Kindness crops up in harvest for hungry By: John Longhurst Posted: 6:49 PM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2024 (415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEAR LANDMARK — Grain dust billowing in their wake, eight combines drove back and forth across a 100-acre field near Landmark on Tuesday to bring in a harvest for hungry people around the world.

The combines were there to take off a crop of wheat for the Landmark Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing project — the first fall harvest for 41 such projects across Manitoba communities.

“The field looks good,” said growing project organizer Randy Plett, who farms oilseeds and grains near Landmark.

Plett, who has been involved with the project since it started in 1996, hopes to get about 75 bushels per acre off the field and another 60-acre parcel nearby that will be combined later.

“It looks like a good crop, but not over the top,” he said, adding that farming in the area was a challenge this year with the excessive spring moisture.

“The Foodgrains Bank field had very little drowned out, unlike some other fields,” he said.

Due to the less-than-optimal growing conditions, this year’s crop won’t be as good as last year when the project got 90 bushels an acre and raised $120,000.

“Hopefully, we can get a good crop and good result,” Plett said, noting that in addition to harvesting, the eight members of the project’s organizing committee also donated their time, equipment and fuel for seeding and maintaining the fields.

The project is also a way for Plett to express his faith. “As a Christian, I want to be a light and encouragement in the world, and to follow the words of Jesus who told us to feed the hungry.

“It shows what faith is all about, being generous and helping others,”

Inputs such as seed, fertilizer and chemicals are also donated by area businesses, such as Richardson Pioneer, which was represented at the harvest by Becky Friesen. She was there with drinks, cookies and donuts for those harvesting the grain and the 25 or so who gathered to watch.

“This is good for the community and good for the world,” she said of why the business supports Foodgrains Bank growing projects. “It’s always good to see farmers working together for the greater good.”

Also watching was Shane Plett, a local landscaper who brought his two sons, Anthony, 6, and Jonathan, 5.

“They love seeing the combines,” said Shane Plett, adding it’s unique for them to see so many operating on the same field.

Travis Warkentin, a member of the organizing committee, was proud to see the community come together on a perfect day.

“You couldn’t ask for a better day for it,” he said. “It’s dry, a bit of a wind to blow the dust away from people who are watching, and there are lots of machines on the field.”

Last year, the projects in Manitoba raised $2.6 million for the Foodgrains Bank. Manitobans donated a total of $5.2 million to the organization.

Canadawide, 190 growing and community projects raised $8.2 million for the Foodgrains Bank last year. Funds generated by these projects and other donations are matched by the Canadian government at four-to-one, up to an annual cap of $25 million.

The project in Landmark is made possible through support from the Prairie Rose and Heartland Community churches in Landmark.

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