let's talk farm animals

Meet the faces of August in the Faces of Farming calendar

By Patricia Grotenhuis

With a wide range of hobbies and interests, Gerald and Fred Van Osch may not fit into any typical farmer mold.

The two brothers, raised on their family’s beef and cash crop farm, near Mount Carmel, Ontario have expanded the farm their father started.

Although the two didn’t always know exactly what their future in the farm had in store for them, they both knew that they were meant to farm, and began farming as soon as they were finished high school to help their parent Paula and (the late) Harry Van Osch. Their love for agriculture runs through their children, too. Each has one son working full time and one son working part time with them.

“We have very strong family bonds, and we get a deep satisfaction from seeing the next generation take over. We are a hard working team that works well together,” says Gerald.

Gerald and Fred Van Osch

The shared commitment the brothers have to farming and caring for both their cattle and their land have earned them a place in as the month of August in the 2013 Faces of Farming calendar published by Farm & Food Care Ontario.

Their participation in the calendar was supported by Monsanto Canada.

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on August 1st, 2013 :: Filed under Beef cattle,Corn,Crops,Faces of Farming,Farm life
Tags :: beef, crops, Faces of Farming, Farmers

Fall on the farm

By Patricia Grotenhuis

Fall is a great time to be on the farm. The smells, the colours and the activity of harvest and preparing the seed bed for the winter make every day different.

After months of work, it is finally time to harvest the crops, and the animals born during the winter and spring months are either ready to be sold, or are strong and hardy for winter. Everyone waits expectantly for that first frost, signalling the end of the growing season and the start of harvest.

It also serves as a friendly reminder from Mother Nature to begin readying barns for winter. While winter is a time of expectation, spring is a time of promise, and summer is a time of anticipation, fall is when everything comes together on the farm, culminating into the time of gratification. Finally, there is a chance for realization of all of those goals formed during winter and spring months.

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