Letters – Our readers write: Winter 2014
We absolutely loved it and thought Yevgenia Casale did an excellent job capturing us as a farm family in her writing.
The Next Generation
Before I even got to the next generation farmer stories in the fall issue, I wanted to write immediately when I read the editor’s note [“You Go, GenY!”]. I’m neither a baby boomer nor a Gen Y – I guess I’d be an Xer – but I share your optimism and excitement for the future around their desire to turn to essential work, applying modern technology, lessons from the rat race, and social and environmental responsibility along the way. I’d been hoping to see something like this happen, and it looks like it’s time for that hope to bloom. Thank you for summing it up so nicely. Go, Gen Y!
Jennifer Payne, Mono
Sean and Amy Davis with baby Nora and Sean’s parents Joanne and John amid sunflowers they grow for birdseed at Davis Feed & Farm Supply. “2013 is the year I’ll never forget because we had four generations living on this farm,” says Sean. Photo by Pete Paterson.
Yevgenia Casale does an excellent job in her article “The Next Generation: Farm Kids are Returning to Their Roots” [autumn ’14]. She captures that sense of the fundamental rightness of producing our food from the land on which we all live, and, by implication, the foolishness in the current Ontario government’s penchant for building on the most farmable land.
I found myself wondering what it was about the stories of the four families she profiled that had gripped me as I read. Perhaps it is that long years ago my wife and I came here from Great Britain with a strong feel for the farming life. This was based on the relatively unusual circumstance in a country where the Industrial Revolution first began that both of us had relatives in agriculture with whom we spent time in the summers.
As a first job, I taught physiology and pest zoology at an agricultural college. My subsequent career in Canada, while mostly focused on human health, on occasion took me into the realm of farm animal productivity, most recently into the genetics of improving milk production in dairy cows.
My observation of farming practice across much of our vast country is that it works best where strong family cohesion coincides with savvy business skills and a sound sense of what to take from the smorgasbord of modern technology. The four families profiled exemplify those qualities in spades!
Ian Keith Anderson, Editor, Hills of Heritage blog, Caledon
We want to extend a massive thank you for including us in your article [“The Next Generation: Two Generations of Dairy Farming Pioneers” autumn ’14]. We absolutely loved it and thought Yevgenia Casale did an excellent job capturing us as a farm family in her writing. She is a very talented writer and we have had many customers comment how it was a great read.
Emily and Marianne den Haan, Sheldon Creek Dairy
Dutch Masters
Re: “The Next Generation: A Stable Relationship” (Dutch Masters), aut ’14. This is an example of true craftsmanship that seems to be disappearing in our world. How wonderful that the torch is passed on!
Linda Mackie (web comment)
A Salute to John Rumble
Three cheers for In The Hills for recognizing the truly significant achievements of John Rumble and his team from so many years ago [“The Caledon Horse That Could” autumn ’14]. History told by those who actually made it is a treasure we should all appreciate. The foundations of Canada’s success in the equestrian sports today were built by the likes of John Rumble. A great sportsman and a gentleman of the highest order.
Good luck to the eventers at Pan Am 2015!
Gary van Bolderen, Caledon East
Puppy love
What a delight it was to come across Bethany Lee’s new puppy story [“Headwaters Nest” autumn ’14]. Actually, my mom found it while she was sitting on the back deck of our new house in the country watching our puppy Zoe chase crickets in the grass. Zoe is [Bethany’s puppy] Blixen’s sister and has turned our lives upside down and right side up. It’s been an adjustment for sure, but worth every warm snuggle – she is the most loveable and lightning-fast little pup.
Izabela (web comment)
Careful Now!
Re: “When Birds Go Bad” by Dan Needles, autumn ’14
Likewise, never bend over to check a water bowl in the sheep pen in breeding season.
Bob Reid (web comment)
Online In The Hills
We welcome your comments! For more commentary from our readers, or to add your own thoughts on any of the stories, please add a comment at the bottom of any article. You can also send your letters by e-mail to [email protected] or use our handy submission form. Please include your name, address and contact information. In the Hills reserves the right to edit letters for publication.
