My family’s farm near Glenboro, Manitoba continues to thrive as five generations have worked the land and built their farming business.
Farming runs deep in the hearts of the Jefferies family.
My great-grandfather, Sidney Jefferies of England, purchased a 320-acre farm in 1896 after working in the area for several years. As with many others, Sidney and his wife Mary worked hard to overcome hardships of pioneer life. When the threshing gang arrived in the fall, valuable grain was hauled to the granaries as it was the feed for their livestock. In 1927, a large new red barn was built which is still in use today (although for a different purpose). Sid and Mary moved to the village of Glenboro in 1929. Little did Sid and Mary know that their love of farming would run through the veins of so many family members. It would remain a Jefferies farm for over 125 years.
Sid and Mary’s son Archie and his wife Lily took residence on the home farm in 1929 after their marriage. Despite the Depression years, they worked the land and made a living for their family of four children. One year Santa even left a pony in the living room on Christmas morning. In 1950 they built a new house on the homestead (which had their first electricity).
Good family times were had with relatives and neighbours enjoying picnics by the river, attending fairs, and country school functions. As their sons, Ivan and Gordon grew, they worked with their dad on the farm and eventually took over as Archie and Lily retired to town in 1960.
History started to repeat itself as Ivan and his wife Gwen moved to the farm after being married that year. Ivan and his brother Gordon worked together growing cereal crops and making those all-important purchases like land and equipment to grow the farm business. Ivan and Gwen raised three children. (I’m the middle one.)
Gwen continued the tradition of producing a large garden, preserving fruits and vegetables, and delivering meals to the field during harvest. Lily’s sweet pickle recipe was passed to Gwen and on through many generations as I now love making these delicious treats for my family. I have great memories of my cousins coming to help stack the straw bales. We played on the piles until the rack arrived, donned with bales which needed to be tossed on the conveyor belt and positioned strategically into stacks for the winter. So many wonderful times were spent with cousins while working on the farm or at play. Family was always important. Ivan and Gordon ventured out on their own, expanding their farms as their families grew.
Our farm grew in many ways. Crops varied over the years as canola, flax, sunflowers, and corn were added to the cereal grain rotation. My first memory of a farm job was to gather the eggs. I also held the horse reins on the stone boat as Dad forked manure from the corral to the stone boat. Later, I drove the tractor to bale straw or the grain truck when Dad claimed that all hands were needed during harvest. Mom required my help on corn day from picking the ears, to husking, blanching, cutting, freezing, and finally counting the cobs as my sister and I tossed them into the pigpen.
Dad gradually handed over decision-making to my brother Ron as he began his farming career. Ivan and Gwen built a home in Glenboro and relocated in 1988 so Ron and his new wife Wanda could live on the home farm. Yes, there is definitely a pattern.
Ron and Wanda renovated the farmhouse in 1991. They had two sons so the Jefferies name was still going strong. The young boys rode around the farm on mini bikes instead of ponies like their grandfather Ivan had done. Ivan continued to work with Ron on the farm managing through years of drought, rain, grasshoppers and disease. Often another round steel grain bin was erected and added to the line of bins in the yard.
Diversity in farming became more prevalent with changing times. Their cattle were sold and grain became the sole commodity. In 1994, Ron started Jefferies Seeds turning the 1927 cattle barn into the seed cleaning building. This seed business offered their customers a variety of seed choices. In 1996, a century celebration took place when the family reminisced of the great times on the home farm. Ron and Wanda’s sons worked alongside their dad and grandfather as they grew. Riley joined his dad in 2013 while Cale became a partner in Jefferies Seeds in 2015. The farm continued to thrive.
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As tradition would have it, Ron and Wanda moved to Glenboro; their son, Riley and partner Shelby (now wife) moved to the 120-year-old farm in 2016. Ivan watched as his son and grandsons continued to build his beloved farm. Ron’s truck rolled in the lane daily as he remained a full-time farmer.
Growth continued when Cale and his wife Hailey founded Prairie Fava, a fava bean company in 2015. And once again a new business was added to the farm providing a local market for farmers to sell their beans. A larger seed plant with the newest technology was built and opened in 2018 at Jefferies Seeds. Farming looks different today with irrigation pivots spanning some of the same original acres on this farm. More progress.
The sixth generation arrived in 2021 when Riley and Cale each had a child. Who knows if one of these precious little ones will follow in their great-great-great-grandparents’ footsteps. How proud Sid and Mary would be to see each generation contribute to the diversification of the family farm.
I am willing to bet that life will continue on the Jefferies homestead for many more decades.
