This year鈥檚 Farm Family of the Year Award recipients have enjoyed success in the agriculture sector through their farms, which are located outside of Lampman.听
The Fornwald family was presented with the prestigious award during the annual Estevan Farmer鈥檚 Appreciation Evening on Tuesday night at the Days Inn Plaza, in front of a sold out crowd.
Blake Fornwald, who gave a speech on behalf of the family, said he was looking forward to the evening.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be familiar faces and friends and people from the local area,鈥� Blake said in an interview with the Mercury. 鈥淚t won鈥檛 be people you don鈥檛 know. It鈥檚 going to be great.鈥�
A rich history
Blake鈥檚 father, Henry Fornwald, started farming in 1944. Henry farmed with his own father, mostly growing wheat and oats. He bought his first parcel of land in 1949 and in 1952 he purchased the home section.
Henry married Marguerite Miller in 1955. They had 10 children, including six girls and four boys, who they raised on the farm. The homestead is 21 kilometres east and 1 1/2 kilometres south of Lampman. Three other farms are within an eight-kilometre radius of the homestead.
The four boys 鈥� Blake, Darrell, Dennis and Todd 鈥� continue to be active with farming in the Lampman area, and have about 16,000 acres between them. Each of them has a homestead of their own.
Three of Henry and Marguerite鈥檚 daughters also married farmers, and have remained near Lampman.
While the Fornwalds鈥� operations are crop-based now, livestock used to be found on Henry and Marguerite鈥檚 farm.
鈥淗enry and Marguerite always had beef cattle, a few milking cows, chickens and a large garden to provide for their family,鈥� stated the bio for the family. 鈥淗enry farmed many years with his brother until his own sons were old enough to become full-time farmers.鈥�
The cattle and other livestock are gone, but cereal, oilseed and pulse crops are grown on the farms.
鈥淲e do zero-till farming,鈥� said Blake. 鈥淲e use all current pesticides and herbicides that are available, and GPS technology.鈥�
Henry and Marguerite moved to Lampman in 1997. He grew a crop of his own for the final time in 2013.
In 2015, he sold the remainder of his land to family members.
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Active in the community
Church and sports have been a big part of the family鈥檚 lives. Henry joined the Knights of Columbus in 1949 and is an honourary life member. While on the farm, Henry and Marguerite attended Maryland Roman Catholic Church. They were both active in the church, with Henry serving on the parish council and Marguerite on the ladies鈥� altar society.
They remain active members of the Lampman Roman Catholic Church.
Henry is also well-known in Lampman for the numerous hours he spent helping with the construction of the Lampman Community Complex, as well as renovations that have been done to the skating rink and the baseball diamonds. In 2009, Henry received the SaskEnergy Volunteer Champion Award. He and Marguerite also attended countless baseball and hockey games, watching their children and grandchildren play in many of them.
Blake estimates his father used to watch 100 games in a winter when the children and grandchildren were active in hockey.
Henry played ball when he was young, and always enjoyed seeing his children to play sports.
鈥淚f you were going to a concert in Regina, he鈥檇 say 鈥楳aybe you don鈥檛 need to go,鈥� but if it was a hockey game in Saskatoon, he would put gas in the car for us,鈥� said Blake.
From Henry鈥檚 perspective, sports are a great pastime and they help young people mature, Blake said. And watching sports and being active in the community have always been a big part of their lives.
鈥淲hen you live in a small community, you learn that you have to contribute in order for your community to survive,鈥� said Blake. 鈥淟ampman is no different than other surrounding communities. We鈥檝e gone through struggles of people moving away, and sometimes the facilities aren鈥檛 kept up.鈥�
Henry and Marguerite celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2015, and the following year, Henry celebrated his 90th birthday. He and Marguerite currently have 28 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.
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Proud of family roots
Blake said he entered the agriculture sector for a career because his father was a farmer. Henry encouraged the children to farm, but he didn鈥檛 force them into the industry.
鈥淗e helped us get started,鈥� said Blake. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough industry to be in, and without that kind of guidance and that kind of help from a parent, it鈥檚 not the kind of industry that you can just step into and buy equipment and land and get started. You really need someone to help you financially, and with advice.鈥�
Farming is a tough business to get into, so it鈥檚 good to have that kind of support.
It鈥檚 also been rewarding to keep the farm in the family. When Henry started, he was at the ground level, with a few quarters of land, but he expanded the operation and added buildings.
And now Blake is excited to see the farming moving to the next generation.
鈥淚f you were to sell out and retire and move away, someone else owns that,鈥� said Blake.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 like running your own business鈥�
听Blake said agriculture allows farmers to be their own boss. They get to decide what they want to do each day.
鈥淲hether you succeed or fail, it falls back on you,鈥� said Blake. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like running your own business. You have to do it yourself, but you have to rely on others to make it work, and you have to work with the public to buy your products and sell your products.鈥�
There鈥檚 also a great feeling in owning your own land, working on that land and operating your own equipment.
鈥淎nd if you can have your family involved in the operation, that鈥檚 just another bonus as well,鈥� said Blake. 鈥淚 have three sons who are farming, either full-time or part-time.鈥�
For those who are looking to be their own boss, work on the land and have pride in what they do, farming is a great way to do it.
Technology has become more important, and the farms have become larger.
Blake noted that when Henry started farming, it would take 10 years for a big change in technology to occur. Now it takes two or three years for equipment to become outdated.
鈥淐ombines are tractors are totally different,鈥� said Blake. 鈥淲e have GPS. We have computers. All of society has changed. Smart phones are integrated into our farm. When you look at a new vehicle, at the technology you can have, with Wi-Fi in your pickup truck.
鈥淔arming is the same as the rest of the world. It鈥檚 changing so fast. It鈥檚 scary to think about where we鈥檒l be five years from now, when it took 20 years to get one step, and five years from now, we鈥檒l be two steps ahead of where we are now.鈥�
It鈥檚 exciting for those willing to embrace it, but for those who are afraid of change and technology, they鈥檙e going to be left behind, he said.
Blake said he is proud of his parents and their accomplishments in farming, and he views the Farm Family of the Year Award as a testament to their success.
