A fifth generation farmer was honoured Thursday in Yorkton as Blake Fredrickson and his wife Nicole were presented the 2011 Farmer Recognition Award at the Grain Millers Harvest Showdown.
Fredrickson said the award came as a complete surprise, adding they were invited to attend the reception where they learned they had been selected.
"I didn't have a full realization of how important this award is," he said, adding as he learned of the significance it sunk in.
"We are very honoured both to be selected and even to just be in the running for it."
The Fredrickson farm, operated as Maydell Farm, actually has its roots deep in the land south of Theodore. Ollie Fredrickson came to the area with the railway in 1895, and his son Carl, Blake's great grandfather started the farm.
"One of the quarters we have farmed ever since," said Blake, adding they have recently applied for the Century Farm Award on the quarter.
For years the heart of the farm was a dairy.
"My grandfather Harold and May (his wife) started the dairy," said Blake at the Farrell Agencies Ltd and Miller Equipment Commercial Grain Show reception.
The dairy operated from 1950 until 1997, when it was phased out, by Blake's father Allan.
"He had a number of reasons," said Blake, adding in the end it really came down to the size of the operation. "It was the economy of scale, get bigger, or do something else." he said. "So he phased out the dairy operation."
But the rest of the farm grew as a result.
"Since the dairy we've expanded the grain farm through the last 10-years," he said.
They now farm 7,500 acres, growing mostly wheat and canola. Blake said they do grow peas too, and have in the past planted flax, oats and barley.
Blake said 2011 was a good one on the farm.
"I was very happy with the crop, and happy with the price," he said, adding that came after "a very difficult spring, very close to being as bad as last spring (2010)."
That said Blake said they were better prepared for wet conditions this year.
"We had a lot of learning experience from last year that allowed us to do what we needed to do," he said.
The fall though was much better, in spite of a wet week to start September. The weather turned, and Blake said the crop was in the bin by the end of the month, and that left October to do a lot of preparation work for 2012.
"We're going into winter ready for spring next year," he said.
In addition to the grain, the Fredrickson's have grown a cattle herd which now numbers 300-plus cows.
The herd started out as purebred Hereford, but for the last five years they have been crossing with red angus, a cross Blake said he is very happy with.
They have been selling calves, but have altered that system this fall, retaining ownership but having neighbour Vale Country Ranch background and finish the calves.
The change "has to do with efficiencies," he said, adding they simply don't have the cattle to do the finishing themselves. But he added he figures if someone else can buy his calves, and finish them, then there has to be a dollar for him to capture through contracting.
"They (finishers) must be doing it for a reason," he said.
In general terms, Blake said he is optimistic about the beef industry in the short term.
"I think from today forward I see an upturn in the beef industry," he said. "The next couple of years could be very profitable in the beef industry."
The Fredrickson's also diversified in a somewhat unique way when agriculture went through a downturn a decade ago.
Blake said he had just finished university in 2000, returned to the farm, and found the agriculture industry in a downturn. It was a time which spawned the idea of diversification for farmers, but Blake said doing that on the farm still tied you to the ups and downs of agriculture.
"The early 2000s were some of the hardest times in farming in the last 30-years," he said.
So Blake, and his father Allan decided to use a personal interest in hunting and fishing to their advantage.
"We started out outfitting, everything from deer hunting, bear, waterfowl," he said, adding that expanded to a fish camp in the Flin Flon area, and finally starting a lodge at Black Lake a fly-in spot 1,000 kilometres north of Theodore.
"It was mainly because my father and I are big into outdoor activities. We wanted to use that," he said, adding they hoped the tourism sector would shield them from agricultural swings.
While the lake has "provided a lot of great experiences (35-pound lake trout and hungry pickerel)," it hasn't proven a huge business success. He said as a start up the lodge simply took the profits as the business grew, but his father still operates the camp seeing it as something to do in retirement.
