Manitoba Outstanding Young Farmer's Award Nominees Announced

 

Nominess have been announced for this year's Manitoba Outstanding Young Farmer's Award.

 

In the running are Jamie and Amy Bell of Birtle, MB and Brooks and Jen White of Pierson, MB.

 

The winner will be announced March 3, 2018 at a banquet held at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg.

 

Manitoba is also hosting the national awards ceremony this November.

 

 

Farming is in our blood.  Jamie is a 6th generation farmer that will be planting the farm’s 136th consecutive crop this spring.  This may sound unique but it’s actually not as 2 of our neighbors, the Clarks and Heise’s will be doing the same all within a 10 mile radius of Isabella.  Amy (nee Ellis) is from a mixed cattle and grain farm from Kenton.  Her family has farming ties that also run deep as her father and uncle just retired from farming a Century Farm in the Kenton-Lenore area.

 

Together Jamie and Amy are co-owners in the farming corporation Bell Century Farms Isabella Ltd.  The 5000 acre family farm grows wheat, canola, soybeans, and a few chickens.  In the past we had a more diverse rotation but being that there are lots of acres to cover and Jamie is the lone man on the seeder, simplification is everything to ensure the crop gets in with a timely manner.  

 

Jamie took over managing the farm from his father Ron in 2003 and has doubled its size from 2500 acres.  There were a lot of late nights and early mornings put in with the old Morris 40’ air seeder back then and there still are today but at least the equipment has been upgraded and is less likely to breakdown.

 

Amy helped with harvests before their three children Spencer, Corbin, and Reegan came along, but for now her role is head chef and child minder.  She also works part-time as an agronomist at Twin Valley Co-op.

 

The couple relies on casual labor from family and friends throughout seeding and harvest to make things a go.  Their children have a keen interested in faming spending many hours in the cabs of equipment and it is their parent’s hope that the children will take over some day.