The Emde family can vouch for the importance of family in a successful farming operation in the 21st century.
Four generations of Emdes have been involved with farming in the Midale area, and a fifth one might yet find its way into the industry as well.
Ron and Lana Emde are still at the helm of the operation, known as Emde Land and Cattle, and all four children and spouses are involved in the operation in some way.
The Emdes are the latest recipients of the prestigious Farm Family of the Year Award. The prestigious honour was presented Tuesday afternoon at the Emde farm site.
The Emdes were selected to win the Farm Family honour in 2020, with a presentation to happen in late March during the Estevan Farmer’s Appreciation Evening banquet. But the event, presented by the Estevan Chamber of Commerce and the Estevan Exhibition Association, was cancelled, as the COVID-19 pandemic struck Saskatchewan just a couple of weeks before the banquet.
So the decision was made to have the Emdes receive the recognition for 2021 instead. And since the Farmers’ Appreciation Evening won’t happen this year, either, it was decided to present the award at the Emde farm instead.
The farm’s history
The Emde family’s history in farming in Saskatchewan started with Ron’s grandfather Wilhelm (Bill) Emde. Wilhelm was born in Germany in 1889, and when he was 14, he moved to South Dakota to farm with his uncle. Ron, Lana and their family aren’t sure when Wilhelm came to Canada, but Wilhelm married Ron’s grandmother Clara in 1915, and settled on a homestead just outside of Midale.
They worked together on the farm, and remained there except for about three years when they moved to Manitoba due to drought. Wilhelm and Clara eventually returned to the homestead and retired in 1956.
Ron’s father Willis grew up farming alongside Wilhelm. In 1956, Willis and his wife Hazel moved to the family farm, and in 1959, they purchased a different farm, which is on land they still own.
Ron was the youngest of Willis and Hazel’s four children.
“Ron farmed with his dad and his brother (Alan) for quite a few years, and also worked in the oilfield,” said Lana.
The family has a large operation, including grassland. Not only do they have land around Midale, but they also farm in the Griffin, Halbrite and Benson areas. Their homestead is about eight kilometres west of Midale.
Canola, wheat, durum, soy beans, barley and lentils can all be found on their land. They also have a cow-calf operation with some steers.
While they farm a lot of land, the land that they have acquired over the years was offered to them. They have never tried to outbid someone else on owning land.
Ron says they want to see the next generation succeed in farming.
“We believe the young people have just as much right to expand their farms as we do, just as we expanded a number of years back when farming wasn’t as lucrative and people didn’t want the land,” said Ron, who noted they have passed up land over the years so that neighbours could secure it.
Camelina oil is also part of their crop rotation, so Ron and Lana furthered their expansion by becoming co-founders of The Three Farmers in 2011. The Saskatchewan-based company has quickly expanded into producing not only camelina oil, but also chickpea, pea, and lentil snacks.
A changing industry
When Ron’s father started farming, he had about 800 acres of spring wheat.
“Way back then, there was no fertilizer use, and now we continuous crop. We seed the whole farm. We fertilize the whole farm,” said Ron.
At one time, half the farm would be summer fallow, Ron said. They would only crop it every other year. Farming has become more advanced and there are more ways to save money so they aren’t wasting fertilizer, seed and chemical.
Ron says that Willis would claim that there will never be another generation that will see more changes than Willis and Clara’s.
“He went from the horse and buggy when he was a kid to the automobile to seeing them put a man on the moon – a man walking on the moon – and before he passed away, the tractors had auto-steer; they were driving themselves down the field,” said Ron.
There will be further advancements in technology, but changes in Willis Emde’s generation were major ones.
The advancements in farming have added more planning and taken some of the guesswork out of the industry, said their daughter Chelsea. The Emdes are big supporters of soil testing, and if you’re not taking care of that foundation, you’re taking a larger risk with what you’re doing.
“There’s lots of things that farms can do to build a strong operation,” said Chelsea.
The impact of family and staff
Their daughter Chelsea Toles, her husband Dallas and son Brigden live near Halbrite and farm land that they have built a home on. Chelsea received her agronomy degree in college and is currently applying her education working on the farm as an agronomist.
Chelsea and Dallas both assist with harvest on the farm in the fall and Chelsea helps her parents with crop planning and field management throughout the summer.
Another daughter, Kendall, and her husband Shawn live at Mainprize Regional Park and both work for their family farms. They are expecting their first child this spring. With Kendall’s diploma in agri-business, she utilizes it by bookkeeping for the farm. She also assists in the field, and farms her own land with her parents.
Kendall and Shawn have their own farm, S.K.E. Acres Ltd. They have purchased their own land and plan to continue buying and renting more land to expand their own operation.
A third daughter, Dakota, and her husband Brody are living south of the main farm in the Bromhead area at Brody’s family’s homestead. Dakota has her own photography business, which comes in great use during the annual harvest photo shoot. During harvest, Dakota helps with harvest meals.
Brody started working for the farm in high school and has become a key asset to the team with his mechanical knowledge over the last eight years.
Their son Kyler, his wife Sarah and their children Adriah, Georgia and Kolter live on the homestead. Ron and Kyler started Kyron Trucking together, and Kyler recently took full ownership of the company. Kyron Trucking can be seen on the highways hauling fertilizer, grain and cattle for input suppliers, grain elevators and local farmers. Kyler continues to work for the family farm, and has picked up his own land to farm with his wife and family.
Ron and Lana noted that Kyron Trucking is a big part of their operation, because it keeps their workers employed in the winter months. They have nine full-time employees.
“A lot of farms lay off most of their men in the winter, and we try to keep them all employed,” said Ron. “That’s why we do the customer grain and fertilizer hauling and livestock to keep four or five of our guys around in the winter.”
They even have a health plan for their employees and their families, which they have had for years.
“Our men are dedicated to us. We have very good employees,” said Ron. “We cannot say enough about our employees, how dedicated they are to the farm, and how they fit right in, just like it’s their operation.”
The Emde Land and Cattle employees care about the seeding rates and depths, and how much fertilizer they’re applying and how much chemical they’re using.
Many of their employees who work on the farm are relatives, and those who aren’t family members become like family to the Emdes.
At harvest over 20 people come together throughout the season to do their share for the farm from combining and trucking, to meal deliveries and part runs.
Ron says he can’t give his wife enough credit for how she’s backed the family over the years. She has never questioned the equipment they wanted to buy, the land they wanted to take on or the crops they wanted to grow.
“She’s the rock of the whole family and the whole operation,” said Ron.
Lana was a co-owner of Carl Brady Trucking out of Halbrite until she retired. The business was founded by her mother and father in 1968. After 36 years of working in the family business, Lana turned her full attention to the family farm. She runs equipment in the spring and fall, and manages the office work.
She says it’s “awesome” to keep the Emde farm within the family. After growing up in an oilfield family, she was used to seeing a fleet of trucks instead of a herd of cattle.
It helps that she knew how to drive a truck when she moved to the farm, so she hauled grain. And she has driven other equipment on the farm.
“Since I came to the farm, I’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve been able to raise our kids here, and it was important to me,” said Lana.
When she wanted to spend time with her father in oilfield, she had to go into the truck and be with him out there.
But with a farm, they would have a lot more family time, and nobody is worried about having kids out there.
“I can’t say enough good about farm life,” said Lana. “It’s been an awesome life for me. Working together, Ron and I do everything together. We’ve always been that team that it didn’t matter what I was doing, Ron could do whatever I could do in the house, and I could do whatever he could do in the field.
“Raising our kids, they all learned to drive at a young age, and they all can run the equipment. I don’t think there’s a piece of equipment that most of our kids can’t run at any time. And that comes from Ron and I being out there together most of the time.”
The joys of farming
Ron said he loves the lifestyle associated with farming. He worked in the oilfield for 25 years, but the farm was always in his heart.
“It’s a great place to raise a family,” he said. “It teaches good work ethic. I always said that … ‘if you’re going to hire a farm kid, they’re going to know how to work.’”
There’s also the peace of mind associated with living in the country. Yes, he has to start work at 5 a.m. a lot of days, but it’s calm and peaceful, and you don’t have the hustle and bustle of city life.
Chelsea spent a few years in Saskatoon while studying at the University of Saskatoon to obtain her agronomy degree, with a minor in agriculture business.
After spending five years working for Eggum Seed Sales, which is based out of the Midale area, she decided to return to work on the farm after her son Brigden was born.
Chelsea said she loves the versatility of the industry. There’s more than one way to farm. You can go from conventional to organic.
“There’s no wrong way to do it,” Chelsea said. “The farming technology and advancements in science have turned farming into an industry that requires multiple team members to succeed.”
A good farming operation needs those who have a good understanding of mechanics and technology, and they need those that are good in the office or are booksmart. You also need those with agronomic education to understand what’s going on in the field and how to handle any problems.
“You also need those caretakers that keep everybody running throughout the year, like our cooks,” said Chelsea.
Chelsea is proud to see the way in which her siblings have been involved in the farm.
“Kyler has been working on the farm since he could walk, and he’s never left,” said Chelsea. “I think if you made him leave, that wouldn’t go over well. He lives and breathes the farm.”
It’s rewarding to continue to farm with the family, she said. Everyone has been included very well. Even though her parents have the final decision on everything, they’re very good at including the children in the family’s decision.
They’ll sit around the dinner table a few times throughout the year to discuss their goals for the farm and how they should manage it throughout the season – looking at risk factors, and how they can do things better from agronomic, economic and other perspectives.
“It just encourages us all to be on the same page and to be included in all the farm decisions,” said Chelsea.
Another generation of farmers might be part of the operation one day. Their oldest grandchild is six years old, and a couple of the younger grandchildren have taken an interest in tractors and cows and everything else associated with the farm.
Community involvement
The Emdes also take a big role in the community. Lana has been part of a lot of boards. She was on the school board for 10 years when her kids were in school, and she worked with the catering club and taught Sunday school. The family constantly supported fundraisers.
Prior to COVID-19, the civic centre held a fundraiser named More 2000, which featured an auction and a supper.
The Emde’s would host achievement days for the local 4-H club at their farm. And they have been part of councils for rural municipalities.
“As a family, it seems like we’re always doing something community-wide,” said Lana.
They might always have something on the go with the farm or with their families, but they also always have time for their community, which makes the Emdes the embodiment of a modern farm family.
