Grainswest - Fall 2024

Fall 2024 grainswest.com 25 “Your hobby is your farm; you put everything back into it. I golf once in a while, but it’s not enough to keep me busy, so that’s why I went back to work.” Age: 71 He still feels the same satisfaction in a job well done that he did 50 years ago • He does everything he used to do, except carry the title of boss. He operates drills and combines, mows the grass and more. S ome farmers do manage to retire. Bob Roessler was one of them. When the Sexsmith area farmer sold off his feedlot in 2009, he did leave it behind. He didn’t, however, permanently retire. He worked for utility provider Aquatera in the city of Grande Prairie. After about five years, urban commuting and the humdrum feeling of being cooped up proved too much. He asked longtime friend and farm neighbour Greg Sears if he needed help. Sears did, and Roessler jumped back in the saddle as a farmhand in 2014. It felt like a homecoming party more than a new job. “I tried a few other things, too, but radiated back to the farm because I like it out there,” said Roessler. “I much prefer driving out to the farm in the morning. I’m out there in the country where I’m raised, in the big rolling hills. You’re producing something valuable, and that’s what I like about it. In fact, even