Breakfast on the farm and the real dirt on farming

By Kenneth Pastushyn, Converged Citizen Staff

 

Did you know that big corporations have not taken over Canadian farms?

The Real Dirt on Farming, published by the Farm & Food Care foundation, explains the ins and outs of

farming. Real Dirt also reports that 97 per cent of Canadian farms are family-owned and operated.

“We educate the public on where their food comes from and what agriculture is all about,” said Leo

Guilbeault, a provincial director for Farm & Food Care Ontario.

The Real Dirt was distributed at Breakfast on the Farm in September. The event is a way for farmers to

talk about where food comes from on a real working farm.

Breakfast on the Farm, was held at Hylander Farms in Tecumseh on Sept. 20.

“You talk to people in the city about farming and they think of Old MacDonald. It’s far from Old

Macdonald,” said Guilbeault.

There is one thing that Hylander Farms has in common with Old MacDonald — cows. Hylander Farms

has 50 head of cattle. Also grown on that farm are grain, corn, hay and straw to feed the cows.

“Plant, maintain, harvest,” said Brian Hylander of Hylander Farms, which sells its beef directly to the

public. “Cattle care all year long.”

Hylander Farms has been handed down generation to generation.

“My father started it and we both took over the farm,” said Rina, Hylander’s wife. “Brian also grew up

on a farm.”

Guilbeault, also a farm boy, learned from his parents and now grows corn, soy beans and wheat in the

Belle River area.

“Ours is a family farm just like the Hylanders,” said Guilbeault. “Most farms in Essex County are family

farms. Actually most farms in Ontario are family farms.”

His wife, son and brother-in-law all help out on the farm.

At the Hylander farm, their daughter works the farm on weekends and in the summer. Their eldest son,

who works in London, can be counted on if help is needed while their youngest son lives with them full-

time. He plans to go to college and major in agriculture at the University of Guelph.

“I got to get my own kids to do this,” said Hylander, referring to them taking over the family farm.

Guilbeault’s son did graduate from the University of Guelph’s agricultural program and now works side-

by-side on the farm with him.

It is estimated that half of the families get jobs off the farm to earn additional income. While Hylander

runs the farm all year long, his wife Rina teaches math at Villanova High School in LaSalle. Guilbeault is

an independent sales representative for Pioneer brand agricultural products.

There were 2,000 breakfasts available at Breakfast on the Farm and they were all finished by noon

available and they were all finished by noon.

The 140 volunteers — over 100 of them were farmers – answered visitors’ questions about farming.

Guilbeault said the event was a huge success. “Everybody who came here enjoyed themselves and now

have a better understanding about what happens on the family farm.”