Farm marks 120 harvests – photo essay

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: September 29, 2022

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lifford Metherell drives the Massey Ferguson 35 Special while Garth Rokosh runs the binder Sept. 16. His son, Jordan Rokosh-Brick, carries a fork to move oats from an initial swath made in field with modern equipment. The 44.5 horsepower tractor simply pulls the binder — its knife, knotter and other moving parts get their power from a large wheel under the operator. Binders were often pulled by a team of horses. | Jim Metherell photo

In 1903 the first Metherells arrived to homestead land on what would become Ashdown Farm near Lashburn, Sask.

To commemorate the occasion, the family is harvesting a few acres the old-fashioned way with a tractor pulling a binder producing sheaves to be stooked by hand.

The operation started Aug. 27 and then paused due to inclement weather until Sept. 16.

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Jim Metherell, whose grandparents homesteaded this land, said the plan is to bring in a threshing machine and more old-time technology for a threshing bee in October to finish up the job and as a celebration.

In keeping with tradition, he said to expect lots of good food, space for the crowd and a big tent to keep out the weather. | Jim Metherell photos

Clifford Metherell takes a break from his turn at the wheel on Aug. 27 while Garth Rokosh makes an adjustment on the binder. Jim Metherell said the machine belongs to a neighbour, Ron Bexfield, whose father salvaged it out of “a fence line or bush or something” about 1980 and rebuilt it for harvest re-enactments over the years. | Jim Metherell photo
The operation as seen from the side. | Jim Metherell photo
Garth Rokosh runs the John Deere Light Running binder while Lorence Willness drives the tractor Sept. 16. The machine cuts the crop and then bundles and ties the sheaves into a buncher that the operator releases. | Jim Metherell photo

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