GrainsWest Fall 2019

Fall 2019 grainswest.com 31 BEST ADVICE TOOTHERS “Listen to the other generations. They have been through a lot and brought the farm to where it is today.” BEST ADVICE FROMFAMILY “Responsibility is a big thing on the family farm. Don’t take on too much or stick your neck out too far. Take care of everything that needs to be taken care of.” year. They have two daughters, Whitney (five) and Allison (two). He now farms 12,000 acres of wheat, barley, canola and peas with his brother and parents. “When we were away, dad downsized and cut everything just about in half to make it more reasonable to run with less people,” said Konstapel. “Since I returned, we have almost doubled in size.” The return transition has been smooth. The family shares the work and decision-making. “After we came back, we set up the farm corporation and spoke with a planner,” explained Konstapel. “It was good to talk about planning for the future when Mom and Dad will retire, but we haven’t made a formal plan for it. The plan is evolving over time. Over the years, our percentage of the farm will get bigger and theirs will get smaller until eventually they retire, and we’ll take over.” In the meantime, Konstapel is happy with the progress his family has made while working together and he serves as Alberta Barley region six director. He’s also particularly proud of being able to buy his own land for the first time. “We’re at a pretty good size. There may be some yard expansion that might help with grain handling, but we have no plans on growing anymore,” he said. “I’m looking forward to maintaining what we have and keeping the farm alive and viable.” From left to right, Megan, Allison,Whitney and Brent Konstapel share the farmwith his parents and brother. Since returning to the farm, Konstapel has purchased his own land and began serving as an Alberta Barley director.