MONTMARTRE, Sask. – Vaughn Johnson leans forward in his kitchen chair and quickens the pace of his speech as the topic of zero-till seeding comes up.
“This was a whole new way of thinking,” said the 42-year-old farmer.
Sowing directly into stubble and fertilizing with one pass were developments that changed the way Johnson farmed in southern Saskatchewan.
“It revolutionized farming. That’s why we expanded our farm at that time, because we saw the benefits of that system.”
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In 1993, Johnson went to work for an equipment manufacturer in Indian Head, Sask., during the winter and started spreading the word about the zero-till system that eliminated the time-consuming and costly practice of summer fallowing.
“It was fantastic. We called ourselves missionaries because we were out there going to every farm show in Alberta, Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Manitoba, telling farmers how important this was for their economic future.”
He expanded the acres he planted based on the new air-seeder system and his father, Alfred, who farmed with him, was eager to jump on board.
“You couldn’t help but see the benefit, so I had to change,” said Alfred. “But without Vaughn, I don’t think I would have done it, and I honestly don’t think I’d still be here farming.”
Alfred, 72, who retains a 40 percent stake in the family operation, said survival in agriculture is about adapting to changing farm practices and emerging technologies.
“In 1961, we had nothing for a crop. I mean three and four bushels to the acre,” said Alfred, who lived on the family farm for more than 60 years with his wife, Irene, and his children, Karen, Kathy and Vaughn before moving to Indian Head in 2002.
“In those days, we just survived. We never starved, but it wasn’t far from it.”
Starting with just 480 acres, any farm growth depended on the family finding a variety of income sources, like building bulldozers and starting a commercial turkey business.
When Vaughn had graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with an agriculture degree in 1991, Alfred was ready to pass over the management reins. Alfred and Irene went into partnership with Vaughn and his wife, Audrey, whose children include Taylor, 15, and April, 12.
“The things he learned changed our whole farm because it took education to do it and it took a knowledge of computers to do it,” Alfred said.
The Johnson farm has grown to 6,500 acres, with a strong emphasis on an agronomic program that includes a detailed crop plan, a multi-year rotation strategy and a focus on emerging crop varieties, said Vaughn.
“Second, you have to have a solid marketing plan to be able to sell what you grow. That includes everything from using the internet to watching the markets to hiring consultants, building relationships with buyers and using brokers.”
The third cornerstone is to have a financially sound business plan.
“You can’t be going out and just spending money. You’re always watching your debt load and your cost of living and making adjustments.”
The final key is getting along as a family. Vaughn leads most of the decision-making on the farm but consults with everyone involved.
“You need to be able to talk to each other … and do it with mutual respect. Every decision that we make from selling grain to planting certain crops, to what we do on a certain day, I always check in with Dad.”
Farm labour is the family’s biggest challenge.
“We’re lucky because the two people who we rent land from come back to help us out at seeding and harvest, but finding a year-round employee is very tough.”
Machinery is also costly.
With two Lexion Class 8 combines and two super-B semis for hauling grain, the equipment bill is a seven-digit figure.
“It’s not a choice. You have to have the equipment that is capable of farming that much land,” said Vaughn.
Mother Nature can also be unkind. Vaughn recalled -2 C temperatures on Aug. 20, 2004.
“It was like a death – it was just sickening,” said Vaughn. “I couldn’t even work the next day because I kept thinking of how we were going to manage this and what decisions we were going to have to make, like only paying the interest on our loans.”
The Johnsons managed to survive that year and emerged with their love of farming intact.
“We have a great lifestyle. I get to see my kids all the time, we earn a comfortable living doing what we do and it gives you a feeling of accomplishment,” said Vaughn.
