The Milk Producer - July 2010 - (Page 44)

Story and Photo By Nick Gardiner Passion for agriculture Retired Carleton County dairy farmer is adamant about defending supply management L ife away from Simhaven Farm hasn’t diminished Bill Simpson’s passion for agriculture. One month after Simpson and his sons Gary and Kevin sold the fourthgeneration farm near Ashton to a Carleton County neighbour, Bill finds it easy to work up a good defence of the 45-year-old supply management system. It is the cornerstone of the dairy, poultry and egg sectors that has let them flourish and become global industry leaders, says the 81-year-old retired dairy producer. It’s why there is a waiting list of farmers wanting to get into the dairy business, he adds. Contrast that to the hog, beef and grain sectors which don’t have supply control and have been struggling with global market instability. The evidence clearly favours supply management, he says. Farmers had no power The third generation to work the farm established more than a century ago on Fallowfield Rd., south of Ottawa, Simpson remembers the days before supply management. It was always a scramble for his grandfather, William Henry Simpson, and father, Gilmour Simpson, to find a market for their milk, he says. Not much changed when Bill and his new 44 | July 2010 | MilkPRODUCER Bill Simpson enjoyed farming immensely, but now that he’s retired, he spends his time travelling and visiting family. bride, Helen, became partners in the farm in 1950. Cheese factories were hungry for your milk from May to October, he recalls. In the off-season, it was delivered to a company in Almonte, where powdered milk was produced and packaged in cans for sale.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - July 2010

The Milk Producer - July 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair’s Message
Diary Update
DFO
National Policy
DFC Promotion
Thrill of the Grill
Farm Finance
Foundation for Our Future
Agriculture Minister’s Message
General Manger’s Message
Overview
Then and Now:
Notable Quotes:
Grant Smith
Gordon Coukell
Peter Oosterhoff
Vera Mitchell
Bill Simpson
Lew Dunk
Albert Gauthier
Gary Marshall
Stuart Steckle
Tom Kane
Pat McManus
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New’N’Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - July 2010