ACME, Alta. – Matt Sawyer scrambles into his Case tractor to show off his latest electronic gadgets in preparation for seeding.
“I love sitting up here,” he said.
But with continuing snow and soggy ground this spring over the entire central Alberta farm he owns with his wife, Tara, spring work was delayed by a couple of weeks.
Named Alberta’s 2011 outstanding young farmers, the Acme couple is optimistic talking about their family, farm and community life.
Their resume describes how they run a large mixed farm and grow wheat, barley and canola and raise about 50 Angus cows.
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They practice no till on the farm and have developed an environmental program to maintain the farm that Matt’s grandparents homesteaded.
Matt is chair of the Alberta Barley Commission and a director with the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association while Tara is involved in the local school and soccer. Both are active in local service clubs.
“I do like showing people the good works most farmers are doing now,” Matt said.
“It is nice to give them the positive,” Tara said.
Married in 1998, they have made changes to the farm each year, buying and renting more land and getting more active in their community.
While Matt’s family has been in the area for a century, Tara is a relative newcomer to the area. Born in Calgary, she met Matt on a blind date.
“I knew nothing about a farm,” she said.
In their early courtship, he talked her into visiting during harvest, where a friend dropped her off in a canola field with a combine coming at her over the hill. She decided she liked Matt enough to join the family and community.
They are in the heart of good farming country where they own six quarters and rent nine and are hoping to add more.
“We’re in a good position because we are basically debt free so we are ready to expand again,” Matt said.
While they share some work and equipment with Matt’s parents, their farm is a separate entity where they make their own decisions and feel independent.
The barley commission job has opened doors for Matt to the Grain Growers of Canada, Canada Grains Council and other areas of farm politics.
“It has opened my eyes to a lot of things. I wasn’t engaged before in ag politics. It was just nose to the grindstone. Now I have made time and it helps me plan,” he said.
They say it takes time management and organization to meet all their commitments.
“With all the networking, you think, is that something we can do on our farm,” said Tara.
She said getting involved in the community was a good way for her to make friends. Tara said farm life allows her opportunities to work alongside Matt and stay at home with their three children, Emmett, Cassidy and Quinten.
“Our community and the alumni are very strong and backs the kids,” she said of Acme, which has a population of 1,000.
Their farm has hosted tour groups from Ireland and Japan, which the couple says helps visitors see where and how commodities are produced.
“ I loved them all,” said Tara.
“It was an awesome learning experience for the kids to meet new people.”
