Save the Date
- 2025 CFWF: September 18 – 20, 2025. Hosted by the MFWA, Winnipeg, MB.
- 2025 IFAJ CONGRESS: October 14 – 18, 2025 in Kenya, East Africa
SFWF Spring Tour Report – June 12 – 13, 2025
Thanks to a valuable partnership between the Saskatchewan and Alberta farm writer groups, our 2025 spring tour was a joint venture to the Medicine Hat area.
Seven SFWA members made the trek with stops in Swift Current early Thursday morning.
Jan Cote organized our stop at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada office in Swift Current and joined us via Zoom. Six speakers; Dr. Firdissa Bokore, Dr. Mervin St. Luce, Dr. Sean Asselin, and Tom Judiesch, spoke about the research they are working on, including wheat variety development, soil and forage health, and soil salinity programs.
Marlene Hursh organized our next stop at the Wheatland Hutterite Colony where we toured their barns and gardens. Judy and John Hofer gave an excellent tour of their home colony and explained how the colony works together to produce all the food they sell and store for colony use.
Both Alberta and Saskatchewan members met at the Medicine Hat Rodeo Grounds for a concession stand supper and to watch the World Professional Chuckwagon Races, an exciting event that featured drivers from both Alberta and Saskatchewan. Our group, and many others, were distracted by game four of the Stanley Cup final and the crowd was mixed on who to cheer for with Edmonton in the final.
Friday tours were a wonderful combination of the past, present, and future of farming in Medicine Hat and area.
Students from the Irvine Discovery Centre wowed us with their farm knowledge as they showed off their garden and livestock and the future of farming in the region. Tied with Irvine School, the on-site agriculture project works farming into the school curriculum and students do farm chores and agricultural lessons as part of their class work load. The farm brings tangible knowledge to 400 rural and urban students as they learn about growing food in a sustainable way and how agriculture business is an important part of Alberta and Canada’s economy.
Our lunch stop at Quattro Farms included talking with the family owners of the business as well as a tour of the expansive independent seed retailer. From commercial and pedigree wheat to spearmint, dill, and peppermint essential oils to industrial hemp processing, five families grew the business into what it is today and our farm writers got an in depth look at this thriving Alberta business.
This stop also included a tour of one of Quattro partner organizations. Forty Mile Pollinators raise leaf-cutter bees for Alberta farmers and from hatching to hibernation, they are with the bees every step of the way. With many crops in the field getting ready to bloom, Forty Mile was ready to deliver trays of bees to local farmers. Their simplified design of their bee tents allow for easy transportation and installation in the fields.
From future to present to past, Short Grass Ranches and the multi-generational Lehr family showed off their Medicine Hat feedlot. Members got to tour the 1,200-head cow-calf operation, including a state of the art cattle handling system developed by Craig Lehr.
A fantastic supper at Grit City Distillery topped off the evening with old and new members getting to mingle and get to know one another.
A trip to the Cypress Farm and Ranch Show and some private press scrums with prominent Alberta agricultural partners capped off the trip before the drive back to Saskatchewan.
Huge thanks go out to Lisa Guenther, Craig Lester, and the rest of the organizing committee who put a lot of time and effort into making the trip a success.
The blurb from the tour website explains the significance of Medicine Hat and area to Alberta’s agricultural industry:
“Nestled in southeastern Alberta, the Medicine Hat area is home to some of the country’s most sunshine-filled days, making it a hub for diverse crop production, large-scale greenhouses, and advanced irrigation systems. From specialty crops to energy-smart farming practices, this region showcases the resilience and ingenuity of prairie agriculture.
We will connect with local farmers/companies and learn about the dedication and innovation that is driving the agricultural sector forward, and sustaining this vital region.”
Thank you to all the members who attended.
