Sixth Generation Farmer Looks to the Future

While the Freetown dairy farm of Steven Reeves traces its roots back six generations, it runs on cutting edge technology.

His free-stall dairy barn has a double-six parallel milking parlour. Computer programs help determine feed requirements for each cow, measure milk production and quality, and enable him to keep close track of the performance of every animal in his herd.

He is steadily building up herd genetic quality with purebred stock. When he began, he and his father, Farrell, were milking more than 70 cows to fill their quota. Now they are milking 55 to 60 cows, production keeps rising and their protein feed costs have dropped by eight percent.

“One of my goals is to always keep improving the value of the operation,” he said. “In this business, you can never get complacent and you have to constantly keep re-evaluating what you are doing. When opportunity presents, you have to be prepared to move in a hurry.”

The farm is very much a family business. They farm 240 acres in a three-year rotation of potatoes or corn, followed by grain and hay. Land is traded with other farmers in the area. Along with his father Farrell, his mother Kate and wife Jessica share in the milking and other chores. Even the seventh generation, Steve’s five year old son Luke, is starting to help with the chores.

Steve says managing the debt-load is one of the most challenging tasks in the operation. The farm was essentially debt-free when Steve returned, and the needed investments were closely analyzed to determine if they made financial sense.

Although Steve clearly enjoys the lifestyle and the satisfaction that comes from farming, his hard-nosed approach to the bottom line is what drives the business. He also recognizes the importance of having a life beyond the farm. He is an avid sportsman, and makes time to be with family and friends.

Film Brings Island Fox Industry to Life

Just before World War One broke out, PEI could boast one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. The reason can be summed up in two words—“silver foxes.”

To help bring that history alive, Wyatt Heritage Properties in Summerside has developed a 46 minute film entitled Those Little Silver Mines currently available for viewing at the International Fox Museum and Hall of Fame.

“It is a fascinating human interest story,” said Marlene Campbell, culture program assistant with Wyatt Heritage Properties.

The story actually begins in 1883 when Sir Charles Dalton and Robert Oulton began breeding foxes they captured in the wild near Alberton. They were able to keep the market to themselves until the turn of the 20th century.

They sold another pair of foxes to Robert Tuplin and Captain James Gordon and another pair to the father and son team of Silas and B.I. Raynor. This group became known as the “Big Six” and pledged to keep their breeding practices secret and not to sell any live foxes.

That is where the film picks up the story. The hero is Frank Tuplin—a Margate farmer and nephew of Robert Tuplin. He begged his uncle to sell him a pair of foxes and his uncle eventually gave in. The sale price was set at $1,000—big money in 1905.

His budding venture didn’t go well because his foxes got rickets. Eventually, the younger Tuplin came to the conclusion the money was in selling breeding stock rather than pelts.

That set off what Campbell called a “gold rush” in PEI, especially in the Summerside area. By the 1920’s the silver fox industry was worth millions and Campbell said it helped many Islanders survive the full impact of the Great Depression. The industry finally bottomed out after World War Two when prices plummeted.

“People who have seen the film really like it,” she said. “We are now in the process of revamping our website and we hope to eventually upload it and increase the potential audience.”