This is Agriculture Food Week across Ontario. Ontario Agriculture Week is dedicated to celebrating the abundance of food our farmers produce, the Ontarians our industry employs, the rural communities we support and the economic engine we fuel. Please take some time to enjoy some Ontario produced food this week and reflect on the hard-working farmer producing it. The future is bright in Agriculture not only across our province but right here in the Rainy River District. If you are at the stage of furthering your education and career path choices maybe, consider Agriculture as Ag continues to grow in the district their will be some excellent job opportunities.
Our cattle sale was a success over the weekend. We sold 1391 head for $2,853,449.90. I knew the prices were decent, but it wasn’t until I seen the balance sheet at the end of the sale did, I realize the impact those prices had on the sale. I would think most producers would be very pleased. We trained a few new girls in the office, and we were thankful for those of you who were patient while we walked them through the processes. Our next sale is October 21st and we are expecting it to be a big one! Book your animals with James as this is something we must continue to build on as there are fewer trucks available and the buyers need to book them well in advance.
I planned to dedicate this entire column to this next topic but also thought this other stuff was worthy to mention. Last week there was a very close call with a farmer driving a large implement with another driver going too fast on the road. This could have been a very fatal mistake. The farmer has the right to travel on the road to their next field. The equipment is large and awkward and as we all know some shoulders on the road are not stable, so it is safer all around to travel in the lane. Most of us respect construction workers and decreased speed limits so we should give the farmers the same respect. They want to get home safely at night and so do you. Please remember this is their job, they are travelling these roads to feed us. Aggressive driving around farm equipment isn’t safe but it is also against the law. Be alert. Be cautious. Be patient. Farmers work long hours and are always up against mother nature so when the going is good, they are going hard, long hours. Everyone is in a big hurry but safety for both parties should be more important, just slow down! Please consider these points:
- Be alert and watch out for slow-moving vehicles.
- Be prepared to share your lane. Some farm vehicles are very wide and may take up more than one lane. Give vehicles space.
- Watch out for left turns. Be aware that farmers sometimes need to make wide turns. If a tractor swings to the right, be careful, it may be starting a left turn.
- Only pass if it’s safe to do so. Wait for a safe passing zone. Watch out for oncoming traffic. Never take a chance by making a blind pass on a curve or hill.
- When finished passing, don’t stop or slow down in front of the farm vehicle. Large equipment can’t brake as quickly as a car.
