29 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | April 2024 UP CLOSE Mississippi, and Australia. When he was working in Canadian locations, he would use his holidays to return to the farm to help during busy seasons. After more than 20 years of offfarm work, Heath and his family were ready to settle in one place while his dad began to consider retirement. “My dad decided he wanted to retire, and we had a large enough operation that it was too big for just my brother to take over by himself at the time. “So I said, ‘I’m getting tired of the software stuff, and I’d love to come back to farm.’ We’ve been farming together ever since.” The farm is now a full family effort. While the management decisions are now split 50/50 between Heath and Blair, their parents Jim and Lucille are still involved in day-to-day operations on the farm. Heath’s wife Mia handles books and paperwork, payroll, and meals during seeding and harvest. Heath’s son Hayden and Blair’s son Walker are farm employees and have shown interest in carrying the farm for another generation. Heath’s daughter Kenys works on the farm during her breaks away from pursuing her public relations degree at Mount Royal University in Calgary. During busy times, extended families also contribute, to ensure all the necessary tasks get done. The families of Mia and Hayden’s wife Kelsi have lent a hand around the farm on occasion, Heath explains. “Everyone pitches in depending on how busy we are,” he says. “We probably should have more hired help, but we all like doing the work ourselves. I enjoy farming, whether it’s picking rocks, spraying, harrowing, hauling grain, combining, or seeding. We like to do all these different things, and that makes it exciting to me.” Heath says that working as a family was part of what attracted him back to the farm. “In my previous life in software, I’d have up to 100 employees working for The family enjoys a field meal during the busy season. Heath with the Baldwinton Grain Elevator across the road from their farm. Heath Fairley photo Heath Fairley photo
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