Russell and Suzie Friesen of LaCrete have been named Alberta’s outstanding young farmers at the Calgary Stampede July 9.
The couple proceeds to the national competition Dec. 5-9 at Ste. Hyacinthe, Que.
Along with three partners, the Friesens operate an extensive grain farm in the Peace River district. The four have developed a joint venture called Harvest Moon where each member brings a different set of skills. None of the partners is related.
They operate a total of 9,000 acres and when opportunities arise, do some custom seeding and harvesting.
Read Also
Restaurant blends zero waste, ancient farming
A Mexico City restaurant has become a draw for its zero-waste kitchen, which means that every scrap of food and leftovers is reused for other purposes.
“Everybody throws everything in and we maximize it,” Russell Friesen said. The venture leases the land and equipment to the farm and they split the profits at the end of each fiscal year.
This system caught the imagination of the three judges, who said the operation is on sound financial footing and has solved some of the farm labour problems plaguing many operations throughout the West.
Friesen is a third generation farmer in the Peace. He is a trained agronomist who worked for Parrish and Heimbecker for 10 years, has been an agriculture fieldman for his municipality and is also a consultant with nine clients working for Agri-Trend Agrology, an independent consulting company.
He is also a Green Certificate tester and sits on an ethanol plant steering committee.
The Friesens have four children under the age of 12 and are active in their local church, 4-H, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Agriculture in the Classroom program.
The other Alberta nominees for 2007 were runners-up Matt Harty of High River and Troy and Holly Monea of Falon.
Harty has run a mixed grain and cattle farming operation since graduating from Olds College in 1998. His goal is to continue to expand the farm and develop a self-sustaining energy system for the place. He is active with the agriculture in the classroom program, Lethbridge Regional Hospital and Altario Community Club. He is marrying Jennifer Caldwell in August.
Troy and Holly Monea also have a mixed farm. Monea has been working with his parents since 1993 and got married in 2004. He runs about 2,200 acres. He also started a custom farming business and helps manage his parents’ cow herd. Together the couple is involved in various curling clubs, the local agriculture society and 4-H.
Their most recent project was to build a new farmyard and they are expecting their first child in October.
The outstanding young farmer program has been running since 1980 with original sponsorship coming from the junior chamber of commerce. It has developed a strong national alumni of past winners who work with large corporate sponsors to keep the program active.
Since the program began, 10 Alberta farm families have been named national winners. Last year’s winners, Christoph and Erika Weder of Spirit River, were the most recent national recipients.
