ESTEVAN — The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins are pleased with the first year of their Bushels for the Bruins farming and agriculture venture, which was made possible through the generosity and teamwork of the local Estevan agricultural community.
Planning and organizing the necessary labour, operations and donations originated with Tye Olson and Derek Tendler of Richardson Pioneer, located west of Estevan. In a news release, the Bruins said they would not have been able to undertake the project without the generous donation of time and expertise.
The growing season kicked off this spring when Melle Farms donated the equipment and labour to spray the Bruins’ rented land north of Bienfait with herbicide to burn off weeds. The pre-burn chemical was donated by Nufarm.
Seeding occurred May 30 and was led by Stephen Terrett and Terrett Farms, who donated all labour and equipment to seed the land. One tonne of fertilizer was donated through Mosaic, and on top of seeding, the Terretts also donated two metric tonnes of fertilizer.
Three different varieties of canola were seeded, including BASF Invigor, Dekalb and Brett Young. The Bruins noted the seed and much of the other chemical were donated through the work of Richardson Pioneer, with Kristen Carlson providing progress reports and informative advice as the crop grew.
Two other applications of chemical were provided throughout the growing season, including one in-crop pass donated by Precision Ag, with the help of Kirk Johnson and once again applied by the generous contribution of Melle Farms. The decision was also made for a fungicide application pass, which was applied by plane from Bromhead Air Services. The fungicide chemical was donated by Syngenta.
The news release stated a generous season of precipitation in July set the Bruins up well for a bountiful crop.
“By late August, the crop looked very promising and we missed two major hailstorms,” the news release said. “Because the Bruins had hail insurance supplied by Hoium Agencies and Palliser Insurance, all that was left was to hope for warm days as harvest preparation began.”
The harvest date was set for Sept. 24 and the Bruins said the weather co-operated.
“Energy and excitement were in the air as the equipment arrived. Two Case IH combines arrived, including one impressive Case IH AF9, both generously donated by Redhead Equipment. One massive John Deere X9, operated by Darcy Yergens and generously donated by Nelson Motors and Equipment, also hit the field.”
Operation of these machines was provided by Yergens, Armel Hall and Dean Wigley, with relief later from Nigel Mack, Kyler Ward and Mike Marr. All trucking of the canola was provided by Greening Trucking, which the Bruins said was a welcome addition as they moved forward with the work of the day.
The trucking of the grain ended at the Richardson Pioneer terminal. Six Bruin players were also present for harvest. Lunch and fuel were donated by Top Torque and Josh Biggs.
“With over $5 million worth of modern farm equipment working together in the field, the scale of the operation was both remarkable and inspiring,” the Bruins said.
The Bruins thanked those who donated products, time and equipment, as well as the ag dealers and families who supported the project this year.
The next fundraising event will include seats at both Edmonton Oilers’ and Calgary Flames’ NHL games.
On the ice, the Bruins scored three times in 3:06 in the first period en route to a 6-3 win over the Yorkton Terriers Sept. 30 at Affinity Place. Rylan Williams had two of the first-period goals and Noah Asmundson had the other – his first in the SJHL.
Then Ewan Rennie, Oliver Kramp and Ethan Andrews scored in the final six minutes of the third to put the game away. Kramp’s goal was his first in the SJHL.
Brady Carr, a graduate of the Estevan U18 AAA Bears program, made 40 saves to get his first win in the SJHL. Yorkton outshot Estevan 42-29.
Former Bears defenceman Thomas Ries had one of Yorkton’s goals.
Estevan will now embark on their first northern road trip of the season, visiting the Nipawin Hawks on Oct. 3 and the La Ronge Ice Wolves Oct. 4 and 5.
