
concerns.”
For himself, Peel says he has to
push hard in farming. “If I can stay
healthy, I’ll keep going.”
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