Two of Sturgeon County’s longest-serving farm families were recognized for their longevity and contributions to area agriculture last week.
Both the Kluthe and Kuchmak families received the county’s 100-Year Farm Family award Thursday at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre, marking their respective long-time dedication to growing and to keeping the agricultural lifestyle alive in the county.
Ernie Kuchmak said the award was a great honour for the county to bestow upon his family.
“It’s such an honourable award and a prestige to have,” he said. “I’m really honoured for our family, especially my grandfather, my father, my son, myself and my grandson.”
For Rodney Kluthe, as the award was being presented, he couldn’t help but think of his grandfather and his father, both of whom paved the way for him to get into agriculture.
“It’s really a big honour. ... The land I’m living on, my grandfather, he broke that; he worked hard,” said Rodney Kluthe, who still lives on the family land. “Farming, that was it. Nothing else mattered.”
Quentin Bochar, head of agricultural services for Sturgeon County, said it’s important to recognize these families and what they’ve done to help the area stay true to its roots.
“Unfortunately, the way things are going nowadays, agriculture is one of those industries that seems to be struggling to survive, so it’s nice to see — some of the operations are so large, so it’s nice to see some of the smaller ones where farming might not be their entire livelihood, but they’re still going,” he said. “You like to eat, I like to eat, so agriculture’s important.”
The awards ceremony capped off Sturgeon County’s annual agricultural services board tour, which gave people the chance to see what’s new at some of the agricultural operations around the area.
Also handed out on Thursday were the county’s farmstead and acreage beautification awards. The farmstead award went to Wayne and Cassie Bokenfohr, while the acreage award was given to Elizabeth Luce.
Staying in agriculture during the ups and downs of the past 100 years has been trying, but a love of farming has kept both families in it.
The Kuchmak family first settled in the area in 1910 when Ernie’s grandfather emigrated from Ukraine.
“That’s what they knew was farming,” he said. “My great-grandfather purchased his original farm just off the North Saskatchewan River, and my grandfather had a golden opportunity because the federal government was allowing immigrants to the country to buy a homestead for $10 — 160 acres — if they cleared it.”
There, they raised 11 children, and the love of farming was passed on.
It’s much the same story for many of the families in the county.
“It was a good living in those days,” Kluthe said. “It’s the way it should be; it’s a way of life that will never, ever be replaced.”
That’s why it’s important to these families to pass that way of life on to future generations, even though they might have more lucrative options in professional careers or the oil and gas sector.
Kuchmak is in the process of buying the farm, located along the North Saskatchewan River in the northeast corner of the county, from his father Nick, and hopes one day he’ll be able to pass it down to his son, Michael, and grandson, Cade.
“To keep the original homestead in the family, that’s very important to me,” he said. “It’s a cultural thing.”
However, for the Kluthes, that’s less of a realistic possibility, as their farm is located just 800 metres north of St. Albert, and figures to be swallowed up by development in the very near future.
“It’s going to be impossible to carry on, because I’ve got no one to take over,” he said. “It’s very, very sad. Unless you’re a big farmer, it’s hard now to farm.”
