LA BROQUERIE, Man. – You can take the girl out of Alberta, but you can’t … well, you know the rest.
Shanyn Silinski, who was raised on a ranch southwest of Lethbridge, has pulled her Alberta cowgirl roots and transplanted them to the eastern edge of the Prairies, near La Broquerie, Man.
“It’s one extreme to the other,” said Shanyn, who has been living in Manitoba since 2003.
She and her husband, Earl, founded their farm called the Smilin’ Coyote Ranch three years ago by this French speaking community 60 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.
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Shortly after starting their ranch they were joined by son, Luke, who turns three this summer.
The low-lying and well-treed region around La Broquerie, known for its dairy farms, is nothing like the valleys and rolling grasslands of southwestern Alberta.
However, once you go inside the Silinski’s house, you are stepping into ranch country.
A saddle sits on the ledge near the back door. Below the ledge, a Longhorn cow skull rests on the floor. The skull faces the living room, where poster sized photos of cowboys cover the walls and look down on couches with wolf upholstery.
“We’re trying to keep the cowboy culture alive,” said Shanyn, who was raised on a ranch near Glenwood, Alta.
Yet outside the Silinski’s home, the Smilin’ Coyote Ranch diverges from the Alberta tradition of big skies and bigger herds.
Behind their house is a herd of Highland cattle, the traditional Scottish breed with short legs, shaggy hair and substantial horns.
When people come to the Silinski farm for the first time, the standard comment is “why do you have yaks?” said Shanyn, who also works as the executive director of the Manitoba Farm Animal Council.
The Silinskis chose to raise Highlands, partly because they decided niche marketing was a good path. The Highlands, Shanyn said, are known for their lean, low cholesterol beef and long, productive lives.
Right now, the Silinskis only have 10 Highlands, but the goal is a herd of 60 to 100.
They own a few pieces of equipment including a 1966 Cockshutt tractor with a front-end loader, a 1952 International grain truck and a square baler. The basic idea is to build up the farm while keeping debt to a minimum.
“It’s almost like pioneering,” said Earl, who spent much of his youth on his grandfather’s farm near Hadashville, Man.
They can survive with minimal equipment, he said, because they exchange services with neighbours. Earl will drive the truck for another farmer and in return, that neighbour will mow the Silinskis’ hay crop.
While that kind of arrangement is fine for now, in five years Earl would like to have enough pasture and forage land to sustain a herd of 100 cattle. Shanyn’s goal is a more modest 60.
During an interview, Earl puts his fists together to demonstrate that the young couple occasionally butt heads on how and how fast to expand their farm.
To expand in the smartest possible way, Earl is working toward his diploma in agriculture at the University of Manitoba.
Asked what is most challenging about building up a farm from scratch, Earl said part of the difficulty arises from the psychology.
“When people picture farming, they picture a 40-foot air seeder. I have to get that (image) out of my head.”
Ultimately, the Silinskis’ plan for their farm is similar to the goals of the prairie pioneers.
“If you build it up from the ground, you appreciate it more,” said Earl. “We can build something up for Luke, if he wants it.”
