Better Pork - August 2016

33 / 40

Better pork August 2016 33
UP CLOSE
Hours you spend in the office per week?
About two.
How many emails do you receive per day?
Probably eight.
How many text messages do you receive
per day?
That we can see a lot of. Average
of 15. Probably more. The phone
is never more than an arm’s reach
away!
Hours a day on a cell phone?
Talking (and) everything? Oh shoot –
I bet an hour or more.
What type of smartphone do you have?
iPhone 6. (Steve and I discussed our
shared preference for the 6 over the
iPhone 5; the bigger screen is handy,
as is the larger keyboard. He consid-
ered the iPhone 6 Plus but decided it
would be too frustrating to carry the
5.5-inch (diagonal) screen, as op-
posed to the more standard 4.7-inch
screen of the 6.)
email or text?
I like text. Quicker to access. Plus
history — I can easily look back and
reference an earlier discussion.
Any favourite apps?
Probably weather. Just the Weather
Network.
Hours a day on the Internet?
Half hour to an hour, maybe. And
it’s not always business — sometimes
I’m checking out fun sites, like ones
showcasing parts for my bike!
(Steve owns a 2013 Harley-Davidson
Fat Boy.)
How often do you travel?
We (Steve and Stephanie) used to be
heavily involved in motocross racing.
Now, we just take short road trips on
our motorcycles. We never go more
than an hour from home. It’s just a
Sunday thing.
Where did you last travel to?
We keep it simple. We often go
to Port Dover and Port Burwell.
Lakeshore Road is a nice little cruise.
The trail follows the shore of the lake
(Lake Erie). Usually, we’ll end up at
Port Burwell and get something to
eat before we come home. There are
a lot of nice roads around Paris. We
don’t go to Port Dover on Friday the
13th, though — that’s way too busy!
Any other day through the summer
is like a mini bike show, minus the
crowds.
What do you like best about farming?
Geez, there’s probably a lot of things.
No dress code! You can’t make all
of your own rules, but you get to
make some. Farming probably gives
you the biggest variety of tasks. And,
working with your family — doesn’t
everyone like that?
What do you like least?
Nothing comes to mind.
What is the single most important advice
you’ve received or lesson you’ve learned?
Probably the most important thing is
to show people that you’re reliable.
That’s what makes or breaks people,
I think — whether they are reliable
or trustworthy. That (quality) proba-
bly even trumps smart and ambitious!
What’s your management philosophy or
guiding management principle?
It’s pretty hard to nail that down to
one thing. Manage your stress. That’s
probably the key to most of it. (Stress
management) is a pretty big thing.
You can have a lot of great things be-
hind you, but if you can’t control your
own mood, you can’t do much, right?
What’s your advice for working so closely
with multiple generations?
Probably the hardest thing, rather
than focusing on what’s in front of you,
is try not to take them for granted.
That’s the biggest difference between
family and someone on the outside –
the family member has to be there.
What are your hobbies or recreational
activities?
Going out on the Harley with Steph.
What’s your most important goal?
Probably just to make sure some-
thing is there for the next generation.
That’s my big job.
How do you define success?
Just generally being satisfied with
what you do, really. Success can be
defined a lot of ways. It’s not just
money for everybody.
Is your farm vehicle messy or neat?
It’s fairly well organized, but not as
clean as it should be.
What are three items that are always to be
found in your pickup?
Flashlight, a few tools, change for
Tim Horton’s.
What are three items that are on top of
your desk?
Calculator, pen, paper. Steph has the
laptop!
What was the last piece of equipment you
bought for your shop?
A new cable for the welder.
What’s the best time of day?
Evening – because you can call it
done for the day. Definitely not
morning! BP