Chad Liebrecht didn’t have to travel far from home to find love. His wife Erin grew up on the same section of land in Rhein, SK and together they farm with Chad’s father Garry and mother Darlene. “You can’t have a farm without a family,” says Chad and this family has been farming in Saskatchewan since immigrating in 1887.
“Farming has been in my blood since I was a little kid,” says Chad’s father Garry, the 3rd generation of Liebrecht farmers. Garry farmed while also spending 33 years in the grain business, a career where he “ate a lot of dust” and made a lot of friends. Garry gives a lot of the credit to his wife Darlene who raised four children, cooked the meals and ran a combine.
Chad and his brother Jeffrey represent the 4th generation of Liebrecht Farms. Jeffrey was a dedicated farmer, instrumental to the success of the operation until an accident left him unable to put in such long hours.
There is a hole in the heart of this family farm that can never be replaced. Garry’s grandson Jordan Liebrecht Stoll represented the fifth generation and was the third pillar in the operation until he died tragically last year. He will forever be missed by a family who loved him so much. Jordan was shoulder to shoulder in the operation with Garry and Chad and this year Erin has worked to try to step in where she can. She shared that she has a new perspective on the mental stress and decision making, even after growing up on a farm herself. The major challenge for the Liebrechts is the pace at which they have to make decisions while trying to keep up with information and technology. “The world is spinning so fast. I would have liked to farm 50 years ago when you only had to spray once,” Chad says as he thinks about the farm and how busy he and Erin are with their three kids; Delanie, Noah and Oliver.
The Liebrechts work with an agronomist to help make decisions for their operation, a rotation of canola and winter wheat. In addition, Garry explains that doing seed plots have helped shape decisions for their farm. The Liebrechts have a long history of doing DEKALB® Market Development trials. “When we do a plot, we know how different canola hybrids are going to perform on our land,” as he explains that all their land is different. Their rotation of canola and winter wheat means that they are looking for something that matures early with great yield potential and that has prompted them to grow DEKALB® 75-45 RR. “It takes a back seat to no one,” says Garry and it was the first canola on their farm to be sprayed this year.
75-45 RR performed well in the plot and has a strong presence on the Liebrecht farm with its combination of early maturity and strong yields.
Community is very important to Garry, hosting many events and family reunions at the farm which is now home to Chad, Erin and their children. Erin appreciates the freedom that her children have growing up on the farm. Garry notes that when he was growing up, farm kids were looked down on; now they are looked up to. And if Chad and Erin’s children keep arguing over the bedroom that faces into the farm yard, we know the Liebrecht family has a strong future in their 5th generation.
We thank the Liebrecht family for choosing DEKALB® brand seed for their farm and wish them a safe and successful harvest this year and for many generations to come. Check out the results of farmer-managed DEKALB Market Development trials on DEKALB.ca this fall.
