Matt in Action

 The canola ran 39 bushels per acre ...

The Minnedosa Pankratz Crew !

 

The Pankratz family     

Raising canola      ... from one Canadian Family to Many Ethiopian Families    sharing their resources, knowledge and love 

Severson Faba Beans of Norquay

 

This year Ken grew Faba Beans on his 22 acre Kernels of Hope field... Row upon row of beans that can grow as high as 6 feet tall !  the harvest was 1045 bushels !  The price to be determined... the difference made to people in Ethiopias lives is priceless !   They are amazed that Canadians are willing to help so much in this way !

Prime Time at the Van B's

This is prime time ! at the Van B's 

 

 The Van B's got that canola growing great this year !  Everything worked out great !   They produced  43 bu per acre which beat canola yields in the Prairies with the  extremes we had in moisture this season... plus .... we have seldom had these sweet of prices in the fall for canola !    That make for a nice combination !    The put that with the great combination of Tearfund and the CFGB and the Canadian Government and 2150 bu goes a long way to fighting hunger and bettering the lives of those in rural Ethiopia in these crazy times ... thanks to the Van B's the real farmers and thanks to the virtual farmers paying for so many of the input costs !  

 

Ray the Grain Guy

Stay tuned !

 

This is the same wheat at Ron's at the end of August  ...   soon to be combined !  soon to be bread,   soon to be so helpful to so many for our partners in Ethiopia !     Lots can happen before it gets to the elevator though !   You never know !   Stay tuned to this and another 10 similar fields around the Prairies !   

Wheat Progress

 

Ron's Kernels wheat by Brandon AUGUST 5 ...  It's a great stand and the heads look big and the kernels are filling !   Stay tuned for Harvest !    Now looking for that golden colour before bad weather...   What will come first ?

Melting ?

                                  It seems my brain is working overtime again !

                 Just so amazed that we can help so many people so easily !

Here is a canola field near Minnedosa ...  There is always a lot going on above that we often  take for granted    :)

Progress Update

    The crops in the Prairies are looking good   !  Some certainly had too much rain and had some drowned out spots with some erosion included... the high humidity and small rains since have made the crop lush but susceptible to disease.  That is harder to take care of when the fields are not passable but the airplane sprayers love times like this where they can call in their buddies from across the country and make a timely application !    Most of the grain prices are doing just fine (except the wheat ) and the Rail roads are breaking records for June and July grain movement !   The Covid is hampering somewhat but what needs to be done is still getting accomplished ...
   

 The crops are always writing a story and ending is often a surprise to everyone !

Will they have just the right amount of germination, nutrients, moisture and timely operations?  

Will they have a lack of damaging winds, excess moisture, diseases, hail, price drops, transportation blockages,  bin spoilage , and on and on ... 

Will they be used to help feed the World !  

Making a Difference... with your help !

  If you can contribute to the crop costs in these topsy turvy times see the address on the top right of the blog that you can help others in Africa to grow better crops too! ... 

The Key to Hunger Reduction

Yesterday the  Van Heyst field  of wheat at Brandon was all popped out of the ground and lined up to serve !
      We know one of the keys for people in the projects we are assisting in Ethiopia starts right here in Canada by finding  real farmers to produce crops here and finding virtual farmers ( donors like you ) to pay for the production costs !     We are well on the way to getting both sides organized again !

   Seeding in the Prairies started slow but is going well most places with some farmers completely done in May !   Usually seeding in June you start to run the risk of lower yields and possibly getting frost damage in the fall  !     Quality and Quantity are both important !     The Van B's of the Melfort area got their Kernels canola seeded May 21.   Here are a couple of pictures !   Now that it's seeded they have to nurture it all spring and summer and fall  .... Anticipation continues ! Keep the crop and the Van Bs and the reason for the crop in your prayers especially this year when people in every country are struggling  !     

Kernels / Tearfund Update

Spring is almost here !

2020 Kernels Tearfund Video

There is a launch video on the link below from Tearfund that shows some of the successes you have been able to help with ! I'm still learning how to be a techie but if you copy the link and put it into your address bar it will allow you to view it... its about 4 minutes Special thanks to Don at Tearfund ! Ray the Grain Guy https://vimeo.com/410867902/b3aef99ec0

We are deep into the Covid environment and that looks continuously different as we progress and continuously different depending on what part of the world you look at... Farming is much like that ! We get crazy weather here but our equipment and technology can mitigate some of the bad weather effects... places like Africa are getting crazy weather too but can adapt as much. The Conservation Farming we help people engage with on their farms has helped tremendously allowing crops to conserve the little moisture they get and keeping the soil where it is meant to be.. No with the PICS storage bags they are able to keep surplus grain and sell or use at a later time when its even more valuable... Covid is disrupting logistics in so many places making it even more important that we continue to help those farmers produce more on their own. The dignity and security of being able to provide for your own family has until recently in North America been taken for granted ... I will be connecting all the real Canadian farmers this spring with all of you Virtual farmers again to make a Difference for those families in Ethiopia who may be in the struggle of their lives this year... Grow with us in 2020 ! Ray the Grain Guy

April

Much of the snow had left in Manitoba and April 1 brought a no joke winters storm dumping 9 inches of fresh white snow on the fields ! Farmers trying to get ready for seeding in this new world were put on pause for a bit more... snow is moisture and moisture makes grain so we will take it ! Imagine our Canadian farmers picking up supplies from businesses where people won't even let them in the door getting the crop put in... well then take one more step and picture yourself as a farmer in a country of need that may be ravaged with loss from disease... lower chance of healthcare will create many issues for people that currently have little more than their health that enables them to plant their crop... Help us grow crops here in Canada this year so we can support others... We are blessed to bless others Ray the Grain Guy

Some of 2019 ! Next year is always gonna be better ! But see the bottom line Its all worth it !

2019 was long and often difficult !