A fourth-generation family farm, Mayview Farms near Weyburn, was named the recipients of the 2016 Golden Sheaf Award by the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of excellence in agricultural achievement.
The award was presented on Tuesday evening at the Chamber’s annual Farmer Appreciation Banquet, held at McKenna Hall. The guest speaker for the event was Marty Seymour of Farm Credit Corporation, who was recently the CEO of Canadian Western Agribition.
Dave and Pat May farm the land that Dave’s grandfather began farming just after the First World War, and their son Jeffrey will soon be taking it over full-time.
Dave took the farm over in 1972, and married Pat in 1975, with the couple raising three children, daughters Lisa and Marla, and son Jeffrey, who recently returned from Albania where he worked as a geologist for an oil company.
“Farming does take a community, and we’ve been blessed to be part of a great one,” Pat told the audience as they accepted the award.
She noted that Dave’s father Edgar is nearly 90 years old, and still runs a combine at harvest time and a tractor at seeding time.
“Anyone who knows Dave knows how hard he works, and anyone who knows me knows how hard I’ve been trying to get him to slow down,” said Pat to laughter.
Referring to their two daughters, she noted their love of farming led them to pursue agriculture-related education, while their geologist son will soon be taking over the farm on a full-time basis.
“Farming is not for the faint of heart. We’ve been through drought, grasshoppers, hail and low commodity prices,” said Pat, adding that the family working together with the help of friends and businesses has helped them make it through the tough times.
“It’s a real privilege to farm in the community of Weyburn. We have everything we need here, and I hope it continues that way,” said Dave.
In an interview afterwards, Pat remarked, “I feel very proud of my husband, because he works hard. It’s great farming in Weyburn, and this is probably the best community to farm in. We have a lot of good relationships with businesses and friends here.”
“The proudest moment I’ve had was this summer, when I had a grandchild and my father had a great-grandchild while we were combining for the afternoon. Each kid had a buddy seat and a snack, and they’d wave at each other when we went by,” said Dave, noting his grandchild was five, and the four-year-old was with his father Edgar.
“Knowing we have so many friends in this room, the relationships we have built have really blessed us,” said Pat, and Dave nodded, noting they knew almost everybody present in the hall.
Dave noted they still have a little bit of harvesting of their canaryseed crop left to finish, and if the fields get dry enough to get back out, they could finish it in three or four days.
The farm produces wheat, lentils, canola, flax and soybeans in addition to the canaryseed they are hoping to finish up before the snow flies.
While they are farming the land his grandfather started after the First World War, Dave noted that his great-grandfather settled in 1903 on land a short distance away, so his family has been farming in the area continually since that time.
“It’s in the family. I enjoy it, I love the smell of dirt,” smiled Dave, paying tribute to the help and support of his parents. “They sacrificed a lot so that we could start on the farm.”
He noted they used to have a lot of cattle, and when he and Pat took the farm over, they diversified into different crops.
The award was presented on the basis of criteria that included longevity, involvement in the community, and innovation in their agricultural practices.
