34 Better Farming | January 2025 Follow us on @BetterFarmingON UP CLOSE Nutrient Loss SCHILL NORTH LAND FARMS: FAITH & FAMILY Generations working together in Northern Ontario. By Emily McKinlay Faith, family, and teamwork are the primary values of Schill North Land Farms. Dave and Steph Schill moved to Earlton in Northern Ontario in 2004, where they operate a private elevator and grow cereals, canola, peas, soybeans, millet, and flax. They were looking for an opportunity to expand their farm and build a future for their three daughters, Emma, Claire, and Abby. “We both worked at off-farm jobs then, and we moved here to start farming full-time,” says Steph. “We sold the farm down south and began expanding up here. It gives our girls the opportunity to be a part of the farm as well.” Now, they each have their own role on the farm. Dave is largely involved in managing their elevator and Steph oversees the office work. Emma, Claire, and Abby have also found their own niches on the farm. “I didn’t think I wanted anything to do with the farm,” says Emma, who operates the sprayer and a buggy, and has her AZ licence. “I went to school during COVID- 19, and it was too much coming from a small town to the city during that time. “I went to Guelph and didn’t finish. Instead, I came home, and all I wanted to do was farm. I also wanted to be a wife and mom.” Emma, who is recently married and starting her family, says that part of her dream is to raise her kids in the farming environment. Claire went to the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, and graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture. She is now an operator on the farm, spreading fertilizer in the spring, working with straw in the fall, and loading trucks in the winter. Abby is currently studying agriculture at the U of G, Ridgetown, but during her time off, she is an operator and works on equipment maintenance. The team also includes 13 full-time employees and some additional seasonal staff. The work is distributed among teams. “We run in teams,” explains Emma. The Schill family: Abby, Stephanie, David, Claire, and Emma. Britt’s Photography photo
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