The Rural Voice, 1991-01, Page 35"Learning something new every day makes life worth living"
get something done, get at the work
that is never done; the work that still
seems just as important as when he
was trying to make enough money to
raise 13 children.
He went into farming because none
of his brothers were interested in
taking over his dad's farm. An older
brother had tried it and said there was
no way a living could be made from
the light, sandy soil. He was next in
line and eagerly grabbed the chance.
"I was always interested in farming,"
Becker remembers.
And he takes great satisfaction in
proving that a living could be made, in
sticking it out, making the improve-
ments to the place he could afford
along the way like the new barn wall
and stable, much of the concrete
poured by hand between evening
chores and the early morning hours.
Married in 1944, Becker prev-
iously lived on his own for six years,
working for his dad at $133 per month
and occasionally for neighbours,
cleaning stables while he accumulated
the necessary capital to pay for the
farm adjoining his father's. He later
purchased the home farm in 1957.
The back end of his farm has now
disappeared, the result of a huge
gravel pit hidden only partially by a
hill behind the barn, in or around
which he still spends most of his
waking hours.
"When I started, all I wanted was a
comfortable home ... if you are
satisfied, that is the only way you can
call it home," he said.
He still gets the same contentment
from looking after the livestock and
plans to built a new barn on his eight
remaining acres, since the agreement
for use of the barn he made when the
farm was sold soon expires. The third,
and what looks like the last, genera-
tion to operate the farm, he is not will-
ing to quit and is thankful for every
day he can put off the inevitable.
He describes each day since he
turned 70 as borrowed time, adding, "I
have never been discouraged ... I'm
not yet." His dad often told him,
"Every day is a new day so cheer up."
So far, the philosophy has worked.
A host of sayings and rules he's
adopted have proven their worth over
the years and sustained him: you live
to work and work to live; if a person
gives you advice accept it but then
make up your own mind; keep your
life confidential; accept the
consequences of what you plan for
yourself; keep your complaints to
yourself; respect other people.
Farming for so long has allowed
Becker to observe, and experience, all
the many changes that have charac-
terized Ontario agriculture since the
turn of the century. This ranges from
plowing with three -horse hitches to
BOLTON
FARM SEEDS
Dependable, Quality Pedigreed Seed
Since 1956
5 WAYS TO SAVE
ON YOUR 1991 SEED COSTS
1— Order before Feb. 22, 1991
2 — Quantity of 100 bags or more
3 — Pick up your order
4 — Pay cash on delivery
5 — Early payments in Dec. or Jan.
Available for 1991 planting are
superior varieties of:
• OATS • WHITE BEANS
• BARLEY •SOYBEANS
• CEREAL MIXTURES
• FORAGE SEEDS
R.T. Bolton & Son
R.R. 1, Dublin, Ontario
519-527-0455
519-527-0559
AGRICULTURAL
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICES
Provide employment planning
assistance to the agricultural
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Recruit workers for agricultural
employment
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transportation
Promote good employment
standards
Provide information about
government employment
programs
OWEN SOUND WALKERTON
371-9522 881-3671
JANUARY 1991 31