UP CLOSE At VanQuaethem Farms, brothers Joe and Curtis VanQuaethem credit their families, their employees, and good communication for a sustainable operation. The brothers’ home base, including a grain facility and shop, is in Eden in Elgin County. They grow a rotation of mostly corn and beans on land in Norfolk, Elgin, and Oxford counties, and spend much of their time managing the challenges of sandy soils. “We are in an area where tobacco used to be big,” says Joe. “A lot of the farms we grow on have sandy soil types, and variable moisture in the summer is a big factor. Seed varieties are a major decision, especially for corn. We also try to time out nitrogen to be the most efficient. We can’t put it all up front, so we come in later for top-dressing and side-dressing and do multiple nitrogen applications.” Curtis adds, “We are on the very end of the sand spectrum for what people grow corn on. For potash, we have to be careful because we get seed burn with sand.” The brothers are also dealers of DEKALB seed and do many different seed variety comparisons. Joe and Curtis are the second generation on the farm. Their father Brian started the farm in 1983, creating an operation that supports all three families and a number of employees. “Our farm was started with my dad. Being the guy he is, he thought ahead and said, ‘If you want to be on the farm, you can make decisions,’” says Curtis. “We are very lucky that we had a dad who helped us learn and grow, not only as a farm but as people. He made the farm what it is, and our parents both worked very hard and sacrificed a lot of time to make good decisions that allowed us to be in the place we are now.” Joe joined the farm full-time after graduating from the University of Guelph with an Honours Agriculture degree in 2012. Curtis initially attended Mohawk College to become a mechanical engineering technologist and did not intend to move home after graduation. In 2008, he says his dad gave him a choice when it was announced that the local elevator was closing. “In order to continue farming, we knew we had to put up an elevator,” says Curtis. “So, I had a bit of an ultimatum, and we decided to make that investment in 2008. I’ve been working on the farm since 2008 or 2009, right after I was done college.” Brian is still involved in the farm, managing bookwork, The grain facility at VanQuaethem Farms. Photography Beitz photo 31 It’s Farming. And It’s Better. Better Farming | September 2024
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