Nominees named for Sask. Outstanding Young Farmers

May 03, 2023

The Wildfong and Leguee families are up for the award

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Two Saskatchewan farm families are up for an industry award.

Russ and Beth Wildfong, owners and operators of Wildfong Enterprises in Craik, and Jake and Sarah Leguee and Erik Nikolejsin from Weyburn, are nominated for the 2023 Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmer award.

The award recognizes farmers between the ages of 18 and 39.

The Wildfongs farm 10,000 acres growing canola, lentils and durum. In addition, the family started a new business called Wildfong Concaves.

The business uses raw Canadian steel and materials to manufacture ag parts for combines.

Russ earned his engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan, while Beth has a degree in commerce and runs a commercial development company.

Away from the farm, the Wildfongs are involved in community sports, the volunteer fire department and more initiatives.

Jake and Sarah Leguee, along with their brother-in-law, Erik, represent the third generation of the Leguee family to farm on the land Jake and Sarah’s grandparents established in 1956.

Together they work to grow durum, wheat, canola, peas, lentils and flax.

“The Leguee team intensively manages their crops, believing in the importance of continuous improvement, always seeking to find new ways to look after both their soils and margins,” the family’s nomination says. “They work with their partners to stay on the leading edge of technology, continually trialling new products and practices.”

Away from the farm, Sarah and Jake are involved with APAS, the Global Farmer Network and more.

And Jake runs a blog called A Year in the Life of a Farmer.

Farms.com has contacted the Wildfongs and Leguees about their nominations.

The Outstanding Young Farmers for B.C. and Manitoba have already been named.

The award for Manitoba went to Harley and Brooklynn Siemens, egg producers from Rosenort, Man.

And the Hopcott family from Pitt Meadows won the B.C. award.

Each of the regional winners will represent their communities in the national competition in Quebec this November.

Video: How women saved agricultural economics and other ideas for why diversity matters | Jill J. McCluskey

Dr. Jill J. McCluskey, Regents Professor at Washington State University and Director of the School of Economic Science

Dr. McCluskey documents that women entered agricultural economics in significant numbers starting in the 1980s, and their ranks have increased over time. She argues that women have increased the relevance in the field of agricultural economics through their diverse interests, perspectives, and experiences. In their research, women have expanded the field's treatment of non-traditional topics such as food safety and nutrition and environmental and natural resource economics. In this sense, women saved the Agricultural Economics profession from a future as a specialty narrowly focused on agricultural production and markets. McCluskey will go on to discuss some of her own story and how it has shaped some of her thinking and research. She will present her research on dual-career couples in academia, promotional achievement of women in both Economics and Agricultural Economics, and work-life support programs.

The Daryl F. Kraft Lecture is arranged by the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, with the support of the Solomon Sinclair Farm Management Institute, and in cooperation with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.