‘Farming has changed so much’

The first subscription to The Western Producer that Chris Heathcote remembers his household purchasing wasn’t with cash or cheque.

“The first subscription for the paper was paid for by six laying hens,” Heathcote said about getting the Producer at his Craik, Sask., farmhouse 85 years ago.

“That was in the Thirties, and we didn’t have cash.”

The Dust Bowl era still holds a place in the memory of the 92-year-old, who is retired but still takes his hand behind the wheel of a combine on occasion come harvest time.

“I took off my last crop at 85,” said Heathcote.

Bartering with the local Producer subscription salesman for a subscription wasn’t the only thing that was different in a time when going cashless had a whole different meaning than today.