The Rural Voice, 1991-12, Page 24TALKING TURKEY: RAISING CHRISTMAS
DINNER IS A HAYTER FAMILY AFFAIR
o talk turkey: discuss in a
practical and direct
manner. — Funk and
Wagnall' s Dictionary.
You can talk turkey
with Harry Hayter of Dashwood. He
has been raising North America's
contribution to good eating since
1948.
During December, 20,000 Hayter
turkeys will be the main event at
Christmas dinners from North Bay to
Windsor, and from London to Metro
Toronto, as well as locally where these
birds have earned a reputation as "the
best." Hayter turkeys are sold in area
supermarkets, and long-time cus-
tomers drive for miles to pick up a
fresh turkey at the farm.
One-third of the 60,000 produced
annually are sold in December, 10,000
at Thanksgiving, and another 30,000
throughout the year. That's a far cry
— or a long gobble — from the first
batch of 300 day-old poults 44 years
ago.
"And we lost half of those to
blackhead," Harry recalls.
Harry had taken over the family
farm just west of Dashwood after his
father died in 1941.
"Our farm was not very produc-
tive. The soil was wet and light. We
couldn't grow as good a crop as our
neighbours," he notes.
However, the first year was
"terrific." A bountiful grain harvest
encouraged the young farmer to begin
feeding cattle and pigs.
The next year was a disaster.
This nasty blow, as agriculture's
unpredictable pendulum swung the
other way, refreshed Harry's mem-
ories of the cash-strapped Depression
years not too far in the past. He began
looking for a potentially profitable ad-
dition to his mixed farming operation.
Reading articles on turkeys piqued
his interest. He was already raising
chickens, so he thought a switch to the
bigger birds shouldn't be too difficult.
As the first snow of winter falls, Joanne, Harry, and Torn pose beside their sign.
A sales pitch from Wein Brothers
Hatchery (then in the north end of
Exeter), a peek into a box of just -
hatched little Bronze turkey poults,
and Harry succumbed.
Harry refutes the image that tur-
keys are stupid birds. They are smart
enough to demand clean air, clean
story and photos
by Yvonne Reynolds
water, proper feed, clean, dry quarters,
and tender, loving care.
One of the two old colony houses
that sheltered that first flock, and
many more, is still to be seen, tucked
up beside a winterized, climate -
controlled barn that now keeps almost
3,000 turkeys in contented comfort
until they are ready for market.
Harry has always supported supply
management of his industry. He was
among the Ontario producers who first
voted for the concept in 1969, which
led to the national agency in 1974. He
is a director and former chairman of
the Ontario Turkey Producers Market-
ing Board.
"It's a good system. We get uur
price from the marketplace; we are not
subsidized through government stabil-
ization. It's foolish to produce a pro-
duct like grains and not hP able to
make a profit," Harry ma ntains.
The quota for Hayter ','urkey
Farms Incorporated is 1,:. )0,000
pounds. Producers going over quota
are penalized 10 cents pe pound, and
lose that poundage on the next year's
quota. The same penalty applies if a
20 THE RURAL VOICE