WESTLOCK, Alta. – A group of Westlock farmers set a world record Aug. 21 by harvesting 160 acres of wheat in 15 minutes and 43 seconds.
“I’m elated, it’s unbelievable. I’m very proud of our community,” said Leo Seguin, organizer of the event.
Not only did the community set a world harvest record, but it also raised more than $50,000 for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank through donations and sale of the grain. With matching government grants, the event will generate $250,000 to be used for a water diversion project in Ethiopia.
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It was the community’s third attempt at a world record harvest. In the past two years land was donated and the crop planted, but rain delayed harvest until it was impossible to ask farmers to stop their own harvesting to take off the foodgrains crop, Seguin said.
Local farm machinery dealers harvested the crop in those two years and almost $400,000 was raised for the foodgrains bank.
But this year the weather co-operated and the world record harvest went ahead.
Gladys Miller of Westlock, Alta., was one of five women driving one of the 65 combines involved. She said she felt it was important to make a contribution to the project even if she had to shut down harvest on her own farm for the day.
“It’s important to do something for someone else. It’s early in the season. It won’t hurt to give up half a day for someone else.”
Aware of need
Jim Taylor of Westlock, another combine driver, also sensed the importance of the event.
“I’ve spent enough time overseas, I know there’s lots of needs out there. There are lots of projects raising funds. This just makes people aware that something’s happening and that farmers care, too.”
Taylor couldn’t help commenting about the money invested in the 65 combines taking part: “There’s enough money tied up in these to feed the hungry of the world.”
Organizers estimate there was $14 million worth of equipment used to harvest 160 acres of CPS wheat. Sixty-five combines thrashed the grain and another three machines were on hand for back up.
Each of the combines drove the half-mile width of the field, picking up swaths, and then turned around for another swath on the way back. Other combines picked up swaths on the ends.
At a speed of three miles per hour, organizer Albert Miller was hoping to combine the field in 20 minutes, but the end result exceeded his expectations.
“The secret is not to get in a hurry,” Miller told the farmers in their pre-harvest meeting. “We want this to be a record for combining, not for running over people.”
Seguin said raising awareness for the cause is just as important as setting a world record.
“The foodgrains bank is such a good organization, but a lot of people had never heard of it,” he said.
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a Christian-based organization that acts as a centralized grain banking and distribution system for Christian church denominations in Canada to alleviate food shortages around the world.
The community growing project near Westlock is one of about 47 projects on the Prairies in which grain is grown for donation to the foodgrains bank.
Growing projects typically account for about 25 percent of the bank’s annual grain donations.
