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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002. PAGE A-15.
Agriculture 2002
Agriculturalist sees many changes
Straight and true
Gordon McGavin began the McGavin Farm Machinery business in 1936 in a small shed on
his farm. His winning furrows at the Ontario Plowing Match, held in Niagara Falls in 1926,
shows he could use the tractors as well as sell them. ( courtesy photo)
By David Blaney
Citizen staff
The swather has replaced the grain
binder. The threshing machine has
given way to the combine, usually a
self-propelled unit. The increased
popularity of minimum tillage
means that plows are not used as
extensively. Although seed drills are
still being used, the air seeder is
becoming more popular with farm-
ers.
The evolution of farm machinery
is in some ways a history of change
in farming methods and economics.
However, a history of things is never
the history of a community.
Neil McGavin's family has been
involved in both farming and the
farm machinery business since 1936.
During that time the farm machinery
business that his father established
has expanded and changed to adjust
to the changes that occurred in farm-
ing.
During those 65 years they have
gone from selling Canadian-made
Cockshutt tractors, to being a New
Holland dealer in a market where
there are no large scale manufactur-
ers of Canadian-made farm machin-
ery. Once a world power in the sec-
tor Canadian manufacturers now
tend to be local producers of smaller
items, such as grain buggies and
farm wagons.
Continued on A-14
characteristics of isolates.
The study was done on calves
under 750 pounds where death was
unknown or "garden" variety. What
was noted was that the number of
cases where BVD had been suspect-
ed inflated after post-mortem. Early
reports suggest that one-quarter of
the dead animals had been infected
in utero, Bateman said. -"As a feed-
lot owner you can do nothing about
. When McGavin talks about the
changes in farming however, he con-
stantly reflects on how the farm
community is different. "The rural
community used to be centred
around the corner store, the post
office and the country schools," he
says. "Now the stores and post
offices are closed and they're talking
about closing the schools."
He notes how time is more valu-
able as farms get bigger and the dif-
ference between a successful year
and an unsuccessful one becomes
thinner. "Farmers used to have time
to lean on the lot-line fence and
talk," he comments. "Now they
wave at each other out the pick-up
window as they leave their lane."
His respect for the past does not
mean McGavin is mired in nostalgia.
The business has its own web site
and customers can order on-line if
they wish. He says however, that
while some large operations use the
internet, or fax in orders, most still
want to come in and talk to a 'real'
person. "It's the way we have been
brought up," he notes.
The firm uses point of sale inven-
tory control and operations are com-
puterized where possible. "We used
to send in parts orders by mail," he
says. "Now we e-mail them in and
expect to receive them the next day."
McGavin has seen a lot of changes
in farming and the farm machinery
that. This is crucial when discussing
vaccines. Ridding the cattle popula-
tion of BVD requires work on the
cow-calf herd."
Persistent infection with BVD is
just as prominent as mycoplasma,
says Bateman, but early results sug-
gest it may be less prevalent in
Western calves. The reason, he says,
may be herd vaccinations. "You
have to pay attention to cow vacci-
nations. It's just as important as
business during the years - some
good, some bad and some he is not
sure about. He notes that the New
Holland company has bought both
Ford and Case 1H in the last few
years and that other large manufac-
turers are also consolidating.
Dealers selling what is essentially
the same machinery are left compet-
ing with each other. The large manu-
facturers "check how many tractors
are sold in Huron County," ac"ord-
ing to McGavin, and "you must get
your share." If you don't get your
share of the volume, money comes
off your cheque."
"What they are doing," he says, "is
squeezing out the little guy."
Farmers' attitudes are changing
also. Farmers used to be able to take
the time to drive in tractors needing
repairs. Now McGavin says more
and more they are called and told to
truck it into the shop to be fixed.
The loss of diversity also worries
McGavin because he notes that
manx innovations in farm machinery
have come from small manufactur-
ers. He points to the fact that both
skid steering and round balers were
developed by small firms.
The issue of diversity has bedev-
iled the firm on several occasions.
They have a history of confrontation
with the large manufacturers for
which they are distributors.
Continued on A-16
calf."
Also, it was discovered that many
cases looked as if they had .tarted as
shipping fever and ended up as
mycoplasma. "This leads us to
hypothesize that you don't get
mycoplasma as a primps: ."
Finally, if an antibiotic i going to
be used on a lame cow, Bateman
recommends treatment not be long.
"Either the response will be quick or
Mother Nature will take over."
r
The strength
munity is
success
sector and
continue
lenges. I
resent those
to make
in Agriculture
Century.
Paul
of our
derived
the people
to meet
am honoured
who are
Canada a world
for
of its agri-business
Steckle,
Huron -
rural com-
from the
who
new chal-
to rep-
working
leader
the 21st
,..,
Bruce
4:,„, ,-.-
M.P.
1
For more information please contact:
Paul Steckle, M.P., Huron-Bruce
Constituency Office
30 Victoria Street North, Goderich, ON, N7A 2R6
519-524-6938
--• _I
BVD not as prominent in west