FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alta. – Arthur Smith had one requirement when he
made the transition from grain to cattle – he wanted animals with a
quiet disposition.
He didn’t want to buy a $6,000 cattle handling facility or worry about
wild cattle if his wife, Shelley, or his father went into the corrals
when he was at work.
“I wanted something that was quiet and easy to work with,” he said.
In 1999, Smith bought his first five head of South Devon cattle that
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are almost bomb proof. He was told the breed got their quiet nature
from living through the bombs that fell in cattle pastures across
England during the Second World War.
Whatever the reason, the cattle are quiet and Smith can even give them
a needle in the middle of the pasture.
“I slap them on the bum and inject the needle,” said Smith, who now has
23 head of cattle to ease the financial transition from full-time
electrician to full-time farmer.
Even though cattle prices are lower than they were a year ago, they
still paint a brighter picture than straight grain farming.
In 10 years he hopes to have a herd of 80 to 100 head so he can quit
his job as an electrician in Edmonton.
“If you quit to grow cereal grain, it won’t fly,” said Smith, who farms
1,700 acres with his father.
Calving was a bit harried this spring. Their mobile home had been taken
away and they were waiting for a modular home to be moved onto a
basement foundation.
An old camper parked beside the corral served as both calving
headquarters and sleeping quarters.
He had to get up every few hours in the middle of the night to check on
cattle before driving to Edmonton for his day job.
A delay during the day at work cost him a calf during a cold snap.
However, calving is a memory now and Smith is concentrating on seeding.
This spring’s grain choices are simple. He’ll grow whatever crops are
likely to return the greatest profits.
This year he’s looking at canola, oats and peas, and hopes his barley
goes malt.
Even the rich loam soil south of Fort Saskatchewan, some of the best in
Alberta, won’t guarantee a bumper crop without rain.
Last year’s memories forced Smith to take out hay insurance this spring
for the first time.
So far the moisture seems better, but by mid-May, Smith was still
waiting for the ground to warm up before seeding.
“We need some heat in the ground.”
Still remembering last year’s drought, Smith isn’t taking this year’s
moisture for granted.
He has harrowed his fields perpendicular to the water runs to create
ridges to trap the snow and run off.
In his pasture he hopes to trap a little moisture by building a trickle
dam in a small coulee to slow the spring runoff. By doing that, he
hopes to keep enough water in the pasture to last all summer.
Last year, he started hauling water to his cattle in July.
Despite the setbacks, Smith is optimistic that there is a good life to
be had as a farmer.
“You’ve got to have some hope. We’re hoping it’s better than last year.”
