Norwich United Church

A Foodgrains Project

This is the story of a Foodgrains project to feed 25 000 people for 6 months. It all started 192 km south east of Regina, Saskatchewan with a quarter of land south of Ratcliff and with the determination of some farmers to make a difference. The quarter was planted in Durham wheat and grew through a coolish summer. In late September it was harvested in the warmest month of the year with about 35 people at the event. All present were happy and excited to make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate. This is the tenth year that the Beaubier Pentecostal Church and Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Sudbury, sponsors of the Growers Project, have been responding in this way to hunger.

Combines, grain transports and pick-up trucks converge on the Growers Project quarter section of land. The bright morning is abuzz with socializing conversation as local farming families enjoy hot mugs of coffee, Tim Horton donuts, buns with a barbequed hamburger or smokie and home made deserts.

A line of combine’s form and it marches across the field. An East / West traverse back and forth is necessary for the headers to harvest the heavy low lying crop.

Area farmers donated 7 combines and 8 transports to get the crop off. Each transport held 1500 bushels. The wheat was on the road to Weyburn three hours after it was harvested.

Corporate sponsors of this response to hunger include BASF, Beaubier Co-op, Monsanto, Nu-Farm, Phileom-Bios, Pioneer Grain, Pioneer Seeds, Syngenta, Viterra, Weyburn Inland Terminal, Weyburn Co-op and private individuals.