Grainswest - Fall 2024

Fall 2024 Grains West 26 FEATURE just today at noon, when I stopped to have an apple, I stopped on the top of the hill, and I did have pure pleasure just looking at the countryside. It’s just really nice. That’s fulfilling for me.” These days, Roessler happily works full time–part time, an arrangement that has him at Sears’ farm from mid-April to mid-October, usually clocking five to eight hours daily. Seeding and harvest are exceptions when he typically puts in additional hours. While Sears employs extra people during the busy times, it’s often just the two of them, busily working together during the farming season. Sears has been heavily involved in farmer groups, including Alberta Grains, and has routinely been away from the farm. It’s no issue for Roessler though, as he can oversee daily operations in Sears’s occasional absence. Roessler’s wife Lynda has managed to stay retired since 2000 and is heavily involved in the lives of their grandkids. Roessler joins these family activities in the farming off- season. He does everything he used to do, except carry the title of boss. He operates drills and combines, mows the grass and more. You name it, Roessler does it. Before selling off, he worked most of his career in the cattle industry. Despite long and busy hours, he found it rewarding and full of great people. However, he had little time to pursue interests outside the industry. “Your hobby is your farm; you put everything back into it,” he said, and added golf is the one pastime he has embraced. “I golf once in a while, but it’s not enough to keep me busy, so that’s why I went back to work.” The sense of pride is no different, either. He still feels the same satisfaction in a job well done that he did 50 years ago. “When you take the grain off, there’s a lot of accomplishment there for me. It never gets old,” he said. “I love the animals in the country and that’s just what it is. It doesn’t really feel like work to me. I go up there and there’s some sweaty days and some dirty days and everything else, but that’s part of farming. I grew up with it, so I know exactly what it takes to seed and harvest the crop, and I’m there to do that.” One drawback Roessler has found in continued work is that many of his friends are retired and often would like to meet for a cup of coffee or a round of golf, but he’s often unavailable. He’s spoken with his boss, Sears, and made it clear he sees himself as “day to day” in his level of commitment. He does foresee a permanent retirement in the future. When? He can’t say. “I’m probably not going to like it all that much, but I’ll probably go to the farm even if I can just sit on the lawnmower for a while and cut the grass. I don’t have to be the main guy. At 71, my health has been pretty good, but there comes time when you need to rest, too. “The people I work for are good and we’ve known one another for our entire lives. I just really enjoy it. Some people call it work; I just call it fulfillment.”