The Farm Family Award was given to a family farm in Smoky Lake County on November 11 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre as part of Farmfair International.
According to information from Farmfair International, the Farm Family Award goes to “outstanding families who best represent the values of the family farm in their rural community.” This year, 15 family farms were chosen for the award. One of them was Ace High Farms, which is run by the Shwetz family and raises both grain and cattle.
The award also recognizes “their farming business practices” and “their involvement in the community.” Shawnalee Shwetz and her husband Andy help take care of 2,000 acres of crops and 70 heads of cattle. She says that being involved in the community is an important part of their lives.
“We live in a small town, and we don’t want anything to get worse,” she says, focusing on the chances for children and young people. The family is involved with the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 4-H, the Thorhild Ukrainian Dancing Club, and the Waskatenau Youth Foundation.
Shawnalee says that getting the Farm Family Award is a great honor. Shawnalee says, “We’ve been farmers for three generations.” “We also want to take care of the fourth generation that will come after us.” Shawnalee says that they are just born to farm. “You can’t get rid of it no matter what.”
Andy says again that the award is a sign that “we take care of the land for future generations” and “that maybe we’re doing things the right way.” Andy says, though, that the award doesn’t mean they do anything “above and beyond” what other farm families do. He thinks that every farm has its own story.
Their Story
In 2005, Andy’s cousins sold the couple some land to use as a farm. Andy was working in the oil field at the time, and that and a company he started while he was in college to clean up land helped pay for the land. When they bought the land, it had been empty for about five years, so a lot of work had to be done to fix it up.
Shawnalee says, “[Faming] is not a business you can just start from scratch.” “Both sides of the family helped us a lot.” There are also many problems with farming, and every day is a struggle. It can be hard to deal with a lack of help from the government, price increases for many things, and higher taxes.
Andy says, “We’ve had some pretty tough years on the farm, but we’ve always made enough to get by.” So, even though farming has its challenges, the couple is thankful for family members who are willing to help, like their parents, who are always there to support them and help with the farm’s daily operations.
Andy says, “I’d like to thank my parents, Sylvester and Phyllis, and everyone else who has helped on the farm.” “Because we couldn’t do it without help from everyone.” Even though there are problems, Andy says that the Shwetz family loves farming and “loves the land.”
He says, “I don’t know why. You just grew up in it and appreciate it.” “It moves more slowly, and you make your own choices.” “The thing I like most about farming is that it has seasons,” he said. For example, in the spring, “you plant the crop and then you spray.” When summer comes, “you get a little time off or go to work full-time,” then the harvest comes, and then you start having calves in the winter.
Andy says, “The way farming works with the seasons is like something that doesn’t change, and we look forward to all the little steps of farming each season.” “Nothing ever changes.” Andy says that all the sacrifices and hard work that go into farming “really do pay off.”
The couple is preparing the farm for their children in the hopes that one of their sons will want to take it over one day.
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