WISHART, Sask. — Erin and Eric Yewsiuk knew that starting a cattle operation from scratch would take guts, grit and resilience.
They began with eight cows in Eric’s name.
“It was something I always wanted to do but I always thought it wouldn’t be a reality,” said Eric, a 23-year-old journeyman machinery technician who currently works full time in Wynyard, Sask.
Eric grew up on a cattle farm near Wynyard, always taking a keen interest in his dad’s herd. An older brother wanted to get into the business, so Eric knew the family operation wasn’t going to be big enough for three partners.
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Erin knew that starting a new business in today’s large-scale farming economy would be challenging.
Erin, 24, grew up on a mixed farm in Kendal, Sask., and completed her animal sciences technology course at Vermilion College.
She has faced other challenges. The feed business veteran and photographer survived the loss of her father at age five and the sale of the family cattle herd at that time and defeated thyroid cancer at age 21.
Farming neighbours kept her busy and in the hunt for a herd of her own.
“If you had cows, I was always there to help and I didn’t mind doing all of those dirty jobs that nobody else wanted,” said Erin.
The Yewsiuks were married in 2015 after meeting at Agribition in 2010 and a subsequent sales call by Erin in 2014.
“I was working at Blair’s (Crop & Livestock Solutions) so I thought I’d look Eric up on Facebook to set up a farm call to sell him some feed. But I ended up marrying him in-stead,” said Erin, who is on maternity leave with nine-month-old son, Bo, and is pregnant with a second child.
After their engagement, Erin and Eric kept their full-time jobs and found a quarter section of land near Wishart.
It had a functioning barn but the house and outbuildings were in rough shape.
“We got engaged in September and by November we had bought the quarter, brought in a new RTM, set up power and water and had burned down most of the buildings except for the barn,” said Erin.
They set up corrals and fencing, rented pasture and expanded their purebred Red Angus herd. The Yewsiuks are still hard at work establishing their fledgling operation called Dual E Cattle Co, which now includes 32 bred cows.
Bo rests in a laundry basket on a toboggan while Erin does the daily chores. Eric continues to work full time in Wynyard.
“I think for the next 10 years, we’re going to be running in all directions tackling one project after another,” said Erin, citing plans that include barn renovations, more bush work and herd growth.
They are confident about their future here.
“You can’t let things get you down,” said Eric. “We’ve run into a few issues here and there, like with drilling test wells and them coming up dry. It’s hard to get past some of that but within a day or two we’re always ready to move on.”
The Yewsiuks conceded that getting into farming on their own is not something they’d recommend for everyone.
“It’s not for the faint of heart and you have to be very resilient,” said Erin, adding that they have had some good fortune when it comes to buying land, having good landlords and getting some excellent cattle prices.
“You just have to go forward and have a lot of faith that it’s going to work out,” said Erin.
