Grainswest - Fall 2025

Fall 2025 grainswest.com 37 and wheat near Rimbey. He also lives and works full-time in Calgary, banking overtime and vacation days to use for farm work. He admits this leaves little time for family and friends, but he’s determined to realize his dream to establish a farm. “It’s harder to get into farming now than it ever has been,” he said. “My dad and grandpa had their own challenges, but land values are restricting my generation.” Growing up, Lukocs couldn’t imagine life off the farm. It’s been his dream to own land and field equipment, and he’s grateful for the family support that has helped him get where he is. He began by learning the fundamentals of farming from his dad and grandpa. Over the years, he rented land from his grandpa and eventually was able to buy land from him. Lukocs continues to grow his land base by renting from neighbours and family. “It’s not easy,” he admits. “There’s stiff competition for rented land, and the prices are steep. If I didn’t have the help of my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” FARMING FOR TOMORROW While Lukocs values the support and mentorship of his family, he’s ready to carve his own path and challenge the status quo with fresh ideas. He has upgraded crop management practices to improve the sustainability of the land he manages. Focusing on soil health, he has added no-till systems, variable rate seeding and soil sampling. He’s also taking an integrated approach to weed management by rotating multiple herbicide groups to combat herbicide-resistant wild oats and closely follows 4R nutrient management. “I want to keep our soils healthy by giving back what we take,” said Lukocs. “But it’s always a balancing act between trying new practices and what actually works in terms of cost and labour.” In the future, he intends to continue to innovate and enhance the sustainability of his land. He consults with agronomists, attends industry events and participates in online forums. He often relies on his dad’s input and appreciates his openness to new ideas. Like many farmers in his region, Lukocs has had to adapt his crop management strategies to respond to shifting weather patterns. In just a few years of farming, he’s observed moisture decrease due to lighter winter snowpack and an expanded frost window. Despite unpredictability, he’s found a silver lining: with fewer early and late frosts, his harvest season has expanded. “It’s hard to imagine I’ll ever be able to farm full-time,” said Lukocs, who admits the cost of farming keeps him up at night. While commodity prices are higher today than in recent decades, they still aren’t keeping pace with expenditures. It’s becoming harder to balance the farm business. “If the farm alone can’t support me, I’ll keep working my off-farm job to make it possible to keep doing what I love—farming.” “My dad and grandpa had their own challenges, but land values are restricting my generation.” — Carson Lukocs Acknowledging the support and mentorship of his family, Carson Lukocs has worked hard to establish his own farm. This has included working off-farm as a mechanical engineer. Photo courtesy of Carson Lukocs.