ELGIN, Man. – Jim and Val Tufts will always remember getting power on their farm.
It was 1973 and the 19 year olds had $2,500 in savings, a $13,000 loan from the bank and a quarter section of land.
They aimed to build a house and start farming on a barren piece of land between Souris, Man. and the U.S. border. Some people were skeptical.
“The hydro guy came to put the hydro in and said, ‘Well, I’ll probably be back here in the fall to take it out again,’ ” Jim recalled. But a couple of years ago, Jim bumped into the man and got the chance to see him eat crow.
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Today, the tree-lined farmyard is anything but barren. It boasts clean, new equipment and buildings, and an airplane hangar.
Today, Jim and Val Tufts are established farmers planting about 5,500 acres of grain each year.
Jim grew up around Elgin and worked as a tool and die maker in Brandon before realizing he wanted to farm.
“I knew by the time two years was up that I wasn’t going to be a city person,” he said. “I just couldn’t stand being inside all the time.”
Farming was all new to Val and it took some getting used to. She once drove farm equipment alongside her husband, but now takes care of the book work, grain marketing and running the house.
“I like living out here and I think it’s a great place to raise children,” she said.
The Tufts describe their region as a progressive area where 5,000 acre grain farms are normal.
“In this area, agriculture is definitely a business. It’s not just a way of life,” said Val.
“We appreciate the way of life, but it’s not the reason we’re here,” added Jim.
He combines work and play in the “aviation division” of the farm. Jim had always wanted to learn to fly, and got his licence in 1978. Two of their children Dan, 21, and Sarah, 19, are also licensed pilots and gliders. The Tufts have two aerobatic planes they use for aerial photography as well as stunts.
The plane takes some of the guesswork out of farming, said Jim and Dan, because they can fly over the land to check conditions, or take infrared photos to look at the health of the crops.
“I’ve never had a close call in an airplane, but I’ve sure had a few driving to Brandon,” said Jim.
During a break inside the farm’s brightly postered hangar, Jim talked about how happy he is to have Dan taking on more responsibility on the farm.
As well, in the summer the Tufts get help from long-time employee and friend Cory Sparrow, of nearby Fairfax.
And they also have help from young visitors they host from the International Rural Exchange program.
International company
Since 1980, 22 people between ages 18 and 28 have stayed in the bunkhouse on the Tufts farm and helped during the growing season. They have made lasting friends who have been back to visit.
The Tufts said they learn as much from the trainees as their guests learn from them. This year, they’re getting to know Lars Hansen of Denmark and Matt Coleman of Australia.
Val said daughter Brenda, 10, enjoyed learning about Australia in school because she had met Australians.
“When they do their social studies at school, it makes the world a much smaller place,” Val said. “It’s not just a spot on the map.”
Dan went to Australia with the program a couple of years ago, and worked on a big grain operation for about seven months. He said he cherishes the friends he made and the traveling.
These days, the second-year agriculture diploma student has his thoughts a little closer to home. He wants to get into farming, but recent high grain prices also mean high land prices.
“I think right now is the wrong time to be buying land around here,” he mused.
If Dan becomes more involved in the farm, Jim said he’ll have more time for other things, like flying and camping. He hopes his youngest child Jeff, 8, will also take an interest in the farm.
“I don’t want to be farming when I’m 70,” Jim said.
