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The Business of
Ontario Agriculture
Better Farming
December 2016
HOW
IT
WORKS
S
ome of us are old enough to
remember the threshing
machine coming up the farm
laneway. In those days it was a true
community effort to get the grain into
the granary and the straw into the
straw mow. Both of those commodi-
ties were used primarily on the farm
to feed and bed livestock.
When threshing machines were
replaced with small, often pull-type
combines, they provided farm
independence. At one time the major
Canadian combine manufacturer was
Massey Ferguson. This company had
a vision to have its little self-propelled
combine (the model 35) on every
100-acre farm.
That philosophy did not work out
because we had, and still have, both
good livestock managers and good
machinery owner/operators – so the
idea of a combine on every farm was
not practical. Farmers focused on
cash cropping bought larger com-
bines and did custom work.
My third combine fell into that
category in the early 1990s. I com-
bined for two local dairy farmers who
had no desire to own or maintain
their own combines. Their financial
support allowed me to recover my
capital investment sooner than I had
planned. That good used combine
with both headers – one of which was
new – cost me less than $100,000.
Times have changed significantly
in the last 25 years. Today $100,000
would not even buy a new 35- or
40- foot draper header. However, the
combine operator must still have
those seat-of-the-pants skills which
only come from experience. For
example, if a stalk chopper loses a
blade/hammer, you will only know by
the vibration of the seat that the
combine must be stopped
immediately to prevent extensive
damage!
Many cash croppers who now offer
custom combining services have at
least one large combine, plus all the
additional equipment that is neces-
sary to keep that big combine operat-
ing. The additional equipment often
includes two grain buggies to ensure
that the combine does not have to
stop and unload, greatly increasing
the daily acreage covered.
Grain movement
With even one grain buggy, the
harvest team must include at least
three people so grain can be moved
efficiently from the field to the local
elevator or to on-farm drying/storage
facilities.
Hopper-bottom grain trailers and/
or big hopper wagons are often used
to replace the little hopper wagons or
dump trucks that were used with the
smaller combines.
Skilled labour/help becomes a
necessity – and is often difficult to
find. Farm-trained operators either
become part of an extended family
farm unit or move on to off-farm
employment after graduation.
The farmwork team
As farms move from one generation
to the next, multiple owners can
prove beneficial if there is a good
understanding of the team effort. But
as has always been the case, newcom-
ers – especially husbands or wives of
adult children – must find their niche
if they wish to be part of the team.
That is not always easy, especially if
the newcomer tries to take over a
coveted position such as bookkeeper
or combine operator – a position that
may have been held for many years by
a senior member of the team.
Communication is critical and
regular team meetings must be held
to establish work priorities, as well as
long-term priorities for capital
purchases such as more land, more
livestock or equipment upgrades.
Many of us have seen family teams
break down, especially when the
subject of inheritance becomes an
issue as the older generation wishes to
retire or reduce its active involvement
in day-to-day operations.
To expand or change direction
In Ontario, the opportunity to
Technical expertise and specialized
knowledge on every farm team
Skilled labour and communication are necessary for an operation’s success.
by RALPHWINFIELD
As combines get bigger, so do their headers and their capability to
harvest more acres per day.