BOISSEVAIN, Man. – Walter Albrecht steps from the ladder of a self-propelled combine clutching a cellular phone. He doesn’t attempt to hide his frustration as he walks to a nearby grain truck.
“I’ve just plugged the chopper again,” he said. “We’ve been having trouble with that all afternoon. I’m trying to phone the mechanic.”
It’s a perfect day for harvesting, sunny and warm with a gentle breeze, but the combine doesn’t want to co-operate. Several mounds of canola straw dot the field, showing where the machine plugged up earlier in the day. Walter’s youngest son, Ryan, manages to clear the chopper and the harvest continues.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
The combine is rented from an implement dealership in the area. Three days earlier, the Albrechts lost their self-propelled John Deere combine to a fire.
Ryan, 20, was driving when the blaze started somewhere inside. He escaped unharmed, but little could be done to save the 1984 combine.
Although he knew the harvester was insured, Walter didn’t sleep well that night. The combine had done a dozen harvests on the Albrecht farm and was paid for. The fire meant hunting for a replacement at the height of harvest season.
“I really liked that combine,” Walter said. “I felt I knew how to run it.” He and his oldest son, Darryl, farm together near Boissevain, Man. Ryan, who works at a nearby cattle company, took time off work to help with this harvest.
Although prices for wheat and feed barley are low, the Albrechts aren’t caught in a financial crunch this season. By the end of August, they had 20,000 bushels of canola sold and delivered to the elevator.
“Now that we have a half-decent crop, we should be able to pay the bills,” said Darryl, 29. “I think what really saved us this year was the rain.”
Darryl is putting in long hours this harvest season. One night he was in the field until 3:30 a.m. The next night he stepped off the combine at 1 a.m. But harvest is one of his favorite times of the year, and he doesn’t begrudge the long hours in the field.
“I enjoy being out here just by myself,” he said, while guiding the combine through thick swaths of canola. “Most times you have the radio on, but sometimes you just turn it off and think about things.”
The Albrechts try not to work themselves to exhaustion during the harvest. One of their cardinal rules is that they don’t work Sundays, a decision rooted in their religious faith.
“We just feel God has given us six days to work and the seventh is for rest,” said Walter’s wife, Betty.
During the harvest, Betty and Darryl’s wife, Tara, encourage the men to spend at least half an hour for supper. Meals are often delivered to the field, where everyone can share time as a family.
“We try to rein them in that way,” said Betty, “but it doesn’t always work. If the weather doesn’t look good, they keep going.”
There’s never a shortage of qualified help at the Albrecht farm. Betty occasionally drives the combine. Her daughter, Roberta, helped bring the harvest ahead this season by baling hay. Due to ample rainfall, the Albrechts were able to get a third cut of alfalfa, which was being baled in tandem with the grain harvest.
By late August, they had finished 900 acres with another 600 acres left to combine. The harvest started early, but was interrupted by a series of scattered showers.
“When we can go, we can make good time, but weather plays such a big role in this,” said Walter, while taking a turn on the combine. “When we started in early August we expected to be done by the end of the month.”
Seated in the confines of the air-conditioned cab, Walter talked about the future of their farm. He plans to retire in a few years and he hopes Darryl and Ryan will carry the farm forward.
As a young man, Walter dreamed of owning a large grain or cattle farm. Although he’s not quite there, he is content with his achievements.
“I never got to what my dreams were, but I got part way there and I’m satisfied with that.”
He’s now helping his sons pursue their dreams. With each passing season, his knowledge of farming is gradually passed to them. His desire to improve the farm is shared by his sons.
“We always want to keep going forward, improving the farm and adding to the assets,” Darryl said. “I’m glad we’re diversified so everything hopefully breaks even.”
The Albrechts have put a lot of effort into farm diversification. It’s a way to contend with the fickle markets for livestock and grains. Wheat, barley, canola and peas were grown on their fields this year. They also planted a small field of corn for cattle feed.
Throughout harvest, they make time to check their cattle herd. They keep 140 cows on pasture and an equal number of calves. They’re thinking about backgrounding 300 calves this winter, but won’t make that decision until after harvest.
It’s one of many decisions to be made in coming months. Choosing what crops to sow in 1999 will also require some careful thought.
“We’re trying to grow something that will make us a pretty good dollar to survive on the farm,” Walter said. “Nobody knows what the markets are going to do. It used to be supply and demand, but that doesn’t seem to come into the picture anymore.”
Walter used to know what he would seed in the spring by the end of the previous year’s harvest. He and Darryl now make their final seeding choices as late as March, hoping to pick crops that will pay the best dividends.
The Albrechts are seeing “good average” yields from this year’s crops. All things considered, Darryl was encouraged by those yields. During a late night on the combine, he summed up his hopes for the 1998 crop.
“We’re hoping to pay the bills, make our loan payments and have a living. I guess that’s what we’re hoping for every year.”
Ryan has built a small herd of cattle and hopes to farm full time in a couple of years. He enjoys the lifestyle, he said, and the independence that comes from “being your own boss.”
In the meantime, he’s learning a lot about livestock by working at the cattle company, and he appreciates the steady income the job provides.
“Right now I like getting the paycheque every two weeks. It’s a little more sturdy than hoping canola goes up.”
