By Jim Whitley
My name is Jim Whitley from Creemore, Ontario. My wife Myrna and I have a herd of 50 Charolais cows on the Niagara Escarpment just south of town with 400 feet of vertical drop from top to bottom. I am fourth generation on the farm and it has had a major shift in its production from how my dad ran it. Myrna and I had (to have) off-farm jobs and farming had to fit in around the careers and the four kids. Needless to say efficiency was paramount from a time and investment standpoint!
We attended Tim Prior info sessions and pasture management seemed like the only option versus selling and moving to a more “equipment” friendly farm. We are now in our 50s and with careers behind us we are focusing on farm efficiency, being grandparents and searching for the ever elusive balance in life.
I joined Beef Farmers of Ontario as a Cow-Calf Director in February and one of the committees I was assigned to was the Ontario Forage Council. I am quite new to the agricultural world of committees and councils so with my “youthful” energy I attended the Advanced Grazing Mentorship Program Pasture Walk at Meaford on June 22nd, 2024.
I have attended Tim Prior’s famous pasture walks in the past and I love to go. I always learn something new and have a lot of respect for Tim and his team putting together an informative evening! I must say the event in June was different than Tim’s and I won’t be able to say one is better then the other, they both have value and different purposes.
The Meaford pasture walk was a comfortable experience of farmers talking to farmers about their experiences, both good and bad. Mike Swidersky, Joe Dickenson, and Dean Cober, who was the host farmer, lead the discussion, but everyone chimed in. There were the cost saving ideas of how water was distributed to the pastures, the tools that were torn down to make them lighter, the example of setting up the new line of fence from the seat of the ATV, and the discussions of things we would like to do in a perfect world but sometimes there just isn’t enough time to do it all!
When I worked at Honda I had to attend purchasing meetings in Ohio with other purchasing folks from all the other Honda plants. It was the only time I felt I was hanging with peers that could truly relate to the challenges of the grind. I felt a similar feeling at the pasture walk as the leaders and attendees talked openly about the challenges we all face. Not only do you find out that other folks have the same struggles that you do, but you get to tap into their failures and successes to expedite your problem solving! I guess I am saying that there is a technical reason to go to these events, so you can learn and see new ideas, but it’s also cathartic to hear that you’re not alone.
The final icing on the cake is the networking. Patricia and Rebecca from OFC do a great job creating a relaxed environment and the leaders are VERY respectful with all questions. Once you’re all out in the pastures feeling very much at home, then it just becomes one big conversation with everyone comfortable to chat and chime in. The treats and lunch allow for non-structured time to learn more about the folks you met through the morning.
I highly recommend attending a pasture walk if you get the chance!
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