Pipestone Flyer
(Click here for video of harvest)
On Thursday, Oct 17th the annual harvest held by the Leduc & District Growing Project was held southeast of Leduc close to Millet. This annual harvest is held to support the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The Bank was established in 1983 and assists the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in providing food aid to people in other countries. Over the years, millions of people from 78 countries have been helped.
In the beginning the Bank sent donated crops directly to the countries in need. Today, farmers still grow food for the Foodgrains Bank, but instead of shipping the crop overseas, the crop is sold and the proceeds are then donated to the Foodgrains Bank. Last year the Leduc & District Growing Project reached a million dollars raised and this year’s crop will be the beginning of a second million. The Foodgrains Bank uses the donations to purchase food in the developing world, which not only gets the food to those in need quicker and less expensively, but also supports local farmers.
21 combines and 15 grain trucks arrived to harvest the 280 acres of wheat on a typical mid-October day, which started out sunny and then became overcast with a touch of moisture and a bitter wind, but ended with the sun breaking out to close out the day. This did not stop anyone and after a lunch served at 12 noon Leduc & District farmers headed for their combines shortly after 1pm to quickly harvest the crop and unload it into the waiting trucks.
It was a day that reminded one of days past when farmers would gather together to help a fellow farmer, with an emergency, get his crop off the field. It was an opportunity for young members of the family to get a chance to see how a combine works from the cab with their father.
The Leduc & District Growing Project Harvest has become a right of fall, along with Thanksgiving and Halloween. Just as turkey and candy can be expected the Harvest is a time for families and neighbors to come together for one day to help their fellow man.