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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen-Agriculture 2001, 2001-03-14, Page 26yj Easy does it The cattle stand ready as Tim Prior moves the fence (top), then proceed through anxious to get to the fresh grazing land (middle). In very little time, the cattle have moved on to the next pasture and the job is done for Prior (bottom). to study agriculture. "I enjoyed farming, and I love the country," says Prior. Upon graduating with top marks, he went to Australia for six months, then came back to work at Brussels Stockyards. Fifteen years ago, he and his wife Donna, whom he met at Ridgetown, moved onto a farm just east of Brussels. Renting the house and a bit of land, they got some grazing cattle. Prior, who was employed by this time with Bell Canada reached a crossroads in his life just over three years ago, when that company began to downsize. Having worked By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Take a small town boy, put him on a farm for the summer and he'll want to stay in the country forever. Tim Prior grew up in Brussels, the son of a nurse and a teacher. As a high school student, Prior spent the summers employed on a feedlot. This inspired an interest in agriculture that has in turn inspired others. Admitting he was a mediocre, unenthusiastic student while attend- ing secondary school in Wingham, Prior set off for Ridgetown College tjaa',te uteteetne to attend GRAZING MANAGEMENT MEETING March 21, 2001 - 7 p.m. at Brussels Legion caeca Speaketa: jack %gee — Ontario Grazing Specialist, Topic: Pasture Management and Water Quality Dan Xectitt — Michigan Grazer, Topic: Pasture Water Systems SpettaaJted iv: BRUSSELS AGRI SERVICES LTD. 1-877-887-9391 887-9391 WINGHAM FORESTRY SERVICE R.R. #1, Wingham Ontario NOG 2W0 TREE MARKING FOR TIMBER SALES OR FUEL WOOD CALL (519) 335-6768 MURRAY HALL - FORESTRY TECHNICIAN 4tar Choice clearly the best Choice. now the only Canadian direct to home satellite provider capable of broadcasting from two satellites, which gives you more entertainment choices than ever before. Come in and see the crystal clear image and listen to Dolby surround sound at Oldfield's. Oldfield Hardware has all your Agricultural Supplies • Alflex Ear Tags • Tattoos • Feeders • Ventilations • Galvanized pipe cut and threaded to length • Come in and see the Kitec award winning plumbing system • Ritchie Watering Fountains • Pressure Systems for home and farm • Fencers & Fencing Systems • Purina Dog & Cat Food Coate oat af tie iaita &meeting (Me a itatte fait& exalt/tee d &Actg.& Catalyse Pm men OLDFIELD PRO HARDWARE & RADIOSHACK paw RadioShack. Brussels 887-6851 hardware PAGE A-6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2001. Town' boy enjoys success in agriculture and agrt-business • • with Brussels Agri Services, as a dealer with a power fencing compa- ny, Prior saw an opportunity when the business came up for sale. He bought it. Incorporating business with his love of agriculture has brought Prior and his family no small degree of recognition. Having purchased the farm, now known as Grazing Meadows, several years ago, the Priors were the recipients of the 2000 Ontario Pasture Competition, after coming second in 1998. In October of 1999, Grazing Meadows acquired 70 light beef steer calves, averaging about 370 pounds. These were grazed until December with the fresh air and feed to which they were accus- tomed. In the winter, the calves received a combination of hay and grower pellets. Prior says that by the time spring arrived they were "green, ready for grass and in shape to opti- mize compensatory gain." Grazing began in April, 2000 and the calves were sold late last sum- mer. They gained an average of 2.25 pounds per day. Prior learned early how to get the most out of every acre. "When we only had four acres of grass, if I rotated I could put eight cattle out instead of four." Pasturing, he says, is a low cost operation. "I don't need machinery sitting in my shed. I have a four- legged harvester manure spreader. I don't cut hay or grain to feed, then gather the manure to spread it. I don't need all the expense to take the feed to them and away from them in the form of manure." How did he utilize the pasture? The land is divided into four areas. In the first the sheep the family also own were rotationally grazed in the front 4 and 4.6 acres through a series of eight paddocks. Two beef stockers also ran with the sheep to balance the grazing. The sheep were shifted every four days through the eight paddocks. In the second area, 13 beef stock- er steers, were shifted daily with the use of moveable tumble wheels through the 7.8 acre paddock. Some 25 beef stocker steers were shifted daily through the 30 semi- permanent paddocks in the third area. Ten cows, one heifer and a bull followed in the paddock behind the steers. The fourth area is a 16.6-acre hay field used for grazing after the hay is taken off. Even the lane running down the centre is used. "It's not wasted space because we put them in for two days to eat the grass along it. We're trying to use everything," Prior says, adding with a smile, that the (awn is the only thing left to go. Agreeing that forward thinking is what the judges probably consider in making their decision, Prior adds, "I didn't do my grazing to win, but to try and make money off the. farm." And, it would seem that people are takirig notice. "People come in starving for information. They want to see how it's done. The cattle are moved every day. It takes about half an hour, makes so much sense and is so easy. More and more people are looking at it." Priors often have bus tours of cat- tle and sheep producers come to see the operation. As well, he sent invi- tations for a pasiure walk. About 100 producers attended. With Prior running the business, Donna", who works part-time as an activity professional, is primarily in charge of moving the cattle. Their three children also help. "It has been a good thing for family." The couple laughs when recalling a recent outing during which their son, seeing some cattle in a field, proceeded to point out areas where he thought improvements could be made. Noting that he hopes that at least one of his children will be interest- ed in taking over the farm, Prior tells of a speaker he heard recently. "He talks about making changes so kids want to come back to farming." To Prior, pasturing just may be an answer. " It's not to say that I can't lose money, but I'm optimizing land and environmentally it's a good move. Besides that, this is fun farm- ing." "I love the animals. One of my biggest enjoyments is coming home at the end of the day and walking back to look at them grazing. It's so quiet, so peaceful." It's a feeling that only a true coun- try boy would know.