A mother and a farmer’s story

Firstly, I am a mother. Secondly, I am a farmer alongside my husband on a family crop farm in north eastern Alberta.

I understand that some people have questions about the safety and quality of the food they serve at their dinner tables. As a parent I take my responsibility to protect and provide for my family very seriously. With so much information now available to us, I feel that it is my duty to gather trustworthy information about what I put on the family table. This is why I am sharing my story as a mother and farmer.

My story isn’t much different than that of any other Canadian farming family. We have two children, each with their own passions and wills to pursue their own separate paths. Our oldest made the choice to pursue her education as a dentist and is now completing her education in New York. After some time away from the farm studying and working our son Brent has decided to come home to the family farm where he feels his future lies.

In our hearts, we always knew he would be the one to carry on the farming legacy. As a little boy, he begged to skip school to ride in the combine with his dad during the harvest season. Every spring he would rip up a corner of our lawn driving around his mini tractors. When I would ask him exactly what he was up to, he would proudly announce, “I’m very busy farming.” I guess it was always in his heart and his DNA to become a farmer.

Fast forward to this past spring where Brent rented his first parcel of land. He planted his first barley crop relying on science and technology to ensure he was doing things safely and sustainably. What does this mean to the people who will buy and eat the food that comes from the crops he grows?

The equipment we use today has technology that allows us to be more precise and efficient than ever. We can apply exactly the amount of fertilizer and pesticides that are necessary in exactly the spots where it is needed. This means we do not need to go up and down the field with our tractor as many times, which reduces the amount of gas we burn and limits our greenhouse gas emissions. We also do not disturb the soil as often, which preserves the billions of microorganisms that keep our soil healthy for future crops.

Simply put, science and technology are helping us be more sustainable. That’s good for us as farmers as we look to pass our operations down to the next generation and it’s good for consumers who need us to continue to grow safe and affordable food for their families.

Brent is learning about how plant science helps develop new kinds of seeds that produce stronger, healthier crops to withstand adverse weather and mitigate the effects of climate change. I hope that my son never has to experience devastating drought like we did in our very first year of farming but if he does, he’ll have science on his side to help him overcome the challenge.

For us on our farm, using plant science is an environmentally sound choice. And it’s a choice that will help our son continue to farm into the future.

This fall Brent and I combined the barley crop together. It was a proud and tearful moment for me as a mother. As we harvested the last row of barley, I said to Brent, “Well, son, today is the day you are officially a farmer.” His reply: “Thanks to you and dad for all the help. I know this is where I now need to be.” My heart was bursting with pride and I sensed that Brent saw this moment as the beginning of his future.

Putting our trust into plant science and technology will help ensure the legacy of the family farm continues from our generation to the next. The food that you feed your family could very well be the food from our farm and this is what I am feeding my family. I am proud to share the story of my family’s farm so that consumers who may not have had the chance to visit a farm can have access to trustworthy information from the real people who grow their food. People like our family who love the land and want nothing more than the next generation of farmers to flourish.

Jeannette Andrashewski,
Alberta farmer and mom

Follow Jeannette on Twitter and Instagram @farminginpearls for more stories about her family farm