Tom Holinshead’s family has owned a farm on Springfield Road since 1869.
It’s a peaceful spot overlooking Fairy Lake, just off West Brown’s Road, but it was less than peaceful this morning when someone, likely in a pickup truck, decided to turn donuts in the middle of one of the farm’s hayfields.
Holinshead noticed a single track that shouldn’t have been there when he left the farm this morning. When he returned at about 10 a.m., that track had been joined by many more.
The cost to repair the damage could run into the thousands of dollars if he needs to rework the erosion-susceptible field—because of its slope, it is maintained as permanent pasture for hay. It would take 24 hours of plowing eight different connecting patterns on the 2.5-acre field to ensure drainage is controlled, and Holinshead would have to purchase certified seed and fertilizer to ensure quick growth before spring rains cause further damage, “and the whole thing doesn’t end up in the lake,” he says.
And if he does need to reseed this year, he wouldn’t be able to crop the field and would have to purchase the 250 bales of hay he would typically harvest, which the farm uses for its Dexter cattle.
He estimates the total repair cost could run close to $8,000, a sum that would take him five or six years to recover. That cost comes on top of a $15,000 loss the farm suffered last year due in part to uncooperative weather.
“I’m pretty floored right now,” says Holinshead, noting that the culprits drove right past a sign asking vehicles to stay on the laneway.
Plowing is an anomaly on the farm, which has been practising a regenerative agriculture program for the last 75 years. The last time this particular hayfield was plowed was in 2001.
“We’re trying our best to change the agricultural world in our methods and trying to develop processes for biological amendments on a large scale, tens of thousands of acres at once,” notes Holinshead. “Things like this are frustrating.”
Holinshead is offering a $100 reward for information leading to identification of the individuals who caused the damage. He intends to lay charges against the culprits, although he hasn’t yet reported the incident to the OPP.
If you have any information about this incident, contact Tom Holinshead at 705-783-4423.
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Sad, one of the side effects of our road system in that pretty much anyone can show up anywhere at any time, dump their trash, rip up your land and it is very hard to identify them.
The police will likely do very little to nothing if my experience is anything to go by.
Ever, maybe in some dream, do you wonder that if the District built the road, is it not their responsibility to keep the users “on the road”? Maybe fencing, signing etc. I sometimes wonder why it is “my job” to try to do this. There is no easy way to control trespassing and in no way did I create any of the problem but it seems always that it is the landowner who suffers. They have to clean up the mess and nowadays it is not possible to leave any machinery or tools within sight of the road, even for a few hours and expect them to be there on your return. It was not like this when I was a teenager. We didn’t have all the fancy pickups and ATV’s that are available today either.
I seems to me, a guy that lives in the middle of a farm that has hay taken off it every year that the damage is very minimal and I am certain his field will be fine. The ground is frozen the impressions in the turf are very minimal and no truck has a tread pattern that small, unless a truck running car tires. My fields have been run over a hundred times by trucks large and small and have sustained very little if any long-term damage.
That being said it is a crime for someone would trespass and think it was alright to behave like an child at the expense of others. This kind of crime is an invasion of privacy, that’s what really hurts and pisses you off. He needs to be found and dealt with appropriately. It seems this report has been blown out of proportion to the reality of the crime, but I do feel bad for the assault to Mr. Holinshead’s mental state of mind.
Shouldn’t this be a police matter, not one Tom should have to track down on his own? If it was a pick-up, it was certainly not a child driving!
The 30th was a typo, Sharon. It’s been corrected.
How did this happen on the 30th, yet get published on the 29th, yet today is only the 30th and it’s not 10am yet for him to come home and find it?
Running out of news; so you use old news?
In a perfect world the culprit would realize his mistake and own up to it, apologize and make restitution. Unfortunately this will not happen. I sympathize with you as a similar incident happened to me several years ago when a person on a four wheeler decided to destroy my driveway by doing donuts in it. It’s sad that we have to put up with this kind of behaviour. By the way I identified the kid and the police visited him but his father said that he was home and was not on his ATV, even though the engine was still hot.
No accountability. Hope you catch him.