NO-TILL WORKS FOR MY OPERATION
by David Morris

Larry Lynn

Larry Lynn, Director for Region 10, Huron County, operates a cash crop farm near Woodham in the south-east corner of that county. He crops 570 acres devoted to corn, soybeans and winter wheat. Larry is a committed no-tiller, having used that system since 1994. "You might say I was a bit adventurous," he says. "I made the decision that was the route I wanted to go and was determined to stick with it. Overall, I am quite satisfied with the results. When I started into no-till, I figured I could take some loss in yield and still come out money ahead. However, the yield loss did not happen. I am not afraid to put my results up against those of anyone in conventional tillage in this area."

In high residue situations, Larry uses a coulter caddy with three coulters per row plus an additional coulter on the planter. Larry acknowledges that some people might say that this is overkill. He feels, however, that it has paid off for him in terms of reliability and ease of planting through heavy residues. "With this set-up, I know that I can go into almost any field and do what I want to do, when I want to do it, as long as the ground is dry enough. Wet springs are certainly still a big concern, but last year I was able to go when some of my neighbours in conventional till could not - and that was without pushing the envelope too much in terms of planting when it was too wet."

No-tilling corn into wheat stubble is still problematic at times, but Larry has found that his system is still the best option for him. "I tried disking in the fall, and some of that stuff, but I could not justify it. There just did not seem to be any yield advantage for me."

Larry believes that at least one of his two sons is likely to farm and he is committed to helping them do that. "My father helped me get started," he notes, "and I want to be able to do the same for them. I was raised on a dairy farm and always wanted to farm but my dad encouraged me to work at something else for awhile. So, I became a licensed electrician. That was a good experience. If nothing else, working for someone else gave me a greater appreciation of being able to call the shots myself now - although some days it would be nice to have someone else to blame when things go wrong."

Larry's farm is largely a one person operation. His wife, Sharon, works off the farm, and their two sons both have off-farm careers. "They all help out when they can," he says, "but if I go to a meeting, when I get back, everything is pretty much in the same spot as I left it."

"Having worked off the farm gives me a bit different perspective on things than some of the other Directors who have always farmed," Larry observes. "That is one of the good things about being on the Board. There are many different perspectives on things. It is good to talk to farmers from other areas and hear their point of view. One needs to get away from home once in a while, from one's usual circle of friends, and hear some different ideas on things. I have also made some really good friendships through OCPA.

Larry has completed one year on the OCPA Board and has found it to have been an interesting and challenging experience so far. "It is a pretty steep learning curve," he says. "I am still working at getting up to speed on all of the issues that OCPA has to deal with. I was President of the Huron County Corn Producers a couple of times and thought that I had a pretty good handle on things. But I had my eyes opened when I became a Director. It may look easy from the outside but it gets a lot more complex in a hurry when you are sitting around the Boardroom table. One gets deeply involved very quickly. I thought that I might be able to sit back for awhile and learn what was going on, but I have had to step right into things. It can take a lot of time, 30 days or more a year, but at the end of the year, one can look back with a sense of accomplishment."

Larry is a member of the Environment, Research and Technology Committee and Safety Nets Committee. "I asked to go on the research committee because of my interest in no-till and other innovations. I like to be at the forefront of things. Of course, safety nets have always been a big concern for OCPA. Over the years, I would say that OCPA has done a good job on safety nets. I hate to think that we have to have safety nets, but we do have to compete with our big neighbour to the south. And safety nets are one way to level the playing field, at least a bit. Of course, the CAIS program is a big concern right now. We are still working to get it fine-tuned, to make it the best we can. Fortunately, both the federal and provincial governments have acknowledged that there is room for improvement. So, the challenge for OCPA is to advise them on the things that need to be changed for the betterment of Ontario producers."

For Larry, becoming an OCPA Director was something that just evolved. "I had always been involved locally," he says, "but while my boys were involved in hockey, I did not have much time to put into anything, other than my family and farm. So, I really appreciated the efforts of those who have worked on behalf of the Association without much recognition. Now, I see it as my turn to put something back. I am proud to say that I am a corn producer and I am proud of the Association. In the past, I always saw the OCPA as a leader and it is still a leader today in working for the benefit of growers."

Larry credits Bob Down, a former President of OCPA, for giving him the encouragement to run for Director. "When Bob stepped down as Director, I was asked if I would let my name stand. I was not sure if I was qualified but I felt that it was important that our area have a representative who cares. I have a lot of respect for Bob and he was a good mentor. Through him, I saw what one person can do, with the help of others, to make things work really well."