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With a population
of only 30 million people, Canada is still one of the largest food
producers in the world. This is possible only because Canadian farmers
use highly sophisticated farm equipment. Inventing that equipment
and keeping it affordable is Howard Derksen's job.
President and owner of Freedom Technologies,
Howard is responsible for many innovative pieces of farm machinery,
including a revolutionary wheelchair lift for farmers. There are
more disabled farmers than anyone would guess - and they need
wheelchair lifts that make it possible for them to operate tractors
and other equipment. This invention earned Howard the National
Award for Technical Achievement from the Canadian Council of Technicians
and Technologists in 1995.
For four years now, Howard has been a consultant
for MacDon Industries Ltd. where he has been developing an economical
agricultural spray system which attaches to a standard swather
tractor. "This attachment costs $30,000 - instead of a self-propelled
sprayer that costs $100,000 or more." Howard says. "That's a big
savings for the family farm."
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