CARLYLE - Farming for the Future has turned out to be an excellent way to generate funds for the Carlyle Community Complex Foundation (CCCF).
David Lemieux is one of the members of the CCCF and he said all the board members are helping in one way or another, and they have volunteer support.
Last year 90 acres were donated by Shane and Ashley Valentine.
This land was seeded into soft white wheat and is used for ethanol. With the drier season they thought their yield would be down, but it did very well, raising $60,000.
They began to prepare the land for the 2024 crop with the 306 Ag Resource Group donating their equipment, time and fertilizer called Bio-Sul, to be applied for the second annual crop.
This year another 150 acres has been donated by Trevor and Nickie Doty. Their land is located south of Carlyle, while Valentine's land is north.
The expense to plant the 240 acres will be $30,000, and they hope to cover this with donations.
With the committee collaborating with local farmers and suppliers, it was decided to plant 90 acres of canola and 150 acres in durum wheat.
Lemieux said they have received a great deal of support for the project from many, which is the ultimate goal of their community, “becoming one.”
Donations have ranged from field work, time, cash, fuel, equipment, seed, sprayers and the list goes on.
The following have made donations as of March 28: Joey Brady, Aberhart Ag Solutions, AMHI Hail Insurance, Brady Farms Ltd, Brady Lands Inc., Brown Acres Ltd, Belchim Crop Protection, Christie Hislop, Co-op Fuel, H5 Farms Ltd., Iron Creek Farms Ltd., Precision Ag Carlyle, Shane and Ashley Valentine, Trevor and Nickie Doty, Western Ag and 306 Ag Resource.
Not only is this a fundraising project, but it is a learning experience at the school.
Precision Ag went to Carlyle students and talked about farming and the process that it takes from seeding to harvest.
There are still ways to help with the project through donations and time.
Merchants in Carlyle are also helping by rounding up sales when it is okay with the customer. This is done at Pharmasave, King's Department Store and Sew and Sews.
