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Better Farming
February 2017
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travel and to work on dairy farms in
both Alberta and Australia.
Patenaude made the decision to
move back home following the death
of his grandfather, to whom Paul
attributes much of the farm’s suc-
cess.“I credit my father and grandfa-
ther for the majority of knowledge I
use day-to-day on the farm,” he says.
Patenaude remembered his
grandpa when opportunities arose
to expand the farm. “I was willing to
move and expand the farm. See it
grow. That’s the way my grandpa
would want it.”
Describe your role on your farm operation.
This is my new role (managing my
own facility part of the family farm).
Before, I enjoyed working with
genetics and in the show barn, but I
wanted to manage my own opera-
tion. I also contribute to the (pro-
duction of) crops and help out on
the main farm when they need help.
Howmany people does your farm employ?
We have 15 full-time and three
part-time workers – two of which
work in my barn.
Hours you work per week?
In the summer it can get up there but
on average it’s around 75 hours per
week.
Howmany emails do you receive per day?
If you include junk and spam it is
about nine but, other than that, three.
I don’t rely on emails very often –
mostly texting or calls.
Howmany texts?
I’ll throw 50 texts out per day. Is that
a lot? It depends. 35 to 50.
Hours a day on a cell phone?
Maximum an hour, probably under
an hour a day.
What about your smartphone?
Every day I use my smartphone, I rely
on it quite a bit. Any person my age I
imagine does.
Whether it’s for the herd itself or to
use Internet, it’s always by my side.
Email or text?
Text is the way to reach me. If you
email me, I might not get back to you
for three days.
Any favourite apps?
DHI (Dairy Herd Improvement), it’s
pretty handy to have in my phone. If I
want to see how close a cow is to
calving, I can look it up. And I don’t
have a computer on my farm, but I
don’t necessarily need one anymore.
The Weather Network is a must for
me, whether it’s the temperature,
wind or rain, I’m checking it at least
twice a day. I also use the NHL and
social media apps quite a bit.
Does anyone else in your community use
social media?
Social media, like Facebook and even
Snapchat, is a way I keep in touch
with other farmers my age.
Hours a day on the Internet?
For work it would be under an hour.
In total, one to two hours a day.
How often do you travel?
The last big trip I took for vacation
was Australia for three weeks and
New Zealand for three weeks.
Number of hours in the office each day?
Not very many. It’s not my depart-
Paul Patenaude