HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-09-23, Page 17On the tour
Ernst and Yolanda Gubelmann with their son, Stefan, stand with one of their favourite
Brown Swiss Cows, one of many to be seen at their farm during the 1998 Huron Farm Hiker
Tour.
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1998. PAGE 17.
Energetic emus among Huron County Hiker Tour features
By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot
Special to The Citizen
It's hard to imagine two farms
more different from each other.
Frenetic emus, barrel racing
horses and hand-painted eggs are
among the niche marketing
products and services at
Fotheringhams. Then, a 15-minute
drive away, cows calmly chewing
their cud to the melodic clinging of
bells are found at a more traditional
enterprise — the Gubelmann dairy
farm.
Yet, as opposite as these two
feature farms on the 1998 Huron
Farm Hiker Tour may seem, both
owners exemplify exactly what
farming in the county is all about —
pride in production.
"Huron farmers really want to
make people aware of the products
they sell, the time they put into it
and how proud they are of their
farms," says Charles Regele, who is
chairing this year's tour which
begins, Sunday, Oct. 4 at noon at
the Seaforth Agri-Plex (beside the
arena).
The event is free with a donation
of a non-perishable food item.
Pride indeed. Neither the
Fotheringhams or Gubelmanns will
tell you what good farmers they
are, but it is evident in the neat
buildings, the continuous effort to
improve their businesses and the
heartfelt way they talk about their
animals and their way of life.
At Bill and Amy Fotheringham's
farm, it's the quarter horses and
major barn renovations for emu
breeding that bespeak pride. Their
farm is anything but traditional and
the two can't help but laugh at the
number of niche markets they are
trying to capitalize on to make a
living at farming. But it's a serious
business.
It's tough for young couples to
become farmers and make a
living," admits Amy. "It's been an
insane five years with all that we
have taken on and tried to do,"
In five years, the couple has
maintained Bill's custom spraying
business, cash cropped their 100
acres plus rented property,
established an emu flock, marketed
emu oil products and hand-painted
emu eggs, designed and created a
waterfall and pond for a farm
attraction, built horse paddocks for
Amy's holse training and riding
classes, ventured into the stud
market with a breeding stallion,
and, travelled to horse shows and
rodeos where Amy barrel races her
newest horse Cruisin Calvin..
Also during the five years, they
had two children. Whew!
"We both want to stay at home
and make a go at farming," says
Bill. "This is how we do it."
The pleasure they take in their
horses and birds also makes it
worthwhile.
The Gubelmanns have the same
goal but take a different approach.
Although they do some cash crop,
Ernst and Yolanda Gubelmann
focus almost all their energy on one
supply-managed commodity — the
milk market.
They supply that market with the
milk from 60 cows — half Holstein
and half Brown Swiss. Before you
hear the Gubelmann's charming
accent, you'll likely hear the
clanging of the bells around the
necks of their Brown Swiss cows; a
noise that keeps homesickness at
bay for these Swiss immigrants.
Brown Swiss is one of the oldest
cattle breeds in the world and is
bred for milk, beef and draft in
Switzerland. However, Ernst
breeds them strictly for milk
production and the Brown Swiss
compete drop for drop with the
more common Holsteins. Top
genetics and excellent management
contribute to Gubelmann's
consistently high standing as one of
the top herds in Huron County.
Ernst says in his herd, "the better
cow has the better chance" of
staying in the herd. But partly
because of his Swiss heritage, and
partly because of the merits of the
Brown Swiss cow, his heart is with
the brown breed.
He can't help but recite the
Brown Swiss' traits for heat
tolerance, protein production, easy
calving, strong feet and legs and
quiet temperament.
The Gubelmanns care about their
cows and they care about how their
milk is produced. Ernst has strong
feelings about farming in an
environmentally-friendly manner
and keeping fanning natural, rather
than becoming dependent on
chemicals and genetically altered
plants.
"1 wanted to be on this tour
because I wanted to show people
that our food is safe to eat and
drink because we care about
making sure it is safe," says Ernst.
That same desire is echoed by
other host families on the Hiker
Tour.
"It's good for people to see that
dairy products. Few members of
the public have had a chance to see
the facility since it's only been
operating since March of this year.
The plant produces sour cream,
yogurt, quark and specialty cheese
such as Limburger, Edam, Gouda,
Taleggio and Esrom under the
'Quality Jersey Products' label.
"We'd like people on the tour to
learn the benefits of Jersey milk in
cheese production," says Tammy
Sparling. "It improves the taste and
the texture."
Tastes will come into play at
another of the Hiker Tour sites —
the market gardening farm of Tyler
and Summer Papple near Seaforth.
This couple grows a full range of
vegetables on 30 acres of land. Fall
produce such as cabbage, carrots,
beets, gourds, pumpkins and corn
will be for sale. Visitors can also
tour the fields to see how the crops
are grown and examine the
specialized machinery the Papples
use to plant and harvest their
vegetables.
Other sites to visit include
Yvonne and Harvey Hoggart's beef
farm near Londesboro and Jack and
Marg Kroes swine farm near
Clinton.
The Huron Stewardship Council
has put up "Points of Interest" signs
at all the farms on the tour.
Also, the Hullett Provincial
Wildlife Area can be visited the
same day. Conservation staff will
be there to answer questions about
migrating waterfowl.
Tour participants will get
directions to all the farms in their
tour kits when they register for the
tour at the Seaforth Agri-Plex. The
kits also include a trivia quiz about
agriculture which when completed
can win door prizes.
Chairman Charles Regele advises
that participants should bring a
cooler if they wish to purchase
farm products. He also stresses that
this is a family event (minus pets)
and is entirely flexible meaning
that participants set off on their
own, choosing which farms to visit
within the noon to 5 p.m. time
frame. Families can congregate at
the Agri-Plex after the tour for a
country supper at a cost of $8 per
adult, $5 for children five to 12 and
free for children under four.
Regele expects some 500 people
will take part in the your, if past
attendance levels are any
indication.
The Hiker Tour is a non-profit
event designed to increase
agricultural awareness, states
Regele. Funding to sponsor the
event was provided by the "U-Can-
Adapt Program" via the Ontario
Agricultural Adaptation Council
and Ontario AgriFood Education
Inc. The Huron County Federation
of Agriculture and other Huron
County commodity groups also
sponsored the event.
For more information, call
Regele at 345-2149.
farmers are trying hard and doing a
good job out there," says Mary Ann
Drost, whom, with husband
Carmen operates a sheep farm near
Clinton.
She also points out that visiting
farms is just plain fun.
"It's great to see the kids' faces
when they get to pet the sheep,"
says Mary Ann. The whole family
can learn from the sheep shearing,
spinning and knitting
demonstrations.
Other attractions on the tour
include a visit to a new milk
processing plant in Seaforth where
innovative milk producers are
developing a market for Jersey