6 FOCUS - JULY 2019 FOOD VENDORS & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Old Flame Brewery 135 Perry St., Port Perry Scugog Chamber Office 84 Water St., Port Perry & FOOD VENDORS & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT www.scugogchamber.ca Scugog Chamber of Commerce presents BEST BALL FORE BUSINESS 6TH ANNUAL GOLFTOURNAMENT SAVE theDATE Thursday August 15 Sunnybrae Golf & Country Club Tickets $125.00/person Registration 12 Noon Shotgun Start 1pm BBQ Steak Dinner 6:30pm 18 Holes • Golf Cart • Putting Contest Great Prizes! Early Bird Register before July 20 and your name will be entered into a draw to win a $150 GIFT CERTIFICATE $150 GIFT CERTIFICATE “These control supply of the products by selling quota-licenses, which al- low the farm to produce a maximum quantity. The system provides stability for both farmer and consumer. And because farm products, generally, are perishable, it’s critical to control the supply. Spoiled items hurt both sup- plier and buyer.” As with many in their in- dustry, the Yellowlees name and farming tradition go back generations. “When my great-grand- parents emigrated, they start- ed farming in Enniskillen,” Dennis says. “The farm passed to my uncle, as their oldest son. My parents and I lived next door, and I helped out around the farm. “I was about 12 years old when I started to buy my own animals and keep them there. And after I gradu- ated high school, I took agriculture courses at Guelph University. Karen and I have been here about 32 years.” And like many in their profession, they point positively toward the local farming community. “Everyfarmhasadifferent‘recipe,’” Karen says. “But as a group here in North Nestleton, they all pull together. It’s a very supportive environment. “And we like the idea of be- ing self-employed.” That work environment ap- peals to many, as Dennis notes. “You’d be surprised at the number of young people who are coming back to farming nowadays. After all, farms like ours are a small business, just like a retail store or a trade. There are certainly challenges associated with farming, but there are with any business en- terprise. But we work through them with innovation and by paying attention to those global forces that affect us…again, just like any business.” But without question, theirs is no “ordinary” business. Not only is farming impactful to the economies of Durham Region and in the larger world, it’s the hard work, skill, and dedication of people like Karen and Dennis which puts food on our plates every day. As the slogan reminds us, “if you ate today, thank a farmer.” By Scott Mercer, Focus on Scugog Yellowlees (continued from page 4) Keeping it local. Dennis and Karen pick up wet brewers grain (malt barley) regularly from Old Flame Brewing Co. Adding oats, wheat, vitamins and minerals, they then feed the sheep and pigs.