It is a pleasure to profile the Mitchell Farms in this edition of Soil & Crop News.
Ken Mitchell and his wife Rosemary grew up in the farm communities of Leith and the 6th Line Community near Ravenna. Some similarity in the communities, I believe, since both are small hamlets in Grey County and although not that close in distance, both have a view of the beautiful Georgian Bay. They were born into families with a good work ethic, strong family values and the desire and willingness to be contributing members of their church and community.
Ken’s great grand parents moved to Leith from Sullivan Township in 1876 when Ken’s Grandfather was 2 years old. His grandparents bought a second farm across the road in 1939 where Ken grew up, and his mother Gwen Mitchell still resides there today. She is still keenly interested in the farm operation and continues to keep weather records for Grey Soil & Crop.
Ken talks about his childhood memories of working with his father, brother, uncle and cousins at Leith. As Ken recalls, “Square baling hay used to be a real family affair, and was a little tiring, but the threshing gang used to be a lot of fun”.
Ken graduated from University of Guelph in 1979 with an Ag Engineering Degree. He worked with a tile drainage company until 1985 when he married Rosemary McKinlay and purchased the Bye farm in the Irish Block of Sydenham Township where they still live. After working on the tile drainage job, Ken says, “Farming seemed much easier”. Ken worked with his father, Roger and brother, Lloyd, until both were killed in separate tragic accidents. Ken & Rosemary have two children – James 18 – who is in his 1st year at University Western Ontario, studying Health Sciences and Sarah 15 – who is in grade ten at OSCVI in Owen Sound. Both James and Sarah have had jobs in the pharmacy at the Grey Bruce Health Services (Hospital) in Owen Sound.
Mitchell Family photo from the 2009 article.
Truly a family farm operation, the Mitchells speak so fondly of their Scottish heritage and their wonderful life experiences growing up on the family farms. Rosemary comments about her great memories of life on the farm and the usual chores that were all a part of growing up in a loving family atmosphere and the close relationship she enjoyed with her brother and sister, which still exists today. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm she demonstrated, when talking about the many family activities, that centered around the normal day to day chores and the summers that involved the haying and harvest activities. Moving the cattle from field to field, many times became a neighbourly activity and a great opportunity to socialize and catch up on the local happenings.
The Mitchell operation consists of 900 acres of which half is owned and the balance is rented from non-farmer neighbours in the area. The crops consist of corn, beans, wheat, canola, hay & pasture. Ken admits, “Forages are the foundation of a good crop rotation which is the key to a sustainable farm operation”. The Mitchell’s beef herd includes 120 cow/calf pairs and they finish their own calves to market. They also breed about 30 -40 heifers each year for replacement breeding stock and sale to other farmers.
Some of the Mitchell’s cows from 2009.
Because of the proximity to Georgian Bay, the area is somewhat of a microclimate, but because of terrain and some rocky areas, pasture is still the most productive use of some of the land. Ken says, “There is some pasture areas that have not been reseeded in more than 50 years and have evolved to a clover, bluegrass, orchard grass and trefoil mixture. Ken frost seeds every 2 or 3 years and remote pastures get P/K fertilizer every 4 or 5 years, while closer fields get manure periodically. Through practical experience in his operation, Ken has demonstrated the amazing results of intensive rotational grazing.
In recognition of their excellent pasture management, Ken & Rosemary have just been awarded the Ontario MAPLESEED Pasture Award which was announced at the Ontario Cattleman’s Annual Meeting in Toronto on February 26, 2009.
Being environmentally sensitive, the Mitchell’s have fenced the livestock out of the streams and woodlots. They have done a number of manure management projects, having participated in the Environmental Farm Plan Program since its inception. Ken proudly points to a piece of rough land that was retired and planted to trees in 1989 under the Land Stewardship Program, that are now over 20 feet high. Having used no-till for the past 4 or 5 years, Ken has become a strong believer in no-till planting and says, “It saves time, fuel, equipment and top soil”.
Community Involvement
Ken has been an active member of Grey County Soil & Crop for many years. In his quiet and deep thinking manner, Ken has always been a leader within the farm community. He was a driving force when Grey Soil & Crop purchased a no-till drill to demonstrate the potential benefits and results of no-till planting, when it was not a common practice in the local area back in the eighties. In 1994, the Mitchells purchased an in-line bale wrapper with an OSCIA major grant. The machine was made available to Soil & Crop members to try out this new technology. There were 4000 bales wrapped, including some large square bales which were also new at the time. Since then, many bale wrappers have been purchased by county farmers and is recognized as an excellent way to make good quality haylage.
Upon dissolution of the UCO, Ken was directly involved in helping to put the Grey Bruce Co-operative together and has subsequently merged with Teeswater Co-op to become the Huron Bay Co-operative. Ken has always been a strong supporter of co-operatives and had a great feeling of success when Huron Bay paid a patronage dividend in 2008.
Ken is currently past president of Grey County Cattleman’s Association and is a good contributor on the Grey Bruce Farmer’s Week Planning Committee.
Reflections on the past
Rosemary commented that their great grandparents had immigrated from Scotland and had come here to build a better life for their families. The need for a good education was of prime importance to the families. She also commented that church was a big part of their family life, and she has witnessed the closing of a number of small churches as the population of the rural communities started to change.
Rosemary talked about how as kids, they always went down to the neighbour’s pond where everyone learned to swim, but quickly quipped that, “Kids today, would never think of jumping into that farm pond”.
The McKinlay family was actively involved in 4-H programs, whether it be calf, crops, vet or life skills clubs, and were a big part of their formal education. Rosemary says “She was always blessed to have great club leaders. The Achievement Days for the life skills clubs were always fun and OMAF played a very important role in the programs.”
Ken and Rosemary are both very involved with the Trinity United Church in Annan. Ken serves on the Board of Stewards, is a Sunday school teacher, while Rosemary serves on the Board of Elders. They are both members of the choir.
Rosemary is a registered nurse and has worked in the Critical Care Unit at Owen Sound Regional Hospital since 1986 when the new hospital opened.
Growing Challenges of the Future
Like many farmers, the Mitchells question what the future holds for the agricultural industry. The aging population of farmers is a huge concern, and should be an even bigger concern for government. Ken really questions how a young person can start into the industry today without the support of family. As Ken says, “My father was certainly a big help to me and my brother. It would have been much more difficult without the help of family, and things have become even more of a challenge since then.” Perhaps there is need for some type of mentorship program that can link, in a formal way, young people who want to start farming with older experienced farmers.”
The industry is changing very dramatically and from a beef perspective, Ken says, “It’s a rather scary situation with only one big processing plant here in Ontario.” Looking down the road some 10 to 15 years, what will the farm community look like? “Fewer and bigger farms are inevitable, but we are also seeing an increasing trend toward the 100 mile market concept”, comments Rosemary, “And consumers want to know where their food is coming from. Food is being traced right back to the farm on which it is produced. All of this is requiring us to be more accountable to society, and will mean even more bookwork. This trend may also make us less dependent on other countries for our food supply.”
As Ken says, “The farm of the future will be even more mechanized which is hard to imagine. We can do most things ourselves now, but we all depend on neighbours when cattle get out or a machine breaks at a critical time. The futures markets are becoming a household word now. They are a big part of business today and will continue to be if we as farmers are to survive in the future. We are no longer an island unto ourselves.”
There was general agreement around the table that there is opportunity for optimism. What a great sight, as we watch those new born calves frolicking in the spring sunshine and fresh green grass. Since those picturesque and productive rolling pasture fields are all around us – then what better use, than pasturing those beef cows and calves. As a true farmer, Ken comments, “I enjoy watching things grow – like trees, plants and animals. Although it is sometimes frustrating, there can be a lot of satisfaction in working with nature.”
It has been a real pleasure to meet with the Ken & Rosemary and share their enthusiasm for agriculture and their commitment to the rural community life and witness Ken’s continuous support for Soil & Crop.
Ken & Rosemary Mitchell