Harvest completed on Acres for Ice

Vicki Brooker Oct 14, 2023 8:30 AM
On the north side of the same field, a big red combine provided by Rocky Mountain Equipment approaches Road 71 with the Town of Elk Point for a background. / Vicki Brooker photo▲
The Acre for Ice harvest was well underway when Agland’s huge John Deere combine chewed its way through the field of canola between 54 Street and Road 71, south of 50th Ave., Elk Point on Tuesday afternoon. / Vicki Brooker photo▲
The Acre for Ice harvest was well underway when Agland’s huge John Deere combine chewed its way through the field of canola between 54 Street and Road 71, south of 50th Ave., Elk Point on Tuesday afternoon. / Vicki Brooker photo▲
As the final hoppers of canola were being unloaded into nearby semis, a line of hungry visitors were loading up their plates with burgers and all the trimmings at the barbecue sponsored and prepared by Agland staff and loading up the donation box to assist Acres for Ice with their goal of a new ice plant for A. G. Ross Arena. / Vicki Brooker photo▲
Town of Elk Point Coun. Jason Boorse, who is an Agland employee, was extra busy Tuesday night, manning the barbecue until just enough time was left to head to the evening’s Town Council meeting. / Vicki Brooker photo▲
A. G. Ross Arena fundraising committee members (left to right) Murray Cochrane, Aaron Aarbo, John Grykuliak, Brittany Brousseau, Shane Smith and Courtney Kelly were thrilled to accept a $3,000 donation toward the Acres for Ice project from Amber and Jeff Hughes of S & T Energy Services during the Acres harvest barbecue. / Photo supplied▲
Just over three hours later, the John Deere dumps its final load of the harvest into Christoph Ludlage’s grain wagon, while in the background, the red combine heads up its final trip across the north side of the field. / Vicki Brooker photo▲

ELK POINT – It was a perfect October afternoon with bright sun and brisk south winds as two huge combines pulled into the Acres for Ice fundraiser fields on Tuesday to harvest the canola that will yield much needed funds toward replacement of the ice plant at Elk Point’s A. G. Ross Arena.

This mammoth fundraiser, the result of donated use of the land, donated seed, fertilizer, chemicals and machinery from pre-seed onward, saw more contributed help on hand to complete the harvest, with Agland St. Paul and Rocky Mountain Equipment bringing in their combines for the day, neighbouring farmer Christoph Ludlage collecting the harvested oilseed from both combines and unloading it into semitrailers brought in by Maksymec Farms, Reimer Farms and Rusylvia Transport to hauling the canola to market.

The fundraiser was well underway long before cropping season, when the Aarbo family graciously donated the use oft the land on the quarter section on Elk Point’s southwest edge and a portion of the quarter section to its east, between the Iron Horse Trail and Hwy. 646. Funds started rolling in from area residents and companies who ‘bought’ an acre of the land for the crop year, to help get the crop in the ground, even before the word spread and companies across the region joined in to assist with the very ambitious project.

Volunteers and donors continued through the season, from Farmers Day in June when Elk Point Cornerstone Co-op hosted a barbecue lunch, to harvest day itself when Murray Cochrane of Talaca Oilfield Services provided lunch for the harvest crew before they headed to the field and Redneck Ag made sure everyone stayed hydrated with a jumbo cooler of bottled water for the barbecue supper.

Representatives of some of those companies were among the large crowd that filled the tables lined up along the former Robertson building for that windup barbecue provided and prepared by Agland staff, with diners stuffing a donation box with more contributions to the ice plant project. One major donation came right at the end of the barbecue, as Jeff and Amber Hughes presenting the A. G. Ross Fundraising Committee with a $3,000 cheque toward the upgrade.

Return to LakelandToday.ca