41 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | November 2024 family to make these repairs and changes themselves. “Both Peter and my dad are contractors and built a lot of the things we needed for the barn themselves,” says Lisa. “My dad and brother also share tractor work.” Since Darryl grew up on the farm, he knows much of the history and is sharing it with the next generation. “The barn has been added to over the years, but the original foundation has been there over 100 years. One of the most unique things is that the water in the barn is gravity-fed. There are no wells, but there’s a spring that runs through the top of the farm, and the water is directed downhill to the barn,” says Lisa. “Dad has lots of plans for fixing up and maintaining the farm as we go. I’ve grown up going to the farm, but he was born there. He knows everything about it, and that’s been good for us because if you don’t know all the nooks and crannies of a farm like this, it can be harder to figure out.” What is your favourite aspect of being a farmer? My favourite part of being a farmer is working with the animals and getting to form a relationship with them. Forming that relationship will also help me as a vet in the future. What is a goal for your farm? My goal is to grow our flock so that it is large enough to help subsidize me through school. It’s a bit of an investment. I used some of my school savings and put that into the sheep. Your biggest farming challenge? Our biggest challenge was starting from scratch. When my parents took over the farm, there was pretty much nothing left on it. All the equipment had been sold off before we bought it off the market. We had to gut out the barn to make it a good home for the sheep. It took a lot of time and work to get it to a place where we could start our operation. De Dell Seeds The Leaders in Non-GMO Corn De Dell Seeds • 7095 Century Drive • Melbourne, ON • N0L 1T0 P: 519-264-CORN (2676) • F: 519-264-2672 • info@dedellseeds.com • www.dedellseeds.com We are confident you will make MORE PROFIT growing De Dell seed corn. Vince Trudell, President UP CLOSE Lisa and her father Darryl farm near Kolapore Uplands. Wilson Family photo
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