Grainswest - Fall 2021

Fall 2021 grainswest.com 23 FIRST-TIME FARMERS One chilly winter morning just a half dozen years ago, John Fingerhut put an idea to his son Mackenzie (Mac) at the breakfast table. “I said, ‘you’re too young to make a lifetime commitment to me right now, but if we had the opportunity, would you be interested in us going farming?’” said John. Mac immediately knew his answer but sensibly took the day to think it over. John grew up on a Dawson Creek, B.C., grain farm, but left to be a grain trader in Vancouver at age 24. Through the job, he met his wife Jody, a grain company employee. John later worked off-farm in equipment transport. To facilitate their return to farming in 2017, the couple farms Jody’s parents’ land near Fairview. John and 20-year-old Mac are in their fifth harvest together on 3,700 acres of barley, canola, oats, peas and wheat. Jody and Mac’s 18-year-old sister Monica provides seasonal assistance, as does one harvest-time hire. Monica is enrolled in the agri-commerce program at Olds College, which Mac graduated from this spring. To establish their operation, the Fingerhuts did extensive research and purchased their equipment within a six-month span. Three months later, their first crop was in the ground. They incorporated new technology on equipment of mixed vintage, with Mac taking the lead in the digital department. They launched with a 2011 Lexion combine, integrated for GreenStar, retrofitted for GPS yield mapping and autosteer. The two developed a working relationship based on mutual trust that has allowed them to tailor their operation for efficiency. They have continually boosted and streamlined their digital capabilities, which Mac said, “just fell into place.” They adopted sectional control and soon graduated to variable-rate nitrogen application, then variable-rate fungicide two years ago. A recently purchased air cart will allow further advancement. “We’re looking at full variable-rate fertility for next year and full sectional as well,” said Mac. “We’ve even discussed variable seeding rate. That’s less common up here, but something to consider.” To enter digital agriculture takes training and diligence, said Mac. With a limited amount of setup at harvest, the Fingerhuts concentrate on efficiently getting the crop off. Mac then analyzes their collected data over winter and generates yield maps and reports. This includes yield data from two dozen field trials. “We’ve become a bit of a testing farm for our area,” he said. Mac has also recently purchased his own land, and he and his father hope to expand their operation to take advantage of significant efficiency gains. Ever ambitious, Mac has recently purchased a soil sampling truck and soil electrical conductivity equipment, and has even formed a precision data management side business—MJ Ag Solutions. His ultimate goal is to help Peace Country farmers emulate the success he and John have found in digital ag. “I haven’t got it all figured out,” said Mac, “but I’m starting to create a system that works to give farmers of any size the ability to do precision mapping and precision data without interfering with their harvest operations. There are ways that you can make it really, really simple. “You’re ultimately trying to calculate return on investment with this data collection and management,” he added. “You can make all the pretty maps you want, but I'm trying to make them with a purpose.” NEW THINGS The walls were being secured on a towering new 30,000-bushel grain bin as we arrived at Rebellion Farms, 5,000 acres of canola, peas, malting barley and wheat near Brownvale. Owners Christi Friesen and husband Kelly were enjoying the occasion with a celebratory drink while their blue heeler-rotwieller cross Rouger romped around the yard. The couple have two children, Kohlton, 11, and Mackenzie, eight. In this parkland geography with steep, rolling hills, their fields have highly variable soils fromgrey wooded to slow-drying heavy gumbo and sandy, gravelly soil that is quick-draining. In years such as this, hilltops can burn off or hardly germinate Neil Boyd who farms near Fariview believes farming practices should ideally have social, environmental and economic benefits.