On the Farm with Daniel Chiappetta one of #YourFarmers
Daniel Chiappetta is a first-generation farmer from Lisle, Ontario growing corn, soybeans and wheat. After working a summer job at a pumpkin patch, his interest in agriculture grew and Daniel attended and graduated from the University of Guelph with Agriculture Business. He started farming his first field in 2013 while still attending university.
Today, he is growing grains on farmland he purchased in 2022, that sat vacant or unused for fifty years. His goal is to restore that property to its agriculture use and improve the fertility and usability of the soil.
Daniel’s 2024 crop was grain corn, and this will be used for animal feed, or exported internationally to be used in one of hundreds of food products. It is part of his crop rotation – the balance of growing different crops over the same field, over different years. He explains, “If I were to grow this year, next year and the year after that, we’d have more disease pressure and you’re not giving that land a chance to regenerate. Corn works well with this soil type (sandy drained soil) and especially well on this soil in wetter years like 2024. I’m using corn to help build up the soil nutrients given all of the organic matter (found in corn) in the stalks and leaves. It will help build this farm’s soil back up and boost its fertility and nutrients available in the soil”.
Daniel has faced a lot of challenges starting and maintaining his farming business as a first-generation farmer. Challenges like the weather, crop prices, availability of capital. There’s a variety of different challenges with farming! Farming is a high-cost, low margin industry with large capital requirements and every year there is a lot of unpredictability (weather, crop prices, how well the crops will produce etc.). His mentality is just to keep on going and take one day at a time, and the problems will be solved if you work through them.
“In this business you have to be optimistic for the future because you are continually investing in tomorrow today.”
An average day on Daniel’s farm depends on the season, and every day can be different. In the spring he can be found working at getting the fields ready for planting and the crop planted in the ground. In the summer he is walking and scouting his fields and making sure the crop has everything it needs to continue to grow, while also taking some time away from the farm and enjoying time with family. In the fall his harvest may look different to other farms. His business type is a bit untraditional in the farming industry as he works with a great team of subcontractors called “custom operators,” who assist him with harvesting his crop, with their larger equipment. During the harvest season, he will check all field entrances, to ensure it is clear and free from fallen trees, garbage, and the gates are in working order, and suitable for the custom operator’s large equipment to enter. Then, he will assist with helping his team move equipment (especially if it’s on busy or tight roads), opening gates, and shuttling operators around so they can be more efficient when in equipment and not spend too much time moving the equipment from field to field. This is also the time of year he spends time on selling his crop to be used for animal feed, ethanol products or food.
Wintertime is spent chopping firewood, cleaning up the edges of fields, and get ready for the following year.
Daniel’s favourite thing about farming, is the fact that his “office” is outside in the fields and equipment. He loves growing things, and feels an attraction to growing things, working equipment, and managing something of his own.
