Kyle Schachtel is the first winner of Discover Moose Jaw’s Farmer Appreciation Harvest Edition contest, and shared with Country100’s Courtney Fielder a bit of the story behind his family’s multi-generation farm operation.
Schachtel hopes to pass the land and its care down to his own son one day, but he said farms like his are becoming rarer.
“Great-great-grandpa came over from Germany and he settled here on the homestead that (my) mom and dad live on currently,” he explained. “I know the very first winter that he stayed here, they had to live under the wagon to survive, so it was quite a start for them.
“From there, it’s just grown substantially, and it’s passed down from generation to generation. And now, it’s going to hopefully pass on to my son one day.”
As a Farmer Appreciation Harvest Edition winner, Schachtel won a $100 gift card to Déjà Vu Café in Moose Jaw and a $25 gift card for Canadian Tire Moose Jaw.
He is now also entered into the contest for the event’s Grand Prize — $1,000 of FMC’s Express SG herbicide, courtesy of Parrish & Heimbecker.
“It’s kind of neat,” Schachtel added. “There’s a few generational farms around, but you know, it’s getting to be less and less of them, unfortunately. It’d sure be lovely to see more of that around, but unfortunately, the way the farming industry is going, it’s getting to be a little bit less.
“I think it’s just because there’s less and less small farms, everything’s gearing towards getting bigger and bigger, and it’s a harder industry to start into. Anybody who’s a young farmer can’t afford to do such things. ... I guess you just gotta roll with the times.”
Schachtel said his family is just starting the harvest. He hopes to be in the fields with his combines soon.