Farmer in northern Ontario sold livestock to focus on crops

Jan 18, 2017

Timo Brielmann now seeds more than 4,000 acres

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

A farmer in Ontario’s Rainy River district had a successful beef cattle operation with a herd of about 600 animals, but decided to change his focus from cows to crops.

After the Northern Heritage Fund put a plan in place to develop the north with a tiling grant, Timo Brielmann and his father Amos who run Pine River Ranch, decided it was time to act.

“We thought we better take advantage of the program they have available,” Timo Brielmann told Farms.com in an interview while attending Manitoba Ag Days.

Timo Brielmann
Photo: CBC

Brielmann, a 2012 graduate from the University of Guelph, said since graduating, the focus slowly shifted from cattle to crops, with 2016 being the first year completely independent of cattle.

“(Now) we seed about 4,500 acres of canola, wheat and soybeans,” he said. “We do some oats and while at Ag Days I spoke with some people about growing rye grass. I may try 200 acres of it to see what happens.”

After spending time at the University of Guelph, Brielmann said there are vast differences in farming up north compared to parts of southern Ontario.

“One of the biggest things is timing,” he said. “We have a small window to grow our crops. Seeding and harvesting both have to be done within a 10 to 15 day window. The snow is coming and you’ve got to get it done.”

In addition to Mother Nature’s timeline, Brielmann said getting the land ready for farming can be a significant project of its own.

“The soil isn’t as good and we’re dealing with rocks and sticks trying to clear land,” he said. “We can’t just go buy a farm and seed it. Right now there’s a dozer in a field pushing trees over. We pretty much have to make our own land here.”

Going forward, Brielmann said he wants to continue expanding his operation.

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