ROSEMARY, Alta. – Even creative solutions to farm debt difficulties can have problems. Linda Henderson’s ranch essay contest failed to generate enough entries to reach the needed goal, leaving the family to pursue more traditional ways to settle their debt.
Henderson and her family attempted giving away 640 acres of land in a contest. They had hoped the writer of “the best essay on how owning ranch land in southern Alberta would affect your life” would win their heavily indebted land and clear its title. A $100 fee for each entry was to accompany each essay and 4,500 entries would allow the family to pay off the land’s $450,000 mortgage.
Read Also
VIDEO: Agritechnica Day 4: Robots and more robots, Nexat loves Canada and the trouble with tariffs
Agritechnica Day 4: Robots and more robots, Nexat loves Canada and the trouble with tariffs.
“There was a lot of interest, but we didn’t even make it halfway,” said Henderson.
Entries poured in from as far away as Australia and Korea and from throughout Canada and the U.S. Some arrived without essays, containing only cheques and a notes of encouragement. Others were creatively packaged.
Imaginative presentations
“One came in a balloon. Another was two feet by three feet on hand-made parchment with beautiful calligraphy. But in the end there just weren’t enough of them,” she said.
The family gathered last weekend to read the entries. Many came from city dwellers wanting a better way of life, or those wanting to return to rural roots.
“Reading the essays we really began to appreciate the style of life we have on the farm. Even if we are in debt,” said Henderson.
The family will be returning the money to the entrants and again putting the land up for sale. They don’t anticipate being able to get enough from a sale, leaving the six siblings to make up the debt in cash.
“It is a pity that they didn’t make it. In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, as an entrant, I for one would be willing to donate my entry fee to help the family keep their land,” said George Hart, of Saskatoon.
Many entrants said they hadn’t done an essay since high school, but the act of writing had allowed them to examine their own feelings about rural life and that exercise alone was more than worth the effort.
