ROSETOWN, Sask. – Neil Gibbings doesn’t know why his grandfather Wes selected this land north of Rosetown for his homestead in 1906.
But the grain farm has stayed in the family’s hands ever since and on July 22, the Gibbings family celebrated its century farm designation with 60 relatives and neighbours.
Located on flat land that early photographs show had no trees, the farm today has 6,500 acres seeded to 17 different crops – half grown for commercial sale and half as pedigreed seed.
The present farmhouse is about 10 kilometres south of the original homestead quarter. Looking out the living room window, one can see in the distance the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and Cargill inland terminals standing across from each other on each side of the highway.
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Gordon Gibbings, Neil’s dad, had moved to this site in 1945, allowing his brother Charlie to have the original spot.
Their dad, Wes, died in a farm accident in 1927, leaving a widow and five children. The oldest son, Gordon, quit school at 14 to help his mom, and Charlie helped out as he could.
The brothers operated the farm together until 1952 when Charlie moved to Regina to become vice-president of Sask Pool. He later became president for nine years before moving on to work with the Canadian Wheat Board as a sales commissioner.
Father Wes came from Clinton, Ont., where the family had farmed since 1831.
He proved up his western homestead and was an early adopter of technology, buying a car in 1914, a phone in 1915 and a tractor in 1925.
The 1924 house, still standing, was a two storey with four bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs with running water and electricity.
Wes’s belief in the importance of education was passed down to the next three generations. Most earned university degrees.
Wes grew wheat, oats and barley and by the time he died at age 38, he owned seven quarter sections.
His grandson’s wife, Edith Gibbings, noted that just before his death, Wes had written to his dad in Ontario about how the fields looked set to bear the best crop ever and that he needed men to help harvest it.
Neil married Edith Ludke of Mossbank, Sask., farm in 1971. He has also practised law in Swift Current, Sask., throughout his Rosetown farming career. He and Edith switched houses depending on the season, moving between town, the farm and a cabin.
In 1992, the farm went no tillage and chemical fallow. The Gibbings also use outside consultants and each field is soil and tissue sampled to determine fertilizer needs. The changes required extra staff and the farm now runs with two full-time people and seasonal workers.
The move into seed grower status came about five years ago as Neil realized the weather was making the farm’s future uncertain and that there was a need for higher value crops.
“The 2002 drought was the first year this farm has ever been skunked for a crop,” he said.
Besides durum, spring wheat, peas, lentils and canaryseed, the farm also grows oats for human consumption under contract to FarmPure Foods Milling plant in Regina.
Neil said seed growing requires a lot of planning and organization.
“We’re fortunate the people we have are industrious and smart … . It’s a consultation process with the best decisions, not just Edith and I, but also the people here.”
The Gibbings farm is also big on record keeping.
“Every crop, we know the day it was seeded and fertilized, the chemicals applied, to the day it’s sold.”
They use the computer program Settler Field Master to keep records.
Outside advice is also needed as marketing becomes more of a challenge.
Edith smiles as Neil says he has no intention of quitting farming because he enjoys it. Their four adult children are scattered around the globe outside Canada, and all are either working or studying at the PhD level.
The Gibbings encouraged their children to see the world and gain an appreciation for the Saskatchewan farm.
“We hope to see them return once they’ve completed their exploits,” said Neil.
With their farm’s future set, Neil is more concerned about the larger picture for agriculture.
He sees Canadian competitiveness slipping backward. Edith adds it’s because of subsidies in Europe and the United States.
Neil sees many farmers having to work off the farm. He also has concerns about the Canadian Wheat Board losing its monopoly.
“How can you go out and sell two million tonnes of wheat when you don’t know of your supply? I see we’re going to be tied into these large grain companies.”
The Gibbings, who have travelled in Europe, say its rail infrastructure is much better than Canada’s.
They wonder why Canada could not have public ownership of and investment in the rail beds, or at the least, joint running rights on the track.
“Why should our railways not be run like the highways? We’re moving back 100 years,” he added, an irony not lost on the inheritor of a century farm.
