Grainswest - Fall 2021

Fall 2021 grainswest.com 27 After grazing and silaging, he even took off a second cut in October. This year, barring extreme weather, he’s confident winter grazing will hold out as late as March. Though his operation is well tuned, Bigler admitted he struggles with the next major step in its evolution. “We could just farm grain and have a lot easier life, but it’s just not something I really want to do.” And again, the mixed nature of the operation allows needed flexibility. “I think we’ll have to start to learn to live with challenging times,” he said. “The last three years we’ve seen many extremes. Neighbours who grew up here say, ‘well, that’s one for the record books.’ A couple of months later, there’s another one for the record books. So, that’s a lot of entries into that record book.” FEARLESS FARMERS A mere three-hour drive from Alberta’s border with the Northwest Territories, there are no obvious signs of drought on the Peters’s farm near La Crete. An inflatable water trampoline bobs in the slough next to the driveway, and the canola crop is lush. The farm’s soil is mostly agreeable sandy loam with areas of trickier, hard-drying clay loam. Ernie, his wife Shannon and their two boys—Shaun, 13, and Nolan, 10—farm close to 6,000 acres of barley, canola, peas, oats and wheat in Mackenzie County. With business partner David Wiebe, Peters employs three seasonal employees. He also farms a parcel of land 135 kilometres away in the Keg River area to the south in Northern Lights County. Conveniently for Peters, the La Crete area is typically drier, so harvest can begin there and transition to Keg River. This is the northern tip of Peace Country, Canada’s most northerly agricultural region. Peters acknowledged farming here has challenges, such as high nighttime humidity that can shorten the daily harvest window, but is eager to discuss its advantages. The land here happens to be nice and flat, but this is the least of Mackenzie County’s farm- friendly attributes. “Our crops grow 24 hours a day for about six weeks in June and July, which is quite amazing,” said Peters. He also trumpets the high quality of local crops, which include canola with high oil content and wheat with desirable starch and protein. “We’re hoping to attract value-added processing facilities up here,” he said. He added the area has the necessary labour force for such initiatives. Additionally, the Mackenzie Applied Research Association (MARA), of which Peters is a director, conducts research to support cropping innovations workable under the area’s unique agronomic conditions. Located in Fort Vermilion, MARA assists farmers in part by identifying new and valuable crop types and associated agronomic practices farmers can utilize. Area farmers are also keenly supportive. “Very often, the perception can be what works in southern Alberta works in northern Alberta and vice versa. That is just not true. It’s a totally different environment here,” said Peters. “People are not afraid to try different concepts, products and ways of farming.” This includes conventional as well as organic operations, which have proliferated over the past several years. When commodity prices were low, and given the often considerable cost of inputs, many here saw organic production as a welcome opportunity. Sure, parts and products are more expensive to acquire here, and for many, a new Richardson Pioneer terminal in High Level is distant, but Peters takes this in stride. Again, the area’s remoteness and high latitude provide counterintuitive benefits. “We’re in this far-north bubble and there’s so much forest between us and the next communities. That’s really beneficial. It keeps diseases like Fusarium and clubroot out, and our colder winters are very beneficial as well. They reduce the survival rate of insects and that suppresses insect pressure on crops during the growing season.” While vastness, geographic isolation, high latitude and the particular farming circumstances they generate may shape the practice of farming here, Peters said it is the attitude and outlook of farmers that defines Peace Country agriculture. “We aren’t afraid to tackle anything.” To complement his cattle operation, Peter Bigler of Hawk Hills continually adjusts and experiments with his array of cash and forage crops.