Grainswest - Fall 2021

Fall 2021 Grains West 22 He and wife Ruby operate the farm, while son Curtis who lives in Lacombe helps out in spring and fall. The couple’s daughter Amanda is a professor at Washington State University. With a lifetime interest in holistic farming, Boyd gravitates to sustainable practices. He has carried out continuous soil improvement since he adopted a no-till, low-input strategy in 1996 and began seeding through straw with a hybrid drill. He now uses a single-chute drill, does not disc or harrow and rarely enters the field between seeding and harvest. He applies inputs as necessary and maintains a 60-20 fertilizer regime on wheat and 60-20-0-10 on canola. “Now, the land is more forgiving,” said Boyd. Peace farms tend toward the extremes of organic and intensive, whereas Boyd describes himself as “a radical centre.” He diplomatically emphasized there is no one way to farm. “All a person can do is farm the way he thinks is working. If that changes a mind here and there, that’s fine, but I’m not going to preach about it.” Boyd’s triple bottom line philosophy is agriculture should ideally have social, environmental and economic benefit. He shares this outlook with the Quivira Coalition, a Santa Fe, NM, organization that promotes resilience in agricultural landscapes. “It sounds like a cult, but it’s not woo-woo,” he said with a laugh. “It’s good ol’ boy farmers from the southern states.” At the group’s annual conference, he picks and chooses practices he can apply. He believes Peace Country farmers tend to be ahead of the curve in adoption of new technology because land here has historically been cheaper to buy and rent than in the south. This has allowed farmers to utilize advanced equipment and new technologies sooner. At 67, Boyd reports he feels great, but knows his limits and has adjusted his operation accordingly. To keep work manageable as he ages, he has simplified. He once cropped 2,700 acres, but now rents 950 to younger farmers. He also sold off his cattle operation five years ago to concentrate on wheat and canola. “It’s not a real big farm, but it’s a good farm,” he said. “You have to do things where you’re comfortable and still having fun. It’s really important to keep your mental health up, your physical health up and to keep the soil healthy.” At the family's seed plant just south of Rycroft, Olivia, Theo and mom Caroline Sekulic tended to business tasks and readied themselves for an early harvest. FEATURE