Retired P.E.I. farmer recreates local community in basement-sized model

Dec 01, 2017

Peter Bulger estimates he’s invested 250 hours into the project

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

A retired dairy farmer from Prince Edward Island has scaled his local farm community down small enough to fit into his basement.

Peter Bulger estimates he’s put about 250 hours into replicating Foxley River, P.E.I. The display includes roads, buildings and the dairy farm he owned from 1975 until his retirement in 2014.

Bulger’s father and grandfather owned the dairy farm before him. The barn was the first building he constructed in the model.

“I was there for my whole childhood and into my 60s,” he told Farms.com today. “It brought back a lot of good memories to build the farm.”

The idea to start the project came to him after attending toy railroad conferences.

“I loved the displays they had with their villages and trains going through,” the 62-year-old told Farms.com today. “But we never had a railroad in this community, so I wanted to do something that reflected where I live.”

The model community sits on five sheets of plywood, which spans about 160 square feet, he said. The plywood is painted blue, green and brown to simulate the town’s rivers, fields and roads.

A model of Peter Bulger's family farm
Photo: Pat Martel/CBC

The miniature farm community also includes 65 cows, two silos, a manure spreader filled with chocolate chips and various pieces of equipment, which gave Bulger a chance to play with some of his childhood toys.

“It was nice to bring out some of the toys I had as a child,” he said. “Many of the others I bought online.”

And attention to detail is one of Bulger’s strengths when it comes to his farm

He lives about a kilometre away from his former home farm, so when he notices activity on the farm or within the community, he makes sure the mini community follows suit.

“I sold the farm to a couple from Nova Scotia and I talk to them pretty regularly about what’s going on at the farm,” he said. “There’s an old-fashioned culvert being replaced in front of my house, so there’s a toy backhoe and things like that on the model.”

With the model community as big as it is, Bulger doesn’t see him acquiring any other “parcels” of land.

“I can always add detail to it, but if it got any bigger I’d have to buy a bigger house,” he said.

Top photo: Peter Bulger
Photo: Pat Martel/CBC

Video: Will the 2025 USDA December Crop Report Be a Market Mover/Surprise?

Historically, the USDA December crop report is a non-event or another dud report as the USDA reserves any final supply changes to the final report in January of the following year in this case 2026. But after the longest U.S. government shutdown in history at 43 days and no October crop report will they provide more data/surprise and make an exception?
Our China U.S. soybean purchase tracker is now at 26.6% or a total of 3.2 mmt but for traders it’s taking too long to unfold.
The final Stats Canada production report was bearish canola and wheat projection a record crop in both (it adds to the global glut of supplies) and bullish local corn and soybean prices in Ontario/Quebec thanks to a drought. It will not help the fund flow short-term, the USDA may need to offset it?
A U.S. Fed interest rate cut of another 25-basis point next Wednesday (probability 87.1%) could help fund flow and sentiment in stock and ag commodities into year end.
More inflows into Bitcoin this past week saw prices rebound back above 90,000 with support at 82,000 and resistance at 96,000.
A V-shaped bottom in cattle suggest the lows are in after Mexico reported another new world screwworm case. Lower weights, seasonal demand and higher U.S. beef select/choice values with a continued closure of the Mexican border to cattle will result in a resumption of higher cattle futures into yearend.
Australia is expected to produce its 3rd largest wheat crop ever at 36 mmt adding to the global glut of supplies.
Reports of ASF in hogs in Spain the largest pork exporter in Europe could see the U.S. win more pork export business long-term.
If the rains verify into next week of 3-5 inches for Brazil it would go a long way to fixing the dry regions from the last 2-months, but the European weather model has been wrong for the past 2-months!
Natural gas futures are surging to the 3rd price count as frigid hold temps set in.
CDN $ is also surging to end the week on a very resilient economy and better employment numbers suggesting no interest rate cuts next week.
Finally, the CFTC report showed funds were net buyers of soybeans but sellers of corn, canola and wheat. In real time the funds have gone back to selling as they take some profits.