Eight Sturgeon County families got some online recognition last week for their innovative and long-time commitments to farm life.
Sturgeon County published profiles of the five 100-Year Farm Families and three Excellence in Agriculture award recipients last Feb. 26 on the county’s website.
County council typically recognizes outstanding volunteers, innovative farmers, and families that have farmed in the county for at least 100 years at the annual Sturgeon Proud gala. That event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, with recipients instead receiving their awards at their homes from county officials last October.
The county commissioned profiles of its agricultural award recipients last year to better tell their stories, Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said. The profiles went up last week to promote this year’s awards, the nomination deadline for which was, as of this writing, March 5.
Dave Woywitka, Tom Eppinga, and Ron Krywko received Excellence in Agriculture awards for their on-farm innovation and environmental leadership.
Krywko, who grows peas, grain, and oilseeds west of Morinville, said he was recognized for his 20-plus-year commitment to environmental stewardship, much of which he learned through the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan program.
“I figured this was a good thing to do not only for me but for the next generation of farmers,” he said.
In addition to preventing fuel leaks and minimizing chemical waste through low-drip nozzles, Krywko made extensive use of no-till agriculture, which was where farmers use precision machinery and chemicals instead of tillage to control weeds and raise crops. The technique is known to reduce soil erosion and trap more carbon in the dirt, which boosts fertility and reduces global heating.
Krywko said he wasn’t sold on no-till at first, but he could see its effects just a few years after he started using it on one of his father’s previously tilled fields. The soil became loose and full of roots and life, and no longer crusted over after every rain, making it easier for seeds to germinate.
“It builds better soil health,” he said, and that means higher yields.
The equipment can be expensive, but Krywko encouraged farmers to give no-till agriculture a try to see the difference it made for their fields.
“For the next generation of farmer coming up, you want to make sure they have good soil to farm.”
Hnatiw said the county was still figuring out what to do for this year’s Sturgeon Proud event.
Information on the Excellence in Agriculture and 100-Year Farm Family awards, as well as profiles of the Byers, Clark, McKenzie, Mulligan, and Schaefer farm families, can be found at www.sturgeoncounty.ca/AgricultureCorner.
