Big Event coming at Derks Farm
Derks are inviting anyone with an interest to Customer Appreciation Day on Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at their elevator, 3063 Forward Road South. This time, the lunch is complimentary and will be provided by Fat Les’ Chip Stand.      Van Dusen photo

Tom Van Dusen
Record Contributor
CHESTERVILLE – Fresh from hosting successful Dundas Soil & Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) Seeding and Equipment Demonstration Day, Marty Derks is already planning his next big event.

Featuring increasingly popular strip tillage equipment, the demo day took place last Wednesday on 800 acres of Derks farmland along Highway 43 west of Chesterville. The event rotates annually with one thing in common… organizers like to be easily accessible off the 43.

Some 150 area farmers and other interested participants bought $5 tickets for the BBQ lunch and took in the action out on the field, the latest in planting technology presented by local equipment dealers.

A director at large with DSCIA, Derks welcomed guests to the large open field which proved ideal for the event. Luckily, lunch and most of the action took place ahead of an afternoon shower.

Now the Derks are inviting anyone with an interest to a Customer Appreciation Day Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at their elevator, 3063 Forward Road South. This time, the lunch is complimentary and will be provided by Fat Les’ Chip Stand. Tours of the facilities will be available and there’ll be a talk on forward sales of grain.

Celebrating 30 years of roasting, the Derks will be offering existing customers 10 per cent off the next load, and 10 per cent off for customers who bring a new client to Appreciation Day.

Back at the DSCIA event, Derks said he’s researching a switch to strip tillage, a cross which combines the benefits of conventional tillage with the advantages of no-till. It would be a costly proposition, Derks said, especially for the 16-24 row equipment that he’s considering and the extra tractor power needed to pull it. On the other hand, the new equipment – which also spreads fertilizer – would allow him to retire three other machines and get along with three fewer hired hands.

So far, Derks said, only a handful of Eastern Ontario farmers have moved over to strip-till systems, with the remainder still on the fence as they continue examining results at demonstration days such as the one provide by DSCIA.