On the Farm: Producers say the national program provided them with an opportunity to take a fresh look at their operation
SPRUCE VIEW, Alta. — Farming at Benthemmer Holsteins is all about continuous improvement. Every year Roelof and Mary van Benthem make improvements to their dairy at Spruce View in central Alberta to make life better for their cows and ultimately for themselves. Named Alberta’s outstanding young farmers for 2020, they and their four boys — […] Read moreTag Archives outstanding young farmers
Sask. OYF finalists choose the organics route
The rural lifestyle is important for the young couple, who farm 2,590 acres and custom graze 100 cow/calf pairs
Allison Squires was born in Newfoundland and Labrador and grew up in southern Ontario, but she is now a partner in a thriving farm in southern Saskatchewan. She and her husband, Cody Straza, who were one of the finalists for this year’s Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmers program, operate Upland Organics Ltd. near Wood Mountain. “Being […] Read more
Jason and Jenna Ranger named Sask. Outstanding Young Farmers
The opportunity to rent land from former Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmers winners a dozen years ago led Jason and Jenna Ranger to the same title yesterday. The judges selected the couple from Shellbrook during the competition at Canada’s Farm Progress Show. Jason grew up on a farm near Leask and, after a year studying agriculture […] Read more
Young farmer winners focus on diversification
Outstanding Young Farmer winners are Craig and Jinel Ference from Alberta and Jordan and Alex McKay from Ontario
For the first time in the 38-year history of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer program, two brothers from Ontario are sharing top honours alongside a husband and wife team from Alberta. Jordan McKay and his brother, Alex, from Port Perry, Ont., along with Craig and Jinel Ference from Kirriemuir, Alta., were chosen as the national winners […] Read more
Alta., Ont. producers named Outstanding Young Farmers
This year’s national winners for Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer Program are Craig and Jinel Ference of Double F Farms in Kirriemuir, Alta., and brothers, Jordan and Alex McKay of Willow Tree Farms in Port Perry, Ont. Seven regional farmers between 18 and 39 years of age competed at the 38th annual competition, which recognizes producers […] Read more
Sask. Outstanding Young Farmers named
Jordan and Jennifer Lindgren believe in high-value agriculture by maximizing production on their land
A Norquay couple has been selected Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2018. Jordan and Jennifer Lindgren operate 11,500 acres on fourth-generation Lindgren Farms in the east-central part of the province. Field-scale trials are an important part of their operation. They took over the Field of Dreams project, with Prairie Soil Services, which is now in […] Read more
OYF nominees share tips on succession
PENTICTON, B.C. — Careful planning, honest conversations, trust and respect are keys to successful generational farm transfers. In interviews during the Outstanding Young Farmer national conference in Penticton Nov. 30-Dec. 3, provincial nominees shared these tips from their farms’ succession plans. Lauchie and Jolene MacEachern of Folly River dairy farm at Debert, N.S., who gradually […] Read more
Don’t let your farm get stuck in a rut
PENTICTON, B.C. — The status quo is not sustainable in a rapidly changing agricultural climate, delegates heard during Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers conference Dec. 1. “If you are not focused on growth, you are going backwards,” said Kevin Stewart, who operates AgVision Media. “In this disruptive environment, 70 percent of our decisions will be wrong […] Read more
Farmers’ sustainability focus rewarded
PENTICTON, B.C. — Sustainable farming was rewarded at this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers awards ceremony with both national winners focused on soil ecology and the environment. Grain farmers Derek and Tannis Axten of Minton, Sask., and produce growers Francois Handfield and Veronique Bouchard of Mont Tremblant, Que., were selected from seven provincial nominees during an […] Read more
Sask., Que. couples win Outstanding Young Farmer
PENTICTON, B.C. — Both the east and the west were represented among this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers national winners. Derek and Tannis Axten of Minton, Sask., and Francois Handfield and Veronique Bouchard of Mont Tremblant, Que., were selected from seven provincial nominees during an awards ceremony Dec. 1 in Penticton, B.C. The Axtens, the fourth […] Read more
