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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006. PAGE All .
Agriculture 2006
Reporter takes look at life of a dairy farmer
Dressed in coveralls and rubber boots, reporter Heather Crawford temporarily takes the reins
and prepares to milk a cow on the farm of Freddy and Lisa Pot. (Lisa Boonstoppel Pot photo)
By Heather Crawford
Citizen staff
Freddy and Lisa Pot have lived on
their farm in Auburn for almost 14
years now.
Originally the farm belonged to
Lisa's parents.
Freddy grew up in Holland where
his father was a dairy farmer.
"He always wanted to own his
own farm," Lisa said.
His dream, he thought would
never come true because he had an
older brother and traditionally the
oldest son would inherit the farm.
"Then I moved to Canada and I
met Lisa," he said.
Lisa lived on the very same farm
since she was six years old.
"I don't know if he married me
because of me or because of the
farm," she joked.
Lisa moved away to attend
Humber College in Toronto after
high school.
"But when I left, I knew this was
what I wanted."
The couple said that one of the
main reasons they like having a dairy
farm is that they can spend more
time at home with their five children.
"You're your own boss," Freddy
said. "You get to have your own
hours and there are all kinds of jobs
to do, so it's a variety."
He said a typical day starts around
5 a.m. "I get the equipment ready
and check the barns and then I feed,
clean the stalls and milk," he said.
At around 9:30 a.m. he feeds the'
young stock and then at 4:30 p.m. he
there is breeding and vaccinations."
He said he doesn't run out of
things to do.
"It's not the kind of job where
there are set hours and you can say,
'Ok, it's 5 p.m. I'm done,' Lisa said.
"You have to stay until it's all done."
A dairy farmer's day, like many
farmers, depends heavily on the
weather.
"You live by the seasons and the
weather," Lisa said. "You look up
into the sky and plan your day... or
the internet."
The couple said they are glad to
have a small family farm and not
part of a large corporation.
"There's no individuality [in a big
corporation]," Freddy said.
"We like that it's a family farm.
We would like to see that protected,"
Lisa said. "We've been able to make
a good living and make a healthy
product and that's really all we
want."
Lisa said she appreciates working
off of the land. "It's a very natural
way to live," she said. "You get to
work with animals and there is a lot
of quiet time. That's one of the treats
of being in nature."
Continued on A 12
does it all over again.
"It can be a long day," he said.
Between jobs there is always more
to do. "I trim the hooves, de-horn the
calves, clean the pens, fix the
machines and then in the spring
there is planting and hay season in
the summer."
"Cows get sick sometimes so you
have to take care of them and then