Better Farming August 2016 Farm News First > BetterFarming.com 31 UP CLOSE UP CLOSE like the dirt or the smell or anything like that so she works as little as possible. The older daughter actually is very capable at a lot of things but a little begrudging. They’re practical and pragmatic, all three of them (the children). They also learn a lot of work ethics here on the farm and that pays off later, and they hear about it later when they have coaching jobs or whatever and they’re the last one to say no and the first one to say yes and show up early. What’s your most important goal? There’s always the goal to do better and that applies to just about every- thing. We do operate debt because Dad bought the farm essentially on his own and then had to buy out his brother later, so we’ve carried debt for a long time. I’d rather not. And I certainly would like to be in a much stronger financial position, when and if my son does take over. So that’s a key goal. And making it viable and sustainable long-term so that it’s here for Rob in the future. How do you define success? Having a balance of things to do at the barn, time with the family, and being able to sleep at night because I’m not stressed about other things. Is your farm vehicle messy or neat? My truck is a little untidy but it’s never at the point where I can’t fit the whole family in, in short order. What are three items that are on top of your desk? An adding machine, a computer, and the dog’s bed. Jessica has a little teacup dog and she sets that up on the desk. What’s the best time of day? Morning. I usually have the best conversations with the wife and the kids in the morning, provided they’re all up. What was your most memorable crop/ production year? One notable year for me, and I took a lot of credit for this because I was doing all the wheat decisions at the time, was in the mid-2000s. I remem- ber looking at an Agricorp map of Ontario showing the wheat yield across the province in a colour scale and there was an area near Goderich, up in that area north of London, that was red. That means it was over 100 bu/acre. And the only other red area was my farm. I thought it was awesome. We actually averaged 110 bu/acre that year. BF This interview has been edited and condensed. F E E D I N G F A M I L I E S F E E D I N G H O P E The Ontario Association of Food Banks would like to say thank you to Ontario’s agricultural community! Because of your support, our food banks are able to provide fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and meat to 360,000 adults, children and seniors in need every month! To make a donation, please contact us at 416-656-4100 or erin@oafb.ca! You can learn more about the OAFB by visiting www.oafb.ca. We ship by the pallet, and can move truckloads of time-sensitive produce at a moment’s notice. With Ontario’s Bill 36, farmers are now eligible for a 25% non- refundable tax credit for all agricultural product that is donated to the province’s food banks! Take advantage of this benefit, while supporting communities in need. HELP US PROVIDE LOCAL, HEALTHY FOOD TO ALL ONTARIANS TODAY!