A True Farm Story

The first light of dawn cast over the prairies as the farmer sat watching the world come alive around him. He took his coffee black, as he always had, savouring its strength and flavour. He’d woken up to countless bright mornings like this one since his dad first co-signed for his first quarter of land many years ago. Something seemed different about this day however; he felt a time of transition nearing.

He reflected on his life and felt grateful for the many years of challenges, change, and growth. A lot had happened over the years, going from 25 head of cattle and 5 quarters of land to a 5000-acre farm producing wheat, canola, lentils and peas. It was his father who had first taught him the value of hard work, and later his own experience that helped him to work smarter with new technologies. These advancements allowed him to be always improving production with less manpower and to stay relevant in the chaos of the modern farming world.

With all that it takes to work the land, his thoughts turned to his family. His beautiful bride had been his partner through all the success and failures that came their way these past 40 years. She had been the backbone of the success of the farm and took on varied duties with incredible adaptability. From bookkeeping and making meals, to running the combine or running for parts before 5 pm on a long weekend, she never ceased to amaze him. Together they’d raised three beautiful children that had all gone off into the world to chase dreams of their own. They were so proud of them, and of their young grandchildren that had begun to come along.

He wished he could visit them more, or even move closer. As he weighed his priorities, the crossroads came into focus. The farm needed new equipment, which seemed to double in price just in the past few years. Investing such a sum would keep him out in the fields well into retirement age, and for the first time, he wondered if that’s where his heart was. He thought about how they’d always put things off, saying things like “maybe next year, when the kids are done school, when the crop is better, or when the land is paid off”. Next year’s plans rolled into the following year and dreams seemed to become something that was only talked about

By his second cup of black coffee, he’d reflected on how he’d arrived here, to the present moment. Thankful for his health, his family, and the payoff of long hard days on the land, he decided it was time. Time for more time with family, more freedom, more doing what he and his wife had only dreamed of. They say land prices are up and the demand is strong for quality farmland. “It wouldn’t hurt just to look into our options,” he thought, “I have always wanted to see what all the fuss is about with golf…

Thanks, to Tim Graham of HomeLife Prairies Realty Inc. for the true story of a Saskatchewan farmer. 

If you are looking for to buying or selling land in Saskatchewan, contact Tim Graham.