A bountiful harvest for Grow Glenboro's first crop
A total of 129 acres of soybeans were taken off the “Grow Glenboro” field on Thursday afternoon (October 2), and according to one of the organizers, Frank Stevens, it looks like a very nice crop. As the three combines; two provided by Wytinck Farms and one by Green Valley Farms, took to the field at the corner of Highways 2 and 5 shortly after lunch, a blanket of dust rose beneath the bright blue prairie sky. Following alongside the combines was a grain cart by Wytinck Farms. Grain trucks from G & R Transport, Cy River Trucking, and Cypress River Colony, hauled the freshly harvested beans to Killarney.
Harvest just isn’t a prairie harvest without a harvest meal, and Jefferies Seeds and BASF stepped up by providing with pizza and drinks. The simple meal was shared prior to the steady hum of combines and trucks heading out to the field.
Volunteers haven’t just shown up for harvest, the list of helping hands began months ago at the start of the season. Vrooman Farms took care of the spring tillage, followed by Wytinck Farms, Mowat Farms, and Jefferies Seeds, who handled the spraying with chemicals provided by Nutrien, BASF, and Corteva.
Pioneer Hybrid supplied the group with the soybean seed, and Derek Shearer kept a close eye on the field throughout the growing season. The crop was insured for hail damage through Guild Insurance, Crop Insurane was provided by Frank Stevens. The Baldur Glenboro Gazette and Glenboro Home Hardware covered the advertising and promotion expenses. “We also received $5,750 in cash donations,” said Stevens, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if that figure continues to grow each year.
The Grow Glenboro initiative was created to help raise funds to support community projects, with half the proceeds from the annual crop going to Minor Sports and the other half to various community projects in Glenboro and the surrounding area. “We (the board) are not 100% sure how the funds will be disbursed; we will most likely have organizations requesting funds go through an application process,” explained Stevens, adding that a good chunk of the profits this year will be used for the Spirit Sands Medical Clinic. Stevens, who has been involved since the beginning, said this year’s growing season brought good moisture early on, followed by warm, dry weather and that the yields are looking good.
The board is very happy with the response this year, and Stevens commented that they expect the support to grow even further as more people see how much the initiative can help with local projects. Grow Glenboro isn’t just about planting and harvesting a crop; it’s about people coming together and supporting the community and its projects, enabling growth year after year.
PHOTO CAPTION: Among the crew and sponsors that were available for a picture included (l. to r.) Greg Potvin, Darren Rutherford, Mike Klassen, Derek Friesen, Curt Wytinck, Chad Berry, Derek Mowat, Riley Jefferies, Darrell Godard, Cale Jefferies, Cody Moore and Colby Cullen. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK
