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stoujjvilksuntribunew thursday may 10 20079 larger farms fewer farmers in region from page 1 or south wastes time and money and isnt good for the environment several intersections such as bethesda road and tenth line are tough- to get around for an 80foot truck filled with wheat corn or soybeans one or two of the grain trains travel main street each day during harvest time at the same speed as other traffic dr oconnor said people want to buy a piece of property out in the country and then they start to complain about the smell and the tractors coming by hesaid they dont appre ciate farming as an indus- try for every farm there are about seven businesses that spin off that fourthgener ation whitchurch-stouf- fville farmer scott paisley said farmers have been criti cized for using sprays and herbicides to raise their crops but chemicals are strictly regulated and dr terry oconnor farm federation representative said industry deserves more respect theyre expensive too farm ers say herbicide use has been cut almost in half in recent years dr oconnor said we have to abide by the toughest regulations in the world he said as an area becomes more urbanized prime farmland is often lost agriculture cur rently competes for land with urban development recreational land uses transportation corridors and aggregate extraction between 1991 and 2001 34639 acres of farmland went out of production in york region said margaret waltonroberts assistant professor of geography and environmental studies at wilfrid laurier university in her 2003 study the number of farms decreased by 25 per cent between 1986 and 2001 she said there are fewer than 800 farmers left in the region and many of them have much larger farms than the previous generation its not uncommon for farmers to work 500 acres including their own land and rented property some local farm ers work 3000 acres farm acreage have been increasing during the past 20 to 30 years dr oconnor said and fewer farms mean the community isnt seen as primarily a farming com munity anymore there is no agricultural community anymore mr hulshof said newcomers from urban areas dont understand the land like we do as farmers mr hulshof as a second- generation farmer has watched the infrastructure for agriculture dwindle he farms around 240 acres in northern whitchurch- stouffville milks an average of 40 cows and grows his own hay and other crops needed for the livestock he began farming after gradu ating from university in 1972 fewer farms mean there the next generation of farmers coming on there is no next generation scott paisley whitchurchstouffville farmer arent as many farm suppli ers now mr hulshof has fer tilizer and feed shipped in but can still buy seed locally where he could once buy equipment for his herd in uxbridge the closest dairy equipment supplier is now in elmira a lot of the small dealers have disappeared he said and fewer young people want to farm farmers said farmers have to invest a lot in land buildings and machines before they can enter the very labour inten sive business the next generation coming on mr paisley 37 said there is no next gen eration for more information on prof w- tonroberts study go to neptisorghbrary go to thefarmlineca for information on the yon federation of agriculture community organizations are you looking for free materials checkout reusefol yorkregionxoms free online trading post for gently used items orkregion com it clicks home ask about saving an additbonal 1000 off this selling price visa points student bonus available call me directly for details 4164079407 markwille 5336 hwy 7 markham chevrolet corvette inc ss24 440 arrive alive f please dont drink and mve this message brought to you as a community service of the economist suntribune m ydapa proudly presents may 1719 2007 markham fairgrounds m introducing the allnew 2008 lancer eoi sn fm come and cheer for oliver oliver tries to improve his lot in life while avoiding the clutches of mr bumble fagin the sowerberrys and of course the nasty bill sykes thursday may 17th at 730 pm dress rehearsal paywhatyoucan friday may 18th at 730 pm opening night saturday may 19th at 130 pm family matinee saturday may 19th at 730 pm closing gala children under 8 only 900 seniorsstudents 1500 adults 1900 for ticket information wwwyshowsca email ticketsydapacom phone 9056400823 ext 3 tickets also available at the door call for special seniors group rates ct0utfvixer0ao tiavc i i 9 w s a n acnius muoatucxaot cash purchase price lease payment based on frtpdi adminvreg tee locks and all taxes up front 48 mth term 20000 km per yr wih 10c on excess km no security deposit 1st mth payment lie fee gas ppsa are extra oac see us for details wwwmarkhammitsubishica markham mitsubishi 461 1 hwy 7 markham west of kennedy in unionville 866 sales hours monthurs 9am9pm frhsat 9am 6 pm