by Emily Leeson

One recent day in late February, Patrick VanOostrum was working out of the VanOostrum Farm Equipment facility in Port Williams, N.S. The next morning, he was on the road toward the Blueline New Holland shop in Truro. While the recent merger of the two businesses means big changes for both companies – combined they share more than 90 years of experience selling and servicing agricultural equipment in Nova Scotia – one thing is for sure, amidst all the changes, VanOostrum’s truck certainly isn’t the only company vehicle on the road.

by Kathy Birt

Matthias Drake, 22, is the fifth generation on the family farm on Drake Road in Millview, P.E.I. Scott Drake, Matthias’s dad, is the go-to guy for meat from their 300-head beef operation. With a meat shop on the farm since 1992, Scott said he learned the meat-cutting business by working with Shaw Meats in Lorne Valley, and also by working alongside his father and grandfather while growing up. With both his father and grandfather in the meat business, he had plenty of opportunity to nurture and perfect his meat-cutting skills.

by George Fullerton

Joerg Von Waldow came to Canada from his native Germany for the first time when he was 19 years old. His purpose was to visit his parents, who had established a poultry operation in Cambridge-Narrows, N.B., a few years earlier. Joerg returned to Germany and worked as a machinist. Later on, he made another trip to this country, first visiting Western Canada and then, in 1973, returning to New Brunswick, where he eventually established himself as a dairy farmer.

by Paul Connors

The 44th annual general meeting and workshop of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture (NLFA) was held Jan. 30 and 31 at the Quality Hotel in Gander. The event attracted 125 people, the highest turnout in several years, beating last year’s high turnout of 111. This figure includes farmers, industry stakeholders, and representatives from government and various other groups from across the province. “Working together for the future of the agriculture industry” was this year’s workshop theme.