BINSCARTH — For multi-generational farmer Art Freier, a lifelong dedication to the land was recently rewarded with a celebration in his own backyard.
Art and his wife Teresa, who farm near Binscarth, Man., were named the week three winners of the popular GX94 Supper in the Field. The win brought a full catering crew, a feast and a bounty of sponsor prizes directly to the family homestead.
The celebration took place on a yard steeped in agricultural history, originally established by Art’s father back in the 1950s. A vintage Lanz tractor still sits proudly in the yard as a monument to the farm’s origins.
"This is the yard that my dad established," Freier said, noting that Lanz was the company purchased by John Deere in the early 1960s to help establish its iconic brand. "Growing up, we've run a lot of equipment here through the years. At 13 years old, I was driving a combine, and it was just through life I just grew into bigger equipment."
While the family previously managed a sizable herd of Charolais, Hereford and Red Angus cattle, they exited the livestock industry in 2018 due to family medical reasons to focus entirely on grain.
Today, Freier owns 850 acres and partners with a close friend to pool resources, collectively farming between 2,800 and 3,000 acres stretching across the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. The crew is currently splitting its rotation between wheat and canola. Freier noted that while wheat serves as an excellent foundational crop, canola remains the primary economic driver for the operation due to its strong market value and frost resilience.
Seeding progress has seen the team moving rapidly between provinces, starting with the wheat crop in Saskatchewan before moving to Freier's land near Spear Lake to wrap it up. From there, they returned to the home quarter in Manitoba to get their canola in the ground, with plans to cross back into Saskatchewan the following day to finish up the remainder of their fields.
The spring season has not been without its challenges, as unpredictable prairie rain has left machinery stuck in the mud near Russell, Man.
"That’s the million-dollar question, if the weather holds," Freier said regarding his remaining timeline. "We’ve had a fair bit of rain come and go. It was thanks to a neighbour that was over there that helped us to get pulled out and back on the road again. We probably have a good week to go yet."
Winning the Supper in the Field contest was a long time coming for Freier, who has been trying to win the draw for decades.
"I've been entering for quite a few years," Freier said with a laugh, recalling the early days of the contest. "When the first flip phones came out, it was hard to type in your name and address to be able to get into the draw, but now it's gotten a lot easier with the iPhones."
With a bit of extra encouragement from his friend Marcos, Freier kept submitting his name until he finally got the winning morning call from radio host Doug.
"Oh, that was so wonderful," Freier said. "I thank all those that sponsored to give the prizes to us and to GX94 … we really appreciate it."
