(Originally written by BY JESSICA LUDWIG, THE RUSSELL BANNER)
The Crop of Hope made a last ditch effort to get the crops off before the snow and rain hit.
On Monday, October 8, 2019 the Inglis crop was taken off. Combines were supplied by Rocky Mountain in Russell with operators Jodi Cook- Haney and Bruce Bartram, Pattison Ag in Russell with operator Chris Robinson, Keay Farms from Inglis with operator Reece Keay and Glenn-Terr Farms with operator Shannon Jackson. Trucks were supplied by Keay Farms and Glenn-Terr Farms with Rick Keay, Doug Kurtenbach, Glenn and Terry Jackson driving them. Marilyn Liske helped with supper. The crew ended with approximately 9,100 bushels of canola from the north field.
The Birtle field was combined on Tuesday, October 9, 2019 with combines supplied and operated by Pawluk Ag Ventures from Birtle. The field was swathed by Ken Farquhar. Ian Chipelski of Chipelski Transport – Russell, Brian Bicknell from W.E. Bicknell Freighters – Birtle, Harvey Aberhart from AberhartAg – Langenburg, Travis Derkach from Fairfield Land n Cattle – Russell and Mark Pawluk from Pawluck Ag Ventures all hauled the canola to Bunge. Russell Chicken Chef supplied supper for the crew. From the south field approximately 8,800 bushels of canola was harvested.
The Crop of Hope committee will be finalizing the accounting on the project over the next couple of weeks and will then be giving a full report to the Expanding Community Cancer Care committee.
The committee is very pleased with the response the community, particularly the ag community, gave this project and plan on moving forward with another crop in 2020 in the east and west of the region that is serviced by the chemotherapy unit at Russell District Health Center. Mother Nature, even though she had her moments this year, was kind to the committee on the yield side and this effort should result in a very favorable boost to the ECCC’s financial goals.