By Greg Nikkel
Dean and Kari Nikolejsin were surprised when they were informed they would be the 2017 recipients of the Golden Sheaf Award from the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce, presented to them on Tuesday evening at the annual Farmer Appreciation Banquet at McKenna Hall.
“My first question was, ‘why us?’,” said Dean following the presentation as well-wishers congratulated them. “We don’t think we’re doing anything more amazing than anyone else.”
“It was totally unexpected,” added Kari.
The couple own and operate a grain farm north of Weyburn at Cedoux on 8,500 acres, along with sons Rhett and Ty, and are the third generation to be farming the land, which includes two Century Farm homesteads that were established in 1902 and 1903.
Dean’s father, John, was a previous winner of the Golden Sheaf Award 22 years ago.
“We’re very proud of them. They’ve worked hard at what they’re doing, and as proud as I am of this, what I’m most proud of is that family has always come first with them,” said John.
The award is based on four criteria, including innovation, industry involvement, community involvement and stewardship, noted chamber president Larry Heggs.
He said Dean started operating farm equipment at the age of 12 and bought his first quarter of land at the age of 16, going on to farm full-time once he graduated from high school. As a family, they are highly involved in sports, coaching and playing ball and hockey. Dean was presented with the Weyburn Minor Ball Builders Award in 2016 for his contributions to that sport in the area.
The family uses the most up-to-date technology available, and use zero-till practices in their farming, with the 2017 harvest including canola, spring wheat, canaryseed, barley and lentils.
“I think having two Century Farm pieces of land kind of solidifies what we’re doing,” said Kari, telling the audience they both follow the way they were raised in being involved in the community and giving back in any way they can.
She said being a farm wife has enabled her to develop a number of talents, including being a parts specialist so she knows precisely what the right part is when she runs to town for her husband, being a master chef who has supper ready for anywhere from three to eight people available at any hour, and having mind-reading abilities so she knows that a 5/16th-inch wrench is needed without being told.
Dean noted that his oldest son, Rhett, is attending agricultural college in Saskatoon, and may go on to take schooling to be an agronomist, with both sons involved in the farming and showing interest in joining him as the fourth generation on the land.
He also said his father, who is 81 years old, still puts in long hours of work on the farm alongside him, sometimes putting in longer days than he does.
Asked how the 2017 harvest went, Dean said, “It was a lot better than it should’ve been. We received a total of three-quarters of an inch of rain, with a quarter-inch falling in one day. We were very surprised with what we ended up with.”
