The Rural Voice, 1992-10, Page 24Dreaming $$$$$
Andy Dixon thinks money can grow on trees
for farmers. He's spent his retirement showing how
trees can be a profitable alternative crop
It's ironic, in a land once covered were farmed like any other cash crop,
with trees, that trucks now roar along he figured, there was good money in
Ontario highways in a constant circle it for farmers.
of trips to the Unitcd States, bringing Now he's got the figures to prove
hardwood Togs to factories that turn it. Sort of. His package of
them into veneer plywood. If Andy
Dixon gets his way, years from now
those trucks won't be making as
many trips, and Ontario farmers will
be the beneficiaries.
Several years ago Dixon came to
the conclusion that hardwood trees
should be grown, not stuffed together
in plantations where only the fittest
survived, but given plenty of room
and pruned to produce as much
useable timber as possible. If they
Andy looks up al one of his walnut
trees while an experimental field of
walnuts is seen in the background.
Photos and story
by Keith Roulston
information on the potential of trees
as a crop, shows a farmer lying on the
ground, day -dreaming of money
growing on trees. Dixon admits his
figures are "silly" because of the
possibility of errors in the size of his
test. "A small mistake multiplied by a
big number comes up with a big
mistake," he says. Still, he says that
small mistake could go either way
and his figures might be conservative,
meaning even better potential for tree
growing. Whichever way the figures
come down, Dixon feels they're
worth a second look for many
landowners.
Those figures show that 50 acres
of the Dixon farm could produce an
annual return of $33,225 with very
little day-to-day work needed. The
problem is it will take years before
the cash begins to flow in.
You can see how Dixon's ideas
have evolved as you tour the
McGillivray Township farm
southwest of Centralia where he lives
with his son Jim and Jim's wife Mary
Lou. He brought the farm in 1936
planning at one time to be a big-time
orchard owner.
In 1939, to give his new orchard a
windbreak, he planted four acres
with 1000 trees each of black walnut,
20 THE RURAL VOICE