32 The Business of Prairie Agriculture Better Farming | July/August 2024 UP CLOSE on the farm as well. As the young farmers work to grow their operation, Dustin feels like their age gives them a unique perspective. “We are pretty young for running our own farm. Most of the farms around here have everyone, even grandpa, still involved. The average age is somewhere close to 65 for farmers,” says Dustin. “I know a lot of farmers are set in their ways and aren’t willing to try new things. We are able to be more open-minded.” Dustin and Bryce have put this flexible mindset to work by searching for new markets and crops. “I’m really interested in growing lupines. They promote nitrogen fixation and are good for soil health, but we still have to find the market for them. We have to look into them further to see if they are marketable,” Dustin explains. By exploring new opportunities and technologies, the brothers hope to achieve their goal of building a sustainable and successful operation that will support them full-time. What is your favourite thing about being a farmer? Dustin: Mainly the lifestyle. I like living in the country and operating all the different pieces of equipment you get to run. What's your goal for the farm? My goal is to be able to be farming full-time and not have to rely on income off-farm to support us. It would be nice if the farm was profitable enough to do that. Any farming challenges? In the first year of farming, we got quite a bit of hail damage and we’ve been going through a drought here. We are still doing better than a lot of places in the south. The cost of land here is also quite high and that’s a huge limiting factor for getting into farming. Our mortgage is basically what we make off the land and we are just buying it to have it. And the cost of equipment keeps getting higher. Even in the past three years, the price has gone up significantly. What advice would you give new farmers? My advice would be to get into a trade before you jump into being a farmer. Maybe it’s something that’s related, like an ag mechanic or welder. If you can fix your own equipment, you save a significant amount of money. You have to love farming. It’s a labour of love. With the profit margins that you see and the money you put into farming, if you put that money into the stock market you could make significantly more just sitting around the house. It’s something you have to love doing. If you weren’t farming, what would you be doing instead? I’d be running my heavy-duty mechanic shop. I would hire quite a few more guys and expand that business. Your most memorable farming year? Probably 2022. That was our first year. What keeps you up at night? I sleep pretty well. The issues in farmEnjoy Today Photography photo Operating equipment is a highlight of the job for Dustin.
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