When I was a kid on the farm, my grandfather never drove a car but my dad did. Every Sunday afternoon, we went for a drive. It was always down a road with the best crops, the neatest farms, those who used the newest ways of making hay, experimented with new crops and – of course – had the best dairy cows.
Sometimes it took us to experimental farms, visits to a farm leader, and always along parkways where houses, farms and properties were real showplaces. I enjoyed the stops for a nice meal or even an ice cream stop.
In the late 1950s the TV came along and hockey and boxing were neat to watch, but watching TV wasn’t near as educational or as good a pastime as seeing new ideas to maybe try on the farm as we saw on the Sunday drive.
You very seldom got to meet the stars who were on TV. Almost every Sunday drive got us introduced to a leader in the farm community somewhere.
In the 1980s and 1990s computers and cell phones came into our lives. Computers made it a lot faster to calculate rations for animals, find equipment that wasn’t in a nearby dealer’s yard and allowed farmers to keep a close eye on changes in feed prices and weather systems moving our way.
Cell phones allowed us to be more available and to contact others. We could remain working in the field and still be found at supper time or even order parts for a broken machine before the dealer went home for the night.
When cell phones, cameras and computers were combined, the smart phone became a real tool for modern farmers.
When our kids become addicted to playing games on the cell phones; we may soon find out that education may have taken a step backwards. My most memorable English teacher, Mrs. McCord once addressed our class and while giving us advice on choosing friends to hang out with, said, “You get to be like the people you associate with. Choose your friends wisely.”
Jeannie and I were lucky enough to spend many weeks at dairy symposiums and participating with other dairy farmers and their wives on farm tours. Most of these trips or symposiums were a week or more in length. These trips were usually by bus, plane or both and people had many an hour to get to know each other. These tours allowed us to visit and ask questions at some of the most profitable, most efficient farms in North America.
Not only did we see some wonderful ideas but also a few ideas that were terrible and didn’t work. In many cases, the friends that toured with us confirmed both the great and bad ideas that we observed. Remembering these observations later, saved us many times more than the cost of the week-long trip. Often during the evenings after listening to dairy specialists or touring farms we learned more by exchanging ideas with new friends.
Sometimes after the planned tour or symposium was over, a few friends would rent a van and spend some extra time doing even more exploration in the area. Lowering labour costs, improving feeding methods, and increasing family time were always objectives of the trips.
As we continue our journey through life we will often remember the fun times that we spent with friends riding there as much as we remember the destination. Enjoy the ride.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com
