|
STONALEEN FARMS
Acreage: 190 acre farm
A whim and a prayer Larry Skinner began his career as a pork producer on a whim and a prayer, but 23 years later, his operation boasts more than 450 pigs and 190 acres of mixed crops. Leaving his job in banking, Larry and his wife Nancy began with a three-year agreement on a rented sow barn, and the rest, as they say, is history. "I’ve always liked working with my hands and the mix of jobs – indoor and outdoor – and the way that farming is a combination of management abilities and just plain hard work. People like to talk about the benefits for family and raising children here, and that’s a nice spin off, but they also learn to pull their own weight," Larry says proudly referring to his oldest son, a recent graduate of an agri-business program. At 19 and 13, the two other Skinner children have yet to select careers. Hands-on is an appropriate description of Larry’s operation; they still do some hand-feeding, augmented with technological automation. "We care for the animals and are always trying to improve that care by providing comfortable surroundings and using good feeding practices." Sourced by Ontario Pork
|