The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins are proud to celebrate the first year of their “Bushels for the Bruins” farming and agriculture venture, made possible through the generosity and teamwork of the local Estevan agricultural community.
Planning and organizing the necessary operations, labour and donations originated with Tye Olson and Derek Tendler of Richardson Pioneer located in Estevan. The Bruins would not have been able to undertake the project without their generous donation of time and expertise.
The growing season kicked-off this spring when Melle Farms generously donated the equipment and labour to spray the Bruins’ rented land north of Bienfait with a herbicide to burn off any weeds. The preburn chemical was donated by Nufarm.
Seeding took place on May 30, headed up by Stephen Terrett and Terrett Farms. The Terrett family generously donated all labour and equipment to seed the land. 1 ton of fertilizer was donated thru Mosiac, and on top of seeding, Terrets also donated 2mt of fertilizer. Three different varieties of canola were seeded, including BASF Invigor, Dekalb, and Brett Young. The seed and much of the other chemical was all donated through the work of Richardson Pioneer, with the watchful eye of Kristen Carlson of Richardson Pioneer grain providing progress reports and informative advice as the crop grew.
View this post on Instagram
Two other applications of chemical were applied throughout the growing season, including 1 incrop pass donated by Precision Ag. With the help of Kirk Johnson and once again applied by the generous contribution of Melle farms.
The decision was also made for a fungicide application pass which was applied by plane through the generosity of Bromhead Air Services. The fungicide chemical was donated by Syngenta.
A generous season of precipitation in July set the Bruins up well for a bountiful crop. By late August, the crop looked very promising and we missed two major hail storms. Because the Bruins had hail insurance supplied by Hoium Agencies and Palliser Insurance, all that was left was to hope for warm days as harvest preparation began.
The harvest date was set for September 24 starting around 10:30 am, and the weather cooperated perfectly. Energy and excitement were in the air as the equipment arrived. Two Case IH combines arrived, including one impressive Case IH AF9, both generously donated by Redhead Equipment. One massive John Deere X9, operated by Darcy Yergens and generously donated by Nelson Motors and Equipment, also hit the field. Operation of these massive machines was provided by Armel Hall, Darcy Yergens and Dean Wigley with relief later from Nigel Mack, Kyler Ward, and Mike Marr. All trucking of the canola was generous donated by Greening Trucking (Heath, Blake and Rodney), which was a welcome addition as we moved forward with the work of the day. The trucking of the grain ended at the Richardson Pioneer terminal located just outside Estevan, the same place where the project originated.
Throughout the growing season our own Marty Martinson and Bruno were on hand on multiple occasions to preserve the events with the help of Dennis Gonas with some stellar drone video. For harvest we were joined by Rebecca Wesling from Nelson Motors and Equipment and she captured many memorable moments though pictures and videos as well. Six Bruins’ players attended harvest on September 24, including Alex Scheck, Chase Holt, Rory Elson, Ewan Rennie, Oliver Kramp, and Noah Asmundson, who all had pictures taken on or near some of the massive machines. The boys’ choice of footwear told the story of which players had experience of farm life!
Lunch arrived shortly after the players arrived (no surprise there), which was generously donated by Top Torque and Josh Biggs. With over $5 million worth of modern farm equipment working together in the field, the scale of the operation was both remarkable and inspiring. A number of Bruins’ board members also attended, showing their support.
The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this harvest possible. From those who donated products, time, and equipment, to the ag dealers and families who supported this project this year. Your contributions are invaluable! Last and far from the least, a heartfelt thank you to Josh Biggs and Top Torque for the support behind the scenes and providing the fuel sponsor as well. It is efforts like this that help ensure the team’s ongoing success both on and off the ice.
Watch for the next fundraising event upcoming, which will include seats at both an Edmonton Oilers game and Calgary Flames game!
—
Submitted by: Bruins’ board member, Paul Carroll
